Could you give us non-catholics the readers digest version of this article?
Welcome to De Fide
DE FIDE aims to stop the monumental scandal which has been ongoing for the past thirty-one years of baptized Catholic politicians claiming to be Christian while professing the life-threatening Right-to-Murder heresy.
The crisis is outrageous - it is completely unacceptable - it must be stopped. Otherwise, we, and our children, and our children's children stand more to lose than simply our lives: We risk losing our salvation.
Apparently, a very intelligent and determined layman has gotten done what no cleric has yet gotten done. He received a statement from the Official Teaching Church that says that to teach that being prochoice is OK for a Catholic is in fact to commit heresy. And in teaching such or promoting such an idea (that prochoice is all right) one is automatically excommunicated because he is promoting heresy. Im short, from all appearances, John Kerry, and many other Catholics are heretics in fact.
The Response goes even further in specifying that any baptized Catholic who publicly states, “I’m personally opposed, but I support a woman’s right to choose,” is in fact presumed by Canon Law to be guilty of heresy, with the burden of proving that he is not shifted to the violating politician. A Catholic who publicly professes the right to choose heresy is automatically excommunicated, not by any declaration of the Church per se, but by the acts committed by the individual, and thus being in a state of mortal sin is ineligible to receive any of the Sacraments of the Church, including reception of the Eucharist, marriage, absolution from sin, and even Christian burial until the error is recanted and excommunication is lifted.
This is about as clear as one can make it without being too trite for this important matter IMHO.
This statement coming from the Vatican has given the litigant hope for continuing to press his case that John kerry be specifically named as heretical. Thus, as he is presumed to be an intelligent Catholic who understands his faith, but now manifestly rejects it, HE WILL BE CONDEMNED TO HELL IF HE PERSISTS IN THIS STATE.
In an earlier thread I was dismissing this report. But on closer reading, and recalling that there are more dogmas than those spoken "ex-cathedra", this may be a very legitimate and LANDMARK development on the issue.
If it is series, it is HUGH!
Kerry the "Catholic" is against capital punishment but has no problem with abortion.
The last paragraph in the DeFide.com file states It is an automatic excommunication.