Posted on 10/19/2004 3:39:48 AM PDT by Blogger
He should probably be excommunicated until he changes his pro-choice stance and get's the first marriage annulled (by Catholic standards).
Good point. The question whether there is a proclamation required at all. He's excommunicated himself, if the Vatican official is correct. Therefore, Catholic clergy cannot distribute Communion to him (and the others) until they make a good Confession and change their public stance (if they remain in politics).
This is also known as, "separating the wheat from the chaff."
There oughta be a "spiritual" Darwin Awards....
Well the Bishop of Rome should excommunicate the others if they aren't willing to enforce the church's rules.
Re-marriage without annulment is, for all intents and purposes, automatic self-excommunication. There is no circumstance under which Giuliani can receive communion since his re-marriage is a provable fact not subject to nuance and spin.
I know plenty of the rank and file Catholics who believe in it. But, perhaps they wouldn't be considered serious Catholics. Maybe it's because I live in New England. I don't know. It has always bothered me.
The Bishop of Rome uses formal excommunication under fairly restricted circumstances--usually when a matter of scandal is involved (and abortion-supporting Catholic politicians certainly exemplify this) and when the potential excommunicant either doesn't know he is in error or persists in a well known error. As to abortion itself and those who support it in the public arena, offenders KNOW (for the most part) they are in error. Excommunication is automatic and should be known by at least the rest of the Catholic community. Local bishops may (and some have) denied such known ipso-facto excommunicated Communion-recipients all sacraments but Reconciliation. The fact that other bishops don't deny the sacraments . . . THAT's what needs to be addressed buy the Bishop of Rome.
Sorry--BY the Bishop of Rome.
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