Archbishop Charles Chaput / Neil Cavuto
Posted on 02/20/2009 10:53:35 AM PST by NYer
.- Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver is in complete agreement with the message that Pope Benedict XVI delivered to Nancy Pelosi on Wednesday. The archbishop also went so far as to say that since she disagrees with the Church on the "black and white issue" of abortion, she should not present herself for Communion.
The comments by Archbishop Chaput were made following Nancy Pelosi’s meeting with Pope Benedict, at which the Pope reminded the Speaker of the House that all legislators, but especially Catholics, are bound to protect human life from conception to natural death.
FOX News’ Neil Cavuto invited Archbishop Chaput to give his reaction to the Pope-Pelosi meeting on Wednesday afternoon.
Cavuto began by pointing out the disparity between Pelosi’s statement about the meeting and the Pope’s.
"I got very different reads from both the Pope’s message of that meeting and the speaker’s, but the gist of the Pope’s is that, she has a duty to respect life, what did you make of that?" said Cavuto.
"Well it’s true," replied the archbishop. "Every Catholic, whether you’re famous or anonymous, whether you’re a public official or a private citizen, has a responsibility to be faithful to what the Church believes about human life, and we believe that human life is sacred and precious from the moment of conception. So that applies to the Speaker as well as it does to me and to you and to anyone who’s Catholic."
Referring to a previous interview regarding Pelosi’s comment that when life begins is not agreed upon by Catholic teaching, Cavuto asked, "isn’t it a fairly black and white issue?"
Chaput responded, "Well it’s not a fairly black and white issue, it’s a clearly black and white issue.
"The Church without a doubt believes that human life begins at the moment of conception," he said.
Cavuto also asked Archbishop Chaput if he would deny Holy Communion to Pelosi.
To which, the archbishop responded:
"Well, I’d like to talk to her if she’s coming to church in the Archdiocese of Denver and I’d say to her what I’d say to anyone, if you don’t accept what the Church teaches, you shouldn’t present yourself for Communion, because Communion means you’re in agreement with what the Church teaches, and, as I said to you earlier, that applies to all of us..."
Isn’t she boxed in by Catholic beliefs on the one hand and by a society that is pro-choice? Cavuto queried.
"Well I don’t think it’s a box to defend the truth and to stand up for what you know to be right, even if others in the community disagree with you, and being honest about our moral principles is a sign of maturity, is a sign of being a statesman.
"And I think that politicians are required to be both good Americans and good Catholics at the same time and to be convincing when they present the position of the community on basic human rights," the archbishop replied.
Referring to the issue of abortion, Archbishop Chaput said, "This is a human rights issue, from the point of view of the Church, and not a theological or religious perspective. Our religious perspective supports that, but that’s not the source of our belief about the sacredness of human life."
The arrogance of this woman is beyond belief. Trying to roll the Pope and then spinning what really went down.
Or is it stupidity?
The Catholic church will not excommunicate Pelosi or even deny her communion, therefore the Catholic church is embracing abortion.
This, unfortunately, is how pro-Democrat bishops have made it seem. So many of these men are shackled by the political liberalism of their homes,at a time when good Catholics like George Meany were head of the AFL-CIO rather than the cynic who runs it today.
If the RC Church doesn’t clamp down on her and her lefist ilk, they are de facto condoning her behavior. I don’t know why they won’t just excommunicate her, but perhaps it’s due to her family’s wealth. I would hope that’s not the case, but who knows. At any rate, if they don’t make an example of her, they are essentially giving the nod to the rest of us to behave in the same manner, and thereby rendering their own moral stance a moot and ineffectual dogma.
By this statement, you indicate a misconception of excommunication. First off, excommunication does not kick someone out of the Church. There are ways to cancel one's Church membership, but excommunication isn't one of them. For those wanting the immediate excommunication of pro-abortion politicians, canon law simply does not read that way. An excommunication for abortion has to be linked to a specific abortion and, given the structure of American government and medical institutions, one simply can't link a given legislator's vote with a specific abortion within the limits of causality recognized by canon law.
Any Catholic, be it Nancy Pelosi or your neighbor, who obstinately denies that abortion is always gravely immoral, commits the sin of heresy and incurs an automatic sentence of latae sententiae excommunication.
Ping to post #8.
I would guess that while she claims to be Catholic she rarely stepped into a real church....but then she stepped into the abortion debate and stated as fact her warped beliefs....THEN she caused problems no one could ignore. Most liberals are KNOWN cheapskates....I doubt her money was an issue.
Well, yes, but the public perception is that the Church is afraid to act decisively. Futhermore we have the famous case of Pope Gregory and Emperor Henry VI, as an example of moving against a powerful political figure. No doubt in my mind that the bishops are divided on the issue, not merely on grounds of prudence but doctrinal grounds. We have to look at the influence of Bernardin and the sophistry of the seamless garment that has been used to cover the infidelity of so many Catholic politicians.
It’s a combination of narcissism, arrogance, and stupidity.
What will she do when she tries to roll the Judge on judgment day?
I never suggested she should be kicked out of the RC church, only that she be excommunicated, i.e. not allowed to participate in Holy Communion, until she repents and disavows herself of her heresy. I would never suggest that she be thrown to the dogs, as it were, and declared anathema. It is our role as Christians to lovingly remind those who fall away from the Church, that they need to get back in right standing with the Church. In a sense she has already excommunicated herself by her actions and beliefs, regardles of any “official” proclamation by the RC church.
Thanks for re-posting this thread. Did the other one get pulled?
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