Archbishop Burke fires Canon 915 across the bow...

...of pro-abort Catholic politicians in the form of a very detailed and scholarly article, "The Discipline Regarding the Denial of Holy Communion to Those Obstinately Persevering in Manifest Grave Sin," published in Periodica de re Canonica in Rome, which Dr. Ed Peters describes as "the world's most prestigious canon law journal." Peters writes:

Back in 2004, Abp. Burke was one of handful of bishops who understood and enforced Canon 915 against certain pro-abortion Catholic politicians who were attempting to receive Holy Communion despite their patent non-compliance with Church discipline. He suffered more than his share of slings and arrows over the months that followed, including some tsk-tsks from certain folks who really should have thought twice before putting their canonical acumen up against Burke's. In any case his article, "Canon 915: The discipline regarding the denial of Holy Communion to those obstinately persisting in manifest grave sin" Periodica 96 (2007) 3-58, demonstrates just how much law and sound pastoral theology Burke had, and has, behind him.

Read his entire post on the "In the Light of the Law" blog.

Comments

[Ed Peters]

Carl. You'll notice something about Abp. Burke's article. Unlike certain other writers who are quoted here but shall remain nameless, Burke clearly names the others he disagrees with. Gee.

[Leon Suprenant]

Thank God for Archbishop Burke's clear, heroic stance on this issue.

Certainly we all need to be in a state of "invisible communion"--in other words, in a state of grace--to worthily receive Holy Communion, and the minister is in no position to make judgments on that.

But there's also a need to be in "visible communion," and in certain circumstances, as in the case of notoriously pro-abortion politicians, it's not only a sacrilege but a cause of scandal and confusion when they are allowed to receive Communion. Pope John Paul II made all this clear in section 37 of his final encyclical, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, but we need prelates like Archbishop Burke who are willing to take this teaching and apply it in the tough, real-life pastoral situations that arise during every election cycle.

I'm proud to count Archbishop Burke as a friend and also a trusted advisor to my apostolate, Catholics United for the Faith (www.cuf.org--see also our new blog at http://blog.cuf.org). And, not to unduly embarrass him, but I even named my youngest son after him!

[Ed Peters]

Leon, you named your youngest son Archbishop?

Cheers, edp.

[Ed Peters]

[Penance for dumb joke duly commencing.] :)

[Carl Olson]

Leon: Thanks for the tip on the CUF blog; I've added it to the Insight Scoop blog roll. As for Ed, what can I say? He's a canon lawyer. (Actually, that was rather funny, Ed. Almost as funny as that B+ you gave me on my canon law paper.)

[Ed Peters]

Well, Carl, at least you have this consolation: a B+ from me actually means something more than the all-too-common "I give anybody an A who can spell their name correctly."

[Carl Olson]

Well, Carl, at least you have this consolation: a B+ from me actually means something more than the all-too-common "I give anybody an A who can spell their name correctly."

I was most impressed by your refusal to consider my bribe. Most of the profs went for the offer of $10 and a pirated copy of ABBA's Greatest Hits (although Fr. Pacwa insisted on the Complete Recordings of the Blue Grass Boys). Thus, you earned my grudging respect. ;-)

[Leon Suprenant]

Ed, thanks for the comments re the blog. Yeah, I probably should have named my son something else. Canonically speaking, is it "bishop bashing" for me to spank my son? :)

[Edmund Marks]

meta sternofacial samaroid chromotypographic expansively orbitale ock unstainable
Garden Scent-ry
http://www.celticbuddhism.org/