Cardinal: No Communion for Pro-Abortion Politicians
The Catholic church is now putting the spiritual thumbscrews on politicians who are in anyway supportive of Abortions, saying that these politicians cannot receive communion (a cleansing and partaking of Christ within themselves)
This is a method of pressuring Catholic politicians to vote the church way
This will force Catholic politicians to choose between their own politicial ideas or their religion.
what next threats of excommunication for gay/lesbian supporters?
Anyone else find this a disgusting practice?
Here is the article:
Cardinal: Politicians Need Follow Church on Abortion
By Philip Pullella :
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) – In remarks that could influence the U.S. presidential race, a top Vatican (news – web sites) cardinal said Friday that a Roman Catholic politician who unambiguously supports abortion rights should be denied Holy Communion at Mass.
Cardinal Francis Arinze spoke amid a debate over whether Democrat John Kerry should be denied communion, which Catholics believe is the body of Christ, because he supports abortion rights.
At a news conference presenting a Vatican document restating standing rules about the celebration of Mass, Arinze was reminded of the Kerry case and asked if a priest should refuse communion to a politician who unambiguously supports a woman’s right to choose abortion.
“Yes,” he answered. “If the person should not receive it, then it should not be given. Objectively, the answer is there.”
Kerry supports abortion rights and has said he would nominate only Supreme Court justices who support his position. Anti-abortion groups in the United States, which is about 23 percent Catholic, say Kerry has what they have called a “perfect record” of voting for legislation that allows abortion.
He is due to be endorsed by Planned Parenthood (news – web sites) Action Group, a pro-choice group.
Some members of the Church hierarchy in the United States have said they would deny communion to Kerry, who, if elected, will become the first Roman Catholic president since John F. Kennedy in 1960.
The Church teaches that abortion is murder and debate over Kerry’s eligibility for communion arose after Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis told him not to present himself for communion in the city. Other bishops have given similar warnings.
CHARGED DEBATE
Frances Kissling, president of the Washington-based Catholics for a Free Choice group, accused the Vatican of not understanding the separation of church and state.
“It is time for Church leaders to acknowledge that the threat of denying the sacraments to Catholics who disagree with their positions has no basis in Church law. It is both bad politics and bad religion,” she said.
Arinze, a Nigerian who is head of the Vatican department that establishes regulations on the way the sacraments should be practiced, spoke at a news conference presenting the Vatican document which itself is likely to charge debate over Kerry.
The 70-page document makes no specific reference to politicians but turns the screws on practices that have become common in some local churches, such as joint communion services with non-Catholic Christians.
The section on communion which, in the Church’s view, could apply to Kerry says: “The Church’s custom shows that it is necessary for each person to examine himself at depth and that anyone who is conscious of grave sin should not celebrate or receive the Body of the Lord without prior sacramental confession.”
Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, who heads a panel studying how to handle politicians with views that diverge from doctrine, has said Kerry should follow Church teachings.
Kerry did take the sacrament during a Mass at Boston’s Paulist Center on Easter Sunday.
A practicing Catholic and a former altar boy, Kerry also supports stem cell research and civil unions for gays and lesbians, issues he calls matters of conscience.
Kerry has said he keeps his religion separate from his public life. President Bush, a Methodist, approves of abortion only in cases of rape or incest or when the pregnancy endangers a woman’s life. “
that is horrible. john kerry is catholic, but he supports abortion & civil unions because he realizes that we should separate the church & state. while kerry isn’t my favorite out of the democratic nominees, he will still get my vote.
April 23rd, 2004 at 7:17 amI just hope that every vote for Kerry does not end up a vote for the Catholic church.
If he keeps to his promises then it’s not bad at all. But I wager he will have to decide between the Church and his idea of politics. The church for sure will be very pissed off if he goes through with all that he is campaigning for. Would not at all be surprised if the church closes its doors to him. In many ways the Church is using it’s only real power in todays politics, which is chastisement or the big gun excommunication. I do not think it will let anyone who is a public figure “defile” their ideals and still claim to be Catholic in good standing with the Church.
So it is my thoughts that Kerry will either have to just drop the entire Catholic label, or become a lap-dog of the Church. Who knows which he will in the end pick.
April 23rd, 2004 at 7:54 ami saw a segment on CNN that was talking about how much the Catholic Church is upset with Kerry because he is pro-abortion & pro-civil unions. if he’s not caved in to them at this point, i’m not sure if he will at all. are you a democrat or republican?
April 23rd, 2004 at 7:56 amI am a registered Republican whose thoughts are mostly Liberal.
I never trust a politician on his word alone, because very few presidents achieve the bulk of their campaign promises. Also even with a willing president, if the senators and representatives are not going to back them solidly then any effort they make is futile. You can have a stunningly sensible president whom you favour all your causes and still be bitterly disappointed by the accomplishments they make during their presidency due to the resistence of Congress/Senate.
The only thing that I have discovered that a president can do without impediment from congress/senate is declare war and marshal the troups. I assign the presidents weight towards international events at a higher priority than other things because of this. I think the presidency is less important compared to congressional and senate elections, where the real power is held.
April 23rd, 2004 at 8:11 amthat’s a good point. politicans can talk a lot, but never actually go through with any of their promises. at this point, who do you plan voting for in the next election? i’m really a supporter of Dennis Kucinich, but he obviously has no chance in hell. i’m going to vote for Kerry.
April 23rd, 2004 at 8:13 amReally I am a bit undecided at the moment. If I had to vote at this very moment it would be probably Bush because I do like some of his ideals (except his stance on homosexuality and civil unions although neither affect me personally). I do like that Bush has linked himself successfully to Tony Blair (UK) and John Howard (AU). It is nice to have allies and United Kingdom is not trivial. I also like Bush’s work on immigration reform which benefits me personally of course. I just don’t trust Kerry. The main reason I do not trust Kerry is he appears to have conflicting views to that of his religion yet he remains yoked to it. It would be like me being Vegetarian and indulging in steak, ham, pork chops etc. To me he is breaking his religions tenents and yet is clingy to the label. I mean one of the core tenants of Catholicism is that on matters of faith and morals, the Pope is infallible. Kerry disregards the Papacies views on morality & faith in breech of a core religious tenent. I see him as a heretic to his own religion in a way. I often judge people by how leisurely they follow their own perscribed path. A Christian drinking and partying and cavorting would diminish to a degree my respect for them. A Buddhist working for a slaughterhouse would likewise diminish my respect for them. Loyalty to what one believes is something that I prize highly. Kerry appears to be religiously eclectic in his beliefs yet considers himself Catholic. I do not believe that you can disagree with the core tenents of any belief and consider yourself a part of that faith. The last Catholic president we had was JFK and he was considered by some as being a puppet of the papacy and eventually was assasinated probably due to the fear of Catholicism by the incredibly abundant protestant population of USA. I think that wacked out protestants are probably more deadly than wacked out muslims. But this is all just my two cents.
April 23rd, 2004 at 10:49 am