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Posted on 01/29/2004 6:30:44 AM PST by cpforlife.org
The emergence of Senator John Kerry as a presidential candidate raises crucial questions about how bishops may react, seeing that he presents himself both as a staunchly pro-choice politician and as a practicing Catholic. The issue is of immediate moment, for it is a time when bishops across the United States -- including on Kerry's home turf of Boston -- have been issuing statements or even canonical declarations warning those who favor abortion to abstain from the Eucharist.
Kerry represents Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate and hails from Boston. He has seized control of the Democratic primaries -- at least for the moment -- and professes to paid heed to his religion. "I am a believing and practicing Catholic, married to another believing and practicing Catholic," he has been quoted as saying.
But only a week ago, newly-installed Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley struck out against pro-choicers like Kerry, telling a Catholic website called LifeSiteNews.com, "These politicians should know that if they're not voting correctly on these life issues that they shouldn't dare come to Communion."
Those words appear at great odds with Kerry's voting record and may put him on a collision course with the Church, should he ever assume control of the Oval Office. In fact Kerry even opposes a ban on partial-birth abortion. According to his campaign website: "John Kerry believes that women have the right to control their own bodies, their own lives, and their own destinies. He believes that the Constitution protects their right to choose and to make their own decisions in consultation with their doctor, their conscience, and their God. He will defend this right as President. He recently announced he will support only pro-choice judges to the Supreme Court. Kerry also believes that we should promote family planning and health plans should assure women contraceptive coverage.
These positions are the perfect opposite of the Church's, and if elected his standing as a "practicing" Catholic could generate significant -- and perhaps even monumental controversy -- leaving open the possibility that America's second Catholic President could become the first to be prohibited from receiving Holy Communion, the Church's defining sacrament.
Just last November Archbishop Raymond L. Burke -- now in St. Louis but at the time bishop of LaCrosse, Wisconsin -- issued a canonical notification prohibiting the Eucharist for pro-choice lawmakers.
"Catholic legislators who are members of the faithful of the Diocese of La Crosse and who continue to support procured abortion or euthanasia may not present themselves to receive Holy Communion," said the notification. "They are not to be admitted to Holy Communion, should they present themselves, until such time as they publicly renounce their support of these most unjust practices." The document repeated the Vatican's teaching that Catholics involved in lawmaking have a "grave and clear obligation to oppose" any measure that is an attack on human life. "For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for them," it says.
This was followed by a statement by New Orleans Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes -- who less than two weeks ago said that "the Louisiana bishops are sending a copy of this document to each of our elected Catholic public officials in Baton Rouge and Washington. When Catholic officials openly support the taking of human life in abortion, euthanasia or the destruction of human embryos, they are no longer faithful members in the Church and should not partake of Holy Communion. Moreover, citizens who promote this unjust taking of human life by their vote or support of such candidates share in responsibility for this grave evil."
The need is to pray for the potential leaders, as opposed to simple condemnation. Can John Kerry return to faithful Catholicism?
Click On The Picture
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/895800/posts
...This year, on January 16, Bishop Carlson received additional ammunition for his discussions with Daschle when Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger's office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, issued in Rome a "Doctrinal Note" on Catholics in political life. "A well-formed Christian conscience," the note declared, "does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals."
The Doctrinal Note marks at least the beginning of the end of the Vatican's toleration of what the pope's biographer George Weigel has called "Cuomoism" in the American Church: the effort to finesse abortion by declaring oneself personally opposed but politically supportive of laws allowing abortion. Catholics have a "duty to be morally coherent," the Doctrinal Note declares, and the Catholic fight on the life issues--abortion, euthanasia, and cloning--is not some merely prudential question, to be decided by political give and take. The Catholic Church doesn't take political positions--except when politics intrudes into something, like the right to life, that ought to be beyond the power of politicians.
Possibly, if I can afford to accompany Tim Chichester when the time comes. We're working on getting the petition as well as this Canon Law change request (for which there is ample precedent) directly to the Pope:
WHEREFORE, Plaintiffs request the following relief: That Pope John Paul II, Supreme Pontiff of the Catholic Church take jurisdiction of this petition. Part 1 That Canon 1398 be changed to read: "A person who willfully enables an abortion or euthanization incurs a latae sententiae excommunication. An elected or appointed official who willfully votes for legislation enabling abortion, euthanasia or same-sex unions, or who publicly propagandizes for or promotes abortion, euthanasia or same-sex unions, incurs a latae sententiae excommunication. Canon 915 shall be applied to such public individuals."
Bastardize you're children you have.
Kerry is really quite arrogant and pompous. There is something quite demonic about that. Either he is spiritually retarded or he himself is evil.
You'll have to plug your ears, then.
You'll also have to redact your Bible. But that's your problem, not mine.
Thanks, we will definitely take you up on that offer!
They annulled a marriage that produced children?
Wow. The Church has changed from when I took religion class. How did they justify that?
Turns out Kerry requested an annulment in '97 and it was denied, or more likely it didn't even get to the stage where it would be denied.
There is nothing wrong with him going to Mass,in fact,that is the right thing to do.
Maybe. But if he disbelieves so much Catholic teaching, one wonders where he stands on other matters of doctrine, whether he can recite the Creed in good faith, etc. That much, at least, is between Kerry, God, and his priest/confessor.
Cuomoism. Sounds creepy. Is Cuomo still slithering around?
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