Cuomo, Duffy, Gillibrand: Excommunicated?
St. Louis Archbishop Robert Carlson has some pointed words for those who say they are Catholic, yet support or promote abortion: You are excommunicated.
Are you listening Andrew Cuomo, Bob Duffy and Kirsten Gillibrand?
Excommunicated.
It's an automatic - you don't have to be excommunicated by a bishop or priest. The simple act of publicly supporting abortion means you are no longer a Catholic in good standing.
In a July 6 column in the St. Louis Review, the Archbishop said:
Since the first century, the Church has addressed the moral evil of abortion and the killing of a defenseless baby in the womb. People who are casual about the sin of abortion and who choose to view it as a political issue rather than the serious moral issue that it is are guilty of violating the Fifth Commandment. You cannot be "pro-choice" (pro-abortion) and remain a Catholic in good standing. (emphasis mine)
That's why the Church asks those who maintain this position not to receive holy Communion. We are not being mean or judgmental, we are simply acknowledging the fact that such a stance is objectively and seriously sinful and is radically inconsistent with the Christian way of life.
The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council said, "God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and human life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: Abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes" ("Gaudium et Spes," No. 51.3). That's why formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life (see canons 1398,1314, and 1323-1324).
He also goes on to point out the the Fifth Commandment commands us to avoid war whenever possible, to limit "the use of capital punishment to the most extreme (and rare) circumstances required to protect human life," and to not engage in euthanasia.
"Taking proper care of our health, respecting others and showing respect for the dead are all matters covered by the Fifth Commandment's demand that we reverence God's most precious gift — human life," he writes.
Check out the full column.
As for our Catholic politicians in New York, please, think - and pray - about the positions you are taking and the legislation you support.
I post this not to condemn them, but to point out the teachings of the Church that they (and others) may not understand. They may not be fully aware of the gravity of their positions.
Are you listening Andrew Cuomo, Bob Duffy and Kirsten Gillibrand?
Excommunicated.
It's an automatic - you don't have to be excommunicated by a bishop or priest. The simple act of publicly supporting abortion means you are no longer a Catholic in good standing.
In a July 6 column in the St. Louis Review, the Archbishop said:
Since the first century, the Church has addressed the moral evil of abortion and the killing of a defenseless baby in the womb. People who are casual about the sin of abortion and who choose to view it as a political issue rather than the serious moral issue that it is are guilty of violating the Fifth Commandment. You cannot be "pro-choice" (pro-abortion) and remain a Catholic in good standing. (emphasis mine)
That's why the Church asks those who maintain this position not to receive holy Communion. We are not being mean or judgmental, we are simply acknowledging the fact that such a stance is objectively and seriously sinful and is radically inconsistent with the Christian way of life.
The Fathers of the Second Vatican Council said, "God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and human life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: Abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes" ("Gaudium et Spes," No. 51.3). That's why formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life (see canons 1398,1314, and 1323-1324).
He also goes on to point out the the Fifth Commandment commands us to avoid war whenever possible, to limit "the use of capital punishment to the most extreme (and rare) circumstances required to protect human life," and to not engage in euthanasia.
"Taking proper care of our health, respecting others and showing respect for the dead are all matters covered by the Fifth Commandment's demand that we reverence God's most precious gift — human life," he writes.
Check out the full column.
As for our Catholic politicians in New York, please, think - and pray - about the positions you are taking and the legislation you support.
I post this not to condemn them, but to point out the teachings of the Church that they (and others) may not understand. They may not be fully aware of the gravity of their positions.
posted by A Secular Franciscan | 5:26 AM
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