Archbishop Blasts Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians: They “Create Scandal by Encouraging Others to Do Evil”

National   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   May 6, 2021   |   7:51PM   |   Washington, DC

San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone received strong praise from another archbishop Tuesday for clearly stating that Catholic politicians who advocate for abortions are “creating scandal by encouraging others to do evil.”

The National Catholic Register reports Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who chairs the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, thanked Cordileone for his pro-life pastoral letter, “Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You.”

“Archbishop Cordileone correctly identifies legalized abortion as ‘the axe laid to the roots of the tree of human rights …’ and as a symptom of ‘… severely disordered society ….’” Naumann wrote.

The pastoral letter, published over the weekend, emphasizes the importance of protecting unborn babies from abortion and explains why Catholic politicians who persist in supporting abortion may be denied Communion.

“Archbishop Cordileone makes a compelling argument for the legal and scientific case for the protection of the unborn child as the foundation for all other human rights,” Naumann continued.

He said Cordileone’s letter explains why politicians and public figures who profess to be Catholic while advocating for abortion “share in the moral culpability for the evil of abortion” and why they should not receive Communion.

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“Catholics in public life who advocate for abortion create scandal by encouraging others to do evil,” Naumann wrote, referring to the letter.

Urging everyone to read it, Naumann said the letter also makes it clear that Catholic Church leaders have an earnest desire for the welfare of all people, born and unborn, now and through eternity.

“Archbishop Cordileone provides a tightly reasoned rationale why the protection of the unborn remains a preeminent priority among many other important concerns for upholding the dignity of each and every human person,” he said.

One section of Cordileone’s letter specifically addressed the problem of Catholic public figures who promote the killing of unborn babies in abortions. First, he said these public figures should be confronted privately, corrected and urged to repent; but those who stubbornly persist in evil may be denied Communion.

“When other avenues are exhausted, the only recourse a pastor has left is the public medicine of temporary exclusion from the Lord’s Table,” Cordileone wrote. “This is a bitter medicine, but the gravity of the evil of abortion can sometimes warrant it.”

The archbishop did not mention any politicians or political parties by name in his letter, but it is timely. Catholic Church leaders are debating whether President Joe Biden, a radical pro-abortion Democrat who professes to be a devout Catholic, should continue to be allowed to participate in the Eucharist.

Quoting Ezekiel 33:8, the archbishop said Catholic leaders have a duty to call out wickedness or else be held responsible along with those who persist in sinning.

“I tremble that if I do not forthrightly challenge Catholics under my pastoral care who advocate for abortion, both they and I will have to answer to God for innocent blood,” Cordileone continued.

He said everyone sins, but “there is a great difference between struggling to live according to the teachings of the Church and rejecting those teachings.”

Cordileone and other Catholic leaders have been speaking out against prominent Catholic politicians like House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Biden because of their support for the killing of unborn babies.

At their June meeting, the bishops are scheduled to vote on a document from their Committee on Doctrine “with the aim of clarifying the church’s stance” on pro-abortion politicians and Communion, the Associated Press reports.

Though Biden professes to be a devout Catholic, he openly defies church teachings about the sanctity of human life. After just 100 days in office, he already surpassed President Barack Obama as the most pro-abortion president in U.S. history by ending safety regulations that protect mothers and unborn babies from abortion and forcing taxpayers to fund the billion-dollar abortion industry.