Posted on 09/03/2009 1:14:57 PM PDT by lizol
Pro-abortion politicians risk excommunication
03.09.2009 20:12
Polish bishops are reminding Catholic politicians that if they support abortion, they risk excommunication from the Church.
Reiterating Church teaching on the value of “healthy families” and a call for more “pro-family politics” are the central messages of a newly released Polish Episcopate document, To serve the truth about marriage and family.
But what has drawn most attention is a very clear and straightforward warning to Catholic politicians: that if they violate basic moral directives on life or family rights issues in the public sphere, they risk excommunication.
The document is a compilation of Church doctrine on the value of family life - and the duties of society towards the family - as the crucial fundament of every healthy society.
Drafted by the Council for Family Issues at the Polish Episcopate, it talks openly and directly about what it sees as the evils of abortion, IVF and experimentation on embryos, but also of families broken by divorce or promiscuity.
“As John Paul II was saying just before he died, we are witnessing very strong, organized attacks on marriage and family, which could also serve to destroy the Christian spirit of Europe,“ says Father Andrzej Rębacz, head of the Episcopate Council for Family Affairs and the National Chaplain for Families.
“These attacks include promotion of sex education at schools. We have to remember who was the first to introduce the idea of sex education. It was communist ideologue György Lukács in Hungary, who thought promiscuity was the best method to fight the institution of marriage, in order to fight Christianity.”
Politicians beware
The part of the 100 page document which has drawn most attention is where it discusses the duties of Catholic politicians.
"It is absolutely not true that a politician, or a government member, has to, or can, act against his conscience. (...) When it comes to God's law, everybody is equal, politicians included," the bishops write in the document. It also reiterates Church Law, according to which, anyone who publicly contradicts fundamental moral values - such as the commandment "Thou shall not kill,” by voicing support or acceptance of abortion, should be immediately excommunicated from the Church.
“It should be obvious to every Catholic. If you are pro-abortion and keep it to yourself, you are guilty of a mortal sin, and until you confess, you cannot go to Communion,” says Wojciech Cejrowski, writer, journalist and Catholic commentator.
“However, if you publicly support abortion, then you excommunicate yourself,” he says.
Protests followed when Health Minister Ewa Kopacz, who identifies herself as a Catholic, was reported to have arranged an abortion for a 14-year old, last year. Catholic groups brought up the question of excommunication back then and some politicians protested.
Private and public
Janusz Onyszkiewicz, a member of the Democratic Party, who refuses to disclose whether he considers himself a Catholic, is critical of the bishops' letter and says Catholic politicians should leave their moral values to their private lives.
“I don't want to discuss Church teaching,“ he says. “I think, obviously, the Church should expect everybody who belongs to the Church to follow a certain moral code. But it is different to follow it in private life and to work on the legal system of the country.”
Member of the European Parliament for the Law and Justice party, Konrad Szymański, disagrees. He says politicians, too, should keep their public and private lives consistent, and if they declare themselves Catholic, they should practice what they preach.
“I've read the letter with great satisfaction, because bishops have reminded us very simple truths: that the obligation of conscience is much more important than any other obligation, including political obligations,” he says.
Secondly: even if Teddy procured an abortion/abortions and self-excommunicated: he could still be received back into Communion with the Church. A Priest could not reveal the secrets of Teddy's Confession(s) without self-excommunicating.
In neither case (self-excommunication, return to the Church) would Teddy receive a large tattoo on his face denoting his change in status.
Self-excommunication is a fact, but the Church's response to it (refusal of sacraments) cannot be based on telepathy. I guess this is why it's only those who very publically self-excommunicate and who must be immediately restrained from simulating sacraments who get publically pointed out - e.g. dissident Bishops.
In most cases I imagine it would take a public excommunication (ferendae sententiae) for a Priest to be able to refuse the sacraments.
Now I think public excommunication is in order for Catholic abortion advocates - but I admit I may not be seeing the whole picture. Preremptory excommunication is a dangerous weapon to use when you're fighting for someone's soul.
Infidelity.
Kennedy and those like him damned themselves. Publicly ex-communicating those of his ilk would save lives and keep many from going down the same path of killing innocents that Kennedy did.
Idle threats, although the Poles seem to be showing signs of a backbone here.
Good, they should do it here too.
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