O'Brien and Cahill on the Communion Wars

Here’s a smart piece by two of the smartest Catholic scholars in this country: David O’Brien, the church historian at Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., and Lisa Sowle Cahill, the moral theology professor at Boston College, writing on the policy of denying Communion to certain politicians. Their piece takes off from the curious case of Douglas W. Kmiec, a constitutional law professor at Pepperdine and pro-life Republican (that’s right, pro-life) denied Communion during a recent Mass. Here are O’Brien and Cahill: "If we remain silent when respected Catholic leaders are publicly attacked and denied Communion, the proper role of faith in our public square is grossly distorted. This election year, let’s have a better debate about faith and political responsibility that reclaims the vital role religion has often played in renewing our most cherished democratic values." The full article, from The Baltimore Sun, originally from Religion News Service is here. James Martin, SJ