No easy answers: U.S. debate over Communion reverberates at Vatican

Published: 2004-06-11

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The debate in the United States over Communion and Catholic politicians is echoing loud and clear in the Vatican this summer, raising concerns about episcopal unity. But despite the divergent policies adopted by several U.S. bishops, the Vatican has been slow to intervene, and it may choose not to do so publicly. One reason is that the Vatican does not want to be seen as telling the U.S. bishops what to do. Another is that Vatican officials do not have easy answers to the questions raised by the debate. Many at the Vatican would agree that a Catholic politician who supports legal abortion could be denied Communion under church law. But on the question of whether this should be done, Vatican opinion is far from uniform. And while some say the more aggressive stand by some bishops is a necessary tactic, others draw a different lesson. "Some of the people at the highest levels (of the Vatican) are quick to point out that this points to the failure on the part of the church to convince people of the truth. Some of them see it almost as an embarrassment that you need to do this," said one Vatican official.

Copyright (c) 2004 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .