A reader writes:

I know you must get tons of mail. I hope this question was not offensive in any way. I realize after the last blog that you are becoming more and more political. That’s ok. Don’t get me wrong. But, I prefer the Chesterton-like dissection of the minutiae of the news of the day to the anger/frustration rantlike skewering of Republican politicians. It stirs the pot, I guess. In the comment box, the Democrats applaud you and the Conservatives skewer you. For the most part, I agree with you. I am solidly with you on the political issues of the day (torture, gay marriage, abortion). Prior to a conversion of heart I was a Clintonian Democrat, straight down the line. Now, I tend to be more in the middle leaning right on social issues. I don’t hate the Left, is what I am trying to say. But, that said, I don’t understand why the church is silent when it comes to prominent politicians like Pelosi (and for the moment, Gingrich) thumbing their nose at the Church and its teaching especially when it comes to Abortion.

Given your frustration with the issue, you may not want to respond. But, I would really like to know why the Church doesn’t punish Pelosi or any Catholic who publicly defies the Church.

Thanks and regardless — I will continue to read your blog. You are my favorite Catholic blogger/writer.

Thanks for your kind words, and especially for your desire to read the signs of the times in light of the gospel rather than to fit the gospel to a political ideology. FWIW, I don’t think I’m any more political than I have ever been. I look at whatever is in the headlines this week and, if it bears on the Faith in some way I find interesting, I remark. That means that huges swaths of our political conversation is stuff I don’t comment on, either because I’m not interested (cap and trade, capital gains, the Eurozone crisis, etc) or because I’m not competent to comment. Virtually always, my commentary is about something obvious (like abortion or torture) and not about something subtle or tricky (like immigration or healthcare or revising the tax code. I’m mostly fighting for elementary decency against barbarism, not for fine-tuned policy wonkery amid a whirlpool of legitimate political variabilities. That said, I appreciate your willingness to change your mind and think with Holy Church. You make me proud of you!

As to Pelosi and similar Bad Catholics who hold the Church’s teaching in naked contempt, I’m afraid I have no magic answers or crystal ball for fathoming the actions of her bishop nor of the bishops of similar pro-aborts and enemies of the unborn. I can guess, of course, and that, plus five bucks will get you a cup of Starbucks. But that’s all it is: a guess.

My guess is that the bishops don’t run around punishing pro-aborts because they basically fear it will be counter-productive: creating a backlash against the Church and for pro-abort pol from Catholics who, in large numbers, agree with the pro-aborts and would view them as martyrs to support, not as enemies of human life to abjure and reject. Mind you, I don’t *know* that this is their reason, but it’s my guess.

It’s worth noting that excommunication is and always has been a very rare thing in the life of the Church. If memory serves, there were not a lot of excommunications even during the Anglican revolt when most bishops chickened out and join Henry VIII. Excommunication is to the body of Christ what amputation is to a physical body. In his entire career as “pit bull” for JPII, Cdl Ratzinger oversaw the excommunication of only 24 people, IIRC. That’s about one a year out of a billion people. So expecting rash of excommunications from American bishops is, I think, highly unlikely.

Sorry I’m not more help. You really need to ask a bishop what he is thinking in order to get the hang of things. Have a good Advent and Christmas!