I've Got Your Schism Right Here

A few thoughts on this detestable business of Catholic officials threatening to refuse John Kerry the Eucharist:

1. Would anyone agree that, as of late, the Catholic Church in America has lost some measure of moral clout one might call requisite to pursue this business of divvying up Communion?

2. Is it categorically more sinful to affirm the potential for sin (e.g. voting for abortion rights) than to explicitly approve sin (e.g. ordering an execution)? OK, I understand an answer to this question would require a more robust theology than anyone's prepared to read before noon. The lowercase point I'm making is that while a priest could choose to suspend Communion for a woman on, say, the Sundays that fall between her decision to seek one and the procedure itself, a pro-choice political alignment disqualifies a person permanently—even though that political person does not (apparently) carry the "mortal sin" in his or her heart, but rather a vaguely unrepentant or agnostic disposition. That might very well be theologically sound and I just don't know, but I would expect a thorough if not exhaustive litmus test before approaching the altar if it's true. There are Biblical passages that suggest both that 1) all sin is equal, in which case being pro-choice would be more or less a discrete sin for which you can ask forgiveness, and 2) the mental suggestion of sin is as sinful as any action—in which case, I suppose, the Catholic Church ranks the pro-choice down there with the Nazis. (See also homosexuality.)

3. If a bishop rules that he would not extend the Eucharist to some person, how strong is the hierarchical pressure for priests to abide by the ruling? So far no priest has threatened to cut Kerry off, so I guess it's not mandatory.

4. Let's say that getting an abortion is a discrete sin, but being pro-choice is categorically worse, a sin for which you can't repent without realigning your political views (clearly the Church's goal). By the Church's own (sorry) logic, doesn't it seem that they're letting off pro-choice Catholics awfully easy?

5. No wonder you guys are crazy guilty. What the hell?

PS: I am curious about these questions if you've got the answers. I don't recall anything so dramatic (or theologically subtle) from my distant Baptist roots. No one gets between a country boy and his cracker n' grape juice.