PRO-ABORTION POLITICIANS CLASH WITH CATHOLIC FAITH

Under the general category of "What were they thinking?" comes my question of why the leader of some 385,000 Catholics in the Denver area -- Archbishop Charles J. Chaput -- was not invited to deliver the opening prayer for the Democratic National Convention next week.

After all, Catholicism is identified as the religious affiliation by a majority of members of the 110th Congress. (www.senate.gov/reference/resources/pdf/RS22555.pdf) Great profile, by the way. It includes careers, educational levels, and other interesting demographic data of the 110th Congress.

According to this site, there are 130 representatives and 25 senators -- or 29% of the 110th congress -- who identify themselves as Roman Catholic. (here's the complete list: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/faithfacts/2007/01/religious_affiliation_on_capit.html)

So why wouldn't the majority party of the 110th Congress invite the local representative of its majority religious affiliation?

Could it possibly be that the Democrats might be in a snit because the Vatican's Highest Court has made a statement that when it comes to pro-abortion Catholic politicians, "the minister of the Eucharist has the obligation to deny it [communion] to him." (http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081904.html)

Oh my! In that same article, Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis who by the way is the Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (that's the highest judicial authority of the Catholic Church, second only to Pope Benedict) says that "...pro-abortion Catholic politicians should be publicly corrected and told not to receive [communion], and, if they persist, they should be denied."

Archbishop Burke says that abortion entails the taking of innocent and defenseless human lives. "As person who commits sin in this way should be publicly admonished in such a way as to not receive Communion until he or she has reformed his life. If a person who has been admonished persists in public mortal sin and attempts to receive Communion, the minister of the Eucharist has the obligation to deny it to him. Why? Above all, for the salvation of that person, preventing him from committing a sacrilege," he said.

And Raymond Flynn, the Democratic mayor of Boston for 10 years before being named Ambassador to the Vatican by former President Bill Clinton, says that this is a "serious oversight" not to invite Archbishop Chaput and it ought to be corrected. (read more: http://www.orthodoxchristianity.net/forum/index.php?action=printpage;topic=17138.0)

So let me see. Hmmmmm. If Obama loses Colorado by about 300,000 votes, can we make an assumption that the Colorado Catholics don't approve of his pro-abortion position? That is one huge block of votes. The very least the Democrats could do would be to invite Archbishop Chaput to deliver the opening and closing prayers. But then, maybe it would pose a conflict to the archbishop, what with so many pro-abortion people running around the convention halls in Denver.

It seems to me that we are getting closer and closer to an intersection of political life and spiritual values. If the congressionals want to keep religious leaders out of the political limelight, they need to step back to get a better perspective. Our spiritual being defines who we are. It should be a guiding beacon for all political activities.

And until the time comes when members of congress welcome faith practices back into their lives, including letting unborn babies live, then the approval ratings will continue to plummet.

But the Democratic National Convention seems to be avoiding any confrontation with faith practices by way of Communion. It's as if they are saying, "Oh, we aren't going to do it that way this year. We're going to offer up a big diverse platter from all kinds of different religions from all over America. We're going to have an opening and closing prayer every day of the convention. And we're going to have lots of interfaith opportunities."

It seems to me that the pro-abortion Catholics in congress are about to get an overhaul of their faith because their Pope has strongly denounced their position on abortion and has sent Archbishop Burke out from the Vatican with the strongest message yet about abortion.

Just remember that people excommunicate themselves when they deny the tenets of their faith.

All pro-lifers need to stand up and be counted, whether we’re Catholic or not.

I’m Lutheran and I believe in Judgment Day. On that day, I sincerely believe, with all my heart and soul, that people are going to have to explain to the Almight God himself why and how they’ve embedded their logic with killing unborn babies.

At that point, it won’t be an expedient argument; it won’t be a political decision. But it will be a matter of life and death for them.

I also believe that the time to save your soul is before your physical body dies. Your soul is tarnished with the sins you carry with you from Earth.

I’d like to get theological perspectives on this from readers more versed and scholarly than I am.

I also believe that the time to save your soul is before your physical body dies. Your soul is tarnished with the sins you carry with you from Earth.

That's the Catholic belief. Upon death, one's ultimate fate is determined: heaven or hell. However, there are some people, bound for heaven, who will be purified, or purged of their sins, prior to entering heaven, since nothing impure can enter heaven (Revelation 21:27). Catholics call this temporary state of purgation, "Purgatory."

Matthew 12:32
And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

The idea that sins may be forgiven "in the world to come" follows necessarily from Jesus' statement. Mortal sins, sins that lead to death, or eternal separation from God (John 5:16), may not be forgiven, but venial sins may be forgiven, since they do not represent a complete turning away from God.

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