Abortion and the New Archbishop - A Shot Across the Bow

(Hat tip: Amy Welborn)

From The Wasington Times' "Insider Politics Blog":

Two Catholic politicians fired a shot across the bow June 22 at the installation of Archbishop Donald Wuerl at the Basilica of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.

Many of you may remember that abortion was one of the issues that blindsided Sen. John Kerry in the 2004 election. About a dozen Roman Catholic bishops informed the Democratic presidential nominee that his pro-choice stance made him ineligible to take Communion in their dioceses. It was unbelievably embarrassing for the senator, and in the end he lost, in part because of opposition from conservative Catholics.

But Washington Cardinal Theodore McCarrick never backed such an eligibility policy while he was archbishop, making life a bit easier for the many pro-choice Catholics — including Catholics for a Free Choice President Frances Kissling — who attend church in the Archdiocese of Washington.

***
But now there’s a new guy in charge. On the very day of Archbishop Wuerl’s installation, two of Massachusetts’ most pro-choice Catholics — Kerry and the state’s senior U.S. senator, Ted Kennedy — showed up and sat in the VIP section. Archbishop Wuerl shook their hands as he moved toward the altar. I didn’t see whether Kennedy took Communion, but I know Kerry did because I talked with him immediately afterward. He was there, he said, as a longtime friend of the archbishop’s.

Isn’t it odd that two of the Senate’s most liberal Catholics made time in their schedules to be at the installation Mass while their conservative Republican colleague from Pennsylvania, Sen. Rick Santorum, did not?

Santorum, I heard, had to stay close to his office for a vote. All the same, here were two Democratic senators giving the new archbishop notice that they intend to ignore any move to disenfranchise them from the Eucharist. No one could miss the message.

Welcome to Washington, Archbishop.

–Julia Duin, religion writer, The Washington Times

My Comments:
It is pretty clear that Archbishop Wuerl does not intend to deny access to Communion to pro-aborts.

In fact, if Archbishop Wuerl had had his way, the result of the recent report of Cardinal McCarrick's commission (on which Wuerl served) would have been to require those bishops who would deny pro-aborts access to Communion to first seek his and the other bishops' permission before doing so.


Previous Pro Ecclesia posts on this subject:
Wuerl to be Installed Today - Mass in Washington, D.C., Will Mark His Debut as Archbishop

McCarrick's Successor Seen as Loyal, Diplomatic, "a Vote for Continuity"; Not Denying Communion has "Served Us Well" (15 links)

Pope Names Wuerl New Archbishop of Washington, DC

Bishop Wuerl's Name Surfaces for D.C.

Bishop Wuerl: Bishops Should Consult One Another Before Speaking On National Issues Like Kerry And Communion