Catholic Priest Denies Communion to Politicians Who Voted to Legalize Abortions Up to Birth

State   |   Micaiah Bilger   |   Feb 3, 2020   |   10:45AM   |   Providence, Rhode Island

A Rhode Island Catholic priest said he will refuse communion to politicians who voted to expand the killing of unborn babies in abortions in 2019 in his state.

WLNE News 6 reports the Rev. Richard Bucci, of Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick, Rhode Island, sent out the notice last week to lawmakers.

“In accord with the teaching of the Catholic Church for 2000 years, the following members of the legislature may NOT receive Holy Communion, as are all the officers of the state of Rhode Island, as well as Rhode Island’s members of Congress,” Bucci wrote in the notice, followed by the names of the pro-abortion politicians.

The notice also prohibits them from acting as witnesses to marriage, godparents or lectors at church functions, according to the AP.

The Catholic Church teaches that every human life is valuable from conception to natural death, and abortion is evil. Lately, more priests have been taking a stand against politicians who identify as Catholic but support the killing of unborn babies in abortions.

In October, a South Carolina priest said he refused to give communion to presidential candidate Joe Biden because of Biden’s pro-abortion record. Later, Cardinal Raymond Burke said the South Carolina priest was “right and just” to refuse communion to Biden and urged more priests to do the same.

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Bucci is one of them.

He told the Daily Caller that giving communion to pro-abortion politicians just encourages them “to live in sin in effect and to commit sacrilege.”

“If they are receiving communion, it’s contrary to Canon law,” he said. “Abortion is a crime against human life.”

Here’s more from the report:

Catholic Bishop Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island, did not respond to the DCNF’s request for comment. Roman Catholic Diocese of Providence spokeswoman Carolyn Cronin told the Journal in an email statement that it is up to the parish to make daily pastoral and administrative decisions.

“For every sacrament, the Church provides detailed norms for preparation and reception,” Cronin said. “It is the pastor’s duty to apply them within his parish, in accord with Church law.”

At least one state lawmaker who was named in the notice lashed out against Bucci. According to the AP, state Rep. Carol McEntee, D- Narragansett, urged Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin to apologize and Bucci to resign.

“Both Father Bucci and Bishop Tobin need to be reminded that the U.S. Constitution requires the separation of church and state,” McEntee said.

A Public’s Radio reporter posted a photo of the notice on Twitter. It includes the names of state lawmakers who voted for the radical pro-abortion law in 2019.

The pro-abortion law, which passed despite strong public opposition, allows unborn babies to be aborted for basically any reason up to birth, including partial-birth and dismemberment abortions. It erodes parental consent laws by allowing someone other than a parent to consent before an underage girl has an abortion. It also codifies Roe v. Wade into state law in case the U.S. Supreme Court overturns the abortion ruling.

Most Rhode Islanders do not support the radical pro-abortion law, according to Rhode Island Right to Life. A 2019 WPRI/RWU poll found that “the overwhelming majority of Rhode Islanders oppose what this legislation does.”