Bishop of DC needs to discipline pro-abortion lawmakers

To grow in the spiritual life, one needs direction. General spiritual guidance is provided in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Specific guidance needs to be arranged with a director preferably with a priest because of his training. The specific guidance is absolutely necessary when discerning a calling or making decisions like supporting a certain law. It is required for priests and religious.

When I was at the order and had to take classes in different schools, I changed directors every year. It is cheaper than making long distance calls and also the non-verbal communication is essential during the session.

That may sound like common sense, but not when one considers the position of the Archbishop of the nation’s capital. In a statement, he says that the spiritual direction for Catholic politicians who publicly support abortion, “can best be made by the bishop in the person's home diocese with whom he or she presumably is in conversation.” It is like the politician from CA who works in DC for a year is suppose to be guided by her bishop in CA even if she commits scandal in DC - like supporting abortion despite the explicit prohibition of the Pope himself.

The problem with the right to life issues is that only one party is considered and others are overlooked e.g. the mother but not the child and in this case the visiting politician but not the resident parishioners.

Correct me if I am wrong, but what some bishops don’t get or refuse to understand is the impact of the politician’s reception of the Eucharist to the faith community. The politician who defies the bishops’ and pope’s teaching, guidance and orders about defending life goes and receives the Communion as though she did nothing wrong or was unaware of any wrongdoing scandalizes the community.

There is a pastoral approach to help the politician by tolerating that until she sees the light. But what about the pastoral approach to the faithful who are confused and scandalized into wrongdoing. They would think, “The bishop allows her to receive communion even if she supports abortion, so abortion might not be that bad. Then, they go and procure it themselves or advise others of the moral relativity based on that praxis. And all this from the perception that the local bishop gave when he relegated the duty of spiritual guidance to another bishop and worse when he neglected his pastoral responsibility to control scandal in his local faith community.

I have emailed my bishop about this at chancery@adw.org and have not received any response. When I searched the web, I saw his position and I doubt whether I will ever get a response. But, I will give him a chance. If he does not follow the Pope’s orders, then I shall stop donating to my diocese. I shall encourage others to do the same. If this still does not work, the I shall appeal humbly to the Holy Father and suggest that my bishop be replaced by Cardinal Justin Rigali, Bishop Joseph Martino, Bishop William Murphy, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, Archbishop Charles Chaput or some other bishop or priest who is faithful to the Pope, the Church and ultimately the Lord in defending the life of the unborn.

We need apostles in the Church, not politicians – even if the Church is at the nation’s capital.