Posted on 10/03/2007 1:19:30 PM PDT by SmithL
Saint Louis (AP) -- Roman Catholic Archbishop Raymond Burke, who made headlines last presidential season by saying he'd refuse Holy Communion to John Kerry, has his eye on Rudy Giuliani this year. Giuliani's response: "Archbishops have a right to their opinion."
Burke, the Archbishop of St. Louis, was asked by The St. Louis Post-Dispatch if he would deny Communion to Giuliani if the former New York mayor approached him for the sacrament.
"If the question is about a Catholic who is publicly espousing positions contrary to the moral law, and I know that person knows it, yes I would," the paper quoted the archbishop as responding.
Burke has said of Giuliani: "I can't imagine that as a Catholic he doesn't know that his stance on the protection of human life is wrong. If someone is publicly sinning, they should not approach to receive Holy Communion."
Asked about it Wednesday while campaigning in New Hampshire, Giuliani said:
"Archbishops have a right to their opinion, you know. There's freedom of religion in this country. There's no established religion, and archbishops have a right to their opinion. Everybody has a right to their opinion."
Burke says that anyone administering Communion is morally obligated to deny it to Catholic politicians who support an abortion-rights position contrary to church teaching.
He is expected to push the nation's bishops to take that stance in a document on political responsibility they will issue to Catholics before the 2008 election.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Short answer - yes, the bishop should shut up. The BISHOP has violated Rudy's religious privacy rights with his statement.
Mr. Raymond Burke can say anything that he likes BUT Bishop Burke needs to be reminded about religious privacy rights of individuals.
Several other bishops have said politicians should refrain from the sacrament if they oppose the church on such an important issue.
Not just "politicians" but all who call themselves "Catholic" should be refused Communion if they support abortion in any way.
That's my opinion, but I'm not Catholic.
Where exactly is this religious privacy right that prohibits the Bishop from speaking publicly on a public figure laid out? I’d like to see how they worded that sucker.
The domestic and foreign policy of the liberal Democrats over the last 60 years is what has contributed to the cultural, social, moral decline of our heritage and infrastructure. Rudy is just one sinner among 300,000,000 and his actions(divorces) and even thoughts(which he has not put into legislation when in authority) are small potatoes compared to the Democrat Party over the last few decades.
Any Catholic who condones abortion can be and should be excommunicated
It is not directives, it is church law and you sir want to try to blackmail the church to abandon it’s laws? Shame on you.
It is not directives, it is church law and you sir want to try to blackmail the church to abandon it’s laws? Shame on you.
So tax-exempt status is really hush money. Shut up about what we do or we'll tax you into submission.
What you're advocating here is rather alarming. If you're a subversive, I might suggest you tone things down a bit. You're no good to your cause if you get yourself banned.
Nonsense
You've got it backwards. The spark of the American Revolution itself came from the pulpits of America. If it weren't for political sermons you wouldn't even be enjoying the liberty and the form of government you have. Election sermons were part and parcel of American colonial life for decades before and after the War for Independence. That tradition is only strange and alien to those who are either ignorant of it or hostile to conservative values.
Political Sermons of the American Founding Era. Vol. 1 (1730-1788) [1991]
Cordially,
And, why on earth shouldn't those with moral values be involved in fighting for or against legislation on those issues just as someone concerned about taxes is involved in legislation involving taxes?
The kind of ruthless elimination of freedom to enhance his authority is the reason Giuliani might just end up replicating the Nixon Presidency if he ever did reach office.
¡Viva Cristo Rey!
“I thought those multiple marriages also disqualified him for communion, no?”
Yes... The first one was annulled, so he was ok. But after the blatant, unrepentant public cheating and the messy divorce, he is not allowed communion.
Speaking on this topic in more general terms... Frankly, when there was talk floating of Kerry being excommunicated for supporting abortion a lot of people saw it as the Catholic Church trying to meddle in a US election. This counters that, and goes to prove that the Church is getting serious about ejecting supposed Catholics who go out of their way to violate Christian principles.
I can think of no better issue for the Church to draw a line in the sand on than abortion, and I’m not even a Catholic. It’s true that I loathe Rudy, but I’ll go ahead and say now that I think anyone who supports abortion has no business calling themselves a Christian. My many, many - esxhaustingly many - biology classes strengthened my abhorrance for the practice.
A church has a right to enforce its doctrine, so long as in that enforcement no other rights are violated. And by that I mean, compare Catholics CONSIDERING excommunicating abortionists and Muslims ACTUALLY killing women who show some skin in public.
We’re hearing a lot less about sexual predation, and if abortion is the next step in cleaning the house I’d say this new pope is doing things exactly right.
> He should. It’s not just about public scandal for the Church, it’s also about the sinner’s soul...
He should not. The Church should concern itself with matters Spiritual, not matters Temporal.
This is an intolerable interference in matters that are of no concern to the Church. The Bishop ought to be called to the Vatican and be given gentle chastising by His Holiness.
> 1 Cor 11:27 Therefore, whosoever shall eat this bread, or drink the chalice of the Lord unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and of the blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man prove himself: and so let him eat of that bread and drink of the chalice. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily eateth and drinketh judgment to himself...
This passage suggests that judgment is from the Almighty, and that wilfully partaking of sacriment unworthily becomes a self-inflicted injury. There is no mention of the Church having any role to play here.
BTTT
Well said my friend . I’m with you all the way .
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