Sen. Cervantes denied Catholic communion over vote on abortion bill

LAS CRUCES - Democratic State Senator Joseph Cervantes revealed via Twitter that he was denied communion during a Catholic celebratory mass at the Carmelite Monastery Friday due to his stance on a state abortion bill.

Cervantes has represented District 31 in Doña Ana County since 2013. During the 2021 Regular Session of the New Mexico Legislature, a bill was introduced to repeal the established law, making abortion illegal, save for a few exceptions. However, the state law was considered unenforceable due to the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade in 1973.

Senate Bill 10 proposed amending the state law to reflect the federal court’s decision. It was passed by both state houses and signed into law by Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham on Feb. 26. Cervantes was among the 25 senators and 40 representatives who voted in favor of the bill.

More:New Mexico Legislature repeals unenforceable abortion ban; governor expected to sign

However, abortion goes against the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church and constitutes a grave moral sin according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Those conscious of committing a grave sin are not to receive the Eucharist — the Body and Blood of Christ — without confessing the sin without taking part in the Sacrament of Penance — confession and contrition.

According to Christopher Velasquez, spokesperson for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces, the diocese and the pastor of Saint Albert the Great Newman Parish reached out to Cervantes multiple times before the vote to convey the church’s teachings on the topic of abortion. Bishop Peter Baldacchino personally informed him that voting in favor of SB10 would constitute a grave moral sin and he “should not present himself for communion.” Cervantes allegedly did not respond to any communication from the church or diocese.

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Velasquez reiterated that Cervantes was not denied communion because of his political affiliation, but because he voted in favor of pro-choice legislation.

“He had been contacted ahead of time and on multiple occasions, so it wasn't a spur of the moment situation,” Velasquez said.

The Sun-News reached out to Cervantes multiple times but was unsuccessful in connecting with the senator for comment.

Denying politicians communion has been discussed widely at the national level recently with several U.S. bishops publicly supporting denying President Joe Biden communion. The president is a practicing Catholic and has been refused communion in the past.

During the Spring Plenary Assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops held in June, bishops voted to draft a document on the Meaning of the Eucharist. Whether to deny communion to individuals or groups was not voted on.

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Velasquez said the matter concerning Cervantes would have remained a private pastoral matter if not for the senator’s Tweet over the weekend — and that taking to Twitter was not the appropriate outlet. He said other Catholic legislators within the Las Cruces diocese would have been notified as Cervantes was about voting on SB10. He did not mention any other legislators besides Cervantes.

Regarding other members of the Catholic community, Velasquez said, “it's not appropriate for us to comment on a person's personal relationship with the church.” However, Baldacchino’s office at the pastoral center is open Fridays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. for parishioners to speak with him about their faith.

Leah Romero is the trending reporter at the Las Cruces Sun-News and can be reached at 575-418-3442, lromero@lcsun-news.com or @rromero_leah on Twitter.