Bishop Invokes ‘Eternal Shame’ on R.I. Senators for Pro-Infanticide Vote

Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin speaks to a reporter in Riverside, R.I., Sunday, Nov. 2
AP/Josh Reynolds

The indomitable bishop of Providence has upbraided the two Rhode Island senators for their pro-infanticide vote Tuesday.

“Eternal shame on Senators Reed and Whitehouse of R.I. for opposing this bill which would protect infants already born,” tweeted Bishop Thomas J. Tobin. “Their vote has nothing to do with promoting women’s health or ‘reproductive freedom.’”

“Their stance is thoughtless, cruel and indefensible,” the bishop concluded, whose Twitter bio identifies him as “proudly pro-life.”

Bishop Tobin was reacting to news that the U.S. Senate had failed to pass the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act as well as the way the two Rhode Island senators had voted.

Senator Sheldon Whitehouse is Episcopalian but Jack Reed is Catholic, so the bishop has not yet exhausted all the weapons in his spiritual arsenal.

The Church’s Canon Law stipulates that those “obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to holy communion,” an article that has been cited by other bishops to justify barring pro-abortion Catholics from receiving Communion.

Follow Thomas D. Williams on Twitter

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