U.S. Bishops' Task Force to Discuss Pro-Abortion Politicians In Wake of Card. Arinze's Comments

zenit.org ^ | 4/26/04 | zenit.org

[Polycarp IV]

ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome

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Code: ZE04042623

Date: 2004-04-26

U.S. Bishops' Task Force to Discuss Pro-Abortion Politicians

In Wake of Cardinal Arinze's Comments

WASHINGTON, D.C., APRIL 26, 2004 (Zenit.org).- A task force set up the U.S. bishops' conference will discuss the reception of sacraments by Catholics whose political advocacy directly contradicts Church teaching.

Bishop Wilton Gregory, president of the episcopal conference, announced the task force in the wake of a Vatican press conference last week in which Cardinal Francis Arinze said that politicians who support abortion must not go to Communion. He also said that priests must deny such politicians the sacrament.

Cardinal Arinze, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments, was presenting a new Vatican instruction, "Redemptionis Sacramentum" (The Sacrament of Redemption), aimed at ensuring the proper celebration and reception of the Eucharist.

Bishop Gregory noted that the prefect's comments extended to U.S. politicians and said: "Cardinal Arinze stated it is the responsibility of the bishops of the United States to deal pastorally with such situations as they exist here."

"Each diocesan bishop has the right and duty to address such issues of serious pastoral concern as he judges best in his local church, in accord with pastoral and canonical norms," Bishop Gregory said.

"To assist us in our common discernment, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has established a task force to discuss issues with regard to the participation of Catholics in political life, including reception of the sacraments, in the cases of those whose political advocacy is in direct contradiction to Church teaching," he said.

"The establishment of this task force is a clear sign of the seriousness with which we take these issues and continue to consider how best to interpret and apply the norms of the Church in their regard," said the bishop of Belleville, Illinois.

He added: "It has always been our hope and expectation as bishops that men and women in political life, whatever their religious convictions, would be guided by and live out the truth of the faith given them by God with integrity."

[oldtimer]

Meet, eat and retreat.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Have you ever been a member of a secret society or a non-Catholic fraternal order?

[DestroytheDemocrats]

"I certainly hope that the Bishops really put some meat into our Doctrine."

They won't. A few will follow Arinze's lead but most will wimp out. The article said that each bishop can establish his own policy. That of course will lead to huge confusion and the sending of mixed messages. Probably the big thing that will come out of it is that Arinze does not have chance in hell of being made pope. I hate to be so cynical but when you consider how many bishops were willing to let priests they knew were child molesters both receive and distribute the Eucharist, it is masochistic to keep hoping against hope that they will show determination and diligence for much of anything.

[Polycarp IV]

The Catholic Church does not obsess over the Masons

Really?

Papal pronouncements on Freemasonry:

.

Clement XII	Apr 28 1738		In Eminenti	c.
Benedict XIV	May 18 1751		Providas
Pius VII	Sep 13 1821		Ecclesiam
Leo XII	Mar 13 1825		Quo Graviora
Pius VIII	May 21 1829		Traditi Humilitati	e.
Pius VIII	Mar 25 1830	†	Litteris altero
Gregory XVI	Aug 15 1832		Mirari Vos	e.
Pius IX	Nov 9 1846	‡	Qui Pluribus	e.
Pius IX	Apr 20 1849	?	Quibus Quantisque Malis	a.
Pius IX	Dec 8 1864	‡	Quanta Cura	e.
			Syllabus of Errors
Pius IX	Sep 25 1865		Inter Multiplices	a.
Pius IX	Oct 12 1869	‡	Apostolicae Sedis	c.
Pius IX	Nov 21 1873	?	Etsi Multa	e.
Leo XIII	Jun 29 1881	†‡	Diuturnum
Leo XIII	Feb 15 1882	‡	Etsi Nos	e.
Leo XIII	Mar 20 1884		Humanum Genus	e.
Leo XIII	Dec 22 1887	†	Officio sanctissimo
Leo XIII	Oct 15 1890		Dall'alto Dell'apostolico Seggio	e.
Leo XIII	Dec 8 1892	†	Custodi di quella fede
Leo XIII	Dec 8 1892	†	Inimica vis
Leo XIII	Jun 20 1894		Praeclara
Leo XIII	Mar 18 1902		Annum Ingressi
Paul VI	Nov 21 1964	‡	Unitatis redintegratio
Paul VI	Oct 28 1965	‡	Nostra Aetate

	‡	Documents only indirectly related to Freemasonry.
	†	Not included in Coil's Masonic Dictionary
	?	Not listed in Papal Encyclicals or Papal Pronouncements
	a.	Allocution
	c.	Constitution
	e.	Encyclical
	This is an incomplete list and should not be considered authoritative.

