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Vatican 'Working Document' Says It is Sinful to Support Pro-Abortion Politicians

Stresses Scandal of Receiving Communion while supporting Abortion

VATICAN, July 7, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Vatican held a press conference today to present the
"Instrumentum laboris" (working document) for the Eleventh Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, scheduled to be held in the Vatican from October 2 to 23, 2005 on the theme: "The Eucharist: Source and Summit of the Life and Mission of the Church."  The document, drawn up on the basis from Church leaders throughout the world to a draft called the "Lineamenta", lamented "the fact that too many faithful receive communion without having sufficiently reflected upon the morality of their lives."

Article 73 of the 88-page document  says, "there exist Catholics who do not understand why they commit a sin when they support politically a candidate openly in favour of abortion or other grave acts against life, justice, and peace." 

Commenting on the reception of communion, the same article says, "Certain (faithful) communicate even if they deny the teachings of the church or support publicly immoral choices, such as abortion, without thinking that they are committing a personal action which is profoundly dishonest or that they are a source of scandal."

The document calls the disturbing developments "a crisis on what it means to belong to the church as well as a lack of clarity in the distinction between venial sin and mortal sin."

Pointing out the vast difference between church practice in the developing and developed nations, the document notes that attendance at Sunday Mass "is high in various particular Churches in the countries of Africa and also in some Asian countries. The opposite is the case in the majority of countries in Europe, America and Oceania."

Space is also dedicated to deficiencies in the celebration the Eucharist which "challenge a sense of the sacred." These include neglectfulness in the use of correct liturgical vestments, participants wearing unbefitting clothing, or the scant architectural and artistic quality of church buildings.

jhw

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