Vice President Joe Biden, Minority leader Nancy Pelosi, New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez and Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia will represent the United States at the Mass of Inauguration for Pope Francis on March 19th, according to the Daily Caller.
I sincerely hope Pope Francis denies Communion to Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden. Not because I’m a jerk, but because it’s for their own good.
In order to receive Communion worthily you must 1) be in a state of grace 2) have made a good confession since your last mortal sin 3) believe in transubstantiation 4) observe the Eucharistic fast and 5) not be under an ecclesiastical censure such as excommunication.
Of course, if you want to compound your errors and offend God even further, you can ignore all that. I don’t recommend it, however.
If you don’t meet all of these requirements, you should recite the Act of Spiritual Communion silently in the pew while others go up to receive the Eucharist:
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You have already come, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
Chances are Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Biden aren’t aware of this prayer. Even if they were, they probably wouldn’t abide by it. Why would they? They spit in the face of Holy Mother Church on a daily basis when it comes to abortion and gay marriage.
Disagreeing with the church on these issues is seen as acceptable here in the United States. Primarily because Bishops have been unnecessarily cautious in condemning politicians who think supporting abortion rights is synonymous with the Church’s instruction to love your neighbor.
That might change with the new Pope.
In 2007, Pope Francis – then the Archbishop of Buenos Aires – along with other attendees of the Fifth General Assembly of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean, published a report entitled the “Aparecida Document.” Though primarily a blueprint for the New Evangelization in Latin America, the “Aparecida Document” had some interesting commentary on Catholic politicians:
“We should commit ourselves to ‘eucharistic coherence,’ that is, we should be conscious that people cannot receive holy communion and at the same time act or speak against the commandments, in particular when abortions, euthanasia, and other serious crimes against life and family are facilitated. This responsibility applies particularly to legislators, governors, and health professionals.”
As far as I can tell, the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean are directly referring to politicians like Vice President Biden and Representative Pelosi.
Many have said Pope Francis is a reformer and that he has what it takes to rebuild the Church. I think a good place to start would be to show the world that if you are a Catholic politician and you don’t want to damage your relationship with the Vatican, you must support the Church’s views not only on abortion but on marriage and other pro-life issues as well.