This from WorldNetDaily:
A Catholic website is launching a petition that targets Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, calling on church leaders to discipline them by withholding communion because they “not only disregard the Church’s teachings … but actively and publicly promote policies and legislation that undermines, opposes and contradicts the church.”
The petition is being promoted by Pewsitter.com, which explained is it not only the right of Catholic church members to call for the discipline, it is their responsibility.
Pelosi, who has described herself as an ardent Catholic, consistently has adopted pro-abortion positions on legislation. She is scheduled in coming days to visit Pope Benedict XVI.
The nationwide “Withholding Communion” petition’s goal “is to gather at least one million petitions for presentation to the U.S. bishops and the Vatican,” website spokesman Jeff Jones said today.
Explained the website, “The basis for withholding communion is Canon 915, which stipulates that those ‘obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.’”
I encourage all my Catholic readership to sign the petition, which can be accessed here. As Christian humanists, we have every right to expect our elected Catholic leadership to not only be intellectually consistent themselves, but to defend the institutional integrity of our church. Thanks be to God, we in the United States do not live under a theocracy. No one has to be Catholic. Membership in the church is strictly voluntary, and those who should know better but obstinately, and publicly, persist in grave sin should respectfully recuse themselves from activities their fellow coreligionists believe to be sacrilegious.
A similiar petition addressed to the Pope was circulated demanding he publiclly excommunicate her during her recent audience with Holy Father. Evidently, teh Holy Father did not honor the petitioners’ request.