( Tues.13 March, 2007):- Pope Benedict XVI in a document released on Tuesday reiterated
the Church’s ban on Communion for divorced Catholics who remarry. The Pontiff also
upheld the Church's opposition to gay marriage, saying it is "non-negotiable" and
Catholic politicians have a moral duty to oppose it, as well as laws on abortion and
euthanasia. In his 140-page document on the workings of a synod that took place
at the Vatican in 2005 on the theme of the Eucharist, the Pope also re-affirmed the
Catholic rule of celibacy for priests. In the post synodal Apostolic Exhortation “Sacramentum
Caritatis,” Pope Benedict says all believers had to defend what he calls fundamental
values, but that the duty was especially incumbent for those in positions of power.
He said these included respect for human life, its defence from conception to natural
death, the family built on marriage between a man and a woman, the freedom to educate
one's children and the promotion of the common good in all its forms. "These values
are not negotiable," he said. "Consequently, Catholic politicians and legislators,
conscious of their grave responsibility before society, must feel particularly bound,
on the basis of a properly formed conscience, to introduce laws inspired by values
grounded in human nature," he said. Gay marriage is legal in several European
countries, including predominantly Catholic Spain, and Italy is currently severely
divided over the issue of whether to give more rights to unmarried couples, including
homosexuals. The Pope's words in the document were also applicable to countries such
as the United States, where some Catholic politicians have said they are personally
opposed to abortion but felt bound to support pro-choice legislation because they
represent many people. Some bishops in the United States have refused to give communion
to Catholic politicians who back abortion rights.