Evansville Bishop Would Refuse Communion to Public Dissenters from Catholic Teachings

LifeSite ^ | September 15, 2004

[NYer]

Evansville Bishop Would Refuse Communion to Public Dissenters from Catholic Teachings

EVANSVILLE, September 15, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Another Catholic bishop has lined up on the side of Vatican direction and stated that he would refuse communion to politicians who publicly deny their faith on abortion or homosexuality. Bishop Gerald Gettelfinger of Evansville Indiana said in a talk to the local Rotarians, that Catholic politicians who vocally support abortion rights or gay marriage are not in communion with Catholic teachings.

Gettelfinger said that though Catholic voters had the responsibility of voting in accordance with Catholic principles, reception of communion was up to the conscience of the individual. However, politicians or other public figures who publicly supported abortion, and criticized the teachings of the Church would be refused. The bishop added that no one in his diocese would be refused under those conditions. "I know of no one who would be so brash in this community. No one," he said in an interview with Philip Elliott, the Faith and Values Reporter at The Evansville Courier & Press.

He called on Catholic politicians to guard their integrity. "At the risk of losing your jobs, I insist that you be driven by personal integrity. ... Be true at the risk of defeat."

[NYer]

Why would some bishops teach that the laws are binding and other bishops teach that they are not? [i]

Quizzically, people are asking ten questions:

Ten questions regarding the denial of the Eucharist.

[foreverfree]

bump

[NYer]

“Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good," it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it (18)—in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general.”

HUMANAE VITAE

Catholic Ping - let me know if you want on/off this list

[NYer]

"Homosexual unions are totally lacking in the biological and anthropological elements of marriage and family which would be the basis, on the level of reason, for granting them legal recognition. Such unions are not able to contribute in a proper way to the procreation and survival of the human race. The possibility of using recently discovered methods of artificial reproduction, beyond involving a grave lack of respect for human dignity,(15) does nothing to alter this inadequacy."

CONSIDERATIONS REGARDING PROPOSALS TO GIVE LEGAL RECOGNITION TO UNIONS BETWEEN HOMOSEXUAL PERSONS

[atomicpossum]

Hey, who does he think he is? [/clueless]

[Alia]

Bravo! RC Church Leadership!

How Episcopalians were "seized"? Liberals sent gays and feminists ordained to our churches. They, by ispo, were forcing us to take the sacrament, or simply leave. It was their form of "operation: compassionate hostile takeover".

[tiamat]

Hey, I'm not a Christian, but the way I see it is this:

If you aren't willing to live by the Church's ( or the synagogue's, or the temple's ) rules, then you ought not to be there.

If you can't or won't live that way, the only thing to do is stay out and SHUT UP about it.

[johnb2004]

"Catholic politicians who vocally support abortion rights or gay marriage are not in communion with Catholic teachings."

Yes,let us stop the charade. One rejects the faith if one rejects even one teaching of the Church.

[Rakkasan1]

right. I never understood someone who joins a group,club, church,etc. knowing the rules , but then wants exceptions
made for them or they want to change the rules

[Diva]

Evansville Bishop Would Refuse Communion to Public Dissenters from Catholic Teachings

Great news! We have a young priest here in the Detroit Metro area who was featured on the front page of the Detroit Free Press yesterday. It seems he is taking on Free Press reporter Patricia Montemurri who wrote that article last week about Ratzinger OK'ing votes for pro-abortion candidates. Father Ward told the congregation of St. Paul's on the Lake in Gross Point Michigan this past Sunday that it is "sinful in nearly every instance to vote for candidates who support abortion rights." This brave young Catholic priest was ordained this past Spring. I pray he survives this battle because the Church is in dire need of this kind of courage. He has a web site with lots of information and a niffty picture of Cardinal Maida ordaining him. www.fatherpaul.org Given the political situation in this diocese I am sure he will be punished so please keep him in your prayers. My only hope is that because he has been so open about what the Church teaches he has a bit of protection from the Bishop Gumbelton crowd and some of the monsignor's with power to suppress his preisthood. The seminarians who are a few years behind him are almost to a man conservative. If these guys survive the seminary system here in Detroit we will have enough preists to improve the dreadful state of affairs.

[tiamat]

Yep.

[dangus]

Pro-babyslaughtering heretics in your diocese? Give'em "The Finger."

[dangus]

Part of how Operation Compassionate Hostile Takeover worked: They gradually wore down the numbers of the faithful by introducing policies which were obnoxious to the faithful. The faithful often left, seeking "better" churches. By the time the most horrific outrages were committed, there were insufficient ranks of the faithful left to oppose the leftists.

A great strength of the Roman Catholic Church is, ironically, that faithful Catholics have nowhere else to go. They must stay and fight. The church doctrines cannot be amended by heretics, and whatever errors are permitted within the Church, though they may be many and widespread, cannot take root. They will be swept away in subsequent crises.

It is true the liberals have taken horrible power in the Catholic Church, but it is significant that the doctrines, even if they are ignored, have not been bent. Regardless of what hereses Bishop Pilla permits, all Catholics know that homosexuality is not permitted.

Please don't read that as triumphantalism. Rather, understand it as the basis for the imperative that Christ gave that his people be one. I pray that the Anglican Church someday reunites with the Roman Church, but I also pray that it avoids schism. I am given great hope that the upcoming Lambeth meeting will uphold the faithful in America, rather than continue down this ruinous road.

[little jeremiah]

Homosexual Agenda Ping - Good news from sincere Catholics.

Gotta run - let me and Scripter know if you want on/off this pinglist.

[scripter]

However, politicians or other public figures who publicly supported abortion, and criticized the teachings of the Church would be refused.

This is great to see - we need to see more church discipline.

[NYer]

Father Ward told the congregation of St. Paul's on the Lake in Gross Point Michigan this past Sunday that it is "sinful in nearly every instance to vote for candidates who support abortion rights." This brave young Catholic priest was ordained this past Spring. I pray he survives this battle because the Church is in dire need of this kind of courage.

Laying on of hands

Thank you for posting the link to Fr. Paul's web site. It is now bookmarked and will send him a personal note of support for his work. May God bless him on his journey!

[TOUGH STOUGH]

You know the answer to that queation.

[TOUGH STOUGH]

Should you do evil to someone to teach them the very lesson that they shouldn't do evil so that good may come from it?

[TOUGH STOUGH]

You can't have Catholic politicians disavowing their faith through their public actions without receiving repercussions. It only serves to confuse other church members and the laity and reduce commitment and resolve to the faith.

[fightu4it]

ping