Posted on 09/13/2008 5:52:34 AM PDT by tcg
During the opening day of the Catholic Leadership Conference, Baker Oregon Bishop Robert Vasa clarified the teaching of the US Bishops Conference regarding voting in favor of pro-abortion politicians. The question of whether Catholics may remain in good standing with the Church while voting for pro-abortion politicians was raised.
Bishop Vasa responded referencing the document of the United States Catholic Conference titled "Faithful Citizenship", noting a pro-abortion stance disqualifies candidates from consideration by faithful Catholics.
LifeSiteNews.com spoke with Bishop Vasa after the session. Describing the deliberation among US bishops over the "Faithful Citizenship" document, he said: "When we were working on the document 'Faithful Citizenship', and the issue of whether or not a person's adamant pro-abortion position was a disqualifying condition, the general sense was 'yes that is a disqualifying condition'."
(Excerpt) Read more at catholic.org ...
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Obama Says A Baby Is A Punishment
Obama: If they make a mistake, I dont want them punished with a baby.
I thought the root of the “unofficial” excommunication was the fact that the Church teaches that anyone who partakes of communion in a state of grave sin, partakes in blasphemy. The Priest warns the parishioners that to partake unworthily is anathema, and reminds them to refrain from falsely “communing”.
Excommunication is being cut off from the communion of saints - by oneself or by an outside authority (i.e. the Bishops). Is that a misunderstanding?
Note: I proffer my opinion in the hopes of learning, not arguing! I’m a pentecostal married to a Catholic, and I’ve spent some time and effort to understand my wife and kids’ church - even though I don’t believe it is the right church for me.
“Enough with the automatic! The bishops need to stand in the church door and publicly tell them they cannot enter.”
Backed by enough force to prevent them from entering.
>>Backed by enough force to prevent them from entering.
The crozier and a photographer should be sufficient. Libs are notorious cowards.
“Libs are notorious cowards.”
Anyone influenced to that degree by Satan is dangerous.
"Note: I proffer my opinion in the hopes of learning, not arguing!"
In that spirit, I'll do my best to explain what I know.
"I thought the root of the 'unofficial' excommunication..."
I've never heard of “unofficial” excommunication.
Folks who are in grave sin are in grave sin, but that doesn't make them excommunicated. Folks who receive Holy Communion in a state of mortal sin commit the further sin of sacrilege. Nonetheless, that doesn't add up to excommunication.
“Excommunication is being cut off from the communion of saints - by oneself or by an outside authority (i.e. the Bishops). Is that a misunderstanding?”
Not as far as it goes. But the two states - that of being in mortal sin, and that of being excommunicated - are not the same thing. Being in mortal sin is the state of one's soul. Being excommunicated is the state of one's juridical relationship to the visible Church. The two things are closely related, but not identical.
One critical difference for laypeople is that if one is in a state of mortal sin, going to confession to a priest with faculties to absolve, confessing one's sins with contrition and firm purpose of amendment, will return one to a state of grace. On the other hand, excommunications are, as a matter of course, reserved to one's bishop, or even to the pope. Thus, one excommunicated for heresy cannot have his excommunication lifted except by the competent ecclesial authority - either one's bishop, or perhaps in some cases, the pope, himself.
Many bishops will delegate parish priests the power to remove certain excommunications, but that is an exception to the law. As an example, usually, the power to lift an excommunication in the case of those who directly procure or assist in a completed abortion is granted by most bishops to parish priests.
sitetest
Thanks for the information, sitetest.
I can’t say I’ve digested it al (yet), but it definitely adds depth to my prior knowledge.
God bless!
You’re welcome. God bless you, too.
I am with with you about the bishops taking an even stronger stand BUT, they would never bar them from entering the Church. They should not be allowed to receive the Communion. And, again, this should be AFTER that bishop has personally informed and counseled the person in question.
>>I am with with you about the bishops taking an even stronger stand BUT, they would never bar them from entering the Church. They should not be allowed to receive the Communion. And, again, this should be AFTER that bishop has personally informed and counseled the person in question.
Jesus drove the money lenders out of the temple:”My house is a house of prayer, but you have turned it into a den of thieves.” Mark Chapter 11, verse 17. As Christ’s representatives on Earth, the bishops have no less a responsibility to keep the Church as a “house of prayer” and not tolerate those who give scandal - “the den of thieves”. The Bidens, Pelosis, Kennedys of this world are indeed thieves for they try to rob us of our faith.
“The Bidens, Pelosis, Kennedys of this world are indeed thieves for they try to rob us of our faith.”
There is NO way they can rob us of our faith. Actually, they’ve sold their own faith....
What matters is if these people are in good standing with God, not just the church. If they are pro-abortion they are living their disobedience to God.
They will be judged for it, and the church likewise will be judged if they stay silent and do nothing to warn these errant souls of the sin of condoning murder.
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