Card. Burke: "Biden is not a Catholic in good standing..."

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Victoria33 said:
I think this was discussed here already. He is a Cardinal, His voice carries a lot of weight.
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He is a Cardinal. He is not Biden’s bishop.

In the Church there are roles and responsibilities. He can have his opinion of Mr. Biden, just as I can have my opinion of Cardinal Burke. But it is the Church that can say if Biden is a Catholic in good standing, and the person in the Church with that authority is Biden’s bishop. As far as I know, Cardinal Burke has never been Biden’s pastor, confessor or Bishop; they likely have never even met. So he can certainly express his opinion, and those that hold Cardinal Burke in good esteem can take that for what it is worth. But that is all it is.
 
“Vote for Trump not Biden”, which is what these threads really boil down to, is now comparable to the spreading of the Gospel itself?
 
TMC said:
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Victoria33:
I think this was discussed here already. He is a Cardinal, His voice carries a lot of weight.
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He is a Cardinal. He is not Biden’s bishop.

In the Church there are roles and responsibilities. He can have his opinion of Mr. Biden, just as I can have my opinion of Cardinal Burke. But it is the Church that can say if Biden is a Catholic in good standing, and the person in the Church with that authority is Biden’s bishop. As far as I know, Cardinal Burke has never been Biden’s pastor, confessor or Bishop; they likely have never even met. So he can certainly express his opinion, and those that hold Cardinal Burke in good esteem can take that for what it is worth. But that is all it is.
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The Bishop of Wilmington, for whatever reason, has refused to tell Biden that he can’t receive communion. But it’s not surprising, as someone who grew up in the Diocese of Wilmington, it’s a very Methodist area and the Catholics who live there (including priests) are very influenced by the Methodist spirituality of area.

A priest friend I have in the Diocese of Wilmington says the orthodoxy of the diocese is pretty weak. 😦
 
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This does not say Biden is not a Catholic. This says Biden is not a catholic in good standing due to his constant support for abortion, and that is dangerous for Biden soul and for all who like Biden, continue to support abortion.

The topic is not Vote for President Trump, the topic is: Are you a Catholic in good standing? If you are not, then what is stoping you?
 
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phil19034 said:
The Bishop of Wilmington, for whatever reason, has refused to tell Biden that he can’t receive communion.
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Seems that the reason is likely that his bishop had determined that doing so would not be appropriate.
 
TMC said:
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phil19034:
The Bishop of Wilmington, for whatever reason, has refused to tell Biden that he can’t receive communion.
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Seems that the reason is likely that his bishop had determined that doing so would not be appropriate.
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More likely that some bishops (like Cardinal Wuerl) simply don’t believe in doing it.
 
If we are just scoring points, yes, Biden has been denied Communion.


And, in turn to be fair, I believe I saw one Cardinal say He would not have done that. There is nothing wrong with hearing these other men speak on this issue.


I fully respect his right to say this and view, instead of what appears to be some trying to downplay other clergy remarking on this situation.
 
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Haven’t read the article by Cardinal Dolan but I think that statement alone is scandalous.
 
TMC said:
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phil19034:
More likely that some bishops (like Cardinal Wuerl) simply don’t believe in doing it.
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Is that not the same thing?
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Not necessarily. “not being appropriate” may mean that some instances it would be appropriate and some instances would not be.

Not believing in doing it would mean never doing it.

In Cardinal Burke’s opinion, Joe Biden’s “pro-choice” position is manifest grave sin. Therefore, according to Canon 915, Biden should be told by the clergy to refrain from communion.

However, there are many members of the clergy (eps in the United States) who refused to follow Canon 915. They don’t tell people who are invalidly married to refrain, they don’t tell people who are cohabitating to refrain, etc.

As a canon lawyer, and member of the Apostolic Signatura, Cardinal Burke is very informed about Canon 915.
 
phil19034 said:
Not necessarily. “not being appropriate” may mean that some instances it would be appropriate and some instances would not be.

Not believing in doing it would mean never doing it.
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Yes, I understand. I guess what I am saying is that it is possible that Biden’s bishop thinks that denying communion is never appropriate, or he may think it is not appropriate in this circumstance. Seems like it must be one of those, however.
 
