Jeg nevnte tidligere at den katolske ‘Speaker of the House of Representatives’ i USA uttalte seg for fri abort. Mange (bl.a. mange biskoper) har allerede uttalt seg om dette, og korrigert den feilaktige presentasjonen av katolsk syn på abort som kom fram i hennes uttalelser, og nå har hennes egen biskop, erkebiskop George H. Niederauer i San Francisco, sagt sitt.
Han presiserer at Kirken er klart mot abort, han refererer til svært mange reaksjoner fra katolikker (som mener at slike offentlige uttalelser utelukker fra å motta nattverden), og han ender opp med å invitere ‘speaker’ Nancy Pelosi til samtale om dette temaet. Noen hadde ønska tydeligere tale fra erkebiskopen, men samtidig kan/bør ikke en biskop (eller prest) utelukke noen fra nattverden uten å ha snakket personlig med dem først. Vi får nå vente å se hva som blir konklusjonen av samtalen. Her er litt av det erkebiskopen skriver:
Last month, in two televised interviews and a subsequent statement released through her office, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and a Catholic residing in the Archdiocese of San Francisco, made remarks that are in serious conflict with the teachings of the Catholic Church about abortion. It is my responsibility as Archbishop of San Francisco to teach clearly what Christ in his Church teaches about faith and morals, and to oppose erroneous, misleading and confusing positions when they are advanced. …
Since August 24th many Catholics have written me letters and sent me e-mails in which they expressed their dismay and concern about the Speaker’s remarks. Very often they moved on to a question that caused much discussion during the 2004 campaign: Is it necessary to deny Holy Communion to some Catholics in public life because of their public support for abortion on demand? I want to address that question in the light of the 2004 statement of the U.S. bishops, «Catholics in Political Life,» and their 2006 statement on preparing to receive Christ worthily in the Eucharist …
I regret the necessity of addressing these issues in so public a forum, but the widespread consternation among Catholics made it unavoidable. Speaker Pelosi has often said how highly she values her Catholic faith, and how much it is a source of joy for her. Accordingly, as her pastor, I am writing to invite her into a conversation with me about these matters. It is my obligation to teach forthrightly and to shepherd caringly, and that is my intent. Let us pray together that the Holy Spirit will guide us all toward a more profound understanding and appreciation for human life, and toward a resolution of these differences in truth and charity and peace.
Les erkebiskopens brev her, og les Father Z.’s kommenterer og diskusjonen på hans blog.