The Vatican stepped into the U.S. bishops’ ongoing debate over giving Communion to pro-choice Catholic politicians last week, issuing a letter May 7 to every bishop in America urging them to undertake a two-part dialogue process before drafting any national guidelines on the issue.

Up to now, the decision over whether to give a pro-choice politician Communion has been up to the local bishop, with varying results: President Joseph R. Biden’s previous local bishop in Wilmington, Delaware, along with his current bishop in Washington, D.C., have both allowed him to receive Communion, while House Speaker Nancy R. Polosi’s local bishop, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone, recently wrote in support of denying pro-choice politicians communion without naming Ms. Polosi. 

Last fall, the national bishops’ conference assembled a committee to draft a proposal for a guideline that could be applied nationwide, to be voted on at the bishops’ upcoming meeting next month.

The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith stepped in with a letter signed by its head, Cardinal Luis Ladaria, putting the brakes on the drafting process until the bishops undertake an “extensive and serene” dialogue with one another and the politicians in question. It urges them to reach a “true consensus” on the issue.

Will the bishops listen? This week on “Inside the Vatican,” host Colleen Dulle and veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell unpack the letter, examining how binding the letter and the U.S. bishops’ agreements are, along with what decisions the bishops now face.

Links from the show:

Vatican sends letter to U.S. bishops: Don’t rush the debate on Communion, politicians and abortion

Bishop McElroy: The Eucharist is being weaponized for political ends. This must not happen.

Archbishop Aquila: For the church to live in eucharistic coherence, we must be willing to challenge Catholics persisting in grave sin.

Lay people have been passing on the Catholic faith for 2,000 years. Now Pope Francis has made it an official ministry

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