New St. Louis archbishop follows Archbishop Burke’s approach to pro-abortion politicians

June 08, 2009

Bishop Robert Carlson of Saginaw, who will be installed as the tenth Archbishop of St. Louis on June 10, said that he will follow Archbishop Raymond Burke’s approach to pro-abortion politicians. Asked, “Do you believe Catholic politicians who support abortion rights, and who persist in doing so even after consultation with their bishop, should be denied the Eucharist if they approach to receive it?” he replied:

If I were to enter into dialogue with somebody, and after they reflect on the discussion and that person persisted, it could come to that point. Again, (former St. Louis) Archbishop (Raymond) Burke, who is on the Supreme Apostolic Signatura (the Vatican's highest court), has combined in an interesting way (the church laws that govern the issue), and I think he does it correctly.

And he's not just speaking anymore as the archbishop of St. Louis, he is the prefect of the Signatura. It appears that's the direction the church consensus is moving towards. ... Could we get into that situation? Yes. But at least in my own time in St. Louis, I'd like to have a crack at the dialogue first.

 

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Further information:

• Tested bishop faces tough issues here (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)
• New St. Louis archbishop's a fan of pheasant hunting and Bud (St. Louis Post-Dispatch)