[Mrs. Don-o]

Teaching is only one of the obligations of a bishop. One of the other obligations of a bishop (as symbolized by his crozier) is to administer discipline: not only for the protection of the flock, but also for the good of the soul of the one who is being disciplined. And THAT includes upholding Canon Law, including Canon 915 which states "Those who are excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."

This canon treats two instances where members of the faithful are not to be admitted to Communion. The first deals with excommunication and interdicts -- ecclesiastical censures forbidding participation in the sacraments -- and the second refers to obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin.

In the Name of God, I ask you: Is abortion a "grave sin"? Is speaking for it, voting for it, and being an accomplice and accessory "manifest" participation in it? Is voting for it over and over again "obstinately persisting"?

Cardinal Francis Arinze, who, as Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, is the highest authority in the Catholic Church on the correct administration of the Blessed Sacrament, has REPEATEDLY stated that it is obvious that pro-abortion legislators must not be admitted to Holy Communion. And in 2004, a letter by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, (CDF) said that such legislators "must be refused" communion.

[trisham]

In the Name of God, I ask you: Is abortion a "grave sin"? Is speaking for it, voting for it, and being an accomplice and accessory "manifest" participation in it? Is voting for it over and over again "obstinately persisting"?

**************

Yes to all.

[vox_freedom]

In the Name of God, I ask you: Is abortion a "grave sin"? Is speaking for it, voting for it, and being an accomplice and accessory "manifest" participation in it? Is voting for it over and over again "obstinately persisting"?

Yes.
Yes.
Yes.

And, to go further, politicians and other public figures who are obstinate in persisting should be publicly condemned by leaders of the Church for the scandal they cause AND should be refused communion AND, if they continue to persist, they should be excommunicated.

[SuziQ]

One of the other obligations of a bishop (as symbolized by his crozier) is to administer discipline: not only for the protection of the flock, but also for the good of the soul of the one who is being disciplined.

Yep. Shepherds need that stick for whacking hard headed sheep from time to time to get them back into the flock.