Kansas City, Kansas, Archbishop Joseph Naumann, who is engaged in a running dispute with Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic, responded to critics last week by renewing his call for her to avoid Communion in Catholic churches.

Writing in The Leaven, Naumann explained his May 9 request to Sebelius "not to present herself for reception of holy Communion until she had sought to repair the public scandal of her long-standing support for legalized abortion."

The request, Nauman said, "not surprisingly has initiated quite a bit of discussion in secular newspapers, local talk radio shows and coffee-break conversations."

In a question-and-answer column, Naumann wrote that "Governor Sebelius’ public support for legalized abortion, as a Catholic, naturally leads others to question the moral gravity of abortion. In effect, her actions and advocacy for legalized abortion, coupled with her reception of holy Communion, have said to other Catholics: 'I am a good Catholic and I support legalized abortion. You can be a good Catholic and support legalized abortion.'"

Naumann wrote that he was not asking Sebelius to ignore her oath of office. "The governor does have an obligation, as a Catholic, to express her opposition to laws and judicial decisions that fail to protect the lives of the innocent and to do all in her power to work to change the law," Naumann said. "She has a responsibility to use her exceptional leadership abilities to extend the maximum protection possible under the current limitations imposed by the Supreme Court."

Naumann said he was not reacting just to Sebelius' veto of the abortion reform bill passed by a bipartisan majority in both houses of the legislature. "My request for the governor not to present herself for Communion, was not about any one action," he said, "but a 30-year history of advocating and acting in support of legalized abortion."

Requesting Sebelius to refrain from presenting herself for Communion is consistent with the requests made by other Catholic church bishops in similar circumstances, Naumann explained. "Cardinal Edward Egan of New York has made a similar request of former Republican presidential candidate and former mayor Rudy Giuliani" he said.

The archbishop also noted that the Church has used disciplinary measures against Catholics who are public figures violating church law. "In St. Louis," he wrote, "in 1946, then-Archbishop Joseph Ritter ordered the desegregation of the Catholic schools. A group of laity attempted to organize in order to oppose his decision. Archbishop Ritter threatened excommunication, which resulted in this opposition group disbanding."

In some cases the threat is carried out. "The archbishop of New Orleans actually did excommunicate some Catholics for their opposition to racial integration," Naumann said.