Reply #11: As a matter of fact

[Stunster]

the vast majority of Catholic bishops did not go along with the suggestion that pro-choice politicians should be denied Holy Communion.

The media of course ignored this fact to concentrate on the few who made noises along those lines.

The authoritative statement on the matter had already been issued by Cardinal Ratzinger, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in a letter sent a in June to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. He concluded: ''A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.''