Posted on 10/05/2004 9:08:18 AM PDT by NYer
TEXAS, USA, Oct. 05, 2004 (CNA) - Bishop Rene Henry Gracida, Emeritus of Corpus Christi, Texas, in an article sent to Catholic News Agency, has followed up on his recent essay "Denying Holy Communion, A Case Study" responding to criticisms that the procedure he followed to issue an interdiction against a pro-abortion Catholic politician receiving Communion is “outdated,” and he has drawn up a “12-step program” to help bishops discern a course of action.
“Now we have candidates for the Presidency and Congress publicly professing to be practicing Catholics who, although supportive of many of the Church's teachings on social issues, on the most important issue - the inalienable right to life - are diametrically opposed to our Holy Catholic Faith,” writes Bishop Gracida.
“The most important issue facing the world today is the assault on the sanctity of human life,” he says and points out that the Magisterium, especially during this pontificate, “have taught repeatedly that the right to life is the foundation of all other rights in civil society. The denial of this basic right leads eventually to the denial of all others rights.”
“All other grave social issues,” he points out, “such as war, poverty, health, economic justice, immigration, etc. are of secondary importance and indeed pale in comparison to innocent human life under systematic annihilation.”
Bishop Gracida issued the interdiction in 1994 forbidding a politician from receiving Communion, yet he “felt that limiting Interdiction in the internal forum was important not only for the spiritual well being of the person being interdicted, but also for the spiritual good of the community.”
But, he says “in 1995 Pope John Paul II concluded that it was urgent to promulgate the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae. Some 12,000,000 abortions later, it has become crystal clear that the politician who actively engages his political skills to maintain abortion-on-demand and who protects the ongoing genocide by voting for legislation in favor of abortion formally cooperates in the evil of abortion itself.”
“In reality,” says the bishop, “the distinction between the abortionist and the politician is almost nominal: One, a murderer, is guilty of directly procuring abortions; the politician, makes it legally possible for the genocide to continue unabated.”
Recognizing the complexity of the situation in the Church and in our society at the present time I should like to help my brother bishops find their way through the thicket of conflicting opinions and proposals for action. After substantial reflection, I propose a twelve-step program for my brother bishops to help them decisively deal with the grave crisis facing our Church and our Nation.
He recommends twelve steps to help bishops to deal with the complex and grave crisis facing the Church and Nation and to “effectively remedy the crisis in all transparency yet resolute firmness.
The program outlines a specific course of action to be taken by bishops in dealing with publicly pro-abortion Catholics and includes recourse to fraternal and canonical correction and ultimately, if the individual obstinately refuses to recant, excommunication.
Read Bishop Rene Gracida’s complete article and 12 step program at http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/document.php?n=46
Those in the pews are perplexed. Which bishop is correct? Why would some bishops teach that the laws are binding and other bishops teach that they are not? [i]
Quizzically, people are asking ten questions:
Catholic Ping - let me know if you want on/off this list
PING
"“In reality,” says the bishop, “the distinction between the abortionist and the politician is almost nominal: One, a murderer, is guilty of directly procuring abortions; the politician, makes it legally possible for the genocide to continue unabated.” "
It is a grave disservice to the sinner and the rest of the faithful to NOT clearly demonstrate the cost of sin. Like a drunk needing to hit bottom, an act of excommunication can wake up the sinner and lead to his or her eventual reunion with Christ and His Church.
It is a grave disservice to the sinner and the rest of the faithful to NOT clearly demonstrate the cost of sin. Like a drunk needing to hit bottom, an act of excommunication can wake up the sinner and lead to his or her eventual reunion with Christ and His Church.
An excellent point.
Moreover, the individual may be advised that, circumstances warranting, the Ordinary may, after the expiration of a certain allowance of time as set forth in the monitum, publicly declare him to have been automatically excommunicated for heresy according to Canon 1364, No. 1, and deprived from the reception of all of the Sacraments (Canon 1331, No. 1 as well as Christian burial (Canon 1184, No. 1).If THAT doesn't get the straying politician's attention, he is completely dead in sin.
I miss his mass, you knew you were hearing a true man of God when he spoke.
Thankfully, our Bishop (Baker of Charleston) and Archbishop(Atlanta) are quite clear on this. Our priest has brought this issue up in homily several times as well.
I would also add those that fail to support the pro-life politicians as well...
The Bishops need to call on the Pope to censure politicians who would break their faith with the church to support a political view that is in opposition to the church. Leaders of our society have influence over us and our youth in many ways their politics become their faith and they should be required to choose between a relationship with the church or a relationship with their political ambitions. It is sad that a man like John Kerry would publicly proclaim his faith as a Catholic and at the same time undermine the very institution that he professes to believe in. You should never be allowed to contend that you are something that you are not and sadly John Kerry does this very thing. Next as he progresses thru his aspirations in scientology he will hold sway in decisions directly related to Cloning and research that reach to the very core of the origin of life. A life of Politics and ambition have clouded his judgement there are no greater sins against God.
There are many politicians that never let ambition interfere with the teachings of the Church.
The Left doesn't seem at all concerned about the over 3,000 deaths a day occuring in US abortion clinics.
He was excommunicating abortionists and clinic employees over 10 years ago. You bet he's serious.
Good! Our archbishop (Donoghue of Atlanta) is dead serious also. He has sent out a letter with the Bishop of Charleston, among others, saying to pro-abort politicos, "don't bother to come up to the rail, you'll be left standing."
How sad he even had to do this. What had the previous Bishop done?
Glad that someone is taking a stand against a slaughter more horrific than Hitler's extermination of the Jews or Stalin's slaughter of millions of Russians.
He explain the proceedure. it doesn't happen over night. Personal counseling by the Bishop, Letters. Everything is done to try to save them. But, the ones that like killing babies more than they love GOD, get excommunicated.
He has been fighting this fight, since the horror started.
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