'183 Catholic Bishops Lost in the Rockies'

US Newswire ^ | Thursday, June 24, 2004

[presidio9]

WASHINGTON, June 24 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Today, American Life League's Crusade for the Defense of Our Catholic Church is releasing its newest ad -- a response to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' statement on dealing with pro- abortion Catholic public figures. That statement sidestepped the necessity to enforce Church law regarding reception of Holy Communion by pro-abortion public figures who claim the Catholic faith. "By refusing to enforce Church law, the bishops' conference has in effect said that either the Holy Eucharist is not all that good, or abortion is not all that bad," said Judie Brown, president of American Life League.

The full-page ad in today's Washington Times depicts bishops at the base of the Rocky Mountains with the headline, 183 Catholic Bishops Lost in the Rockies. "The bishops' conference issued a statement that ignores critical facts and suggests that each bishop can do his own thing. The statement reveals that genuine leadership is sadly lacking in far too many members of the American episcopacy," said Brown.

"After three decades of 'dialoguing' with Catholic public figures who say they're 'personally opposed' to abortion, but will do nothing to stop it," Brown said, "the bishops have in effect said they're personally opposed to pro-abortion individuals claiming the Catholic faith, but will do nothing to stop it. Canon 915 of the Church's Code of Canon Law provides that those 'who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to communion.'

"Why won't the bishops simply say, 'abortion is a grave sin, and in order to protect the Holy Eucharist from scandal, we must insist that persons in public positions who endorse and promote the sin of abortion will not be permitted to receive Holy Communion'? Pope John Paul (news - web sites) II addressed this concern in his encyclical Ecclesia de Eucharistia. The pontiff wrote, 'in cases of outward conduct which is seriously, clearly and steadfastly contrary to the moral norm, the Church, in her pastoral concern for the good order of the community and out of respect for the sacrament, cannot fail to feel directly involved' by excluding such persons from Holy Communion. How can that possibly be unclear?"

Today's ad will also run in several national newspapers over the next 10 days. In January 2003, American Life League initiated the effort to encourage bishops to bar pro-abortion Catholics in the public eye from receiving Holy Communion by enforcing Church law. This campaign will continue until such time as the bishops decide to enforce Canon 915. To view the ad, click http://www.all.org/crusade/rockies.pdf

[Aquinasfan]

To pick up on what Freakazoid said, what the question is really asking is "can God limit Himself"? The answer is no, since He is limitless, by nature.

The implication of the question is that God's "inability" to limit himself is proof that God is not omnipotent. But this is simply a logical "limitation." God truly is all powerful. The "inability" to limit Himself is, in fact, an aspect of his omnipotence. Self-limitation would represent a defect.

[hosepipe]

[ Can God make a mountain so big that even God can't move it? ]

Depends on how big you're God is.?.