[sinkspur]

We're not talking about the Scottish Rite, Howling.

We're talking about the Skull and Bones, a group of college guys who use that membership as an excuse to get together and drink and act stupid.

BTW, the Scottish Rite Hospitals treat children burn victims at no charge, regardless of religious denomination.

I don't care about the Masons, but obsessing over them is kinda silly, as is a burr-under-the-saddle about the Skull and Bones.

[sinkspur]

Have you ever been a member of a secret society or a non-Catholic fraternal order?

No.

I've never been a member of a Catholic fraternal order, either.

I don't join clubs, of any kind.

[narses]

LOL, more dishonesty Deacon. I cited my source, the reality is that many, many Popes have spoken, you just aren't listening.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Cardinal Law was actually commissioned to to direct the drafting of a new document explaining the catholic prohibition on joining the freemasons and secret societies.
That can be found on the internet. 1990s.

[DestroytheDemocrats]

"Do we really want some bishop in Italy or France or Germany tell our officials how to vote?"

No I don't. But then they are not telling them how to vote, they are denying Communion to pro-abort politicians. The politicians of course can still vote however they want.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Sink, you need to do homework here. That you presented Scottish Rite propaganda speaks volumes. They are an extremist anti-Catholic organization.

[sinkspur]

I don't, for the life of me, know how we got off into the Masons, except that Howling, in his obsession with all these conspiratorial "secret societies" introduced them, on this thread.

It's all silly, really, to attribute something sinister to the Skull and Bones. You guys sound like those goofy Democrat seminar callers on C-SPAN in the morning.

[narses]

Is Card. Ratzinger from 1983 good enough for you Deacon?

Issued by the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith on November 26, 1983.

It has been asked whether there has been any change in the Church's decision in regard to Masonic associations since the new Code of Canon Law does not mention them expressly, unlike the previous Code.

This Sacred Congregation is in a position to reply that this circumstance is due to an editorial criterion which was followed also in the case of other associations likewise unmentioned inasmuch as they are contained in wider categories.

Therefore the Church's negative judgment in regard to Masonic associations remains unchanged since their principles have always been considered irreconcilable with the doctrine of the Church and therefore membership in them remains forbidden. The faithful who enroll in Masonic associations are in a state of grave sin and may not receive Holy Communion.

It is not within the competence of local ecclesiastical authorities to give a judgment on the nature of Masonic associations which would imply a derogation from what has been decided above, and this in line with the Declaration of this Sacred Congregation issued on 17 February 1981 (cf. AAS 73 [1981] pp. 240-241).

In an audience granted to the undersigned Cardinal Prefect, the Supreme Pontiff John Paul II approved and ordered the publication of this Declaration which had been decided in an ordinary meeting of this Sacred Congregation.

Rome, from the Office of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 26 November 1983.


JOSEPH Card. RATZINGER
Prefect


+ Fr. JEROME HAMER, O.P.
Titular Archbishop of Lorium
Secretary

[oldtimer]

I am a Christian and a 32degree KCCH Scottish Rite Mason, and in this day and time, the last thing in the world anybody who professes to be a Christian should be worried about Freemasons.

Get over it!

[sinkspur]

I don't care about the Masons. Never have.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

No, it's not silly. It's gravely serious. John Kerry, an initaited member of the political secret society at Yale is promoting pro-culture-of-death social engineering. The church has a duty to investigate where his ideas come from and what sanctions should be taken against him. These are not innocent boy scout clubs as you protest.

[narses]

Obedience Deacon, the CHURCH cares. Your promoting and excusing them is disobedient.

[sinkspur]

That you presented Scottish Rite propaganda speaks volumes.

What "propaganda"?

It is not propaganda that they treat Catholic children burn victims, at no charge, as I have visited two children at the Dallas Scottish Rite Hospital. In full clerical collar.

I was treated as cordially as I've been in Catholic hospitals.

You're coming off a bit unhinged here, Howling, I don't mind telling you.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

It is entirely valid to pointout where John Kerry deviate from authentic Catholic teaching and orthodoxy. On abortion and on marriage. Where his political and ideological ideas come from is a valid Catholic topic for discussion.

[sinkspur]

Your promoting and excusing them is disobedient.

Where have I promoted the Masons?

YOu're a bit unhinged, too, narses.

You and Howling need to get a room and talk about secret societies.

Black helicopters, too.

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Your position is not the authentic Catholic teaching on this topic.