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| MADIGAN: Can no longer take communion |
Strictly
speaking, officials in charge of the Roman Catholic church in Springfield,
Ill., have excommunicated him. Which must be tragic, of sorts to the one-time
graduate of St. Adrian’s Elementary and St. Ignatius College prep schools in
Chicago, along with the holiest of holy Catholic universities – Notre Dame.
THE
ANNOUNCEMENT CAME down as a result of Bishop Thomas Paprocki, who is in charge
of the Springfield, Ill., diocese. Paprocki is so peeved that the General
Assembly debated (and approved) the Reproductive Health Act.
That’s
the measure that ensures even if the anti-abortion ideologues manage to get the
Supreme Court of the United States to act in ways meant to eliminate on a
national scale the right of a woman to terminate a pregnancy, it will not
impact Illinois.
The
“Land of Lincoln” will remain a place where abortion will be regarded as a legitimate
medical procedure.
Madigan
said Thursday he had been contacted by Paprocki prior to the Legislature acting
last month on the bill in question, and knew that Paprocki would be likely to
act with grave disapproval. Yet he went ahead and used his political influence
to allow the issue to come up – where it passed overwhelmingly.
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| PAPROCKI: Taking a stand on abortion |
AS
MADIGAN PUT it, “After much deliberation and reflection, I made the decision to
allow debate and a vote on the legislation.”
Then,
he made the statement that I’m sure the religious ideologues will claim
confirms his place in Hell for all eternity.
“I
believe it is more important to protect a woman’s right to make her own health
care decisions, including women who become pregnant as a result of rape or
incest,” said Mr. Speaker,
Yes,
I write that knowing full well there are those who will screech and scream
about “God’s law” being supreme above all else, and who are more than willing
to overlook any suffering in this lifetime because, theoretically, the life eternal
is special enough to overcome the miseries of this existence here.
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| CULLERTON: Also dragged into battle |
SO
MADIGAN, STATE Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, and for all I know,
maybe all Catholic members of the General Assembly, are now excommunicated. To
suffer eternal punishment for thinking a woman’s health and physical well-being
is her own business.
Which
is ironic because I remember back a couple of decades when anti-abortion
activists considered Mike Madigan himself to be about as sympathetic to their
cause as any politico could be.
His
Catholic upbringing meant he wasn’t particularly sympathetic to that portion of
Democrats who wanted the political party to be allied with women on this issue.
I remember anti-abortion types saying Madigan was good for them because he’d
allow their bills meant to restrict abortion in various ways to come up with debate.
Some of them would even pass.
As
opposed to playing political “boss” and cutting off any discussion on the
issue.
OF
COURSE, THE reason their larger stance never passed was because the majority
was sympathetic on abortion, which ultimately drove Madigan into the abortion
rights camp on the issue.
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| CUPICH: Shaking his head at donnybrook that has arisen? |
And
which now has him condemned by Paprocki. He won’t be able to take Communion –
at least not as far as at any Catholic church in Springfield. Although Paprocki
later told the Chicago Tribune he’ll restore Madigan if he makes an apologetic statement,
then introduce a bill repealing what the Legislature just did.
As
to whether Cardinal Blasé Cupich of the Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago would
feel compelled to get involved, that remains to be seen. Considering that
Paprocki is the bishop who, a few years ago, stirred up a national stink when
he held an exorcism at his church in response to the Illinois General Assembly
making it legal for same-gender couples to legitimately marry, he may be
reinforcing a reputation amongst Catholic as to everything that is wrong with
their religious faith.
Cupich
himself may want to steer clear of this affair. While Madigan himself joins the
ranks of many Catholics who step aside during Mass to let others take Communion,
while wondering if this is further evidence their church has lost touch with
the daily realities of life.
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