The Illinois legislature voted to make abortion a right without any restrictions — sort of like what they did in New York.
Quickly, Bishop Paprocki reacted:
The Bishop of Springfield, Illinois, has decreed that state legislative leaders may not be admitted to Holy Communion within his diocese, because of their work to pass the state Reproductive Health Act.The bishop also directed the Catholic legislators who have voted for legislation promoting abortion should not present themselves to recieve Holy Communiion until they have first gone to confession.“In accord with canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law…Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan, who facilitated the passage of the Act Concerning Abortion of 2017 (House Bill 40) as well as the Reproductive Health Act of 2019 (Senate Bill 25), are not to be admitted to Holy Communion in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois because they have obstinately persisted in promoting the abominable crime and very grave sin of abortion as evidenced by the influence they exerted in their leadership roles and their repeated votes and obdurate public support for abortion rights over an extended period of time,” Bishop Thomas Paprocki wrote in a June 2 decree.
Well done. Nice to see that there is a Catholic bishop willing to make that decision.
As a Catholic, I support the bishop’s decree. I would like to see others, especially in churches with large Hispanic parishioners.
P.S. You can listen to my show (Canto Talk) and follow me on Twitter.