Category: Canonical

Pro-Abort Catholic Politicians and Heresy Trials
Well, I’m back. Thanks to everyone for your prayers, and thanks to St. Anthony, we finally made it across the border with our car. That being said, it appears I missed some excitement while off-line these past couple weeks. A number of you kindly sent me links to stories involving Marc Balestrieri’s canonical petition against John Kerry concerning the scandal being caused to Christ’s faithful from the latter’s support for abortion. Marc is a lay canonist in his early thirties and a pretty solid guy. So his action in support of innocent children in the womb took both myself and other lay canonists from our generation by surprise.
I cannot begin to explain the likely consequences of Marc’s actions. Don’t get me wrong; up until this point Marc enjoyed a solid reputation as a canon lawyer. He spent six months researching this petition, and his research, presentation, and handling of the facts and of the law is solid. Yet in terms of his future, this is the most risky venture undertaken by a canon lawyer since the eighties when Fr. Tom Doyle predicted the clergy sexual abuse crisis. Basically, Marc is putting his reputation and his livelihood on the line here.
We spoke earlier today by phone, and he is already come under heavy fire from the Democrat machine, some heavy players within the Catholic hierarchy, not a few respected canonists, and even some neo-conservative Republicans. Up until now, he’s also fought much of this battle alone, against powerful enemies on several fronts, and out of his own pockets. Keep in mind that Church employees don’t make a whole lot of money to begin with, and Marc has living expenses like the rest of us. As long as this canonical action is drawing public attention, despite the Church’s shortage of canon lawyers, most dioceses won’t touch him.
Yet Marc assured me when we spoke that the costs were worth it. He also told me that he would rather seek Kerry repent than be excommunicated, and this remains the end for which Marc hopes. Barring this happy outcome, however, Marc is ready and willing to sacrifice his future over this canonical action. Although I cringe whenever I think of what’s in store for Marc, I know he is doing the right thing.
I cannot deny that I have often toyed with the idea of initiating a similar canonical action. Nevertheless, I always backed down. There’s a number of excuses I could offer – having a wife and two children to support being the main one, not wanting to draw too much attention as a Canadian living in the United States being another – but in the end, these were merely excuses.
The real reason I backed down was cowardice. I simply was not ready to absorb the personal and financial costs involved. Yet Marc’s actions have forced me to confront the costs of my own cowardice. Each year there are close to three million victims of abortion in America. Half of these victims, the children in the womb, forfeit their lives to altar of the sexual revolution. The other half, that being the mothers, find themselves emotionally and psychologically damaged for the rest of their lives. This has got to stop, and the Church must take firm action against the Catholic politicians who support this grave evil.
Marc, I know you follow these blogs. And I appreciate your kind compliments towards me and other lay canonists who fought some of the earlier battles. But we spent most of the day speaking among ourselves and we all agree that you’ve set the new standard of courage with your canonical action as none of us have had the courage thus far to lay it all on the line like you have. You’ve got some heavy persecution ahead and none of the boys envy you. May God bless you in this effort and may He give us the courage to stand by you and you defend His most innocent of creation.

And people ask me why the Church grants so many annulments?
As some of you know, I work full-time for a diocesan tribunal. Like most lay canonists, I also work part-time for several (about a half-dozen) Catholic tribunals on the side. A package arrived from one of these today that contained about a dozen cases. Of course I cannot name the tribunal or share any detailed information, but here’s a quick breakdown based upon the length of the marriage in question:
Over 15 yrs: 1
10 to 15 yrs: 2
7 to 9 yrs: 1
4 to 6 yrs: 2
1 to 3 yrs: 4
Under a year: 2
Exactly half these cases concern marriages between two individuals who were
not Catholic at the time of marriage. Four of the cases concern mixed marriages between Catholics and non-Catholics. Only two concerned a marriage between two Catholics.

Well, the list is out and my parish in Boston is on it. Holy Trinity Church has been ordered to close, with one year delay. Now, that’s interesting, since it seems to indicate a willingness to take our needs into account.
Here’s the full list….

Professor Edward Peters, in his usual lucid manner, dispels a cardinal’s misunderstandings about whether it is proper to admit or bar pro-abortion politicians from Holy Communion.

…but I think we’d agree there’s a potential Lack of Consent here.