TMC said:
Actually, Cardinal Burke does not represent any diocese. The Pope has seen fit to not assign him any such duties. We can speculate as to why that is, but I will not do so here.
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Just to be clear, Cardinal Burke is a member of the Apostolic Signatura.

He was called to Rome by Pope Benedict because the Cardinal is a great canon lawyer. While Pope Francis removed him as the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, Pope Francis did assign him to be a member of the Apostolic Signatura.
 
TMC said:
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phil19034:
Not necessarily. “not being appropriate” may mean that some instances it would be appropriate and some instances would not be.

Not believing in doing it would mean never doing it.
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Yes, I understand. I guess what I am saying is that it is possible that Biden’s bishop thinks that denying communion is never appropriate, or he may think it is not appropriate in this circumstance. Seems like it must be one of those, however.
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As someone who was once told to refrain from Communion by a priest due to Canon 915, I take this subject very personally.

Canon 915 helped me return to a very devout love & understanding of the the Catholic Faith. If if wasn’t for the tough love of Canon 915, I don’t know where I would be.

So it really hurts me to see clergy defy/ignore Canon 915.

One big example in my life is my brother, who lives in Wilmington, DE. My brother is currently in an invalid marriage. I told my brother the same thing the priests told me here in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. I told my brother how to have his marriage recognized by the church, etc.

Well, a priest in Diocese of Wilmington told my brother not to worry about Canon 915! So my brother is currently receiving communion and had no intentions of regularizing his marriage.

When I discuss it with my brother, he tells me “well my pastor said it doesn’t matter.”

Ignoring Canon 915 is rampant in the Diocese of Wilmington - and the negative effects are affecting members of the my family 😦
 
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twf said:
“Vote for Trump not Biden”, which is what these threads really boil down to, is now comparable to the spreading of the Gospel itself?
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This election is one moment on a historical time-line that may zig or zag, accelerate or decelerate, twist or turn, but ultimately our choice will lean toward the Hand of God drawing us toward Himself, or toward the lie, the idolatry of self-love. So yes, it is all about the Good News of Christ the Truth, the Life - whether we will advance toward Him, even if incrementally, or toward the ongoing construction site of the Tower of Babel, the City of Man, Babylon the seducer of mankind.

And as has been the case from the beginning, the architect of the City of Man is a slick promoter. He even dresses and speaks like a religious man for the religious, like a patriot for the patriotic, like a benefactor for the self-loving who seek only their own. He is a liar and the father of lies; there is no truth in him. Listen to the man with a servant-heart, seeking to do good for the sake of the good, the man who does not need to rule but will, for the sake of the good.
 
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That’s a poignant, important story, phil19034. Truth can indeed call for tough love, when cheap love is not really love at all.
Can. 915 Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to holy communion.
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phil19034 said:
Just to be clear, Cardinal Burke is a member of the Apostolic Signatura.

He was called to Rome by Pope Benedict because the Cardinal is a great canon lawyer. While Pope Francis removed him as the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, Pope Francis did assign him to be a member of the Apostolic Signatura.
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Yes, Cardinal Burke was Prefect for a time, but was removed by Pope Francis. He was then assigned to the Order of Malta until the Pope removed all of his duties in that role.
Shortly after that, he was reappointed as a member of the Signatura, but without any of his previous leadership roles or responsibilities. One can draw one’s own conclusions as to why his career has moved as it has.
 
It really boils down to this: If a Catholic truly believes in the Real Presence, and that St. Paul’s warning to not “eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner…eats and drinks judgment upon himself” (1 Cor 11:27-29) is truth for the good of someone’s soul, then…how can anyone stay silent if they thought someone was putting their soul at risk by doing so?
 
KMC said:
It really boils down to this: If a Catholic truly believes in the Real Presence, and that St. Paul’s warning to not “eat the bread or drink the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner…eats and drinks judgment upon himself” (1 Cor 11:27-29) is truth for the good of someone’s soul, then…how can anyone stay silent if they thought someone was putting their soul at risk by doing so?
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A very large percentage of lay Catholics don’t believe in the Real Presence. I would not be surprised if a percentage of priests and bishops didn’t believe either 😦
 
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