Posted on 10/23/2012 6:49:44 PM PDT by markomalley
Uruguay's bishops say that local lawmakers who recently voted to legalize abortion in the country are automatically excommunicated for separating themselves from the Church's teaching.
“Automatic excommunication is for those who collaborate in the execution of an abortion in a direct way,” said Bishop Heriberto Bodeant, secretary for the Uruguayan bishops' conference.
“If a Catholic votes...with the manifest intention that he thinks the Church is wrong about this, he separates himself from the communion of the Church,” Bishop Bodeant recently told reporters.
“Excommunication means you are not in communion with the ecclesial community to which you openly claim to belong by doing something that puts you outside communion, and therefore you cannot participate in the Eucharist,” he explained.
The Catholic Church teaches – and canon law upholds – that life must be respected from the moment of conception, he said.
If the new law is signed by President Jose Mujica – who vowed support for the measure – the Church will strengthen its work in support of human life to “reinvigorate the law written in the heart of every person that says that a fundamental value exists, which is life.”
This “is above all other” rights, the bishop said.
A church with a backbone???
Why next they may be telling pro-abortion and pro-gay marriage that they will not be getting married in the church...
That it actually MEANS something to be in the church.
Outstanding!
The further away from the Crucifixion the less many take their religion seriously.
After more then 2000 years, politics seems to trump religion (their new religion). Membership in a church seems to be a springboard for political advancement rather then a commitment to chruch beliefs.
I doubt the threat of excommunication will deter many from advancing abortion as a fundamental right.
too little, too late
Considering these politicians just voted, what should the bishops do? Put them in the comfy chair?
How about warning them before the vote? The vote wasn’t a secret, its been known for a while it was coming.
Good! Some of the Latin American bishops are made of much sterner stuff than ours.
We had a get-out-the-vote talk from our pastor, based on a video issued by the USCCB, that made it sound like it was okay to vote for a raving pro-abortionist if you felt his “social justice” positions outweighed his pro-abortion position. Sorry, boys, but there are absolutes and Catholic voters may not use fuzzy moral math.
Our bishop, who was born in Cuba, is very firm about this and came out and told us that we may not as Catholics vote for the “politician who represents the party that is pro-abortion.” (Guess who?) But our bishop is being undermined by our priests.
Canon Law is not a secret. If the bishops are willing to take this action afterward, I'd have a hard time believing that they didn't issue the appropriate warnings beforehand.
Its one thing to say someone has automatically excommunicated themselves by such a vote. Its another thing altogether to actually deny them Holy Eucharist as a result. Until they actually apply Canon 915, they really have not done anything.
If they do apply Canon 915, this will indeed become noteworthy.
I do not agree with Catholic theology, but I commend this man for not being a hypocrite and following the dictates of his religion in a logical and faithful way. I agree with him that anyone who participates in abortion, unless repentant, must not be allowed to take communion in any Church that considers itself Christian. Of course, I do not believe that the wine and bread are more than holy symbols of Christ’ death and suffering for us on the cross, and are meant to be taken as a memorial of His death and suffering, with a view to His future return. That being said, kudos to this man.
You wrote:
“How about warning them before the vote? The vote wasn’t a secret, its been known for a while it was coming.”
And you, of course, checked to see if they were warned, right? No, I didn’t think so.
This is from 2008. That’s right. 2 - 0 - 0 - 8:
http://www.tldm.org/News8/UruguayBishopsThreatenDenialOfCommunion.htm
Thus, as anyone can see, the Church warned these pro-death scumbags in 2008. And that warning was BEFORE they voted for it in 2008. Feel free to admit you were wrong any time, okay?
yes, where are the US bishops?
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