Posted on 01/21/2005 7:14:56 AM PST by Mershon
TESTING THE FAITH Heresy case pressed against Kerry, others Catholic lawyer widens scope to Kennedy, Cuomo, Harkin
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Posted: January 21, 2005 1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
A Catholic lawyer who pressed heresy charges against Sen. John Kerry for advocating abortion plans to file similar church lawsuits against other prominent politicians, including Sen. Edward Kennedy.
Denunciations for "Heresy, Sacrilege, and Scandal" will be pressed against Kennedy, D-Mass.; Tom Harkin, D-Iowa; Susan Collins R-Maine; and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, says Marc Balestrieri, a canon lawyer and director of the Los Angeles-based non-profit group De Fide.
"Senator Kerry is not the only pro-choice Catholic politician," Balestrieri told WorldNetDaily. "He's just one of a number who have diretly and incoherently, as Catholics, publicly professed the right to murder. Not only is it incoherent, it's heretical."
Balestrieri filed his case against Kerry with the Archdiocese of Boston last June.
He told WND that although Kerry continues to receive communion, the case is still alive.
Citing a source in the archdiocese, Balestrieri said Archbishop O'Malley has been unable to address the charges against Kerry due to being overwhelmed by abuse cases against the church and the closure of parishes.
Balestrieri plans to reveal more details of his cases against the prominent Catholic politicians in a news conference Monday at the National Press Club in Washington.
As WorldNetDaily reported, a Dominican theologian and consultor to the Vatican wrote a letter to Balestrieri stating his opinion that Catholic politicians who support abortion rights already have excommunicated themselves by their actions – a message that suggests Kerry is no longer a member of the church.
Balestrieri said the Sept. 11 letter from Rev. Basil Cole of the Dominican House of Studies in Northeast Washington provides a basis to declare that any Catholic politician who says he is "personally opposed to abortion, but supports a woman's right to choose," incurs automatic excommunication.
Balestrieri describes the letter as "a personal reply confirming the doctrinal merits of the case written by an expert theologian at the request of a Vatican official."
But Cole downplayed the weight of the letter, telling the Washington Times in October that he had been asked to reply unofficially to Balestrieri because the Vatican never responds officially to requests from laymen.
"It's a letter about an abstract question," Cole said. "It's not from the Vatican at all. It has no authority at all. None. Zip. Zero. It's not the teaching of the church; it's me implying what I think are the teachings."
Balestrieri told WND, however, he believes Cole was under pressure to help ensure the Vatican would not appear to be interfering in the U.S. electoral process.
"Father Cole has never revoked the contents of his reply," Balestrieri said.
After filing his action against Kerry, Balestrieri traveled to Rome in August to submit documents to the Vatican's chief doctrinal enforcement arm, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Balestrieri claims that under Roman Catholic Church law, support of abortion rights constitutes the "Right-to-Murder Heresy" condemned by Pope John Paul II in the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae of 1995.
The penalty for that offense, he argues, is automatic excommunication from the church.
Balestrieri has said, however, his goal is repentance rather than excommunication.
The Catholic lawyer argues, "For 2,000 years, the Christian Church has everywhere, at all times, without waver, taught the grave immorality of every act of murder of the innocent."
Related story:
Is Kerry excommunicated?
Can you cite a regulation for this. Hell, WJ> Bryan, certainly a man of God ran for president several times and came close once.
I think such a regulation would be an obvious rights violation. I distinctly remember the Catholic Church was the one that insisted this man not run for reelection.
No, you could be absolutely right. I was just pulling from what I've heard before. Maybe its the other way around and the Catholic Church won't allow clergy to run for office (just as it will not allow clergy to take up arms). I'm really not sure, to be honest.
"He's a fake..."
Definition of most politicians, especially Democrats
~~~~~~~
***...but being pro choice is not ADVOCATING abortions...***
Consistently voting in favor of abortion IS advocating abortion.
Personally, I think it is all related. To me it is not a coincidence that where you get the Kerry/Kennedy type Catholics (CINO) in the Church you also get abuse. Abortion, gay priests, etc. are all "personal life-style choices". It is about time the Church started taking a stand. Weed out the bad priests AND politicians. It is about repentence, but they won't repent if they do not think you are doing wrong. If the Kerry/Kennedy CINO's or the gay priests can continue being actively involved in the Church while insisting they are morally right in continuing in their ways, the Church must stand against them or stand for nothing.
"It's a canon law suit, not in the secular courts. This isn't a frivolous lawsuit in those courts"
Exactly correct, and it is not the business of non-catholics to pass judgement on or make fun of a strictly Catholic matter. When someone affiliates themselves with a particular Christian group, they are bound by the standards of conduct for that group....if they can't abide these standards they should leave, or be forced out. Whatever, I applaud Catholics that want to "police" their own. Other Christian groups could learn from them.
"I do understand that they would lose too many Democratic "believers" if they were to impose their laws on Democratic party favorites."
I would say that those people were only "nominal" Catholics and it would be no great loss. However, I am not Catholic and don't have any say in this. This is as it should be.
Carolyn
Very insightful comment...right on target too.
That is not true. Any such law would be unconstitutional.
Like I said earlier, you're probably right; I'm not basing this on anything I've read recently but what I've heard in the past.
Although, I just figured that the seperation of Church (Institutions not religion in general) and State would be compromised if clergy held offices within the government - there'd be a conflict of interest.
If anyone could find out for sure, that would be fantastic. I'm probably completely wrong on this matter :-)
I am going to have to disagree with you on this one. My family went to Lockeford, CA church when I was a boy. Years later, I read that one of our priests was convicted of molestation. AT his trial, Cardinal Roger Michael Mahony (who was in charge of the regional area of Lodi, CA at the alleged times of molestation), testified that this priest didn't molest. In spite of Cardinal Mahony's testimony, the jury CHOOSE not to believe him.
My point is that there are many examples of those in power who chose to ignore what the "handful of sick priests" done and lied about the problem.
Another argument could be made of regarding ex-Cardinal Bernard Law, the archbishop of Boston. It is too easy to describe what a mess this was.
BTW, my mother told me that after this convicted priest served his time, he was deported to Ireland.
Good point. The history of the Catholic Church has largely been about the abuse of power over peasants. It is remarkable that the Church survived this long.
They say that history is written by the winners. I wonder what else the Church done that we will never know about.
I think you will agree that Jesus would NEVER have condoned these atrocities.
Perhaps, but Kerry in the second debate with Bush advocated government funding of abortions. That's pro-abortion, not just 'pro-choice'.
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.