BTW, here's my two adopted girls. They're sisters, and could not bear to be separated. So gosh darnit, we just had to get both.
Posted on 03/31/2004 2:47:28 PM PST by kattracks
Makes you wonder if there's new leadership over there...
And, no doubt, if a priest says that neither he, nor any of the Eucharistic Ministers will distribute the Eucharist to Kerry, the Kerry people will likely try some other church, or just advise him to not attend Mass that day. The wisest thing for the clergy involved to do is to make sure that the Kerry camp knows, in advance, that he will be denied and that it would be better for all concerned if Kerry simply stayed away, or stayed in his pew.
I suspect the bishops are trying to stay away from any direct confrontation, as it could provoke a backlash in favor of Kerry, and against the Church.
OTOH, a refusal would also likely fire up a lot of Catholics and evangelicals, who would applaud someone in the Church for taking a strong and decisive stance.
I'm very willing to listen to someone explain to me why I'm wrong about this, but I'm just uncomfortable with the idea of the clergy telling politicians how they are supposed to vote in Congress. Think about it; how would we feel if they started taking this stance with politicians who supported the war?
Do they want to risk being accused of using a Church service for a photo-op? Especially when Bush has courted Catholics, and got the majority of the Catholic vote last time, and the priest told Kerry's camp in advance that he would be turned away?
I wish the bishops would establish a policy, and let it be known that Catholic politicians who publicly advocate a pro-choice position will simply be refused the Eucharist.
It is not fair to put a local priest on the hot seat and throw him into the middle of a potential political brouhaha.
The bishops should step up to the plate. Now.
The Pope opposed using military force in Iraq; he did NOT oppose the War on Terror. In fact, he was silent when the US and allies begain bombing the Taliban.
I wouldn't like it if these bishops started calling for priests to stop giving Communion to politicians who supported the war, or if they started questioning the "Catholicism" of politicians who supported the war.
That's a slippery slope possibility that I share, as there are many bishops who vehemently oppose the death penalty.
However, bishops are not telling politicians how to vote. What they are doing is saying that taking a public stance against a doctrine of the Church is scandalous, and that those who do that cannot consider themselves to be part of the larger Catholic community.
The politician who votes pro-choice simply cannot claim membership in an organization that is not.
"18-year marriage ‘annulled’ In 1976, Kerry became an assistant district attorney in Boston shortly before Thorne gave birth to their second daughter, Vanessa, though he eventually settled into a stable family life and a private law practice from 1979 to 1982.
"But Kerry re-entered the political world, it cost him his marriage to Thorne, who sunk into a deep depression she attributed to Kerry’s cold nature, fierce ambition and prolonged absences. On the eve of his election as lieutenant governor in 1982, Thorne separated from Kerry.
"Political opportunity arose again after Paul Tsongas announced his retirement from the U.S. Senate in 1984. Kerry won the race to fill that seat and entered into what current wife Teresa Heinz called his “gypsy phase,” commuting between apartments in Washington, D.C. and Boston, and dating actresses Morgan Fairchild and Catherine Oxenberg as well as a former law partner.
"Kerry and Thorne finalized their divorce in 1988. After Thorne requested an increase in alimony in 1995, Kerry sought an annulment of their marriage from the Catholic Church, a move observers saw as retaliatory.
"Kerry eventually received the annulment from the Boston diocese despite Thorne’s vehement objections. Past media reports did not indicate the grounds on which Kerry sought to annul his marriage of 18 years, after it produced two children, and the campaign also declined to provide any explanation."
It could be a lie or hearsay. Actally, I accept that he was likely to have received an annulment if he had pursued the process to its finalization. We don't know if that was the case. If an annulment is fought, I believe it has to be reviewed by the Vatican. I don't know if I believe the Washington Blade on the matter. No source is specified for that segment of the article, whereas in other parts of the article, people are quoted.
I wish I could find my copy of the Catechism. If I'm not mistaken, the Church is not, officially, opposed to the death penalty. I also worry about rogue clergy members who might start dictating how politicians should vote on anything from girl alter servers to smoking in public. If it's limited to official Catholic doctrine, then I don't have a problem.
Well, application of the Just War theory is the responsibility of civil authority, and there were plenty of people who told the Pope that the Just War theory was perfectly applicable to the situation in Iraq. He simply did not believe that overthrowing Hussein with military force was justified.
Opposition to abortion IS Church doctrine.
Opposition to the death penalty, like the Just War theory, is the responsibility of the civil authorities. It is they who must determine the threat that a particular perp presents to society at large.
I predict that, at some point in the future, the Church will strongly suggest that opposition to the death penalty is a teaching of the Ordinary Magisterium.
BTW, here's my two adopted girls. They're sisters, and could not bear to be separated. So gosh darnit, we just had to get both.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.