Chicago’s new archbishop has already become a darling of the mainstream media. This past weekend Archbishop Blase J. Cupich was interviewed by CBS News program Face the Nation. Cupich discussed a number of topics, one of which was Holy Communion for well-known, pro-abortion Catholics in public life.
This excerpt from his interview with Face the Nation’s Norah O’Donnell reveals quite a bit:
O’DONNELL: But you in your own background appear to have emphasized conversation [over] confrontation. You haven’t been particularly confrontational with politicians who disagree with you on issues like abortion, for instance. Do you think the Eucharist has become too politicized?
CUPICH: Well, I think that is important always to begin with an attitude of dialogue. It’s important to listen to people and it’s very hard to have dialogue because in order for someone to tell you why they think you are wrong, you have to sit in patience to allow that to happen. The community—as I say—cannot be the place where those discussions are fought, but rather we have to look at how we’re going to deal with the tough issues of the day in a constructive way and as adults who respect each other.
O’DONNELL: So, when you say we cannot politicize the Communion rail, you would give Communion to politicians, for instance, who support abortion rights.
CUPICH: I would not use the Eucharist, or as they call it the Communion rail, as the place to have those discussions or [a] way in which people would be . . . excluded from the life of the Church. The Eucharist is an opportunity of grace and conversion. It’s also a time of forgiveness of sins. So my hope would be that that grace would be instrumental in bringing people to the truth.
Note that O’Donnell begins by relegating the act of killing a preborn child to nothing more than a political issue. The archbishop in turn does not take umbrage at these words and in fact plays the same game himself—as is evident in his response to O’Donnell.
The question of dialogue as discussed by Cupich suggests that, in a case like that of abortion, it is better to approach the truth of the matter by feeling out where someone else is coming from so that the discussion can occur in a constructive way rather than one that causes anguish and alienation. The purpose of such a discussion, it seems to me, should be to educate the one who is in error.
On that point the archbishop is right. But the problem arises when we take a Nancy Pelosi or a Joe Biden or any number of solidly pro-death Catholic public figures and insert a name into the equation. Is the archbishop actually suggesting that a Pelosi or a Biden deserve an opportunity to explain their defense of direct killing even though they have remained intransigent and defiant of Church teaching for years?
Based on something Cupich said years ago, I would suggest that no, he is not saying that at all. He simply is not interested in protecting Christ from sacrilege, even though the Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
“Sacrilege is a grave sin especially when committed against the Eucharist, for in this sacrament the true Body of Christ is made substantially present for us.” Cupich’s words in a 2008 article entitled “Racism and the Election”—published in the nominally Catholic Jesuit magazine, America—disturbed readers when they equated abortion with racism. He stated, “The promotion neither of abortion nor racism can ever be a motivation for one’s vote. Voting for a candidate solely because of that candidate’s support for abortion or against him or her solely on the basis of his or her race is to promote an intrinsic evil.”
By setting up a straw man in equating racism with abortion, much like the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops did, Cupich immediately denigrated the urgency of calling abortion by its proper name: murder!
Racism is prejudice at its worse to be sure. But racism is not always a heinous crime like that of abortion. Clearly the comparison is erroneous.
Honestly, the archbishop’s recent interview with CBS should not shock anyone. Cupich is a prelate of the Church who clearly prefers political correctness to instructing folks like Pelosi and Biden that they may not commit sacrilege against the body of Christ by receiving Him in Holy Communion. (Matthew 26:67)
Action Item: We all must make our voices heard. Respectfully contact Archbishop Cupich and explain your concerns, and that these concerns come out of love and respect for the Church and for the body of Christ. We show our love for Christ with our actions. If we do nothing, and turn a blind eye, we deny Him the respect and adoration He deserves.
Most Reverend Blase J. Cupich
Archbishop of Chicago
PO Box 1979
Chicago, IL 60690-1979
Phone: 312-534-8230
Fax: 312-534-6379