A group of 60 Catholic Democrats in the House of Representatives, including Reps. Rosa DeLauro and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, released a "statement of principles" Friday (June 18) calling on U.S. Catholic bishops to avoid "weaponizing" the Eucharist. The statement was announced shortly after clerics voted to draft a document on Communion following debate that included discussion of whether or not to deny the Eucharist to Catholic politicians who back abortion rights.
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The statement was distributed among lawmakers this week as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops convened virtually for their annual spring meeting, where the assembly debated whether to create a document on "eucharistic coherence." After hours of passionate back and forth that included references to denying the Eucharist to some elected officials, bishops' conference leadership announced approval to draft the Communion document on Friday.
Lawmakers cited the pope in their statement, asking bishops to "heed the words of Our Holy Father Pope Francis, who wrote in his Apostolic Exhortation, 'The Joy of the Gospel,' that 'the Eucharist although it is the fullness of sacramental life, is not a prize for the perfect but a powerful medicine and nourishment for the weak.' "