Hattip to co-blogger Elaine:
Springfield, Ill., Jun 6, 2019 / 04:05 am (CNA).- The Bishop of Springfield, Illinois, has decreed that state legislative leaders may not be admitted to Holy Communion within his diocese, because of their work to pass the state Reproductive Health Act. The bishop also directed the Catholic legislators who have voted for legislation promoting abortion should not present themselves to recieve Holy Communiion until they have first gone to confession.
“In accord with canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law…Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan, who facilitated the passage of the Act Concerning Abortion of 2017 (House Bill 40) as well as the Reproductive Health Act of 2019 (Senate Bill 25), are not to be admitted to Holy Communion in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois because they have obstinately persisted in promoting the abominable crime and very grave sin of abortion as evidenced by the influence they exerted in their leadership roles and their repeated votes and obdurate public support for abortion rights over an extended period of time,” Bishop Thomas Paprocki wrote in a June 2 decree.
“These persons may be readmitted to Holy Communion only after they have truly repented these grave sins and furthermore have made suitable reparation for damages and scandal, or at least have seriously promised to do so, as determined in my judgment or in the judgment of their diocesan bishop in consultation with me or my successor,” the bishop added.
Illinois’ Reproductive Health Act was passed by the state’s House and Senate just days ago, and observers credited the advocacy of Cullerton and Madigan with helping to secure passage. It is expected to be signed by Illinois’ Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
The bill declares abortion to be a “fundamental right” in the state and would remove regulations on abortion clinics and doctors.
Among the provisions that the bill would remove are regulations for abortion clinics, required waiting periods to obtain an abortion, and a ban on partial-birth abortion. In addition, it would lift criminal penalties for performing abortions and would prevent any further state regulation of abortion.
Go here to read the rest. Let’s see which of the other Illinois Bishops will follow suit.
No matter the blowback, I wouldn’t expect any apologies from the bishop. Bravo to him.
It’s about time!
Keep up the prayers.
Too often clergy has said that they don’t want to use the eurchrist as a political weapon. Fine. Just apply it as it should be applied, abortion is a non-negotiable.
God bless Bishop Paprocki.
Oh, and I bet Cupich peed himself a little bit when he realized he’ll have to comment on this.
Cupich’s office has supposedly released this statement…
https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/breaking/ct-met-catholic-church-sanctions-illinois-lawmakers-mike-madigan-20190605-story.html
20 years of dissent, abuse and confusion….
“have made suitable reparation for damages and scandal”
A private confession and a simple public apology for the act while continuing to allow and promote the killing should not be acceptable. Repeal of the law should be the ONLY “suitable reparation”.
My goodness.
Good job, sir.
JFK: It’s a start.
While I am in agreement with Bishop Paprocki, every American Bishop should be doing the same thing.
The proposed Illinois law is horrid…a horrid bill drafted and passed by evil people.
Can Bishop Paprocki publicly back up Bishop Tobin’s ORIGINAL tweet about the sickening event referred to as “Pride Month”?
God will bring his justice upon these people.
Good for the Bishop. I like the following exhortation related to receiving Holy Communion while in a state of sin as given in the 1928 Anglican Book of Common Prayer. Every Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican priest (not heterodox Canterbury or Episcopal Church USA, but Orthodox Anglican in the Anglican Continuum) should remind the Congregation that repentance with firm purpose of amendment comes BEFORE reception of Holy Communion.
“The way and means thereto is: First, to examine your lives and conversations by the rule of God’s commandments; and whereinsoever ye shall perceive yourselves to have offended, either by will, word, or deed, there to bewail your own sinfulness, and to confess yourselves to Almighty God, with full purpose of amendment of life. And if ye shall perceive your offences to be such as are not only against God, but also against your neighbours; then ye shall reconcile yourselves unto them; being ready to make restitution and satisfaction, according to the uttermost of your powers, for all injuries and wrongs done by you to any other; and being likewise ready to forgive others who have offended you, as ye would have forgiveness of your offences at God’s hand: for otherwise the receiving of the holy Communion doth nothing else but increase your condemnation. Therefore, if any of you be a blasphemer of God, an hinderer or slanderer of his Word, an adulterer, or be in malice, or envy, or in any other grievous crime; repent you of your sins, or else come not to that holy Table.”
LQC, In grade school we were taught by the IHMs to always say the Act of Contrition before receiving the Eucharist. Still do it.
When the original bill stalled back in March – it was assigned to a subcommittee, which normally is the kiss of death for any bill-I actually thought that maybe it was because Madigan was still enough of a good Irish Catholic that he couldn’t stomach it, and wasn’t going to let it pass on his watch. I even wondered if perhaps he’d already been warned of possible excommunication if he let the bill go forward. Well it looks like I was wrong on the first count at least…
Thanks for the link, David WS.
“We have worked to make the case for a consistent approach to human dignity in Illinois and will continue to do so even as elected officials single out unborn persons for particular disregard,” Cupich said.
PARTICULAR DISREGARD! No,Cardinal Cupich, it’s called Abortion as in painfully murdering a human being in utero.
Bishop Paprocki positive Catholic militant action of prohibiting Communion highlights the sorry spiritual state of our Catholic Bishops who are effectively owned by the Democrat party. Their lack of action cries out to heaven for vengeance.
But wait, there’s more! The Bishop’s column in this week’s Catholic Times (print version, not yet posted online) cites Lincoln’s House Divided Speech and his conviction that the nation could not endure permanently half slave and half free.
“A new divide is separating our nation again between North and South, this time over the issue of abortion… In the 19th century it was the North that was on the right side of morality in opposing the evil of slavery. Now, in the 21st century, it is the South that is on the right side of morality in seeking to outlaw the evil of abortion….
“Just as Abraham Lincoln said that ‘this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free,’ so now we must affirm that this country cannot endure, permanently, half pro abortion and half pro life. It will become ‘all one thing, or all the other’. We must stay strong in our faith and earnestly pray that this country will become all pro-life.”