48 House Catholics send warning to Bishops

MSNBC ^ | May 20, 2004 | Alan Cooperman

[NYer]

Forty-eight Roman Catholic members of Congress have warned in a letter to Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington that U.S. bishops will revive anti-Catholic bigotry and severely harm the church if they deny Communion to politicians who support abortion rights.The letter's signers, all Democrats, include at least three House members with strong antiabortion voting records.

"For many years Catholics were denied public office by voters who feared that they would take direction from the Pope," they wrote. ". . . While that type of paranoid anti-Catholicism seems to be a thing of the past, attempts by Church leaders today to influence votes by the threat of withholding a sacrament will revive latent anti-Catholic prejudice, which so many of us have worked so hard to overcome."

The three-page letter, dated May 10, was sent to McCarrick because he heads a task force of U.S. bishops that is considering whether, and how, the church should take action against Catholic politicians whose public positions are at odds with Catholic doctrine.

McCarrick's spokesman, Susan Gibbs, said he would not comment on the letter. She said the seven-member task force is "listening to many different voices" and will grant the 48 House members' request for a meeting. "They will be heard. It just hasn't been arranged yet," she said.

[ninenot]

Are same-sex erotic acts gravely disordered or intrinsically evil? Is there really a difference?

If the Church did not THINK there was a difference, they would not use differing terms, for crying out loud.

[eastsider]

So some mortal sins are deadlier than others?

[marty60]

But ofcourse, PRO LIFE people are much more dangerous to the evil DUMS than the "religion of Peace" murderers.

[ninenot]

Jim Obey, who is pro-life some of the time, did not sign the letter, nor did pro-lifer Jerry Kleczka.

If you are referring to DAVE Obey (WI.), he already got a letter from Bishop Burke warning him about his voting record.

Kleczka is retiring, gone, outta here.

[ninenot]

The "Daschle Letter" to which you refer specifically told Dashcle that he could NOT use the adjective "Catholic" in his campaign literature.

I guess that's not an excommunication, eh?

Exactly what training DID you get in the Sem besides asking questions which are not germane and ignoring plain facts?

[mother]

The Church's teaching on abortion is DOCTRINE and has remained unchanged for 2000 years. ALL Catholics are bound to uphold this teaching. Otherwise they are NOT in communion with the Church. The positions on the death penalty and the war in Iraq are the OPINIONS of some of the Bishops of the Church including the Holy Father. They are however, OPINIONS and as such are NOT DOCTRINE that the faithful must uphold to be in communion with the Church. The Church still has the doctrine of Just War and also allows for the death penalty.

[Petronski]

So some mortal sins are deadlier than others?

Well, if we look at the death toll, yes.

[eastsider]

Hmmmmm ... I dunno ... I'd be very surprised if there were more sins of abortion than sins of masturbation ...

[ninenot]

Read Dante. Yes, in his view, yes, in the view of Aquinas.

But for us, hell is sort of hell, regardless of which floor you are on...

The moral reasoning can be found in several documents which have come from Rome, including a document on the responsibility of laity in the political order. Others on the thread have the names/documentation---pinging

[sinkspur]

I guess that's not an excommunication, eh?

You guess right.

Excommunication is a specific canonical penalty, associated with specific actions.

Using "Catholic" in campaign literature is not one of the specific actions subject to excommunication.

An excommunicate cannot receive the sacraments, something Daschle's bishop never forbade him from doing.

You never studied Canon Law, obviously.

[Petronski]

I said 'death toll.'

[BillyBoy]

By my count (doing a quick check online of all the Catholic Republicans in the House and adding your list of Dems), AT LEAST 67 Catholics in the house did NOT sign. These would include:

