Posted on 12/05/2006 2:15:45 PM PST by Coleus
With about 20 other families we formed a church and got a disgruntled Methodist pastor whom we pledged to support. We envisioned a Methodist church without the hierarchy. Well, a bunch of late-comers arrived with lots of money and suddenly we were way more fundamentalist than we had envisioned (no infant baptism, etc.).
So, we wound up without a church. I came to the Faith after watching about 3 years of EWTN and seeing Pope Benedict's election. I decided that I wanted to be with the Church who was the original Church, and had RULES and discipline. I was quite tired of hearing lay Sunday school teachers give me their personal interpretations of Scripture, which often seemed to me to be slightly off.
Anyway, I joined last Easter, and I have never been so happy, and I get a great deal of inner peace from the Mass.
What, no "The cafeteria is closed" image?! :-)
By their deliberate stepping outside the norms of Catholic life, these individuals have, to all intents and purposes, excommunicated themselves. When the Church makes an official pronouncement of Excommunication, she is merely ratifying their deliberate choice. The Church does not have to make an "official" ruling regarding one's position outside the Church in order for it to be a de facto excommunication.
See above... Also, the official pronouncement of excommunication on these people would have little to no effect, and they would immediately test it by taking a place in the Communion line. There is ALWAYS some darned leftist "priest" who is willing to give them Communion at his Clown Mass, despite their open and blatant disregard for the Church's teachings on ANY aspect of Catholic life, not just those on "Life." Teachings on contraception and marital fidelity, annullments, confession...these are all part of the life of the Church that "Cafeteria 'catholics'" choose to disregard. Excommunicating them formally is not going to do anything to their state. They will continue to flaunt the Church's care and teachings as long as they can, just to "prove" they are right. ("A bolt of lightning didn't strike me dead. That must mean God blesses/doesn't care what I do...")
Pinging...
But it has a strong sting of formal disapproval. These folks thumb their noses when faithful Catholics say they've excommunicated themselves, but only a ferendae sententiae excommunication will get the message across.
(no punishment, no crime)
Actually, I doubt that seriously. The politicians I am sure we both have in mind couldn't care less about their moral state, the "approval" of the Vatican, or anything else except spitting in the eye of Holy Mother Church. They know the condition of their souls, and they not only do nothing about it, but continue in their sin.
Kick the bums out. At least they wouldn't be able to masquerade as Catholics anymore.
And you do that, how? How do you keep them from coming to any church they wish, or masquerading as "good" Catholics? Believe me, they know where the enabling "priests" are, and that's where they go. An official excommunication from the Church isn't going to keep them from using Catholic appearance to manipulate the electorate.
If they are thrown out of the Church, they can't say they are Catholic in any way, shape or form. Place any priest who helps them under interdict, and excommunicate them too if they don't cease and desist.
bump
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