Italian journalist to release Ratzinger letter?

For those who cannot access CWNews:

Jul. 02 (CWNews.com) - A veteran Vatican correspondent, Sandro Magister of the Italian weekly L'Espresso , has reportedly said that he will release the full text of a letter from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (bio - news) to the American bishops, on the contentious issue of whether or not Catholic politicians who support legal abortion should be denied the Eucharist.

According to news stories circulating in the Roman press, Magister will print the entire text of Cardinal Ratzinger as a part of a column to appear on July 3. The column, covering the debate among American bishops over the Communion issue, will appear on the L'Espresso web site.

Informed sources report that Magister's story will confirm early reports (including one that appeared on the CWN site) that Cardinal Ratzinger's letter supported the argument of those American bishops who have said that they will deny the Eucharist to pro-abortion politicians.

At a meeting of the US bishops' conference in Denver earlier this month, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick-- the chairman of a task force studying the question of how bishops should respond to dissenting Catholic political leaders-- told reporters that Cardinal Ratzinger had not called for withholding the Eucharist from politicians who reject Church teachings, and that the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith left the question in the hands of the American bishops. While both of those claims are accurate, Magister's story will reportedly support the claim that Cardinal Ratzinger lent his support to those bishops who are arguing for stern disciplinary action.

At their Denver meeting, the US bishops adopted a policy statement re-affirming the Church's condemnation of legal abortion, but stopping short of any call for withholding the Eucharist from prominent abortion supporters. The bishops reportedly turned down a milder form of the resolution, backed by Cardinal McCarrick, which would have said that it was imprudent to deny the Eucharist to Catholic politicians.

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The key phrase, in my opinion, is:
While both of those claims are accurate, Magister's story will reportedly support the claim that Cardinal Ratzinger lent his support to those bishops who are arguing for stern disciplinary action.

If true, this appears to me to be a further demonstration of weakness and an attitude of ignoring Rome - much like other dissenting groups in the US and elsewhere.