- WASHINGTON -- American Catholic
bishops are trying to defy secret advice from Rome that Communion should
not be given to John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate.
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- The advice is contained in an explosive memo - clearly
directed at Sen Kerry - by Cardinal Ratzinger, the Pope's doctrinal advisor,
who is head of the powerful Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith
- the institutional heir to the Inquisition.
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- The memo was sent to the US Catholic Bishops' conference
last month. With formidable clarity and force, it states that pro-abortion
Catholic politicians should be warned by priests that they are not eligible
for Communion. If the politician then "shows an obstinate persistence
in grave sin", writes Cardinal Ratzinger, he or she should be turned
away at the altar rail. Mr Kerry has consistently voted in favour of maintaining
abortion rights during his 30-year senatorial career.
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- The tone and content of Cardinal Ratzinger's memo, which
was leaked to an Italian magazine last week, leave little room for misunderstanding.
Some passages appear to have been drafted specifically with Sen Kerry in
mind.
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- "Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia,"
writes the Cardinal, "when a person's formal co-operation becomes
manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently
campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his
pastor should meet with him, informing him that he is not to present himself
for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of
sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist."
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- The judgements of the Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith are not binding on individual bishops, but Cardinal Ratzinger's
views are believed to be identical to those of the Pope on the subject
of abortion. "He is authentically representing the thoughts of the
Holy Father," said a senior American Catholic commentator and frequent
visitor to the Vatican.
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- Last month the Pope delighted White House election strategists
by agreeing to meet President Bush in Rome after repeated overtures from
Washington. A senior religious advisor to the White House told The Telegraph
that there was "no doubt" that the Pope preferred President Bush
to Sen Kerry, even though the Vatican was strongly against the war in Iraq
and the senator is a practising Catholic.
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- "I have been in Rome with the Pope and the president,"
said Deal Hudson, one of the most prominent Catholic laymen in the US and
the editor of the religious Crisis magazine. "I also represented the
president in the 25th anniversary celebrations of John-Paul's papacy. The
Pope and his inner circle prefer pro-life Bush to pro-choice Kerry."
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- The leaking of Cardinal Ratzinger's memo has hugely embarrassed
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the Archbishop of Washington and head of the
"domestic policy" commission of the US Catholic Bishops Conference.
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- During a conference last month on "Catholics in
Political Life", held after Cardinal McCarrick had received the six-point
memo from Rome, he told fellow bishops: "I would emphasise that Cardinal
Ratzinger clearly leaves to us as teachers, pastors and leaders, whether
to pursue this path [of denying communion]. The question for us is not
simply whether denial of Communion is possible but whether it is pastorally
wise and prudent."
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- In his speech, Cardinal McCarrick expressed a fear that
"the sacred nature of the Eucharist might be turned into a partisan
battleground". Bishops also fear a backlash in the pews if action
is taken against pro-abortion Catholic politicians. At the conference,
bishops voted by 183-6 to allow individual bishops to decide whether pro-abortion
politicians should receive Communion.
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- Challenged over the discrepancy between his presentation
of Cardinal Ratzinger's views and the leaked memo, Cardinal McCarrick said
that the leaked text was "an incomplete and partial leak", but
refused to release any further communications from Rome.
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- Michael Novak, a Catholic theologian, said: "Ratzinger's
letter was stronger and firmer than we were led to believe. It's pretty
dynamite stuff."
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- Only four American bishops, including Archbishop Raymond
Burke of St Louis, have so far said they would refuse communion to Sen
Kerry. Conservative Catholics believe the publication of the memo will
boost their credibility among mainstream Catholics.
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- © Copyright of Telegraph Group Limited 2004. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/07/
11/wkerry11.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/07/11/ixworld.html
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