Clay plans to meet with Archbishop Burke on Communion issue

A Missouri congressman thinks St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke "has gone too far" by saying that Roman Catholic politicians who support abortion rights should not receive Communion and that voters who support them should go to confession before receiving the sacrament.

Rep. William Lacy Clay, a St. Louis Democrat who favors abortion rights, plans to meet Monday with the archbishop.

"I think Archbishop Burke has gone too far; he is now delving into politics," Clay said in an interview on Friday. "Perhaps the Catholic Church should surrender their 501-C status."

Perhaps Clay should rethink his position as a Catholic - it appears he has rejected the teachings of the Church and the lawful authority of the Church with regard to questions of faith and morals.

Clay, who attends St. Nicholas Catholic Church, said that if a priest refused him communion, "I would stand there."

"That's such a personal thing, between my God and me," he said. "I think it's an intrusion into uncharted waters that the church has never been in. They don't have the luxury of driving people away from the church right now. It's difficult for them to find priests and nuns, and if they continue on this track, they're going to drive people away from the church."

Actually, maybe all the heretics and apostates should be asked to leave if they find the faith unacceptable - Our Lord never said it would be easy to follow Him. Most of these people choose the wide and easy path that leads to eternal damnation. They do need our prayers, but they should not be allowed to continue to poison the rest of the community of the believers with their disobedience and rejection of the natural law, let alone the teachings of the Church.

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