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There are several bishops who have made it plain that they will not give Communion to politicians who support abortion. Other bishops are, shall we say, more lax. I think the Pope has said that pro-abortion politicians should not receive.

Thanks, Maryz, for your comments and good links (which answered many of my follow-up questions as well :). It looks like these politicians would be excommunicated automatically on two counts. It would seem to me that these politicians, along with all of the Catholics who actually think abortion is OK (and still regularly attend Mass, etc.) would either not accept or be in denial of their own excommunication.

Based on what I know of Catholic theology, that would appear to leave a large number (not percentage) of souls in great eternal peril. These folks would be living in a constant state of mortal sin, so every Eucharist taken would be improper, and every confession/absolution would be void (assuming no confession on the issue). I know there are "outs" that allow some outside of the Church to be saved nonetheless, however, my "guess" would be that the standards God would apply to those who have accepted the Roman Catholic faith would be higher. I'm thinking of a sort of reverse "invincible ignorance" argument. I don't know if it applies though.

It's unclear exactly where the "ceremony" took place -- a poster above thinks those square things look like Stations of the Cross, which would mean it is a Catholic church of sorts (yes, sadly, some of them do look like that nowadays!).

Yes, I was wondering what the legal ramifications were on holding out a building as a "Catholic Church". I imagine that if I opened a building with the signage "FK's Catholic Church of Reformed Theology", that I would get quite a few phone calls and letters. :) I'm not sure what international intellectual property rights the Vatican actually owns, if any. If a new and legitimate Roman Catholic Church opened today, who would have to sanction it for it to be "official"?

“If a new and legitimate Roman Catholic Church opened today, who would have to sanction it for it to be “official”?”

I’m just a layperson, so this is my best guess.

I’m guessing the local Bishop would have to approve of the plan, oversee it, and ensure it is properly consecrated upon completion.

If a consecrated Church within the Bishop’s jurisdiction is misused in this manner, it would make sense for the Bishop to excommunicate all those involved including the parish pastor that enabled the ceremony.

There are times when churches are reconsecrated when the sanctuary has been defiled.
I’m not sure when that is necessary and when it is not.

You seem to grasp the implications of mortal sin, but don't forget (as too many Catholics seem to) that, while "grave matter" is a necessary condition for mortal sin, the other conditions (full knowledge and full consent of the will) are also necessary, and these are interior matters that can't usually be known by the observer.

I saw an article in First Things a few months ago in which the author mentioned medical/psychological conditions that apparently affect culpability -- he thinks these are part of the grounds for "Judge not, that ye be not judged." Condemn wrongful acts, certainly, but I've always found it more salutary to worry about my own spiritual state than to draw conclusions about that of others -- my own opinion, anyway!