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

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

[don-o]

OK. What about integrity and not causing scandal to those who actually take the teachings seriously?

[sinkspur]

expands on this to forbid communion to politicians who support the war in Iraq? ...

That bishop will be slapped down immediately on canon law grounds. Nothing to worry about here.

And who's going to slap him down? JPII, who is against the war? His curia, who support him in his opposition?

And, when is the last time a bishop was "slapped down" by Rome?

The reason the bishops are studying a response is that they know very well this is a slippery slope.

[BlessedBeGod]

What's to discuss?

[Polycarp IV]

I don't want the Church to influence the election in Kerry's favor, and I fear a photo-op of Kerry being refused could do just that.

No way. If the bishops thought it would help Kerry, they would excommunicate him in a heartbeat.

No, Kerry and the bishops know that Kerry needs the mass attending Catholics to vote for him to win. They know he will lose the vote of the mass attending Catholics if he is formally denied communion.

That is the bottom line...they WANT Kerry to win, so they WILL NOT refuse him the Eucharist.

[sinkspur]

What about integrity and not causing scandal to those who actually take the teachings seriously?

Good points, but these must be balanced by the overall affect such an action might have on the election. If the bishops wanted to act, last year would have been the time to do it, before Kerry became the nominee.

Now, he will be made to be a target, and that could adversely affect the election.

[sinkspur]

they WANT Kerry to win, so they WILL NOT refuse him the Eucharist.

Well, I don't agree. I think the bishops want to stay out of influencing the election at all, or even the appearance of influencing.

[don-o]

If the bishops wanted to act,

Action and bishops????

Nope. Not until the court cases pile up.

My take - the bishops lie low, because a large majority of them have their own skeletons in the closet.

What a sorry mess!

[Polycarp IV]

I think the bishops want to stay out of influencing the election at all

That's sounds a bit naive coming from you, Sink. You know better than that.

[don-o]

Well, I don't agree. I think the bishops want to stay out of influencing the election at all, or even the appearance of influencing.

Since when did bishops see their ministry as political? My Catholic wife well said that they bear the crozier for a reason - "to protect the sheep and dismay the wolves."

Did y'all see the excellent letter that Mrs. don-o wrote? I posted it on Sunday.

She closed by saying that her memory as a 52 year old faithful Catholic is the opposite - "Protecting the wolves and dismaying the sheep."

[Coleus]

What's there to talk about? Just excommunicate them already and be done with it.

And NO task force for the democrats' acceptance of homosexuality, immorality, no: 10 commandments in schools and courts, prayer in school, school vouchers and so on.

[Coleus]

`

[sinkspur]

That's sounds a bit naive coming from you, Sink. You know better than that.

Well, until you show me concrete evidence that the American Catholic bishops support Democrats, across the board, I'll remain naive, Brian.

The only issue the bishops have harped on in the last ten years is abortion, and we know where the Democrats stand on that issue vis-a-vis George W. Bush.

[sinkspur]

Since when did bishops see their ministry as political?

When they refused to take the stance 20 years ago that you want them to take now.

[don-o]

Letter to American Bishops

Mrs don-o sent this our to her bishops.

[don-o]

When they refused to take the stance 20 years ago that you want them to take now.

What twenty years? Roe v Wade was over thirty.

Whar happend twenty years ago? HMMM.

1984?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Dear Bishop Gregory,

John Kerry is a member of the perfidious quasi-masonic secret society at Yale University, Skull & Bones, an undemocratic and fascistic organization whose members support population control and the manipulation of the political system for a private, unpublished agenda. For this alone, John Kerry should be excommunicated.

[B Knotts]

But, if a particular bishop thinks it is, or thinks that politicians supporting capital punishment (which has been pretty well condemned by JP II) should be refused the Eucharist, he will point to this "policy" as his pretext.

Fine. We have canon law, and a legal system in which to adjudicate such matters.

The fear of what some dissenting bishops might do should not be a cause for inaction in the face of evil.

[don-o]

The only issue the bishops have harped on in the last ten years is abortion

Harped on?

Pretty good, Sink. Played pretty music, while millions died.

Let's hear it for the band!

[narses]

This kind of thing, if not handled deftly, has a way of backfiring.

Care to share examples of Bishops with backbones that have had their efforts 'backfire'?

[sinkspur]

The fear of what some dissenting bishops might do should not be a cause for inaction in the face of evil.

Just be careful. Playing bull-in-a-china closet on this issue might bring about a much greater evil, the election of a man dedicated to reversing the small gains we've made under George W. Bush.