Burke v. US

Continuing the push for his preferred interpretation of Canon 915 -- i.e. the legal basis for the denial of the Eucharist to pro-choice politicians -- the church's "chief justice" Archbishop Raymond Burke was featured in a video shown this morning in Washington calling the text "completely clear" and urging its universal enforcement on public officials who support legalized abortion... or, as it was described in the conversation, "killing children."

Given in an interview with the longtime pro-life activist Randall Terry, the comments were advertised as "thunder" before their debut at the National Press Club... and now, the transcript's posted so you can judge for yourself.

Having received Burke's blessings for "what you are doing to advance the cause of life," Terry recorded the interview in early March while on a visit to Rome, during which he met with Vatican officials to call for for the removal of Stateside bishops who don't refuse Communion to public officials whose platforms conflict with church teaching, including the longtime leader of the no-ban school -- Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington -- who seemingly had something to say about the criticism in his column for last week's archdiocesan paper, the Catholic Standard.

On his first public journey home since becoming prefect of the Apostolic Signatura last summer, the former archbishop of St Louis will appear in the capital to keynote the annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

The conservative-leaning event will take place on 8 May, three days after the installation of Burke's friend and protege, Bishop Salvatore Cordileone, in Oakland. Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonin Scalia will likewise appear at the morning nosh as a guest speaker.

In other Burke-notes, the Wisconsin-born prelate recently termed the nomination of Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of Health and Human Services as "the source of the greatest embarrassment because she has publicly and repeatedly betrayed her Catholic faith."

A pro-choice Catholic, the Democratic gov's confirmation hearing remains unscheduled. Last year, she was publicly called upon to refrain from the Eucharist by her ordinary, Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City.

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