So Objective, Public Scandal Does Not Exist Anymore?

That's what I seem to hear in this exchange with Cardinal McCarrick. Of course, things like this have gone on so long, we can only pray for episcopal leadership.

Pity the poor people who may have read the previous articles where the priest, Fr. Ardis, defended Kerry because of his position on the death penalty and social justice issues. How many of those people have been led astray or confused because of that comparison? Apparently, some have learned nothing from the untold damage that public scandals can cause.

So it was a relief to hear Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington respond with a pastoral voice on the Kerry issue. McCarrick is heading a U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops task force on how to handle Catholic politicians who support abortion rights. In an empty meeting room at St. Matthew’s in downtown D.C., where the cardinal led a prayer service last Wednesday, he pulled a couple of dusty folding chairs down from a stack so we’d have someplace to sit while we talked.

When I asked about Kerry’s standing, he seemed pained by the idea of turning him, or anyone else, away.

“I would find it hard to use the Eucharist as a sanction,” he said gently. “You don’t know what’s in anyone’s heart when they come before you. It’s important that everyone know what our principles are, but you’d have to be very sure someone had a malicious intent [before denying him communion.]”

McCarrick is surprisingly humble, and a reluctant judge. “It’s between the person and God,’’ he said.

Should Kerry or someone in his campaign seek counsel on Catholic protocol?

“What they do,’’ he demurred, “is really their business and not mine.’’

The archdiocese has gotten some calls on the subject from rank-and-file Catholics, but he declined to characterize the faithful as a monolith: “Obviously, we run the spectrum in the Catholic Church, from people who feel very annoyed with their politicians to those who are very supportive.’’

Article here.