www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Pope warns Catholic politicians who back abortion

Pope warns Catholic politicians who back abortion
Wed May 9, 2007 8:46AM EDT
By Philip Pullella
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL0956318820070509?feedType=RSS&rpc=22




ABOARD THE PAPAL PLANE (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Wednesday warned Catholic politicians they risked excommunication from the Church and should not receive communion if they support abortion.

It was the first time that the Pope, speaking to reporters aboard the plane taking him on a trip to Brazil, dealt in depth with a controversial topic that has come up in many countries, including the United States, Mexico, and Italy.

The Pope was asked whether he supported Mexican Church leaders threatening to excommunicate leftist parliamentarians who last month voted to legalize abortion in Mexico City.

"Yes, this excommunication was not an arbitrary one but is allowed by Canon (church) law which says that the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving communion, which is receiving the body of Christ," he said.

"They (Mexican Church leaders) did nothing new, surprising or arbitrary. They simply announced publicly what is contained in the law of the Church... which expresses our appreciation for life and that human individuality, human personality is present from the first moment (of life)".

Under Church law, someone who knowingly does or backs something which the Church considers a grave sin, such as abortion, inflicts what is known as "automatic excommunication" on themselves.

The Pope said parliamentarians who vote in favor of abortion have "doubts about the value of life and the beauty of life and even a doubt about the future".

"Selfishness and fear are at the root of (pro-abortion) legislation," he said. "We in the Church have a great struggle to defend life...life is a gift not a threat."

"ALWAYS A GIFT"

The Pope's comments appear to raise the stakes in the debate over whether Catholic politicians can support abortion or gay marriage and still consider themselves proper Catholics.

In recent months, the Vatican has been accused of interference in Italy for telling Catholic lawmakers to oppose a draft law that would grant some rights to unwed and gay couples.

During the 2004 presidential election, the U.S. Catholic community was split over whether to support Democratic candidate John Kerry, himself a Catholic who backed abortion rights.

Some Catholics say they personally would not have an abortion but feel obliged to support a woman's right to choose.

But the Church, which teaches that life begins at the moment of conception and that abortion is murder, says Catholics cannot have it both ways.

"The Church says life is beautiful, it is not something to doubt but it is a gift even when it is lived in difficult circumstances. It is always a gift," the Pope said.

Only Cuba, Guyana and U.S. commonwealth Puerto Rico allow abortion on demand in Latin America. Many other countries in the region permit it in special cases, such as if the fetus has defects or if the mother's life is at risk.

Brazil, the world's most populous Catholic country, is mulling bringing the debate to a referendum.

Gotta love our German Shepherd.

Hopefully Ted Kennedy and John Kerry will be first

Sorry.

The Devil has registered himself permanently for political purposes here in NJ!

I am not fond of capital punishment. However, I don't see it the same way as abortion. It isn't the same thing.

Nor do I like war and weaponry, but I see the need for it.

It isn't that I pass myself off as sinless - God knows I'm not. I don't go to Communion if I think I have sinned seriously - or a lot. I just want to hear our Bishops tell the pols that enough is enough. They spoke against the arms race in the 1980s and they speak about immigration now.

Abortion....silence.

I agree with Mr. Clean. Ref: CCC 2263-2267, 2308-2310. Abortion is always wrong. War and capital punishment can be acceptable, even necessary.
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In other words, how can war and capital punishment be less wrong than abortion in the situations in which they are not permissable, because in other situations they are permissable?

Because they aren't, in and of themselves, wrong. Purpose is extremely important in determining right and wrong. The sections of the CCC I referenced explain this in detail.

If a duly constituted authority decides to kill someone because that is the only way that person can be kept from gravely harming society, then it must do so. If a duly constituted authority must summon all its men to go fight people who if left unchecked would go on a killing spree, then it must do so.

None of these are anywhere near the same thing as killing someone out of passion, pillaging a country for money, or killing a child because you don't want it.

If I were to equate abortion with war, I would have to become a pacifist as well as being pro-life.

