Several years ago some bishops made news for refusing to give Holy Communion to politicians whom they believed were not sufficiently decisive in supporting life. There was a mood in some quarters suggesting the need for a “smaller but purer Church.” Pope Francis has a different approach. His emphasis on mercy, highlighted in proclaiming this the Jubilee Year of Mercy, proposes a more embracing vision of the Church. We are all in need of God’s mercy so we can’t exclude anyone from the mercy of God. In this he echoes Jesus who, when challenged about eating with sinners answered, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.” We receive Holy Communion not because we deserve it as a reward but because we need it as medicine.
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By Church Staff
