The Cardinal from New York was not pleased about Giuliani’s choice to defy the Church:

The decision by several prominent pro-abortion politicians to publicly receive Holy Communion at papal Masses during the recent visit of Pope Benedict XVI, despite clear Church teaching that says that their reception of Communion would constitute a grave sacrilege, may have backfired.  While at first it seemed like it would be business as usual, today Cardinal Edward Egan of New York issued a statement condemning the reception of Holy Communion by former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

The Archdiocese informed LifeSiteNews.com that the issue is being brought forward publicly at this time “because it has become a public issue and a public question.”

“The Catholic Church clearly teaches that abortion is a grave offense against the will of God,” said Egan.  “Throughout my years as Archbishop of New York, I have repeated this teaching in sermons, articles, addresses, and interviews without hesitation or compromise of any kind.”

He continued, “Thus it was that I had an understanding with Mr. Rudolph Giuliani, when I became Archbishop of New York and he was serving as Mayor of New York, that he was not to receive the Eucharist because of his well-known support of abortion.”

“I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the Papal visit here in New York,” said Egan, “and I will be seeking a meeting with him to insist that he abide by our understanding.”

Deal Hudson asks the next logical question this morning - the one I imagine many of us in DC are thinking about - will Archbishop Wuerl follow suit regarding Pelosi, Kerry, et. al.? Deal surmises that the answer will be no - and I agree - though for different reasons. Deal thinks that because the papal nuncio seems to have distributed communion to at least one of the politicians in question at the D.C. Mass, that somehow means his hands are tied.

Since when have our collegial bishops let something like a Vatican representative get in the way of doing what they want?

No, Wuerl may hide behind that, but the truth is that he has demonstrated his cowardice unwillingness on this issue before:

A week ago in San Diego he took questions from a conservative Catholic journalist about Ms. Pelosi.

“Do you intend to discipline her at all for being persistent and obstinate about her support for abortion and same-sex marriage?” asked Allyson Smith of the Web site California Catholic Daily.

“I will not be using the faculty in the manner you have described,” he replied, referring to his authority.

“Will you make a statement to your priests and deacons to warn them not to allow her to receive if she presents herself for Communion?” Ms. Smith continued.

The archbishop responded: “You’re talking about a whole different style of pastoral ministry. No.”

Despite the need for Catholics to show respect to their shepherds, this issue is so obvious that I can’t help but feel a strong twinge of contempt for the weasel ”pastor” of the D.C. Archdiocese. I’d love to find some expressive way to encourage him to man up and do his damn job, but I can’t think of any that would be well received and would still adequately express my feelings on the issue.

I’ll leave you with some thoughts of Cardinal Arinze on this issue, which I think are, in a perhaps more circumspect fashion, still an indictment of the stupidity that keeps this issue from being adequately addressed:

(H/T to Peter for the video)

Filed under: Catholicism, Epic Stupidity, Episcopal Spine, Those Zany Heretics