Bishop declines to deny, but...

"I think the decision about the reception of Holy Communion should be put where it belongs – on the person contemplating receiving Holy Communion. It should not be imposed on the bishop, on the priest, on the deacon, nor on the Eucharistic minister. That is "passing the buck!" It should be placed exactly where it belongs, which is on the conscience of the individual contemplating receiving communion.

"Such public officials who have notoriously cooperated in enabling a grave moral evil to become a fixture of our ethical environment, should, of their own accord, refrain from presenting themselves to receive Holy Communion.

"If they nonetheless do receive Holy Communion, they should be challenged to take ownership of the consequences of a lack of integrity by publicly acknowledging that what they do contradicts who they say they are. In acknowledging this, they should also take into account the sensitivities of ministers of Holy Communion who resent the perception that they are being used for political purposes.

"Furthermore, in receiving Holy Communion under these circumstances without the proper dispositions, these public officials create also the perception that they are opportunists who are willing to try to barter even their religion for political power. Should an individual who demonstrates that his religious core and personal convictions play so paltry a role in what he does, be a person entrusted with power over others?"

The Most Reverend Lawrence E. Brandt, JCD, PhD
Bishop of Greensburg
(excerpt)