Bishops Who Reject Politicians Might Get a Comeuppance



There have been a few cases in the past decade where a Bishop will not serve communion to a prominent politician who favors abortion rights. Currently there is discussion about New York's Governor Cuomo. Most everyday someone writes that Cuomo and all other politicians who support abortion rights should be banned from traditional Catholic rituals.

I don't recall reading an anti abortion article or hearing an anti abortion speech that addressed the rights of women. Yes, there might be some reference to rape and life threatening illnesses, but not to the overall issue of the rights of women who are pregnant. Ignoring that topic is to ignore the largest issued involved in abortion.

Politics is about negotiating competing interests.  Religion is about gods, spirits and supernatural phenomena. Leaders in religion may not feel they are required to address competing interests. They may find out, however, that if the interests of a significant percentage of their members is not addressed that group will leave the faith.

A politician will ultimately have to deal with the competing interests of the fetus versus the woman. Bishops who refuse communion to Catholic politicians believe there are no competing interests. The fetus' interests are the only interests to be addressed. They never consider the woman to have any role in the pregnancy decision. Her obligation is to set aside her interests and yield all to the fetus. It is sobering to learn how often the woman's health would be served by an abortion and how often this is laughed off by her church.

If history is any guide to the future, abortions will continue and conservative churches will suffer.


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