John Kerry, Paul Martin and the Church.

Canadians have concluded one election and are now participating in a second one. In both our own six-week campaign which ended on June 28, 2004, and the ongoing eight-months-long American one in which we participate via TV and newspapers and which will end on November 2, abortion and so-called same-sex "marriage" were and are political "hot buttons," as the expression has it.

"Hot buttons" seems an altogether too light-hearted description for two deadly threats to our society: the destruction of the family as a public institution, and the slow genocide of Western nations through the killing of our natural offspring. Those are the sociological results.

From the theological perspective these two assaults are much worse. Abortion is a direct rejection of God's commandment "Thou shalt not kill," one, moreover, carried out with the particular perverse overtones which come with the mass killing of innocent lives by professionals in white coats. The other is a refusal to adhere to God's plan of creation, and substituting perversions under the false title of individual rights and human equality.

The Catholic Church is enormously concerned with this mass disobedience of God's will for two reasons. First, what is at stake is the common good of everyone. Second, many of the Church's own members, both laity and clergy, are being seduced into acquiescence and, indeed, not a small number are drawn into co-operation, sometimes to the point of even endorsing these falsehoods as worthwhile, good, necessary, or unavoidable. But St. Paul says: "Brothers, do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your minds, so that you may judge what is God's will, what is good, pleasing and perfect" (Romans 12:1-2).

The Church faces lax or indifferent faithful, clergy, and bishops on two issues in the public forum: the gravity of abortion as a sinful act--and to a lesser extent that of same-sex "marriage"; and the broad and ineffective interpretation given by many priests and bishops to defending the holiness of the Eucharist. On neither score is anything lacking in the Church's teaching itself.

The teaching of the Magisterium on abortion is absolutely clear. The position has been the same for 2000 years: it is forbidden because it is murder. In modern times this teaching has been expressed frequently, from the 1973 Vatican document Abortion, via the almost monthly exhortations from recent popes, to the 200-page 1995 encyclical Evangelium vitae (The gospel of life) and other declarations since. It has covered every aspect, from the biological (from conception till natural death) to the political (Catholics cannot and may not cooperate). Is there still need for dialogue? Is there still need to persuade? Are there still Catholic politicians in English-speaking North America who have not heard this teaching after the media--print, audio, visual--have brought the Pope's statements with great regularity and when there is a large network of pro-life activists who election after election have made abortion an issue? It seems to me that in many cases ignorance is culpable ignorance, willfully adopted in order to reject the truth.

The teaching of the Church on the reception of Communion should be equally clear, certainly to priests and bishops, but perhaps not always so to the faithful, especially youth. One may not receive Communion when in mortal sin. Holy Communion in the Catholic and Orthodox Church is the Body and Blood of Christ. Catholic school teachers who have taught their students that the change at the time of consecration during Holy Mass from bread and wine to the Body and Blood of Christ is purely symbolic had better repent profoundly, because otherwise their destination will be Hell.

Nevertheless, that there is a great need for further teaching among both faithful and clergy has been proven over the last eight months, after Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis declared that Catholic politicians who publicly promote abortion fall under the prohibition of Canon 915 (those who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion). Archbishop Burke, who is a canon lawyer, has since been joined in this "strict" interpretation by two dozen other bishops who have told pro-abortion politicians not to come to Communion, as well as by Cardinal Francis Arinze in Rome. The Archbishop has also made it clear that Catholics who knowingly vote for a candidate who advocates abortion commit a mortal sin (June 29, CNS).

The "Burke" position has now been confirmed by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Church's second highest theologian (after the Pope himself). His memo of June 1, 2004, sent to Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, is printed in full on page 23. Readers should note the distinction between formal and material cooperation.

In brief, it is clear that politicians such as John Kerry in the USA and Paul Martin in Canada should neither present themselves for Communion, nor be given Holy Communion when they do.