Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Should pro-abortion Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius become President Barack Obama's health secretary, she will likely be asked to continue refraining from receiving communion at Washington-area Catholic churches. In May 2008, her own archbishop told her to not present herself for communion.

Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of the Archdiocese of Kansas City called on Sebelius to take the "necessary steps for amendment of her life" because of her strongly pro-abortion position.

He said Sebelius needs to refrain from receiving communion until she changes her position supporting abortion.

Now, two Washington area bishops, Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington and Bishop Paul Loverde of Arlington, Virginia, both said they would enforce the communion request Naumann put in place if Sebelius lives within their jurisdictions.

Sebelius was asked to refrain from the Eucharist in accordance with Canon 915 of the Catholic Code of Canon Law.

That Canon says “those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.”

Meanwhile, in a new interview with Catholics for Faith and Family, Naumann lays out the struggles he has gone through with Sebelius.

Naumann says that after months of a "long dialogue" with her, he told her privately to refrain from receiving communion, but a parish priest told him she had done so. Then, Naumann went public with his request.

He said he was concerned about "others being misled by her presenting herself as a faithful Catholic while holding positions that were completely contrary to our teaching on the sanctity of life."

He eventually published a column in the diocesan Catholic newspaper The Leaven saying he wrote to her again asking her to respect his request and "not require from me any additional pastoral actions."

"I hope that my request of the governor, not to present herself for Holy Communion, will provoke her to reconsider the serious spiritual and moral consequences of her past and present actions," the Archbishop wrote.

Naumann stood up firmly for Catholic teaching and said Sebelius and other pro-abortion Catholic politicians are doing a disservice to the Church and their faith.

"The spiritually lethal message, communicated by our governor, as well as many other high-profile Catholics in public life, has been in effect: 'The church's teaching on abortion is optional!'" Naumann wrote in the newspaper.

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