Sandro Magister, writing in L'espresso, presents the letter Cdl. Joseph Ratzinger sent the US bishops supporting the denial of Communion to pertinacious pro-abortion politicians.
(via CWN)
Sandro Magister, writing in L'espresso, presents the letter Cdl. Joseph Ratzinger sent the US bishops supporting the denial of Communion to pertinacious pro-abortion politicians.
(via CWN)
An interesting tidbit from the article: It is no secret that he [Kerry] is a pronounced “secularist” on questions such as abortion, euthanasia, cloning, homosexuality, education, and the family. Louis Bolce and Gerald De Maio, professors of political science at City University of New York, published in the May 2004 edition of “First Things” a ranking of senators according to their degree of “secularism,” on a scale from 0 to 10. The Republican average is .95. The Democrat average is 8.9. Senator Kerry scored a round 10.
Now we know what went on....
Some more interesting tidbits, from Ratzinger's letter:
--Ratzinger details the proper procedure that bishops must undertake with pro-abortion politicians: meet with them, instruct them on the Church's teaching, "informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Commmunion until he brings an end to the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist." Denying said politcians the Eucharist "is not a sanction or a penalty." This language, it seems to me, is a direct rebuke to Cardinal McCarrick.
--Ratzinger cites Evangelium Vitae no. 73: "in the case of an intrinsically unjust law, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to 'take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law or vote for it." That's strong stuff: it is ordinary magisterial teaching that Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey have no binding force. Thus the radical separationist reasoning of the 48 House members who wrote the impressionable Cardinal McCarrick is contradictory to Church teaching and inapplicable.
The US bishops apparently voted 3-1 for their "Catholics in Political Life" letter that contradicts Ratzinger's new isntruction. It seems to me that they must conform to Ratzinger's instruction or they are at least in danger of formally being in schism.