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Vatican: Kerry guilty of heresy; incurrs automatic excommunication
EWTN The World Over ^ | 10/15/04

Posted on 10/15/2004 7:20:42 PM PDT by St. Johann Tetzel

Dramatic development in the fight for the Right to Life and the standing of pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

Today, in EWTN's news magazine The World Over, canon lawyer Marc Balestrieri revealed that the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith has certified that the Church's condemnation of abortion is part of Catholic doctrine and of natural law, and as such, any one who publicly contradicts this doctrine is guilty of heresy and incurrs an automatic excommunication.

Click here to download the Roman Congregation's response.

Earlier this year, Marc Balestrieri filed a heresy lawsuit against Senator John F. Kerry for his public and obstinate support of abortion rights. This lawsuit remains active in the tribunal of the Archdiocese of Boston. Today, Mr. Balestrieri announced in the same program that he will file new charges against the most egregious offenders, including Senator Ted Kennedy (D-Mass) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), whose pro-abortion voting record is well known.

To find out more about Marc Balestrieri's efforts, to join the class-action canon lawsuits against Kerry et al. as an aggrieved party, or to contribute towards his ministry, visit his website, www.defide.org


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: catholicpoliticians; excommunication; heresy; kerry; lataesententiae; vatican
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To: sinkspur
The formal excommunication (read: expulsion from the Church) of a United States presidential candidate will not be announced by a low-level Dominican priest.

I have to agree with your assessment, unfortunately. Being a Catholic, myself, I am subscribed to a lot of mailing lists, including ones within the Church itself and my inbox would be flooded by now if this was the case.
41 posted on 10/15/2004 7:49:50 PM PDT by redville
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To: St. Johann Tetzel
Yeah but Kerry says he does believe abortion is wrong. He just does not want to impose his belief on others. So it seems like he is weaseling out there. What he is doing is sinning because by voting to permit abortion he is materially co-operating with evil.

I don't think it's heresy what he is doing. But he is sinning. Make sense?

42 posted on 10/15/2004 7:51:47 PM PDT by DestroytheDemocrats
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To: sitetest; B Knotts
But should the Vatican get around to giving an official recognition, it doesn't mean that Mr. Kerry wasn't excommunicated all along.

If Kerry is now excommunicated, how will his excommunication be lifted? Where in the letter is this spelled out?

43 posted on 10/15/2004 7:52:00 PM PDT by sinkspur ("I swim with the alligators in the fevered swamps of traditionalism. " Cardinal Fanfani)
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To: sinkspur

Dear sinkspur,

Although it is unofficial, it is also at the request of the Vatican. But that's a red herring.

If an abortionist commits the heinous crime of abortion, and he had been a baptized Catholic, he automatically incurs excommunication. It requires no official pronouncement from the Vatican for the excommunication to have happened.

No declaration is needed.

If one were to send a dubium to Rome and ask, "Is Dr. So-and-so, notorious abortionist, excommunicated," it is unlikely that Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger himself would respond and say, "Yes, of course he is excommunicated."

Why? Because it's clear, it's simple, and it's automatic. He'd send the dubium off to a trusted theologian, and say, "Here, this is relatively uncontroversial, low-level stuff. You write the answer. But remember, you're not the Curia, so your answer is unofficial."

And the theologian would reply as we've seen here.

No official pronouncement must be made in a case of automatic excommunication. As to the remedy, that's already in Canon Law - go talk to your bishop, repent, confess, be reconciled.

Now, as to recognizing that the automatic excommunication has taken place, certainly, one will expect Mr. Kerry to continue to lie about that, and his status as a Catholic.

But this is usually about as "official" as it gets with an automatic excommunication. It might eventually get kicked up a level or two, and an official pronouncement may eventually be made on it, or not.

But Canon Law operates here, without the need for any official pronouncement.

Mr. Kerry is an excommunicant.

Along with Chappaquiddick Ted, Olympia Snowe, Ahnold, George Pataki, and the rest of them.


sitetest

The theologian here, at the request of the Vatican, has


44 posted on 10/15/2004 7:54:23 PM PDT by sitetest (Excommunicate all the Dammocraps. And all pro-abort Catholics. Let God sort 'em out.)
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To: St. Johann Tetzel
Kerry has escalated this with his debate responses regarding his litmus test for Supreme Court justices:

Now, I will not allow somebody to come in and change Roe v. Wade.

The president has never said whether or not he would do that. But we know from the people he's tried to appoint to the court he wants to.

I will not. I will defend the right of Roe v. Wade.

45 posted on 10/15/2004 7:54:24 PM PDT by DaveMSmith (One Day at A Time || Blue Angel in PJs)
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To: sinkspur; St. Johann Tetzel

Sinky, you are referring to the external forum.

In the internal forum, the state of Mr. Kerry's affiliation (or rather, lack thereof) with our Church is quite clear. He holds heresies publicly, he is divorced and remarried outside the Church without the benefit of an annulment, and he takes communion with and worships with non-Catholics. He is clearly not a member of the Church in good standing so far as his outward actions reflect his internal disposition.


