The Vatican is calling for greater dialogue in the ongoing debate among American bishops over who should participate in Holy Communion.
The message from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith comes in a letter to the president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles.
It was not published publicly.
The letter is the Vatican's response to plans from the U.S. Bishops' Conference to draft a document on the worthiness of pro-choice Catholic politicians to receive Holy Communion.
According to Catholic News Service, Cardinal Luis Ladaria wrote the letter to urge the American bishops to seek a “true consensus” on the matter before publishing a document. He also stressed the need to dialogue with Catholic politicians and other episcopal conferences.
On the bishops' document, Cardinal Ladaria adds that “it would be misleading if such a statement were to give the impression that abortion and euthanasia alone constitute the only grave matters of Catholic moral and social teaching that demand the fullest accountability on the part of Catholics.”
It is a debate that has reentered the spotlight since the election of U.S. President Joe Biden, a Catholic who publicly supports legislation which allows abortion.
Justin McLellan
