cnsnews reports : Cardinal Raymond Burke, an American and a member of the highest court at the Vatican, said that Catholic politicians who support abortion should not approach for Communion at Mass and added that Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is “not a Catholic in good standing.”
Burke further said that Biden “gives scandal to everyone” because he claims he is a “devout Catholic” and yet promotes abortion.
Cardinal Burke, who is the former archbishop of St. Louis, Mo., made his remarks in an interview with Catholic Action for Faith and Family, which was quoted in the Catholic News Agency on Sept. 29.
Joe Biden “is not a Catholic in good standing and he should not approach to receive Holy Communion,” said Cardinal Burke, who was ordained a bishop by Pope St. John Paul II.
“This is not a political statement, I don’t intend to get involved in recommending any candidate for office,” said Burke, “but simply to state that a Catholic may not support abortion in any shape or form because it is one of the most grievous sins against human life, and has always been considered to be intrinsically evil, and therefore to in any way support the act is a mortal sin.”
“So, first of all, I would tell him not to approach Holy Communion out of charity toward him, because that would be a sacrilege, and a danger to the salvation of his own soul,” said Burke.
“But also he should not approach to receive Holy Communion because he gives scandal to everyone,” said the cardinal. “Because if someone says, ‘Well, I’m a devout Catholic’ and at the same time is promoting abortion, it gives the impression to others that it’s acceptable for a Catholic to be in favor of abortion and, of course, it’s absolutely not acceptable.”
“It never has been, it never will be,” he added.
Explaining scandal, Cardinal Burke said, “If people were perhaps questioning in their mind about abortion, and they see this man who pronounces himself to be a devout and he’s promoting abortion in the strongest possible way, this leads people into error, thinking, ‘well it must be morally acceptable to commit abortion,’ and so the person then bears responsibility — not only the person who gives the scandal, not only for his own wrong actions in supporting abortion but also for leading others into thinking that abortion is acceptable.”
“I can’t imagine that any Catholic wouldn’t know that abortion is a grievous sin,” said the cardinal. “But if they don’t, once they’ve been told, then they either have to cease to support abortion or accept the fact they are not a Catholic in good standing and therefore should not present themselves for Holy Communion.”
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