The pastor of a Rhode Island church issued a flier in late January saying every Rhode Island state legislator who voted last year to support abortion in state law would be denied communion in his church.
Father Richard Bucci distributed the fliers at Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick Rhode Island, to the congregants. He also mailed them to the homes of several Rhode Island lawmakers.
“In accord with the teaching of the Catholic Church for 2000 years, the following members of the legislature may NOT receive Holy Communion, as are all the officers of the state of Rhode Island, as well as Rhode Island’s members of Congress,” the flier reads.
The politicians were all Democrats.
Here’s a photo of the notice received by lawmakers including @repmcentee33 pic.twitter.com/diBYuAVod9
— Ian Donnis (@IanDon) January 31, 2020
Bucci immediately received pushback from Democrat media, who demanded Bucci be punished and called his action “political”. Bucci responded to the local Rhode Island media about the criticism of his actions, saying that he “would not back down”.
“If they are proud of what they have done, why do they want to keep it a secret? We all hear about responsibility. Let them take responsibility,” Bucci said. “If they think this is a good and wholesome and holy thing . . . they should be proud of it, and why should I hide that from my parishioners?”
“They call me ‘Father’ so that I may have an influence in their lives, and this is a serious issue of life and death,” he added.
Bucci was interviewed Saturday and said that he again, would not back down.
“The law of the Church is absolutely clear that they [Pro-Abortion proponents] can not go to communion anywhere unless they repent. That is the point of any penalty or ex-communication of the church. It is what Christ said to Saint Matthew, and what Saint Paul said to Cornith. I am not making the rule, I am making known my intention to follow what the church has said since the first century. The early catechism of the church mentions the Didache or the destruction of life in the womb,” he said.
Didache is considered a teaching of Christ’s by one of the original 12 disciples.
The flyer also says that pro-abortion lawmakers may not be the witness at a marriage or be the godchild of a baby.
” The law of the church is that they [pro-abortion] should restrain and ministers of communion should not administer communion where there is an innocent life at risk.”
“The [lawmaker’s] action removed all possible protection of innocent life. Politicians have put their opinions about abortion into action,” he said.
The podcaster asked Bucci about Governor Ralph Northam, who said exactly one year prior to the flyer, on a radio program of his own talking about his support of abortion in Virginia,” if the baby survives the abortion there will be a discussion with the mother about what to do,” shocking the country that Northam would not medically assist an infant who survived an abortion, but would watch and allow the helpless infant die.
Northam’s shocking comments in his scandalous 2019 interview:
Northam said it. Educate yourself.
— Chan (@Chaulll) February 5, 2020
“[What Northam said] is infanticide and it is a disgrace to our Nation,” Bucci said about the remarks.
Bucci twice made a clear distinction between people who hold opinions of abortion, and politicians who have put their opinions into action.
“People who hold an opinion are not excommunicated, but lawmakers are because they put abortion into action. They are welcome to come to church, however they can not participate in the sacraments,” he said.
Bucci said that the majority of feedback he has personally received about his flyer has been overwhelmingly positive.
Full Interview:
— DAN PAQUET (@danpaquet) February 8, 2020
