Dear Editor,

Archbishop Cordileone has decided to deny communion to Nancy Pelosi because of her support for abortion which creates “confusion” and “scandal” among Catholics. What creates confusion is the perceived double standard. If as Pope Francis says: “All life is equally sacred.” Why deny communion to a politician who supports abortion, but not to one who supports the death penalty? Some might conclude that it is because most democrats are in favor of abortion and most republicans are in favor of the death penalty. We cannot be playing politics with communion.

There have been 60 million abortions since its legalization. Therefore, if 60 million babies are killed, communion should be denied, but not if one person is killed by lethal injection? This ideology clearly diminishes the value of human life and goes against church teaching and the commandment: “Thou shall not kill.”

There are other things truly scandalous that go against the “sanctity of human life” that the church should be paying more attention to and we are not. Applying morality selectively only divides and undermines the credibility of the church. As a friend of mine said: “Then church leaders ask: Why is the church not important to people anymore or why are they leaving the church?”

Father Misael Avila

Riverbank