Posted on 10/21/2004 12:43:27 PM PDT by St. Johann Tetzel
Excommunicated or Not, Kerry is not Permitted to Receive Communion
WASHINGTON, October 20, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The controversy over the Catholic lawsuit against Presidential candidate John Kerry, and the denial by Vatican personalities of having been involved in it in any way has generated confusion about Kerry's status within the church.
Apart from the question of whether or not Kerry is "automatically excommunicated", recent authoritative Vatican statements have made clear that he is, by virtue of his support for abortion, not permitted to receive communion.
The Catholic penalty of excommunication is to be distinguished from inadmissibility to receive communion which comes with being in a state of serious sin. The Vatican has spoken loud and clear about Catholic politicians who support abortion and their unworthiness to receive communion.
In April, the Vatican's leading prelate on the Sacraments, Cardinal Francis Arinze, declared unequivocally that unambiguously pro-abortion politicians should be denied Holy Communion. Later it was revealed that Cardinal Ratzinger, who heads the most important congregation in the Vatican, told U.S. bishops in a letter, entitled 'Worthiness to receive Holy Communion', that pro-abortion politicians, who will not alter their stand or abstain from communion after being instructed by church leaders, "must" be refused communion.
Kerry's own bishop, Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley told LifeSiteNews.com in an interview in January, "These politicians should know that if they're not voting correctly on these life issues that they shouldn't dare come to communion."
Those clear positions have not stopped Kerry from coming forward to receive communion. As recently as October 11 he was reported to have received communion at a Catholic church. The Palm Beach Post reports that Kerry attended Mass and received communion at St. James Catholic Church in North Miami Beach. The paper reports that Rev. Jean Pierre "strayed from religion to politics, echoing some of Kerry's stump speech about the American Dream (being) on the ballot in November."
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage: Highest Authorities in Vatican Back Denial of Communion to Pro-Abortion Politicians http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/jul/04070501.html Boston Archbishop Says Pro-Abortion Politicians "Shouldn't Dare Come to Communion" http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2004/jan/04012301.html
See the Palm Beach Post coverage: http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/shared/news/politics/stories/10/11kerry.html
President Bush: Shares Our Catholic Values
President Bush and John Kerry: On the Issues Important to Catholics
"Seismic" Catholic Shift to Bush [Insight ]
Analyst cites abortion stance as some Catholic voters shift to Bush
Poll: Catholics Trending Towards Bush
Kerry Losing Ground Among White Catholics
Voting Our Conscience, Not Our Religion [Catholic Prof Says "Vote Kerry"]
Vatican: Kerry guilty of heresy; incurrs automatic excommunication
Should a Catholic Vote for Bush or Kerry?
Why is Bush getting the bishop's blessing?
Ambassador Ray Flynn in Cleveland 10/16/2004- "Vote 2004: The Catholic Factor"
John Kerry Flip-Flops on When to Use His Catholic Belief on Politics
Abortion is Turning Democrats Off to Kerry
Planned Parenthood Unveils TV Ads Backing John Kerry on Abortion
Actually, if they inject Church doctrine into politics, yes.
Let's get something clear...the Pope strongly criticized the President for liberating Iraq, and we as Americans ignored the Vatican, as we should have in that instance.
If you want to excommunicate Kerry on this issue, you're going to have to excommunicate 2/3 of American Catholics, according to the most recent polls on this issue.
I'm with the above poster on this...I think the GOP is manipulating pro-lifers, because we've held power for some time now and absolutely nothing has changed in terms of getting it outlawed.
You are functionally illiterate when it comes to who is and is not subject to excommunication in this regard. Learn the difference, then get back to us. Until then, you only reveal your gross ignorance and bias.
Recently the Catholic Church - not a few isolated incidents but the organization itself, at least in America and Austria - knew about abuses going on and did nothing, in fact they covered it up!
Do onto others is a good saying, maybe the Church should have followed it.
Actually, if they inject Church doctrine into politics, yes.
Right, sure, because you say its so. Christians built this country and wrote its laws based on Judeo-Christian moral theology.
Judeo-christian morality is being torn out of the American fabric and its system of law by anti-religionist secular jihadists, a force far more dangerous than any Christian churchmen.
You live in a dream world.
you are right, the Dems are just as bad, in fact a lot worse in that regard.
