Anti-Abortion Group Photographs Mass

An anti-abortion group has posted photos on its Web site of Catholic politicians receiving communion at the Mass that Pope Benedict XVI celebrated in Washington on Thursday.

The American Life League's point is that the politicians shouldn't be doing this because they support abortion rights, contrary to church teaching - several Catholic bishops had announced during the 2004 presidential campaign that they would deny communion to Democratic candidate John Kerry because of his stance on the issue. (Kerry is one of the pols pictured on the site.)

But it doesn't seem to help the anti-abortion group's cause to trumpet that Kerry and others were able to receive communion at a Mass that the pope himself celebrated, in the company of just about every leader of the church in America. Nor does it enhance the group's moral credibility to boast that it took what amount to surveillance photos during a Mass the pope celebrated.

The U.S. Catholic bishops have left it up to local bishops to determine whether to deny communion to an elected official who supports abortion rights, depending on the circumstances in each case.

This sideshow to the papal trip continues today with reports that former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani received communion during the Mass the pope celebrated at St. Patrick's Cathedral. Giuliani supports abortion rights. He is also a divorced Catholic who remarried, which would make him ineligible, under church law, to receive communion.

But it was no secret that the former mayor received the Eucharist. The live video feed streamed on the Web site of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops showed Giuliani returning from communion.