Newsdesk (July 20, 2021 Gaudium Press) – In a tweet on Saturday, July 17, New Mexico state Senator Joe Cervantes wrote he “was denied communion last night by the Catholic bishop here in Las Cruces and based on my political office.” The senator represents New Mexico’s 31st district, around Las Cruces.
After the New Mexico state senator said he was denied Communion this weekend because of a political matter, his diocese responded that it had privately warned him he should not approach for Communion, due to his obstinate support for a pro-abortion bill.
“My new parish priest has indicated he will do the same after the last was run off,” Cervantes added. “Please pray for church authorities as Catholicism transitions under Pope Francis.”
Diocese responds
In response to the Senators’ tweet, Christopher Velasquez, director of communications for the Diocese of Las Cruces, on Monday told Catholic News Agency (CNA) that it is “unfortunate that a pastoral issue with a member of the local church be publicized.”
He noted that both Cervantes’ pastor and Bishop Peter Baldacchino reached out to Cervantes privately, in regards to his support for a pro-abortion bill that was signed into law earlier this year.
“Bishop Baldacchino did not receive a response from the senator,” Velasquez said, adding, “He [Cervantes] was contacted multiple times prior, letting him know that if he voted for Senate Bill 10, he should not present himself for communion.”
New Mexico’s Senate Bill 10, which Cervantes co-sponsored, repealed a 1969 state law criminalizing abortions. That law has not been enforced since the Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized abortion nationwide. However, supporters of SB 10 warned the ban could go back into effect if the Supreme Court were to repeal its Roe ruling. Govenor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed Senate Bill 10 into law earlier this year.
Velasquez said the decision to deny Cervantes Communion “has nothing to do with his office or politics, it has to do with Senate Bill 10…with this particular bill, because of what it entails.”
Bishop Baldacchino, Velasquez added, has “an open door policy” on Fridays if members of the faithful in the diocese have questions or concerns. “He’s definitely made it a priority of his to make himself available,” Velasquez concluded.
(With CNA files)