It all began May 9th on the plane flight from Rome to Brazil. Pope Benedict XVI was asked by a reporter what he thought of the warning of excommunication Mexican bishops gave to Catholic politicians who support legalized abortion.

The Pope was emphatic: “Yes, this excommunication was not an arbitrary one but is allowed by Canon law which says that the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving communion, which is receiving the body of Christ… They (the bishops) simply announced publicly what is contained in the law of the Church.”

Such words should have come as a shock to no one. After all, it was Cardinal Ratzinger who as Prefect for the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith issued the famous 2002 “Doctrinal Note on Political Participation.” Ratzinger issued the same warning then that the Mexican bishops announced a few weeks ago.

It was Ratzinger’s “Doctrinal Note” that led to the 2004 furor over presidential candidate John Kerry receiving communion. It’s a controversy that will not fade away, as Mayor Guiliani will undoubtedly find out if he decides to run for the presidential nomination.

But it wasn’t Guiliani who scolded Pope Benedict XVI. America’s Mayor went out of his way to say, “I do not get into debates with the Pope. That is not a good idea….”

Some Catholic Democrats see things differently. On May 14, eighteen Catholic Democrats in the House issued a signed statement condemning the Pope for his comments. Excommunication, their statement reads, would “offend the very nature of the American experiment and do a great disservice to the centuries of good work the Church has done.”

The leader of the “Catholic 18” is Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) who was joined by well-known pro-aborts such as Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), and Linda Sanchez (D-CA.)

One interesting twist on this document is that a nearly identical document was signed by 55 House Democrats in February, 2006. Where did the other 41 signatures go?

Has open defiance of Church teaching become less fashionable?

Where is the signature of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi?

Of those eighteen who did sign, all but two, Reps. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and James Langevin (D-RI) have dismal voting records on Catholic issues where Church teaching is absolutely clear.

Here is a list of the 18 and their voting records on these issues:

It’s very difficult to square this type of voting record with the following sentence taken from the group’s statement: “Advancing respect for life and the dignity of every human being is, as our Church has taught us, our own life’s mission.”

The bad news is that 16 of these 18 Catholic House members don’t seem to recognize the contradiction between their voting records and the “mission” of “advancing respect for life.”

The good news is that 44 Catholic House members who signed a similar statement just over a year ago did not sign this one.

What that really means is anybody’s guess. Perhaps they, just like Guiliani, don’t want to get into “debates with the Pope.” Or perhaps they are realizing that Catholics and all Americans have more respect for the Pope and Church teaching than Reps. DeLauro and Kennedy.

The Window is published by the Morley Institute for Church & Culture.

For the latest Catholic news, the Window recommends the Catholic News Agency.

Please add us to your address book so that The Window will always arrive in your in-box not your bulk or junk e-mail folder.