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Posted on 01/29/2004 6:30:44 AM PST by cpforlife.org
The emergence of Senator John Kerry as a presidential candidate raises crucial questions about how bishops may react, seeing that he presents himself both as a staunchly pro-choice politician and as a practicing Catholic. The issue is of immediate moment, for it is a time when bishops across the United States -- including on Kerry's home turf of Boston -- have been issuing statements or even canonical declarations warning those who favor abortion to abstain from the Eucharist.
Kerry represents Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate and hails from Boston. He has seized control of the Democratic primaries -- at least for the moment -- and professes to paid heed to his religion. "I am a believing and practicing Catholic, married to another believing and practicing Catholic," he has been quoted as saying.
But only a week ago, newly-installed Boston Archbishop Sean O'Malley struck out against pro-choicers like Kerry, telling a Catholic website called LifeSiteNews.com, "These politicians should know that if they're not voting correctly on these life issues that they shouldn't dare come to Communion."
Those words appear at great odds with Kerry's voting record and may put him on a collision course with the Church, should he ever assume control of the Oval Office. In fact Kerry even opposes a ban on partial-birth abortion. According to his campaign website: "John Kerry believes that women have the right to control their own bodies, their own lives, and their own destinies. He believes that the Constitution protects their right to choose and to make their own decisions in consultation with their doctor, their conscience, and their God. He will defend this right as President. He recently announced he will support only pro-choice judges to the Supreme Court. Kerry also believes that we should promote family planning and health plans should assure women contraceptive coverage.
These positions are the perfect opposite of the Church's, and if elected his standing as a "practicing" Catholic could generate significant -- and perhaps even monumental controversy -- leaving open the possibility that America's second Catholic President could become the first to be prohibited from receiving Holy Communion, the Church's defining sacrament.
Just last November Archbishop Raymond L. Burke -- now in St. Louis but at the time bishop of LaCrosse, Wisconsin -- issued a canonical notification prohibiting the Eucharist for pro-choice lawmakers.
"Catholic legislators who are members of the faithful of the Diocese of La Crosse and who continue to support procured abortion or euthanasia may not present themselves to receive Holy Communion," said the notification. "They are not to be admitted to Holy Communion, should they present themselves, until such time as they publicly renounce their support of these most unjust practices." The document repeated the Vatican's teaching that Catholics involved in lawmaking have a "grave and clear obligation to oppose" any measure that is an attack on human life. "For them, as for every Catholic, it is impossible to promote such laws or to vote for them," it says.
This was followed by a statement by New Orleans Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes -- who less than two weeks ago said that "the Louisiana bishops are sending a copy of this document to each of our elected Catholic public officials in Baton Rouge and Washington. When Catholic officials openly support the taking of human life in abortion, euthanasia or the destruction of human embryos, they are no longer faithful members in the Church and should not partake of Holy Communion. Moreover, citizens who promote this unjust taking of human life by their vote or support of such candidates share in responsibility for this grave evil."
The need is to pray for the potential leaders, as opposed to simple condemnation. Can John Kerry return to faithful Catholicism?
Kerry can run across the street and join Bill Clinton's old church. They don't care what you believe or practice.
Please let me know if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.
Have you heard about National Christian Voter Registration Sundays ?
I got the memo.
I didn't say Presidential. Just electable. (They hope)
Is there a time frame for the Church committee that's developing a uniform policy regarding pro-abort pols?
Ann Coulter brought that up in her recent townhall.com column. I didn't know about that.
Again, how can a marriage that spawned two children be annulled? Lots of Ketchup money donated to the church?
I don't think the children are considered illegitimate.
Jackie Kennedy was never divorced. She was married to two men, both of whom died when they were married to her.
About 70 million American Catholics care.
Indeed it is fortunate that religion does not run our country. But religion has it's place in a nations culture, and needs to speak out, especially in the face of a great moral wrong.
In the words of John Adams, "Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
The attitude of, "Who cares?" allowed the deaths of millions of innocents in Nazi concentration camps and more than 40 million in American abortion mills.
Who cares? I do.
If Kerry does not become president then this is not a problem. Solution: Make sure Kerry loses the election.
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