American Bishop Bars Faithful from War Effort

Catholic World News ^ | March 18, 2003 | staff

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

CANTON, Mar 18, 03 (CWNews.com) -- An American Catholic bishop has forbidden his flock from participating or cooperating in military action against Iraq, under pain of mortal sin. Bishop John Michael Botean, the head of the Romanian Catholic eparchy (diocese) of St. George in Canton, Ohio-- which has jurisdiction over all Byzantine-rite Romanian Catholics living in the US-- invoked the full measure of his authority in a Lenten Letter to his people. The bishop declared with "moral certainty" that the proposed attack on Iraq "does not meet even the minimal standards of the Catholic just-war theory."

The bishop announced that he "must declare to you, my people, for the sake of your salvation as well as my own, that any direct participation and support of this war against the people of Iraq is objectively grave evil, a matter of mortal sin."

Bishop Botean acknowledged that the Catechism of the Catholic Church (2309) identifies public authorities as the final judges of whether military action is justified. But he argued that "the nation-state is never the final arbiter or authority for the Catholic of what is moral." An unjust law or order should not be obeyed, he observed.

Writing with obvious emotion, the Romanian Catholic prelate admitted that "I would much prefer to keep silent." And he pointed out to his people: "Never before have I spoken to you in this manner, explicitly exercising the fullness of authority Jesus Christ has given his apostles." However, he said, he felt a moral burden to guide his people.

Arguing that a military assault on Iraq does not fit the criteria of the just-war tradition, Bishop Botean concluded in stark terms: "Thus, any killing associated with it is unjustified and, in consequence, unequivocally murder."

[Taffini]

I left the Catholic church in 1970 over Liberation Theology. I was just back from the war when I had to sit in mass and be sermonized by a priest, who is now quite high in the church, as to the immorality of our efforts in Vietnam. I got up, walked out, and have never gone back.

Looks like they're at it again.




The church has been nuts since the 60's. The creeps have taken over. The are more political than religious. Forgetaboutit.

[griffin]

Ah, I could, but I won't. The Lord knows who he is.

[ultima ratio]

He is wrong about the principles for a just war. Humanitarian intervention certainly is a recognized justifiable motive for war. We may go to war justly under all seven principles:

1. The war will have been waged as a last resort. Twelve years of negotiations, sanctions, diplomacy and weapons inspections have failed to disarm Saddam.

2. The United States has the legitimate authority as a sovereign state to wage war.

3. The war would redress wrongs suffered by the Iraqi people; it would remedy the violation of a truce established at the end of the first Gulf War by which Saddam Hussein agreed to dispose of his weapons of mass destruction; it would preclude the harboring of Al Qaeda terrorists who threaten us with harm and who have been given sanctuary within Iraqi borders.

4. The war has a reasonable chance for success. Few doubt it cannot be won.

5. The war will bring peace to Iraq and to the long-suffering Iraqi people. No longer will human beings be dropped into giant shredders, no longer will husbands be forced to watch their wives being raped, no longer will parents watch their children being killed; no longer will civilians have their tongues cut out for petty offenses, or be gassed, or be silenced after their loved ones are taken away and killed, so that they cannot even dare complain.

6. The violence will be proportionate and contained. A thousand JAG lawyers have been assigned to accompany troops to assure that violence is kept within the bounds of civilized warfare.

7. Civilians will not be targeted. In fact, everything is being done to delimit collateral damage by means of precision bombing and other advanced technologies. Food and medicine have been readied for the civilian population. The civilian infrastructure will not be targeted.

This bishop has no moral authority to make the statement he has made regarding this matter. Nor have Catholics any need to obey him.

[nickcarraway]

The Russian Orthodox Church Patriarch Alexy II is a Catholic?? Tell him that!

[Taffini]

His Weirdness, Thomas Gumbleton, Peacenik Auxiliary bishop from Detroit



Is that freak still alive? What about the Barragin (SP?)brothers? Detroit's catholic community has had its share of ultra left clerics
You must be from the Detroit area to know of the unholy one

[Anticommie]

An American Catholic bishop has forbidden his flock from participating or cooperating in military

Another queer and child molestor spewing his hate?

[ladyjane]

any direct participation and support of this war against the people of Iraq is objectively grave evil

This is what I love about the catholic church. They abuse an altar boy in the sacristy and then they go out to the pulpit to preach about how the rest of us are going to hell. But before we do, we should put some money in the basket. Sure.

[ladyjane]

Why doesn't this Bishop excomunicate the good Catholic boys (sic)Teddy Kennedy

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

[vaudine]

This bishop is not higher than Christ, who said to render unto caesar that which is caesars and unto God that which is God's. A military obligation carried out is giving caesar or the govt its due.

vaudine

[Land of the Irish]

This is both disappointing and disgusting news.

[nickcarraway]

Well, maybe you shouldn't mention an anecdote if your not willing to reveal that. If there is a priest who said that he's wrong.

[ladywolf]

And I suppose a church that "hides" child molestation is NOT committing a mortal sin? That's the whore calling the prostitute a slut.

[sinkspur]

You must be from the Detroit area to know of the unholy one

No. I'm from Texas. But Gumbleton's been around for 30 years. He's notorious.

One of the Berrigan's just died last month.

[nickcarraway]

Don't parse - its unbecoming.

Well, it's pretty unbecoming of you to condemn Catholics for one thing, then explain it away when the Orthodox say the same thing.

[Gamecock]

And I thought we Presbyterians were confusing

In my best Bubba Gump voice, "You got your PCA, PCUSA, you got ARP, BPC......"

[rangerwife]

A similar thing happened at a mass my husband and I attended. The priest was talking about how evil the school of the Americas was at Ft. Benning, how the US Army trains soldiers who are sent back to Latin America to be killers of the innocent, etc...hubby knew some people who taught at the school since he was stationed a Benning for almost 10 years. Hubby and I got up and we left right in the middle of his speech.

[Taffini]

We are seeing the end game of Good versus Evil in the Church.


The church is rotting FROM the INSIDE

[sinkspur]

Well, it's pretty unbecoming of you to condemn Catholics for one thing, then explain it away when the Orthodox say the same thing.

This bishop is in union with Rome; he's not Eastern Orthodox.

He's as daffy as some of the Curial Cardinals are about the liberation of the Iraqi people.

[Taffini]

The pope really blew it on the predator homo priest discipline issue. Too bad, he did faairly well before th


He must have known about it since he was an altar boy. This has been going on for years and those on the inside knew about it They just shuffled their "problems" from parish to parish where a new crop of young boys could be victimized.