No Communion For You!

Back when Pope Benedict XVI was still a Cardinal, he was known for his vigorous defense of the faith and its strict requirements, and may have played a role in the 2004 election (from Drudge):

German Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican theologian who was elected Pope Benedict XVI, intervened in the 2004 US election campaign ordering bishops to deny communion to abortion rights supporters including presidential candidate John Kerry.

In a June 2004 letter to US bishops enunciating principles of worthiness for communion recipients, Ratzinger specified that strong and open supporters of abortion should be denied the Catholic sacrament, for being guilty of a "grave sin."

He specifically mentioned "the case of a Catholic politician consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws," a reference widely understood to mean Democratic candidate Kerry, a Catholic who has defended abortion rights.

The letter said a priest confronted with such a person seeking communion "must refuse to distribute it."

A footnote to the letter also condemned any Catholic who votes specifically for a candidate because the candidate holds a pro-abortion position. Such a voter "would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for holy communion," the letter read.

I remember hearing about this and wondered how it would play with American Catholic voters, who aren't always willing to follow along with whatever the Vatican says. I don't know if the Catholics responded to the letter, or if Kerry just wasn't an attractive candidate, but the article goes on to spell out what happened among Catholic voters in the election:

Sharply divided on the issue, the bishops decided to leave the decision on granting or denying communion to the individual priest. Kerry later received communion several times from sympathetic priests.

Nevertheless, in the November election, a majority of Catholic voters, who traditionally supported Democratic Party candidates, shifted their votes to Republican and eventual winner George W. Bush.

We all know that the Democratic Party has a number of prominent Catholics politicians who play fast and loose with the tenets of their faith (can you say Kennedy). It will be interesting to see how the new Pope responds to an American church which seems to be constantly pushing the Mother Church to compromise its principles.