U.S. bishop defends bishops' right to rebuke pro-abortion politicians

Published: 2007-07-13

MELBOURNE, Australia (CNS) -- An American bishop visiting Australia has defended the right of Catholic bishops to publicly rebuke politicians, including Catholics, who support pro-abortion laws. Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver said that the abortion issue is one of basic human dignity and not just an issue of concern to Catholic sectarians. "These are not sectarian issues," he told The Record, the weekly newspaper of the Archdiocese of Perth, Western Australia. "We're not saying Catholic legislators ought to promote belief in the Trinity. "Abortion is about killing somebody else. It's about human beings," he said. "Do you keep quiet if someone's going to kill someone else, or do you speak up? And if you don't speak up or you say people have a right to kill someone else, can you honestly say you're in communion with the church?"

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