Bishop outlines reasons Catholic politicians may be refused Communion

Published: 2006-10-23

PHOENIX (CNS) -- Catholic politicians who publicly support abortion, euthanasia and same-sex marriage "jeopardize their own spiritual well-being" and should not receive Communion, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of Phoenix says in a new booklet. Called "Catholics in the Public Square," the 45-page booklet includes 29 questions and answers about the separation of church and state, anti-Catholic discrimination and Catholic participation in public life. Published in English and Spanish by Basilica Press, it is intended as the first in a "Shepherd's Voice" series. Bishop Olmsted said there are some issues on which Catholics may disagree with the hierarchy such as the just-war theory or capital punishment. "Despite these examples there are other issues, such as abortion and euthanasia, that are always wrong and do not allow for the correct use of prudential judgment to justify them," he wrote. "It would never be proper for Catholics to be on the opposite side of these issues."

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