The Catholic church is not a daily news item. When it does hit the headlines, it is often for the wrong reasons. Surely, the most sustained and intense media scrutiny of the church came following the disclosure of the extent of clergy sex abuse and the bishops’ woeful response to the victims and their lack of accountability to the faithful. Recently, many American Catholics were perplexed when some bishops threatened to deny Holy Communion to Catholic politicians who support Roe v. Wade, even when they do so only for reasons of national public policy.