American Catholic bishops cannot demand to know how its church members voted, but when this information becomes public knowledge -- that more than 50 percent of voting Catholics think it's morally acceptable to support the evil of abortion -- then there's no excuse for bishops not to take forceful action.
This "grave deviation" of Christian ethics is shocking and constitutes a major crisis in American Catholicism, and yet hardly a whimper is heard from bishops condemning this serious breach of faith.
The earth should be literally shaking from the resounding chorus of voices coming from bishops condemning these errant Catholics. Their message should be unequivocally clear: Catholics cannot reconcile the evil of abortion with the sacred body and blood of Jesus Christ. And they should explicitly state that Catholics who support this great evil should abstain from receiving Holy Communion. Furthermore, Catholic politicians who support abortion must be banned from receiving this sacred sacrament.
Bold action is necessary to protect the core values of the gospel, and to a lesser consideration this assertive church policy wouldn't violate the Constitution because it's in the realm of the church's authority to enforce the precepts of its faith. Just as the government has the right to enforce civil laws, the church has the right to enforce God's laws.
To combat this cultural evil it's morally imperative for bishops to immediately take the above outlined corrective action -- not only to save innocent unborn lives, but to save the very souls of these lost and wayward Catholics.
John A. Mitan
Collinsville