Recently, two thirds of Catholic bishops were found to have shuffled or otherwise abetted homosexual molester priests, possibly numbering as many as 3000. So 3000 priests plus approx 200 bishops equals approx 3200 Catholics.
There are over 60 million Catholics in America.
The 3200 SOBs who are guilty of this homosexual crime ring do NOT make up "the Catholic Church.
No one despises what this homosexual crime ring has done more than the tens of millions of faithful Catholics living under the shadow of this tiny minority of detestable perverts.
So how about NOT heaping more insult on us in the overwhelming majority of the Catholic Church who not only had nothing to do with it, but are also victims too of this homosexual crime ring and are trying to drive it out?
[john_virtue]
> Let's get something clear...the Pope strongly criticized
> the President for liberating Iraq, and we as Americans
> ignored the Vatican, as we should have in that instance.
The Pope did indeed criticize the President, but there's a subtle difference between that, and saying that "the Vatican" criticized the President. The Pope issued his personal opinion (as is his right... and I respectfully disagree with his opinion), but he would be the first one to point out the difference between his opinions and Church teaching (or Church condemnations). Church teaching explicitly names the government as the competent authority for deciding whether any given war is just, or not:
"The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy [of a war] belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good.]" (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2309)
The just war issue is a *completely* different animal from the pro-life issue.
> If you want to excommunicate Kerry on this issue, you're
> going to have to excommunicate 2/3 of American Catholics,
> according to the most recent polls on this issue.
That isn't really accurate. A good many Catholics have badly deformed consciences on the issue of abortion, but the gravity of that dissention ranges from near-non-culpable ignorance, to latae sententiae excommunication. There's no way to cover such large numbers of Catholics with such a sweeping generalization. Believe me, I'm heartbroken when I hear of the "Catholics" who are indifferent to abortion, etc., but even righteous anger needs to be kept within the bounds of charity.
> I'm with the above poster on this...I think the GOP is
> manipulating pro-lifers, because we've held power for
> some time now and absolutely nothing has changed in terms
> of getting it outlawed.
From where I sit, it's mostly the RINOs who are the problem, in the GOP; the President has tried, again, and again, to nominate pro-life judges, only to meet a desperate and unprecedented filibuster in the Senate, led by rabidly pro-choice Dems. Facts are facts; the GOP doesn't have a pro-life, filibuster-proof senate.
They were not excommunicated. They cannot receive the Eucharist, but they are not formally outside the Church.
This "excommunication" penalty is a formal Church punishment for a specific action. There are very few actions which expel one from the Church.
Divorce and remarriage is not one of them.
And, children of annulled marriage are not illegitimate. Legitimacy is a civil matter, not a Church matter.
It can't. "Catholics" who are liberal Dems are either confused or they are morons or their claims to holding the "Catholic" faith are fake and phony. You be the judge which category applies.
The really rabid ones can only be described as pro-abortion, in the senst that some of them seem to consider abortion to be a good thing.
It would be hard to when it's in a new store front each week.
At least the owners of old dry cleaners and pizza places have someone to sell their buildings to.
You live in a dream world.
I live in a dream world? Take a look in the mirror, my friend. My world view does not require me to regularly suspend reason.
And while we're on the subject of illiteracy, the term anti-religionist secular jihadists is inane. Lastly, isn't it disrespectful to Catholics to use a saint's title as your handle?
Did you also wonder why anyone listens to the United States of America in, say, enforcing laws against rape, murder, and terrorism, when it was clear the previous administration was being run by a thoroughly corrupt criminal rapist who was aided by cabinet members, lawyers, and the media in covering up his crimes?
Faith and politics are one in the same. If they are not, then you have no faith.
Pffft
Spoken just like a true, liberal activist.
You know, it really doesn't matter if Kerry takes communion or not. This is NOT what God looks at as important. He looks at his HEART.
Many go through the motions ... take communion, read their Bibles, raise money for the poor, get involved in all kinds of charities like Carter, however they do it for POINTS. They believe that works and appearances will get them into heaven. Their hearts are elsewhere. Their just going through the motions. It's a ritual that looks good in front of others.
So, hey, let him take communion - God is NOT fooled by outward appearances or rituals or traditions - it's ALL ABOUT THE HEART and what is MOTIVATING that.
You know what I'm sick of? Jesus freaks hijacking Conservatism.
Your sister-in-law is a very strong Dem, PERIOD.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.