Yet, even if this Pope manages to actually make great strides in calling unrepentant pro-abortion Catholics to the carpet and puts teeth into his declarations, forcing them to choose their religion over politics, it will not affect my decision to remain separated from the Roman Catholic Church. As important as the abortion issue is, it doesn't trump the Gospel as the highest priority. Until the Catholic Church returns to teaching justification by grace through faith in Christ apart from works - as the early church did, they will remain separated from God teaching an accursed gospel.
Whether we can reach cold calculating powerful individual politicians is one thing, no church can necessarily do that, what I want is an ugly public battle, a pro-life confrontation, a drawing of the lines, a clear war message that reaches the Catholic voters, that penetrates through the Catholic fog, that forces the Catholic voters who are coasting and blocking out the absolutes, to see the democrat party as something unacceptable to Christians and to Catholics.
That Catholic message better happen fast because the GOP is slowly drifting to soften their pro-life position and social stances to win over those voters. Conservatives are in serious danger of not having a major social conservative party to vote for.
In truth, the Church is being faithful to the Gospel of Jesus by taking a stand against abortion.
Our notion of Communion is a “works” by your definition. BTAIM, pro-aborts who claim to believe in the real presence of the Lord in the Sacrament either suffer fro cognitive dissonance or are liars. If they do not voluntary abstain from receiving, then they lose all claim to be Catholics. We will soon see what the Democratic leader of the House and the Vice-president do. They and the former governor of Pennsylvania. Tom Ridge, who contributed materially to the slaughter of infants in his state.