The Bishop of Las Vegas, George Leo Thomas, criticized Representative Susie Lee of Nevada in a recent Las Vegas Sun column. Despite that, Lee does not waver in her support for reproductive rights for women. In that column on Las Vegas Sun, Thomas asked representative Lee to abstain from the act of receiving communion. Thomas is among the many different Catholic leaders who have made the difference between state and church less clear in demanding support from Catholic legislators of reproductive rights to avoid participating in communion.
In an email to Las Vegas Sun, Lee described the decision to be a mother as a very personal choice. As for Lee, a person should be capable of making that decision based on not only her faith but also her conversations with her doctor and family. However, Lee added that her or anybody else’s faith should not determine whether a woman could make her healthcare decisions or not.
In a recent guest column on Las Vegas Sun, Lee encouraged the United States Senate to not only approve but also send the WHPA (Women’s Health Protection Act) to President Biden. For the uninitiated, the term WHPA refers to a law to protect women’s federal rights to have legal abortions.
In the column, Lee stated that she has a deep comprehension of the dilemma around the decision to undergo an abortion. Even so, Lee regarded the call to be a mother as a personal one, which should involve a person, her doctor and her family.
In a recent interview, Thomas stated that Lee made statements that contradicted the stances of the Roman Catholic Church. Thomas reckons that this is a chance to not only learn about this aspect of life but also support the unborn.
President Biden, a Catholic person who attends Mass regularly, has encountered similar demands to stop taking communion. However, Catholic Church leader Pope Francis described Biden as a fine Catholic and stated that he should continue to receive communion despite backing abortion rights.
Roman church historian Alberto Melloni felt that Pope Francis wanted the public to know, as well as, the US bishops to avoid taking the path toward refusing to offer communion to Catholic politicians.
Thomas stated that he believed that the US President should also abstain from getting the sacrament. Thomas stated that it would not make any difference if the president, a senator or a congressperson does that while calling themselves a Roman Catholic person and taking a stance that is unlike the Catholic Church’s position. Thomas does not have jurisdiction outside of Southern Nevada.
