Another battle in the "Communion Wars," to cop the MSM's phrase, unfolded over the weekend: Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City went on record Friday saying that Kansas governor (and Catholic) Kathleen Sebelius should not present herself for Communion because of her support for abortion:

In a column appearing on May 9 in the archdiocesan newspaper, The Leaven, the archbishop said that Governor Sebelius has sent a "spiritually lethal message" by implying that she could remain a Catholic in good standing while supporting abortion on demand.

The archbishop's column cited in particular the governor's veto of the Comprehensive Abortion Reform Act, which would have required abortionists to inform women about the effects of the procedure and alternatives to abortion.

There have been many discussions on this blog about when (if ever) it is right to deny a public official Communion, and the proper way to go about taking such steps. But Archbishop Naumann's approach outlined below -- meeting with Sebelius privately, and repeatedly; putting the responsibility on her not to present herself for Communion; and laying out the path for her way back -- seems like the right one to me:

[Naumann] reported that he had met with her "several times over many months to discuss with her the grave spiritual and moral consequences of her public actions." Because the governor has now rejected his pleas and her public stand constitutes a scandal to the faithful, the archbishop said that he has now directed her to refrain from receiving Communion. Archbishop Naumann reported that he has asked Governor Sebelius to accept this directive, so that she will "not require from me any additional pastoral actions."

The governor will be welcomed back to Communion, the archbishop wrote, if she acknowledges her error, goes to Confession, and makes "a public repudiation of her previous efforts and actions in support of laws and policies sanctioning abortion."

Of course, the line about "additional pastoral actions" indicates that the archbishop might be prepared to take more drastic measures should the governor continue to ignore his request. You can read his full column here.

Commonweal adds an interesting national political perspective to the situation (h/t American Papist):

The Kansan controversy could have implications for the presidential race. Gov. Sebelius has endorsed Barack Obama, who has Kansas roots, and is being mentioned here and there as a possible vice-presidential candidate. Her father, John Gilligan, was governor of swing-state Ohio in the 1970s, making them the only father-daughter governors in U.S. history. And she’s been successful in getting votes in a heavily Republican state. And she would conceivably help Obama by connecting with women and Catholics.

Another potential entanglement for Obama's Catholic outreach.