Cardinal said willing to meet Democrats opposing Communion ban

Published: 2004-05-20

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Washington Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick is open to meeting a group of Catholic Democrats critical of bishops who would deny Communion to Catholic legislators favoring legalized abortion, said Susan Gibbs, the cardinal's spokeswoman. The request for a meeting was made in a letter signed by 48 Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives, several of whom oppose legalized abortion. Most of the signers favor legalized abortion. The lawmakers said that public statements made by some bishops about withholding Communion fuel anti-Catholicism in society, lead to division within the church and involve the church in partisan politics. Cardinal McCarrick heads a task force of U.S. bishops that is considering how bishops might respond to Catholic politicians who publicly disagree with church teachings. The task force expects to complete its work after the presidential election this year. As task-force chairman, the cardinal is open to hearing from the signers but a meeting has yet to be arranged, Gibbs told Catholic News Service May 20 after several newspaper articles quoted from the letter.

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