Communion query goes to home dioceses

WASHINGTON (AP) — Washington Roman Catholic Archbishop Donald Wuerl, responding to questions about the pro-abortion rights Catholic politicians who accepted Holy Communion during Pope Benedict XVI’s American visit, said any decision about denying the sacrament to those politicians should be made in their home dioceses.

Wuerl wrote in his archdiocesan newspaper column that he does not believe the Washington Archdiocese should intervene when such a public figure is taking Communion in the nation’s capital. He suggested that doing so would supersede the authority of those politicians’ bishops in their home districts.

“A decision regarding the refusal of Holy Communion to an individual is one that should be made only after clear efforts to persuade and convince the person that their actions are wrong and bear moral consequences,” Wuerl wrote.