Posted on 05/07/2013 2:33:24 PM PDT by NYer
A letter Pope Francis sent to the bishops of Argentina in late March is encouraging pro-life advocates because it says pro-abortion politicians should not be eligible for communion in the Catholic Church.
Pope Francis directed the Argentinean bishops to govern the Church there following the Aparecida Document.
The text states, in part, “[people] cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act with deeds or words against the commandments, particularly when abortion, euthanasia, and other grave crimes against life and family are encouraged. This responsibility weighs particularly over legislators, heads of governments, and health professionals.”
“These are the guidelines we need for this time in history,” the pope wrote to the bishops.
Judie Brown, president of American Life League, a U.S.-based pro-life group, and Michael Hichborn, director of Defend the Faith for American Life League, sent a letter to all U.S. Catholic bishops alerting them to what Pope Francis wrote.
“We are renewed in our joy over the election of Pope Francis. One of the reasons for our happiness is the Holy Father’s reiteration of Catholic teaching as enunciated in canon 915,” the letter reads.
“We pray that these words will be an encouragement to you as well because, like Argentina, the United States has her share of Catholics in public life who persist in their support of abortion while, at the same time, receiving Christ in the sacrament of Holy Eucharist,” it continues. “We write to ask you, in view of this recent news report, to act on Pope Francis’ call and deny the sacrament of Christ’s real presence-body, blood, soul, and divinity-to every pro-abortion Catholic in public life who has not repented of his support for the heinous crime of abortion.”
The communion issue was exacerbated when, despite their pro-abortion views, Vice President Joe Biden and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi both received communion at the Mass to celebrate Pope Francis’ inauguration. Biden’s office confirmed to the Washington Times that he had received communion and reporters in the White House presidential reporting pool confirmed in an email to LifeNews that Pelosi had received it as well. Pope Francis did not administer the sacrament.
Father Frank Pavone told the LifeNews he opposed the two pro-abortion politicos receiving communion since their pro-abortion views are outside the teachings of the Catholic Church.
The Priests for Life leader said, “At a Mass during which our new Pope emphasized the duty public officials – and all the rest of us – have to protect the weakest among us, Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi have the audacity to receive Communion while publicly renouncing their responsibility to protect the weakest among us.”
“Some Church leaders mistakenly think we are advocating the use of the Eucharist as a ‘weapon.’ In fact, we are defending the Eucharist from being used as a political tool. These politicians have no respect for what the Eucharist means: an integral, consistent union with Christ and with all our brothers and sisters. To receive Christ while rejecting the unborn is a slap in the face to both,” he added.
Ping!
Cool.
Outstanding! Now let’s see how many Bishops and Cardinals see to it that these instructions are followed by parish priests.
John 19:
19 Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged him. 2 And the soldiers plaited a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe; 3 they came up to him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and struck him with their hands.
These instructions were offered to the bishops of Argentina. Will bishops outside of Argentina take the hint and apply them in their districts or will it take a sledgehammer to drive the point home.
I wonder if he was in a position to stop Biden and Pelosi from receiving Communion at his inaugural Mass. He didn’t give it to them himself, and he may not have had time to talk to the other clergy involved, or to lay down the rules on these public scandals.
Over the course of time, we’ll see if he puts this into practice.
Someone had better tell Dolan too.
Would this prevent a Catholic lawyer from defending Dr. Gosnell? If not, is there a difference between a lawyer representing a client and a politician representing his constituents?
Pelosi and Plugs!
I really hope this makes Catholics think before they vote next time. I have a hard time believing that a Catholic would vote for Nobama in the first place. But from what I read lots of Catholic votes went for Nobama.
Yep. Lots of talk of "Social Justice" in our church. Makes it hard to attend Mass on Sundays.
Talk is easy, lets see what happens...
I agree. Although I would have loved for him to have come out hitting, I can somewhat understand that he just took office.
I’m hoping within the next year that Pope Francis will institute/enforce global changes with respect to this.
A lawyer has a responsibility to secure the best interests of his or her client. Furthermore, the scope is limited to a particular case or set of cases.
OH please excommunicate my pro choice Senator and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Barbara Boxer
Consider the logistics of identifying every worldwide politician whose policies defy catholic teaching and then educate the priests/seminarians distributing communion (equipping them with photographs?) and advising them not to distribute communion to them. Consider, as well, how it places the priest/seminarian in a confrontational position with a global audience at a celebratory event.
The worldwide mainstream media are waiting for just such a moment so they can turn the politician into a martyr! Is this what you are proposing?
The Vatican well knows who the Catholic vice-president of the United States and the Catholic Speaker of the House and current minority leader are, especially when sent to the Vatican on official business from the President of the United State.
The ignorance about world power and the most powerful Catholics on earth as justification for ‘accidently’ giving communion to these most visible Catholics, is laughable.
Boxer is Jewish. Born Levy. A good little secular Jew from Brooklyn. She's not even truly a West Coaster, not a Californian. Just another Yankee [expletives deleted] who pushed her way into politics using feminism, and every other leftist talking point.
She can't be excommunicated, she's never been in communion with much of anything other than feminist gaia worshippers.
In regards to the so-called Affordable Care Act, she said the "right" to health insurance, trumps religious freedom, showing she understands neither the Constitution of the U.S., or the importance of both individual and group conscience, if it is of particularly those Christians, or any group other than secular humanists, whose own religious convictions are being violated by the State. Unless that religious group itself has goals which undermine or would set aside "Christian" values. If that be the case, they have more special "rights" too.
Now those humanists on the other hand --- they have "rights"! The State, and no one else can be allowed to offend them, oh no sir. She'll fight you with everything she has, use every trick in the book to make certain the tender sensibilities of Statist faggots are not spoken of in anything but reverent tones. They have the right to not be offended even. Laws can be passed making it punishable offense to speak against them...according to the likes of Boxer.
She really doesn't have a clue as to what religious freedom is all about--- but I'm sure she thinks she does, not recognizing the one-way street of her own thinking, herself being captured by the shallow rhetoric of those whom wish to shut down religious expression particularly of the Christian sort.
Pelosi on the other hand, has upon occasion touted her own Catholicism (though I doubt she much understands it) when it's politically convenient. She's the daughter of an East Coast political arm-twister from Baltimore. Religious freedom probably doesn't mean much to her either. Something to be taken for granted, something not too serious of an issue, with religion itself just another item which she can manipulate, lying and lying, then lying some more to get her own spoiled princess jollies.
Democrat Party wenches, not serving us, but serving all those who oppose every [past?] American value which once helped make this nation significantly powerful and influential. They hate what America once stood for.
I am proposing that the Church do God's will then and always. If it doesn't then it isn't The Church.
Biden & Pelosi went up as a direct challenge to the new Pope. And they got away with it.
Do you think that a "martyred" Biden would have been able to it again about a week later, this time with Archbishop Timothy Dolan, and then yuck it up like he and Dolan were drunken school mates? It's digusting.
There was a new sherrif in town, and he let things slide.
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