Cardinal O'Malley, It's Called "Canon 915"!

Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston recently told Lifesite News regarding the denial of Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians, ""Well, I think that the only way that that solution [denying communion] should be invoked is if there were a large catechesis or if it was universal for the whole church. You can’t have people doing things in one parish and another, you would only divide the Church hopelessly."  He then goes on to call for a change in Canon Law and/or a papal directive.

Let's restate the obvious.  Canon 915 is universal for the whole church.  It's actually quite simple, and I'll now quote it in its entirety.  "Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion."  That's it!  The underlined part is what pertains to the discussion about pro-abortion politicians.  Pro-abortion politicians "are not to be admitted to holy communion."  Who does the admitting?  It's the minister of Holy Communion, be they ordinary or extraordinary.  Canon 915 thus speaks to the minister of Holy Communion, not the would-be recipient of Holy Communion.  Read it.  It's spoken in the passive voice, but the meaning is crystal clear to those who have the intellectual honesty not to try to obfuscate its clear meaning.

The cardinal states that "you can't have people doing things in one parish and another.."  That's true enough.  The real solution, though, is to have all parishes and dioceses conform with Canon Law as it exists.  What makes the Cardinal think that they'll obey a new Canon law or new papal directive when they disobey the already-existing Canon Laws?

As far as papal directives go, the Vatican tried to extend such guidance in 2004 with then-Cardinal Ratzinger's (now the Holy Father) "Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles".  The Vatican had intended it to be made known to all the bishops at their meeting in Dallas in 2004.  However, Cardinal McCarrick, who headed the USSCB's task force on the matter of Holy Communion, only made the briefest of reference to it.  Archbishop Burke said later that he was disappointed not to know of the full content of Cardinal Ratzinger's directive during the meeting.  Both Archbishop Burke and Cardinal Arinze have, from their Vatican posts, made clear that the minister of Holy Communion may not give It to pro-abortion politicians.  Cardinals O'Malley and McCarrick, what is so difficult to comprehend about that?