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Cardinal Egan snipes at Rudy over taking Communion

BY JENNIFER BARRIOS AND BART JONES | jennifer.barrios@newsday.com bart.jones@newsday.com

April 29, 2008

Cardinal Edward Egan swiped at Rudy Giuliani yesterday, saying the former mayor violated a private agreement by receiving Holy Communion during the pope's visit this month, despite Giuliani's support of abortion rights.

"I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the papal visit here in New York, and I will be seeking a meeting with him to insist that he abide by our understanding," Egan said in a brief written statement.

But Giuliani's public censure probably doesn't signal an archdiocesan crackdown on ordinary Catholics who might support abortion rights. Rather, experts agreed, the move seems an attempt to rein in a public figure whose position is blatantly contrary to church doctrine.

The move comes the same day that the Washington Post published a Robert Novak column in which he claimed that pro-abortion-rights politicians receiving Communion during Pope Benedict XVI's visit reflected "disobedience to Benedict by the archbishops of New York and Washington."

Giuliani issued his own two-sentence statement, saying he is willing to meet with the cardinal but his "faith is a deeply personal matter and should remain confidential." His spokeswoman, Sunny Mindel, would not elaborate.

Egan's office did not respond to several calls for comment. Sean Dolan, spokesman for the Diocese of Rockville Centre, declined to comment on the Long Island diocese's position.

David Gibson, a biographer of Pope Benedict XVI who has been critical of Egan in the past, said he was surprised when he saw the twice-divorced, thrice-married Giuliani taking Communion April 19 at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan.

In addition to his views on abortion, Giuliani did not have his second marriage annulled before marrying again, an act considered a sin in Catholicism.

"Giuliani clearly pushed Egan into a corner," Gibson said. "This was Giuliani's provocation. It's just in your face. It really goes beyond the bounds."

During Pope Benedict XVI's address to U.S. bishops on his visit to America this month, he called it a "scandal" for Catholics to believe in a right to abortion. Also this month, the pope wrote that abortion is a "grave sin" that harms "the dignity of the human person" and is an offense to God. Giuliani's position puts him at odds with doctrine outlined on the Web site of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

The Rev. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, an Amarillo, Texas-based anti-abortion group, said Egan was right to make an example of the former Republican presidential candidate.

"What is of most concern when it comes to Communion is not the private state of Mr. Giuliani's soul, but it's the public scandal," Pavone said.

"People know all across the country that this man is in favor of keeping abortion legal. So the question here is the public contradiction between the church accepting this person as a Catholic and at the same time he's rejecting a key element of teaching."

Typically, Communion - a ritual during which Christians consume bread and wine that represent the body and blood of Jesus Christ - is received in the Catholic church only by those who have not committed mortal sins and whose beliefs are in line with church teachings. [CLARIFICATION: A story yesterday left unclear what Catholics believe about Holy Communion. Under Catholic teaching, the bread and wine used during the Eucharist are transformed into the body and blood of Christ through a process known as transubstantiation. (A15 ALL 4/30/2008)]

But for the vast majority of Catholics, it's still up to each to decide whether he or she feels fit to receive Communion.

"Normally the church asks each person to examine their conscience before they approach the Eucharistic table," said the Rev. Thomas Reese, senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University in Washington. "Most priests and most bishops don't want to play cop at the Communion rail."

THE COMMUNION CONTROVERSY

Other Catholic politicians have been criticized for receiving Communion during the pope's recent visit while publicly espousing views that many say are against Catholic teachings:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.)

Sen. Christopher Dodd (D-Conn.)

During the 2004 presidential campaign, several bishops said they would not give communion to Democratic candidate John Kerry for the same reason.

WHAT CATHOLICS THINK

Giuliani's position places him among a narrow majority of American Catholics who favor abortion rights. Pew Forum polls of Catholics from 2006 and 2007 showed that:

51% Believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases

44% Oppose abortion in most or all cases

THE CHURCH DOCTRINE

The church position, according to the official church catechism, as published on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Web site:

"Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. ... Since the first century, the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law."