Some conservative Catholic activists have been pushing the Church to deny the sacraments to (Democractic) candidates who favor abortion rights. Some of their bishops have jumped on board this train. In fact, today's papers report that New Jersey governor Jim McGreevey, a regular churchgoer, will forgo Communion to comply with the wishes of the Bishop of Newark.
What's disturbing about this is the selective manner in which Church teachings are being used to put Democratic political figures in the crosshairs. Will the same conservative bishops and laity apply pressure for supporters of the death penalty--the existence of which is clearly at odds with the Church's position--to be denied Communion? The Vatican also has condemned the war in Iraq; will (Republican) lawmakers who are Catholic find themselves pressured to reconcile their public position on the war with their status as Catholics in good standing?
It seems to me you can't have it both ways: if forces within the Church want to play politics with the sacraments, they ought to do so consistently, not just with those issues that dovetail with the conservative agenda.
