Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or the declaration of a penalty as well as others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion.
We all know there are Catholics in public life these days who flaunt their pro-abortion advocacy while at the same time defying Church officials to deny them Holy Communion. And sadly, many Eucharistic ministers, deacons, priests and yes, even bishops, prefer not to deny the Sacrament but rather to entrust that decision to the conscience of the pro-abortion Catholic!
Well, you can imagine my joy then when I read the interview with Ottawa Canada’s Archbishop Terrence Prendergast. He spoke with LifeSite News about Canon Law 915, and during that interview he said:
What is at issue is whether a politician who does not himself or herself participate in an abortion but supports a ‘woman’s right to choose’ (or however else shows support for abortion) is guilty of grave sin and then obstinately persists in this state of grave sin.
The Archbishop explained, “The Church’s concern is for anyone who persists in grave sin, hoping that medicinal measures (which are how excommunication and interdict are to be understood) may draw them away from the wrong path to the truth of our faith.”
The description of how and why Canon Law 915 should be enforced confirms what we have been saying for the past five years. There is no punishment to be perceived in the denial of the Sacrament to someone who publicly advocates the killing of children by abortion. Rather, by enforcing Canon 915 and explaining to the pro-abortion public figure why he or she may not receive the Sacrament, the hope is that the pro-abortion Catholic will rethink his support for abortion, repent of it and come back into full communion with the teachings of the Church. The good medicine of this Canon law cannot be undervalued.
I often wonder, as I think about the many reasons why so few are willing to enforce Canon Law 915, what they could possibly think they are losing by such enforcement! After all, the saving of the soul of an errant human being is the most vital thing anyone could ever be instrumental in doing, don’t you think? So please take a moment during this Holy Week to pray for every Eucharistic minister, deacon and priest asking the Lord to bless them with the insights they need to save souls by enforcing Canon Law and bringing pro-abortion Catholics in public life back to the fullness of the truth.