Archbishop Carlson: Abortion Supporters Are Excommunicated, Should Not Receive Communion

ST. LOUIS, Missouri, July 8, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a new column, Archbishop Robert Carlson takes to task those who argue that abortion is simply a political issue, pointing out that it is also a serious moral issue. He also makes clear that one cannot be a good Catholic and be "pro-choice."

"People who are casual about the sin of abortion and who choose to view it as a political issue rather than the serious moral issue that it is are guilty of violating the Fifth Commandment," he writes.

Human life is sacred, according to the archbishop, because "from its beginning until its natural end, it involves the creative action of God."

"God alone is the Lord of life," he states. "No one has the right to end arbitrarily what God has begun, and sustained, through the gift of His love."

For this reason, he writes, "since the first century, the Church has addressed the moral evil of abortion and the killing of a defenseless baby in the womb."

"You cannot be 'pro-choice' (pro-abortion) and remain a Catholic in good standing," he says. "That's why the Church asks those who maintain this position not to receive holy Communion.

"We are not being mean or judgmental, we are simply acknowledging the fact that such a stance is objectively and seriously sinful and is radically inconsistent with the Christian way of life."...

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