Archbishop Wuerl honors Communion stances of local bishopsCatholic News ServiceArchbishop Donald W. Wuerl is following the lead of local prelates regarding the reception of Communion by Catholic elected representatives and government officials whose views may conflict with Church teaching.The archbishop's stance, first explained in a May 1, 2008, column in the Catholic Standard, garnered some attention as the U.S. Senate March 31 opened confirmation hearings on the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic, as Department of Health and Human Services secretary.http://www.cathstan.org/main.asp?SectionID=2&SubSectionID=27&ArticleID=2412Slightly related: John Thavis of Catholic News Service has this on the Vatican non-response to the brouhahaha at UND.http://cnsblog.wordpress.com/2009/04/03/the-vatican-and-notre-dame/ (ht: Tom Reese)Here is Tom Reese's take on the CNS article cited above: "What is not said but implied is that if Sebelius changes her residence, she will be able to go to Communion in Washington. Wuerl, along with McCarrick, was a leader in opposing the use of Communion as a weapon against Catholic politicians."

Margaret O’Brien Steinfels is a former editor of Commonweal. 

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