46 posted on 10/15/2004 7:55:41 PM PDT by Hermann the Cherusker
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To: churchillbuff
"Roman Church" = ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH
47 posted on 10/15/2004 7:56:21 PM PDT by Lady In Blue (On Election Day,President Bush: "WIN ONE FOR THE GIPPER!")
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To: sinkspur
"The letter, in the very first paragraph, says that this is "unofficial." "

But wait. Has Kerry really ever said that he personally believes abortion is okay? It seems to me that he agrees with the teaching but won't impose it on others. I am not so sure he's a heretic. But he is a public sinner giving grave scandal to the church by advancing the cause of abortion and he is in material cooperation with evil.

48 posted on 10/15/2004 7:57:05 PM PDT by DestroytheDemocrats
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To: sinkspur
I cannot imagine a circumstance where Cardinal Ratzinger would inject himself into the election so overtly.

What if Kerry made a campaign stop at an abortion clinic, and helped escort patients into the clinic?

Would that be sufficient?

49 posted on 10/15/2004 7:57:10 PM PDT by Hermann the Cherusker
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To: redville

Dear redville,

In the case of an automatic excommunication, no formal pronouncement is required. No canonical trial is required. No mention of it by the hierarchy at all is required. The excommunication operates automatically as spelled out in Canon Law.

An abortionist need not be formally excommunicated.

Neither does a public heretic.

No, I think that the Vatican has told us what it is wishes to be known, but in the way that it wishes for it to be known.


sitetest


50 posted on 10/15/2004 7:58:13 PM PDT by sitetest (Excommunicate all the Dammocraps. And all pro-abort Catholics. Let God sort 'em out.)
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To: St. Johann Tetzel; GatorGirl; maryz; afraidfortherepublic; Antoninus; Aquinasfan; livius; ...

Heresy. Excommunication. Will this be part of our public debate?


51 posted on 10/15/2004 7:58:17 PM PDT by narses (If you want ON or OFF my Catholic Ping List email me. + http://www.alamo-girl.com/)
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To: Hermann the Cherusker
Sinky, you are referring to the external forum.

Of course. In the internal forum, Kerry's external and public positions are contrary to defined doctrine.

But, a public excommunication of a public official would not be announced by an O.D. canon lawyer in an "unofficial" letter.

52 posted on 10/15/2004 7:59:17 PM PDT by sinkspur ("I swim with the alligators in the fevered swamps of traditionalism. " Cardinal Fanfani)
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To: DestroytheDemocrats

Dear DestroytheDemocrats,

If you read the letter of the theologian, he makes clear that those who hold publicly that though abortion is wrong, it ought to nonetheless be legal, are also public heretics.

And excommunicants.


sitetest


53 posted on 10/15/2004 7:59:46 PM PDT by sitetest (Excommunicate all the Dammocraps. And all pro-abort Catholics. Let God sort 'em out.)
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To: sitetest
"If you read the letter of the theologian, he makes clear that those who hold publicly that though abortion is wrong, it ought to nonetheless be legal, are also public heretics."

Good. Got it.

54 posted on 10/15/2004 8:02:26 PM PDT by DestroytheDemocrats
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To: sitetest
But this is usually about as "official" as it gets with an automatic excommunication.

Kerry is excommunicated in the internal forum.

The external forum, for a public official, is another matter entirely. Balesteri, the original petitioner, wants a formal public excommunication, which he is simply not going to get.

55 posted on 10/15/2004 8:03:16 PM PDT by sinkspur ("I swim with the alligators in the fevered swamps of traditionalism. " Cardinal Fanfani)
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To: sinkspur; sitetest

"Kerry is excommunicated in the internal forum."

Good.

"The external forum, for a public official, is another matter entirely. Balesteri, the original petitioner, wants a formal public excommunication, which he is simply not going to get."

Why does that matter?



56 posted on 10/15/2004 8:05:38 PM PDT by narses (If you want ON or OFF my Catholic Ping List email me. + http://www.alamo-girl.com/)
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To: narses
<<
Heresy. Excommunication. Will this be part of our public debate?
>>
I doubt it, if by public you mean MSM. There is no good way for Kerry to respond publicly. I can understand the Vatican wanting to avoid making a public, officially official pronouncement.
57 posted on 10/15/2004 8:06:13 PM PDT by MagnumRancid (I cut it three times......It's still too short!)
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To: Canticle_of_Deborah

Probably Rigali.


58 posted on 10/15/2004 8:07:08 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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To: sitetest

America hasn't had a Roman Catholic as President since JFK, so we haven't had to deal with a professed Roman Catholic as President pushing an agenda that is clearly contrary to Church teaching. The scenarios are mindboggling.


59 posted on 10/15/2004 8:08:08 PM PDT by Ciexyz (At his first crisis, "President" Kerry will sail his Swiftboat to safety, then call Teddy.)
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To: queenkathy

Don't be so quick to judge here.

Check out the links below.


60 posted on 10/15/2004 8:08:16 PM PDT by Salvation (†With God all things are possible.†)
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