Dick Durbin’s ban from Holy Communion in the Catholic church has been reaffirmed by the Catholic Bishop over his home diocese after his vote against banning abortions after 20 weeks. Durbin’s ban originally began around 2014, but his latest vote allowing late-term abortions to continue caused the bishop to make a statement reaffirming his ban:
FREE BEACON – Springfield Bishop Thomas John Paprocki made the announcement last week that Durbin was not permitted to receive communion inside the diocese, which is where Durbin lives, until he repents his sin, Aleteia reports.
The Pain-Capable Unborn Children’s Act, which failed to pass the Senate in January, would have banned abortions starting at 20 weeks after fertilization.
“Because his voting record in support of abortion over many years constitutes ‘obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin,’ the determination continues that Sen. Durbin is not to be admitted to Holy Communion until he repents of this sin,” Paprocki said. “This provision is intended not to punish, but to bring about a change of heart.”
Paprocki further explained the nature of Durbin’s sin.
“In our 2004 Statement on Catholics in Political Life, the USCCB said, ‘Failing to protect the lives of innocent and defenseless members of the human race is to sin against justice. Those who formulate law therefore have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good,'” Parprocki’s statement read.
The bishop added that he prays Durbin will change his stance on abortion.
“Sen. Durbin was once pro-life. I sincerely pray that he will repent and return to being pro-life,” Paprocki’s statement concluded.
Paprocki has confirmed in the past that Durbin was not to receive communion. It emerged in 2014 that Durbin had been told by his pastor that he was not to receive communion because of his support of pro-abortion laws.
According to Free Beacon, Durbin isn’t the only one who’s been banned in their home dioceses:
Former Archbishop of St. Louis, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke, banned then-Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry from receiving communion in his archdiocese. Former Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D., R.I.) has also been banned from receiving communion in his home diocese.
I’m sure there are more…at least I would hope there are more. It’s absolutely contrary to the church and to God to support murdering the innocent and I’m glad to see the church takes this issue so seriously.
And let me tell you, as someone officially entering the Catholic church in a little over a month, this is an extremely big deal. Monumental, really. Holy Communion is at the very heart of the church and is among the most important of the seven sacraments, if not the most important. To be denied this would be unimaginable.
I sincerely hope Durbin and the others do repent of this and become pro-life again.