NEW YORK - Rudy Giulianishould not have received Holy
Communion during the pope's visit becausethe former presidential candidate
supports abortion rights, New York Cardinal Edward Egan said Monday.
Egan says he had "an understanding" with Giuliani that he is not to receive the
Eucharist. The Catholic Church teaches "that abortion is a grave offense
against the will of God," Egan said.
The cardinal said Monday that Giuliani broke that understanding when he
received the Eucharist during Pope Benedict XVI'svisit earlier this month. He
received Communion during the April 19service from one of the many clergymen
who offered the sacrament.
Egan says he will be seeking a meeting with Giuliani "to insist that he abide
by our understanding."
Giuliani's spokeswoman, Sunny Mindel, said Monday that he is willing
to meet with the cardinal but added that his faith "is a deeply
personal matter and should remain confidential."
Egan's statement does not address the fact that Giuliani is on his
third marriage. Catholics who divorce and remarry without getting an
annulment from the church cannot receive Communion.
A spokesman for Egan said that the cardinal referred to the abortion
issue rather than to Giuliani's marital history because the agreement
that Giuliani would not receive Communion pre-dated his divorce from
his second wife, Donna Hanover.
Giuliani's first marriage was annulled based on the fact that he and
his wife were second cousins once removed. Giuliani married Hanover in
1984 and they divorced in 2002, while he was New York's mayor. He has
been married to the former Judith Nathan since 2003.
Communion and abortion rights became a storyline in 2004, when Democratic
presidential nominee John Kerry, a Catholic, came under scrutiny for supporting
abortion rights in conflict with church teaching.
Egan's criticism of Giuliani, however, is a rare case of a Catholic
bishop criticizing a public figure by name. Most bishops who spoke
about Communion and the responsibility of Catholic politicians did so
in general terms without naming names.
Kerry's own archbishop, Sean O'Malley of Boston, endorsed the principle without
naming the senator.
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