On June 17, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops voted to draft a teaching document on the Eucharist. The next day, a group of sixty Catholic Democratic members of the House of Representatives responded to this decision with a “Statement of Principles.” In this statement, they argued against the “denial of the Holy Eucharist to certain elected officials” who support “legal access to abortion.” This statement—along with a tweet from one of the sixty signatories that challenged core Catholic teachings—demonstrates the pressing need for a teaching document on the Eucharist and reveals issues that the bishops need to address. I served for sixteen years in the House. I was defeated in the 2020 Democratic primary election largely because I was an outspoken pro-life voice and voted for the unborn. The Democratic party was once the political home of most American Catholics, but over the past 40 years the party has become increasingly less tolerant of Americans who are pro-life, causing many Catholics to leave the party. Despite this exodus, polls indicate that between one-quarter and one-third of Democratic voters still describe themselves as pro-life. I ran for Congress as a Democrat because the party was traditionally the champion of hardworking middle-class Americans. I also believed it was (and is) important to have pro-life voices in the party. …

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