Archbishop Faults Giuliani For Receiving the Eucharist

The archbishop of New York is saying that because Mayor Giuliani supports abortion rights, it was inappropriate for him to receive Holy Communion during the pope's visit to New York.

"I deeply regret that Mr. Giuliani received the Eucharist during the papal visit here in New York," Edward Cardinal Egan said in a statement yesterday, in which he described an understanding he had with Mr. Giuliani that prohibited Mr. Giuliani from accepting the Eucharist because of his well-known support of abortion. The cardinal said he would seek a meeting with Mr. Giuliani "to insist that he abide by our understanding," which dates to the latter's time in office as mayor.

The cardinal's statement coincides with the news that Mr. Giuliani, a onetime presidential hopeful, is scheduled to attend a New York City fund-raiser for the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Senator McCain. The May 7 event is expected to raise about $5 million, the New York Post reported.

Mr. Giuliani, who has been married three times, received communion during Pope Benedict XVI's Mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan on April 19. Yesterday, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn, Frank DeRosa, said the diocese supported Cardinal Egan's position.

Taking communion, or accepting the Eucharist, is among the most important religious rites for Christians. Within the Catholic Church, the service has been limited to practicing Catholics. Individuals whose moral views oppose the church's — specifically on issues such as divorce, abortion, and gay marriage — have been denied communion. In Cardinal Egan's statement yesterday, he described abortion as a "grave offense against the will of God."

The Vatican has said politicians who support abortion rights should not receive communion. However, during the pope's recent visit, the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, senators Kerry and Kennedy of Massachusetts, and Senator Dodd of Connecticut took communion at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.

Yesterday, a spokeswoman for Mr. Giuliani, Sunny Mindel, said the former mayor is "certainly willing" to meet with the cardinal. "As he has previously said, Mayor Giuliani's faith is a deeply personal matter and should remain confidential," she wrote in an e-mail message.