Has V.P. Biden excommunicated himself by voting Pro Choice?

Canon 1398 Any politician that passes a law that promotes abortion, is automatically excommunicated. Their

excommunication does not have to be public. Their action is sufficient to incur the excommunication.

Today, Canon 1398 of the 1983 revision of the Code of Canon Law reads: “A person who actually procures an

abortion incurs a latae sententiae excommunication.” The word “actually” indicates that the abortion must

have been successful for the penalty to occur; the mere intent to have an abortion is not sufficient.

That the penalty is latae sententiae means it is automatic, and hence there is no need for an official

decree. Most excommunications, by way of contrast, have to be proclaimed by church authorities in order to

take effect; these are called ferendae sententiae. There are seven acts in canon law that trigger latae

sententiae excommunication. Aside from abortion, they are: violence against the pope; sacrilege such as

throwing away a consecrated host; absolving a person with whom one has sinned against the sixth commandment;

consecrating a bishop without authorization; violating the seal of confession; and apostasy, heresy or

Canon 1329 specifies that accomplices to an act that triggers a latae sententiae excommunication are also

subject to the same penalty if “without their assistance, the crime would not have been committed.” Canonists

believe such accomplices include the doctor and nurses who perform the procedure, as well as friends or

family (such as the husband or boyfriend) who cooperate in a direct fashion, such as paying for the abortion

Has not turned 17; Was, without fault, ignorant of violating the law; Acted under physical force, or under a chance occurrence that could not be foreseen or avoided; Acted under compulsion of grave fear; Lacked the use of reason.

"A person who procures a successful abortion incurs an automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication." [Code

This includes Presidents, Prime Ministers, politicians, all members of the government. In the case of

abortion, by their action only, these persons do not need to be publicly informed that they are

excommunicated. All those who suggest or pass a law that promotes abortion, are automatically excommunicated.

Their excommunication does not have to be public. Their action is sufficient to incur the excommunication.

Accordingly, it can be said that most ex-Catholic politicians today are among the excommunicated. They cannot

A teacher, who suggest abortion for whatever reason, is automatically excommunicated.

A person who is excommunicated in the Catholic Church, cannot receive any of the Sacraments of the Catholic

Sources: The National Catholic Reporter http://www.natcath.org/NCR_Online/archives/011703/011703d.htm

This might be of interest.

Kerry said to be excommunicated
October 18, 2004

A consultant to the Vatican has said Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has incurred the penalty of excommunication from the Catholic Church.

The consultant made his statement in a highly unusual letter to Marc Balestrieri, a Los Angeles canon lawyer who formally sued John Kerry in ecclesiastical court for heresy.

Balestrieri, who launched his case earlier this year by filing a heresy complaint in Kerry’s home archdiocese of Boston, told EWTN’s “World Over” program on Friday that he had received an unusual, indirect communication from the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith regarding the pro-abortion stance.

That communication provides a basis, he said, 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. It also provided a basis for Balestrieri to broaden his canonical actions and file additional complaints against four more pro-abortion Catholic politicians: Democrat Senators Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts and Tom Harkin of Iowa; Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine; and former New York Governor Mario Cuomo, a Democrat.

http://www.catholicculture.org/news/features/index.cfm?recnum=32830

Lucy KilleaDuring a special election for the California Senate in 1989, pro-choice Catholic Lucy Killea was barred from communion by Leo Thomas Maher, the bishop of San Diego.[8] This was the first instance of a politician being censured in this way.[9] She received communion in Sacramento with the consent of Bishop Francis Quinn.[10] The incident brought publicity to Killea’s candidacy and gained her the voters’ sympathy, helping her to win the election.[11][12]

[edit] Mario CuomoIn 1984, Cardinal John Joseph O’Connor, then archbishop of New York, considered excommunicating New York Governor Mario Cuomo.[13][14] He also condemned Cuomo’s statements that support for abortion rights did not contradict Catholic teaching, but did not suggest that Cuomo should stop receiving communion.[15]

[edit] Gray DavisIn January 2003, Bishop William Weigand of Sacramento said Governor of California Gray Davis, a Catholic who supported abortion rights, should stop taking communion.[8]

[edit] John KerryIn 2004, Archbishop Burke said he would not give communion to 2004 presidential candidate and Senator John Kerry, in part because of his position on abortion. According to religion experts, such a denial of communion would have been unprecedented.[16][17] Kerry’s own Archbishop Sean O’Malley refused to specify the applicability of his earlier statement that such Catholics are in a state of grave sin and cannot properly receive communion.[16]

The issue led to comparisons between Kerry’s presidential campaign and that of John F. Kennedy in 1960. While Kennedy had to demonstrate his independence from the Roman Catholic Church due to public fear that a Catholic president would make decisions based on Vatican commands, it seemed that Kerry, in contrast, had to show obedience to Catholic authorities in order to win votes.[8][18][19][20][21]

According to Margaret Ross Sammons, Kerry’s campaign was sufficiently damaged by the threat to withhold communion that it may have cost him the election. Sammons argues that President George W. Bush was able to win 53% of the Catholic vote because he appealed to “traditional” Catholics.[22]

[edit] Rudy GiulianiIn 2007, Burke said that he would deny communion to 2008 Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani because of his views on abortion, and that Giuliani should not seek the sacrament.[17]

[edit] Kathleen SebeliusIn May 2008, Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann said that Kathleen Sebelius should stop receiving communion because of her support for abortion rights, and that she should not again take it unless she publicly stated that she opposed abortion rights.[23][24][25]

[edit] Joe BidenAfter Joe Biden, a pro-choice Catholic, was nominated as a vice presidential candidate in the 2008 presidential election, Bishop Joseph Francis Martino of Biden’s hometown of Scranton, Pennsylvania, said Biden would be refused communion in that diocese because of his support for abortion rights.[7] Biden was not refused communion in his then-parish of Wilmington, Delaware.[26]

[edit] Patrick KennedyIn November 2009, it emerged that in February 2007, Bishop Thomas Tobin asked Representative Patrick Kennedy not to take communion because of his position on abortion.[27] Kennedy told the Providence Journal that Tobin also instructed priests in the diocese not to give him communion; Tobin denied this.[27]

http://www.lifenews.com/2004/10/19/nat-885/

...As a result, the opinion that John Kerry has automatically excommunicated himself by virtue of his pro-abortion position is a private opinion of Father Cole and not an official opinion of the Catholic Church, DiNoia explained.

In an interview with CNS, Father Cole agreed with DiNoia’s assessment and said his letter represented his own views and not the Vatican’s.

CNS reports that an unnamed Vatican official it contacted confirmed that the Catholic Church has not officially excommunicated Kerry and had not seriously investigated doing so...

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