Contact: Rev. Fr. John Trigilio, Confraternity of Catholic Clergy, 717-957-9309

MEDIA ADVISORY, Aug. 26 /Christian Newswire/ -- The Confraternity of Catholic Clergy repudiates the inaccurate statements made by Speaker Nancy Pelosi. We also endorse the statement made by Archbishop Raymond Burke (Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura): "Catholics, especially politicians, who publically defend abortion should not receive Communion, and that ministers of Communion should be responsibly charitable in denying it to them if they ask for it, 'until they have reformed their lives.'"

When asked when does life begin, Pelosi replied "over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition ... St. Augustine said at three months." She went on to say that the Church's official teaching on abortion is only fifty years old. Although true that Humanae Vitae was written in 1948, the Catechism in 1992 and Evangelium Vitae 1995, nevertheless, the Catechism says:

#2271 "Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law."

This contradicts the premise that this has been an undecided issue within the Church. Rooted in the Gospels (Luke 1:39-45), it is explicitly stated in the Didache, a document going back more than fifty years to almost two THOUSAND years (50 AD)

It is disingenuous to invoke the Mediaeval biology of Augustine, based on the primitive biology of Aristotle (4th c. BC). Aristotle proposed that we begin as vegetative (plant) then develop into sentient (animal) and finally become rational (human). Augustine accepted that but NOT as an article of faith. The perennial and infallible teaching is that abortion is always grave evil. Abortion (including the willful destruction of human embryos) and euthanasia are always intrinsically evil since they involve the intentional killing of innocent life.

Regardless of party affiliation, candidates and voters are subject to the Natural Moral Law. Not all valid issues are of equal importance. There is a hierarchy of values and the highest being the defense of innocent life. Abortion and euthanasia are always intrinsically evil since they involve the intentional killing of innocent life. Other issues such as capital punishment and war may involve legitimate debate. Other concerns such as the environment and the economy merit serious consideration. The right to life, however, is the highest value we have as American citizens and as Catholic Christians.