Report: Biden risks refusal of Holy Communion

An important historical note. It remains to be see if the point becomes contemporized (underlining mine):

Scranton native Sen. Joe Biden would likely feel at home any day of the week in Northeast Pennsylvania. Well, any day except possibly Sunday.

The Most Rev. Joseph F. Martino, bishop of Scranton, has strongly supported refusal of Holy Communion for politicians who campaign for or vote in favor of abortion rights.

When asked whether the Democratic vice presidential candidate would be refused Communion should he tour the region, the diocese held firm to its past statements.

“I will not tolerate any politician who claims to be a faithful Catholic who is not genuinely pro-life,” Bishop Martino said in a pastoral letter Sept. 15, 2005, and reiterated this week.

“No Catholic politician who supports the culture of death should approach Holy Communion,” Bishop Martino said. “I will be truly vigilant on this point.”(Scranton Times)

Also, Chris Korzen, executive director of Catholics United, makes an unwelcome appearance in the article:

Chris Korzen, executive director of Catholics United, said Mr. Biden’s leadership on issues like health care and economic justice “constitute a policy that’s consistent with human life.”

He said ending abortion is an important theological issue for Catholics, but he questioned whether criminalizing abortion was the correct public policy to achieve that. “I think we need to start asking different questions,” Mr. Korzen said.

Who, exactly, in this debate has ever claimed that criminalizing abortion is the Catholic position? Removing the legal right to abortion-on-demand is not equivalent to prosecuting everyone who procures an abortion.

But of course, one shouldn't expect Chris Korzen to stay on topic.