1. Beauprez, Bob, (R-CO)
2. Boehlert, Sherwood, (R-NY)
3. Boehner, John A., (R-OH)
4. Brady, Kevin, (R-TX)
5. Brown-Waite, Ginny, (R-FL)
6. Camp, Dave, (R-MI)
7. Castle, Michael N., (R-DE)
8. Chabot, Steve, (R-OH)
9. Costello, Jerry (D-IL)
10. Cox, Christopher, (R-CA)
11. Crowley (D-NY)
12. Diaz-Balart, Lincoln, (R-FL)
13. Diaz-Balart, Mario, (R-FL)
14. English, Phil, (R-PA)
15. Ferguson, Mike, (R-NJ)
16. Foley, Mark, (R-FL)
17. Fossella, Vito, (R-NY)
18. Gingrey, Phil, (R-GA)
19. Green, Mark, (R-WI)
20. Gutknecht, Gil, (R-MN)
21. Hart, Melissa A., (R-PA)
22. Hastings, Doc, (R-WA
23. Holden, Tim (D-PA)
24. Hulshof, Kenny C., (R-MO)
25. Hyde, Henry, (R-IL)
26. John, Christopher, D-LA)
27. Jones, Walter B., (R-NC)
28. Kanjorski (D-PA)
29. Kennedy, Mark R., (R-MN)
30. King, Peter T., (R-NY)
31. King, Steve, (R-IA)
32. Kleczka, Jerry (D-WI)
33. Knollenberg, Joe, (R-MI)
34. LaHood, Ray, (R-IL)
35. Lipinski, Bill (D-IL)
36. LoBiondo, Frank A., (R-NJ)
37. McCotter, Thaddeus G, (R-MI)
38. McHugh, John M., (R-NY)
39. McInnis, Scott, (R-CO)
40. McNulty (D-NY)
41. Michaud (D-ME)
42. Murtha (D-PA)
43. Murphy, Tim, (R-PA)
44. Neal (D-MA)
45. Ney, Robert W., (R-OH)
46. Northup, Anne M., (R-KY)
47. Nunes, Devin, (R-CA)
48. Obey, James D. (D-MN)
49. Ortiz (D-TX)
50. Otter, C. L. Butch, (R-ID)
51. Pombo, Richard W., (R-CA)
52. Porter, Jon C., (R-NV)
53. Quinn, Jack, (R-NY)
54. Radanovich, George, (R-CA)
55. Renzi, Rick, (R-AZ)
56. Ros-Lehtinen, Ileana, (R-FL)
57. Royce, Edward R., (R-CA)
58. Ryan, Paul, (R-WI)
59. Shaw, E. Clay, (R-FL)
60. Smith, Christopher, (R-NJ)
61. Sullivan, John A., (R-OK)
62. Sweeney, John E., (R-NY)
63. Tauzin, W. J. Billy, (R-LA)
64. Tiberi, Patrick J., (R-OH)
65. Toomey, Patrick J., (R-PA)
66. Vitter, David, (R-LA)
67. Walsh, James T., (R-NY)

I wonder if there's any chance they can get together and issue a rebuttal letter showing how the clear majority of Catholic politicians feel on the issue. On the other hand, there's a handful of pro-choice Catholic "Republicans" in that list.

Also, the following are pro-life Catholic Senators:

Brownback, Sam (R-KS)
Breaux, John B., (D-LA)
Bunning, Jim, (R-KY)
DeWine, Mike, (R-OH)
Domenici, Pete V., (R-NM)
Fitzgerald, Peter G., (R-IL)
Nickles, Don, (R-OK)
Santorum, Rick, (R-PA)
Sununu, John E., (R-NH)
Voinovich, George., (R-OH)

[Publius6961]

How arrogant and clueless can these guys be? I routinely criticize press releases in the Pope's name on political matters, but...

If I wrote what I think of these bottom dwellers soiling my religion, Jim would (and should) ban me.
'Nough said.

[eastsider]

Eternal separation from God is eternal separation from God. The devil is in the details ...

[AuH2ORepublican]

"If you are referring to DAVE Obey (WI.), he already got a letter from Bishop Burke warning him about his voting record."

---

Oops, you're right, I meant David Obey. I conflated his name with that of that other Catholic Democrat Congressman from a Lake Superior district, Jim Oberstar.

Bishop Burke was certainly right to warn Obey. I think Obey voted for the partial-birth abortion ban, but often has cast pro-abortion votes.

[eastsider]

And I'm talking the "second-death" toll ...

[ninenot]

Actually, when one HAS BEEN excommunicated, one may NOT use the adjective "Catholic" in self-reference.

Study Canon 915, btw.

And you have NO IDEA what other provisions were in the Daschle letter, do you? You don't KNOW whether Tommy has been forbidden to partake in the sacraments, do you?

Finally, excommunication is usually self-imposed with paperwork sometimes following.

Check the Canon Law on that, while you're looking at 915.

[AuH2ORepublican]

Billy, where did you get the list of Catholic House Republicans? I was searching through Google for a list of Catholic congressmen and got bupkus.

You're right, the list of Catholic House Republicans includes several pro-abortion RINOs who would never write a letter in support of the bishops. One of them, Sherry Boehlert of New York, is so sick that he even opposed the ban on partial-birth abortion (I really hope he gets taken out in the GOP primary this year; he nearly lost in the primary in 2002).

[sinkspur]

Finally, excommunication is usually self-imposed with paperwork sometimes following.

For specific actions. What specific action earned Daschle excommunication?

[iconoclast]

There's a logical next step in this process, which is to declare that it is mortally sinful to belong to the Democrat Party, since it includes a pro-choice platform in its policies.

Too many sinkspurs made it possible to completely paint over pro-abortion with the shameful pro-choice euphemism.