Bishop of the Week: Bishop Juan Antonio Martinez Camino of Madrid

I've been thinking about adding a new weekly post to my blog to offset my "Idiot of the Week" posts, which take a look at the Anti-Catholic public personalities in our country (I think I can find enough of gems in that category to write a years worth of post in an afternoon). Since I've started reading many of the Catholic news sites and quite a few blogs I've been impressed with the stories I've read about many of the amazing Bishops in the Catholic Church. And since it's the Year of the Priest I've decided a "Bishop of the Week" would be appropriate. I already have several in mind for the next few weeks and the first Woman's Place Bishop of the Week will be... Auxiliary Bishop Juan Antonio Martinez Camino!

Bishop Martinez Camino is standing up to those politician's in Spain who support the slaughter of unborn children. Anyone interested in the Canon Law side of his statement that pro-death lawmakers should be kept from receiving the Eucharist may be interested in Dr. Edward Peters' explanation of just how the Eucharist can be denied to pro-abortion Catholic politicians. It's always refreshing to see strong leaders who stand up for the unborn! The Bishop also spoke out earlier in the month against the EU Court decision banning crucifixes from classrooms in Italy.

And that's what makes Bishop Martinez Camino this week's Bishop of the Week!

MADRID, November 13, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The secretary general of the Spanish bishops' conference, Auxiliary Bishop Juan Antonio Martinez Camino of Madrid, warned that Spanish Catholic legislators who vote in favor of a bill to liberalize abortion which is currently before parliament would publicly place themselves in an "objective state of sin" and therefore may not receive Communion.

"Excommunication is provided in the Code of Canon Law for those who cooperate actively in the practice of abortion," Bishop Martinez Camino stated in an AFP report.

He said Catholics cannot support the legalization of abortion and if they do "they will objectively find themselves in a public state of sin and may not be admitted to Holy Communion."

While "the Church cannot judge their subjectivity," he added, those who "directly collaborate" in or promote abortion incur excommunication.

Read Entire Story Here.