Seminar examines merits of denying Communion to dissident politicians

Published: 2004-09-17

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Father Richard John Neuhaus said Catholic politicians who persist in supporting legalized abortion should be denied Communion. Monika K. Hellwig said that tactic would contribute to the misperception that abortion is a "Catholic issue" when it should be an issue with all candidates. The two theologians were among speakers at a daylong conference, "Public Witness/Public Scandal," on "the controversy over Catholic politicians who consistently advocate and vote against pro-life positions." Co-sponsors of the conference, held Sept. 16 at the National Press Club in Washington, were Ave Maria Law School and the Our Sunday Visitor Foundation. Father Neuhaus, a New York priest and editor in chief of First Things magazine, and Hellwig, who taught theology at Georgetown University for more than 30 years before leaving that post to become president and executive director of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, shared the podium in a discussion of the cultural implications of the controversy.

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