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."

[sinkspur]

An American Catholic bishop has forbidden his flock from participating or cooperating in military action against Iraq, under pain of mortal sin.

He can't do this. No prelate can suddenly declare something to be a "mortal sin." He especially cannot declare a morally neutral action such as fighting for one's country to be sinful at all. German soldiers were not guilty of sin for fighting for Hitler.

This bishop (to borrow a Richard Pryor phrase) "is crazy"!

[Moose4]

Byzantine-rite, not right...yeeeeesh, my bad.

}:-)4

[T Ruth]

The good bishop is not seeing the forest for the trees. The disarming of Iraq is but a battle in a war which we did not start. The just war theory does not preclude aggressive tactics in a defensive war.

[tiki]

My priest is in the National Guard. He hasn't been called up but we're willing to do without him if he's needed in the war effort. I have to admit that our bishop doesn't like him being in the guard just because he needs every priest he has but he hasn't prevented him.

[jwalsh07]

The problem is that he knows as well as you do that the answer to the question you pose is not his province yet he places additional burdens on young Catholic fighting men and women the world over.

[G Larry]

Read it again.
Are you a ROMAINIAN Catholic?

[G Larry]

Wrong Church Read the article again!

[longtermmemmory]

perhaps they are old calendar orthodox church.

[Centurion2000]

Romanian NOT Roman!!!!!

Nothing to do with the rest of us!

Not too put too much of a slam on Catholics but isn't this just echoing what the pope said ? "Invasion is a crime"

[Petronski]

This guy is not Roman Catholic.

[Cicero]

This guy evidently is a Bishop in an Eastern Church that is affiliated with the Catholic Church. I don't know what the rules are within his particular group, but if he were a Catholic bishop, this statement would be essentially meaningless. A bishop has a perfect right to warn the faithful that he thinks a certain course of action would be sinful, but it is a prudential judgment and he may be wrong. In this case he almost certainly is wrong.

[StAthanasiustheGreat]

Well, while this is not my diocese, and while I am not Eastern Rite, this is one mortal sin, I would bear. God Bless

Vocatus Atque Non Vocatus Deus Aderit

[Natural Law]

As a Catholic I can attest that this is not in his power. When he pretends to speak with the authority of God he is indeed "Using God's name in vain".

[The Great RJ]

Why doesn't this Bishop excomunicate the good Catholic boys (sic)Teddy Kennedy and Tom Daschle for their support of partial birth abortions?

[baseballmom]

Romanian, Roman. Tomato, Tomahto.

This is a moral, just war.

Some people deserve killing. Saddam Hussein is one of them.

[Natural Law]

"Man hath no greater love than to lay down his life for his brother"

[jwalsh07]

Thanks, I missed that.

[ex-snook]

Surely this will surface the usual anti-Catholic crowd - 'I was once a Catholic', 'the Pope didn't condemn Hitler's military, 'the Bible says war will bring on the rapture', 'I'm a practicing Catholic but ...'.

[G Larry]

READ!!!!!!
It ain't THAT Catholic Church!!!!

[Milwaukee_Guy]

"which has jurisdiction over all Byzantine-rite
Romanian Catholics living in the US-- invoked the full measure of his authority"

#1 What the heck is a Byzantine-rite Roman Catholic?

#2 Sounds more like he is some kind of Mullah. Does his authority include declaring a jihad?