Absolutely we should deny politicians communion!
And to you Obama voting Catholics, consider going to confession soon.
The Doctrine clearly states that a Catholic cannot help procure an abortion, that includes voting for someone that is Pro-Abortion. Everything we've gained over the last 8 years is now in jeopardy, Catholic hospitals will be forced to provide abortion, no more concent or even notification to parents of a minor looking for an abortion, no more inform the mother laws, no more waiting periods, all gone, all so you could get your prescious candidate in office, next there will be a challenge to the partial-birth abortion ban, have any of you watched a video of an abortion? watched the legs and arms move in the ultra-sound as the abortionist rips the child limb from limb with foreceps? True Catholics who really follow the pope know that we would all be better off if we lived in a cardboard box without abortion than what we have now. All I hear is about the travesty's of the Bush Administration, lack of social programs, guantanamo etc. etc.. those involve repression (depends whose opinion on that) of the living, which is nothing compared to the butchering of the unborn, where is their voice? oh I know, it's lost in the trivialized mix of inferior political issues you all mention. I firmly believe a vote for pro-abortion is a Sin, and guess what, The CHURCH agrees with me, NOT YOU! Back to the original thread, yes the Priest and Bishop are guards of the Eucharist, and Doctrine states are not to distribute to individuals known to be in grave sin, Judas ate at the last supper, but as many scholars have agreed, he was already repentant for what he had done, (arrangement with the guards was prior to the last supper) so forgiveness was already granted by Jesus, even though Judas did not specifically ask for it. Biden, Pelosi and several other Catholics are not repentant, not in the least, in fact many openly argue the church is wrong, THE CHURCH IS WRONG AND THEY THINK THEY DESERVE COMMUNION??? I suggest they get out of our church.
The time has come for a new leadership in the Catholic church, too many bishops and too many cardinals have been too soft for too long. The North Eastern States are a joke! they'd vote in the anti-christ as long as he promised to make some new program for homeless etc. etc.. OH WAIT, NE ALREADY HAS! I sleep well at night and know I'm a sinner, but I follow Catholic Doctrine unlike most of you.

While A priest does in fact, maintain the dignity and awesomeness of the gift of the Eucharist, it is not a priests place nor anyone else's to decide who should or should not receive the Eucharist. We are responsible for our own actions. Lets not forget the quote that one should not judge lest they be judged. Politics and religion should not cross over We are answerable to the Saviour for our own actions and thoughts and words. The Eucharist must never be treated as a pawn. Let us remember wonder and awe in this gift and not make a judgement on another individuals worthiness to receive.

Cam, that is truly one of the best known myths. the Founding Fathers counted on people of religious faith to practice self restraint in order to maintain a sound democracy. You can't legislate morality (you can try). The Founding Fathers wanted to ensure that the federal government did not force a religion on the colonies, now states, so they put a limit on the federal government. There was no intent to separate government from religion but to ensure that, as in England, there would not be a National Religion. Many use the constitution and Jefferson's personal letter that used the term separation of church and state to try and evict God from the public square.

It is the body of Christ. The individual is responsible for making sure you are not in the state of sin when you receive. The priest, obviously, would normally not know. However, if I told the priest that I was in a state of serious sin, do you seriously think he would give me communion? He has an obligation also to treat the body of Christ with respect. When a person makes his/her rejection of Church Teaching public, as in the case of a politician, in addition to the Bishop who has an obligation to attend to this person, a priest would not give that person communion if he recognized him. That is not politics, that is doing his job in treating the host with appropriate reverence and respect and helping the sinner to avoid further sin.
It is not a matter of telling someone what to do - did Christ tell us what to do? The Church is here for us to show us the way of Christ. You have free will to do what you want but not all ways are the path to Heaven.

In the Bishops' statement about the Eucahrist, they said that we should be very careful about judging the consciences of others. In other words "take the plank out of your own eye before judging the speck in your neighbor's eye."

The Church has been wrong before (ask Luther, Galileo, et al.) Making a public spectacle of who should and should not receive the Eucahrist follows in that tradition. Let's mind our own consciences and stop worrying about what others do and think.

James 4: 11-12

I recall Jesus saying that his disciples could extend or deny forgiveness to others but no where did I see that they have the right to deny the Eucharist to others. Clearly Jesus shared the Last Supper with Judas. It is his gift to us of himself and anyone who presupposes to withhold that gift puts himself between his brother or sister and the creator. That's no position I'd care to be occupying at the last judgement. My personal belief has always been that Christ is present whenever we offer up what we do in his name. We don't really need a priest to do that for us. Not the way I read it. Show me where Jesus says different if I'm wrong. No man can presume to speak for the Father. That's the simple truth of it. Let's down off our high horse, every one of us!

1 Corintians 11 23:34

1 Timothy 1:20

"On the night he was betrayed, he took bread and gave you thanks and praise. He broke the bread, gave it to his disciples, and said: Take this, all of you . . . " How many times have we heard these beautiful words at Mass. If Jesus could share this first Eucharistic meal with his betrayer - who he knew was about to betray him - who are we to deny anyone his body and blood.

It's not a matter of politics. The central issue is unrepentant public sin which causes scandal tot he faithful. Anyone, politician or regular Joe on the street who is a known unrepentant sinner must be denied the Eucharist for it is offensive to the divine substance of said Eucharist to be placed into a stained temple, and besides, it behooves the cleric to not make a case for eternal damnation by giving the Eucharist to a publicly unrepentant known sinner. Read St. Paul's admonition in the new testament if you don't understand what it is that I refer to.