Casting the first stone

That is the accusation made by some people against bishops who have said that pro-abortion politicians should not be admitted to Holy Communion.

The accusation reflects a serious misunderstanding (at best) of the Gospel, of the relevant canon, and of the bishops.

First, the Gospel:

Then the scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery and made her stand in the middle. They said to him, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. Now in the law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?" They said this to test him, so that they could have some charge to bring against him.

Jesus bent down and began to write on the ground with his finger. But when they continued asking him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let the one among you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

Again he bent down and wrote on the ground. And in response, they went away one by one, beginning with the elders. So he was left alone with the woman before him. Then Jesus straightened up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you. Go, (and) from now on do not sin any more."
John 8:3-11

The point of the Gospel is that awareness of one’s own sinfulness should incline one to be merciful regarding the sins of others. As God continues to show mercy to the sinner, so we should show mercy, so that the sinner may repent and return to God. (This is one of the reasons why the Church says that society should defend itself by capital punishment only as a last resort, so that the guilty party may have every opportunity to repent and find redemption.)

But our Lord still calls sin sin. He is not saying that we are to deny that sin exists or to refrain from making clear what is a sin.

Pointing out a sin is not the same as condemnation. Nor is it condemnation to refute those who say that their sin is not a sin.

Declining to admit someone to Holy Communion under Canon 915 is neither execution nor condemnation. It is merely to keep people from publicly using Holy Communion to assert a level of communion with the Church that is belied by their obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin.

This is NEVER something that should be done lightly or in a Pharisaic manner. This is something that should be only done with charity and when necessary to encourage the repentance of the apparently obstinate grave sinner and to avoid serious moral confusion among the faithful.

We are all sinners. We cannot judge even our own souls – only Christ can do that (and He mercifully withholds His judgment until the end of time). We must all help each other to be clear about what is right, to be clear about what is wrong, and to become more lovingly perfect like Christ.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, be merciful to me: a sinner.
Have mercy on us all.