I cannot be a pacifist. My freedom is protected by men and women who are trained and equipped to destroy things and kill people who would take away the freedom that I and all else who live in my county have - given to us by God, and not by any civil authority.

Just as I have the legal right - and the obligation under the CCC to defend my family, using lethal force if necessary, and only if necessary, so too does the government - the people elected to office by the people and charged with the faithful execution of the laws of the land - have the obligation to use such force as necessary to defend the citizens of the nation.

Lance,

This comes down to the Just War Doctrine (or teaching, whatever.)

In this case, the theologians have determined that it is the King, Emperor, Prime Minister, President, etc... who has the authority in determining whether or not the War is Just.

God Bless You,

Dr. Eric

Lance,

I haven't agreed with everything that our president has done. But the theologians did write it was the ruler who had the authority to determine a just war.

Having written what I just wrote, I admit when they formulated the doctrine/theory the rulers were Kings with the Diving Right of Kings. So maybe only a Hapsburg, a Bourbon, a Romanov, a Grimaldi, etc... can truly decide. I don't know.

And for the record, those politicians should be excommunicated. It's about time the dog's bark got some bite!

As regards pro-abortion Catholic politicians, especially those who are elected and hold positions of power and ascendancy, I think Rome has clarified (although belatedly) that they incur excommunication latae sententiae, i.e., automatic excommunication.

Hence, there is no need for the Bishop/local ordinary to pronounce officially or publicly their excommunication.

What U.S. Catholic Bishops (and Mexico City's Bishop) have done is to issue the warning to these politicians not to present themselves for Holy Communion as the celebrating priests (presumed to heed their Bishop's warning) would deny them the eucharist.

There is no guarantee really that this automatic excommunication can be enforceable across the board.

Hi Amadeus,


Has this been clarified? Is it in Canon Law that these actions incur excommunication latae sententiae? I know "successfully" procuring an abortion does, but that is a specifically enumerated act in Canon Law, whereas the actions of legislators is somewhat removed. Unless Rome or a Bishop has clarified this, I'm still a bit mystified.


This is the action prescribed by Canon 915. But it applies to those already under excommunication or interdict, as well as "alii in manifesto gravi peccato obstinate perseverantes" (others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin). I think it is this latter call (to be made by the Bishop of the Diocese) that the Pope may have been referring to.


Again, true if it is an act subject to automatic excommunication, and if not, it will depend on the judgment of the local Bishop.

While fielding questions from reporters, the Mexican cardinal explained that while nobody has sent a declaration to any politician or lawmaker, it must be stated that we also have to repeat what the traditional doctrine of the Church is: Voting for those kinds of laws is not compatible with the reception of Communion, which is not the same as excommunication.

We are saying that this way of thinking is not compatible with Eucharistic Communion, we are not going to deny them the Eucharist. Every human being can have the forgiveness of the Church and of God when there is repentance, the cardinal explained.

In the interview, Cardinal Bertone also commented on Pope Benedict's recent remarks to reporters about the possible excommunication of Catholic politicians who support legislation to make abortion legal.

"It seems clear to me that the pope recalled that it is up to individual bishops to establish whether and when to impose excommunication," Cardinal Bertone said.

The cardinal added that in the case of Catholic politicians, such a penalty would be carried out "ferendae sententiae" -- imposed by the judgment of a church court or authority -- rather than automatically incurred.

Cardinal Bertone was apparently distinguishing the situation of Catholic politicians from that of people directly involved in procuring abortion, for which the penalty is automatic excommunication.

The pope, when asked if he agreed with the excommunication of Catholic legislators in Mexico who had supported a law legalizing abortion, said yes and added that church law foresaw such a penalty.

The Vatican issued a toned-down transcript of the pope's remarks the next day, changing some of his words. In the interview, Cardinal Bertone defended the practice of modifying the "official" version of papal remarks.

"There's nothing scandalous in this," Cardinal Bertone said. He compared it to the publication of the "editio typica," or definitive edition, of papal documents, which he said is sometimes changed to be more precise than an earlier version.

Cardinal Bertone's office routinely modifies the texts of extemporaneous papal comments, Vatican officials have said.