'One of the greatest moral evils': Cardinal Raymond Burke supports refusing Communion to Biden, U.S. Presidential candidate

[po18guy]

And Cardinal Burke is not afraid to suffer for the truth. Many great Saints have suffered at the hands of misguided, envious or jealous superiors.

Lest we forget, denial of communion, even formal excommunication, is not not not punitive.

It is medicinal, intended to shake them back to their senses.

 

[Randolph]

his opponents will attempt to make abortions easier.

Not just easier… All democratic nominees support abortion up to before actual birth…

Furthermore, President Trump, both in words and in action, has been the most pro-life president in recent times—arguably in all time.

 

[Randolph]

And Cardinal Burke is not afraid to suffer for the truth. Many great Saints have suffered at the hands of misguided, envious or jealous superiors.

May God continue to bless Cardinal Burke!! His Eminence is among great and courageous defenders of Christ and the Magisterium… I am grateful for his sacrifice and service to the Church.

 

[mythbuster1]

Nay, rather, the Lord said of the Pharisees, “Do whatever they say, but do not do what they do, for they preach but do not practice.”

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

Moral: Better leave it to God to judge…

Why are you saying this then?

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

Furthermore, President Trump, both in words and in action, has been the most pro-life president in recent times—arguably in all time.

There was a low bar so that doesn’t actually mean much if it means anything at all.

 

[Randolph]

There was a low bar so that doesn’t actually mean much if it means anything at all.

You know it’s ok for people to appreciate President Trump for being against abortion up to right before birth; for being the first sitting president to join March For Life; for issuing Mexico exemption; for appointing record number (at least 167) of pro-life/pro-Constitution federal court judges, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court justices; for constantly speaking out for the unborn as a joy for humanity and a sacred gift from God.

What president has been more Pro-Life (anti-abortion) than President Trump since Roe v Wade? Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., Obama?

These things mean a whole lot to me and to the Pro-Life movement.

 

[VanitasVanitatum]

What president has been more Pro-Life (anti-abortion) than President Trump since Roe v Wade? Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., Obama?

I just said there was a low bar.

You know it’s ok for people to appreciate President Trump for being against abortion up to right before birth; for being the first sitting president to join March For Life; for issuing Mexico exemption; for appointing record number (at least 167) of pro-life/pro-Constitution federal court judges, Court of Appeals and Supreme Court justices; for constantly speaking out for the unborn as a joy for humanity and a sacred gift from God.

It is a good thing, but some of the things Like going to the march and speaking out as well as being against abortion are done by many Americans and don’t sound like particularly especial achievements. I do thank Trump for the rest though.

 

[Randolph]

It is a good thing, but some of the things Like going to the march and speaking out as well as being against abortion are done by many Americans and don’t sound like particularly especial achievements.

I am among the many pro-lifers. But, did the many pro-lifers march in March for Life in the capacity of the president of the United States? Case in point, no US presidents, including former pro-life presidents, had ever marched in March For Life… It took both personal conviction and political courage to march—with all the optics for his political enemies to shoot at. I give Trump lots of credit for this. Many pro-abortion and liberal/progressive groups have vowed to make Trump pay for this move in 2020. How will this turn out? Time will tell.

 

[godisgood77]

I only know his actions.

Me too. And that is why I absolutely can not support President Trump and will do all I can to make sure he is either removed or defeated.

 

[godisgood77]

Yes, the entire CAF knows how much you hate Trump.

Well Randolph… I don’t hate Trump. My family prays for him, but I definitely oppose him. And yes I’m aware of how the impeachment process works. It is sad that the country has to go through impeachment of its president foe the 3rd time in its history, but is the right thing to do regardless of the outcome.

 

[gracepoole]

This is just basic Church teaching. But we are in desperate need of homilies on the need for and power of confession. It seems highly unlikely that everyone who receives in today’s parishes is in a state of grace, and as a lifelong Catholic who completed 12 years of Catholic schooling, I didn’t even know that was required until I was in my 30’s.

 

[Randolph]

Me too. And that is why I absolutely can not support President Trump and will do all I can to make sure he is either removed or defeated.

These were your words and you still claim that you don’t hate Trump. Really, who are you trying to fool?

Just curious, what exactly will you do all you can “to make sure Trump is removed”…? And you do realize that it was the American people that elected Trump their president…

 

[Ender]

And…getting back to the point raised by the OP. Does anyone think communion shouldn’t be refused to politicians who publicly support abortion? Trump isn’t Catholic, and opposes abortion anyway, so he’s not really relevant to the conversation.

 

[Irishmom2]

I read somewhere that he does not go up to receive communion. So there is no need for anyone to refuse him.

 

[pnewton]

The man is not Biden’s bishop, priest, confessor, or pope. I do not know if he has ever even spoken to the man, or is basing his personal judgment of the man (something Jesus forbade) on what he has read in his media of choice. I do not know if he is right or wrong about the state of the man’s soul. The point is, he has no authority to make that judgement. There is a reason why Jesus reserves final judgement to himself. He does allow the Church the authority to loose and bind, but that is the Church, not each clergy man making such determinations about those not under their authority.

I wonder if it even crossed the Cardinal’s mind there might be something he does not know. There is at least one thing the Cardinal is factual wrong about. Biden has not been consistent in supporting abortion. He has voted against federal funding of abortion, even stating that when he ran for VP. If Cardinal Burke is wrong about that, then what else could he not be aware of?

 

[Thom18]

ProVobis:

By this logic we are obligated to vote for someone like Joe Walsh in the primaries since he is opposed to all abortions unlike Trump who allows for whatever passes for rape and incest.

Trump isn’t prolife at all. “I am pro-choice in every respect.” That’s how he described himself before he needed to adopt the duplicitous approach for political gain. It turns my gut the same way that Joe Bidens duplicitousness does.

He hasn’t been using his executive office to promote anti-life policies- quite the opposite, so I feel I have no choice but to see his pro-life work as having its root in pro-life belief. If we know a person by their fruits, right now President Trump is bearing pro-life ones.

 

[Ender]

The man is not Biden’s bishop, priest, confessor, or pope. I do not know if he has ever even spoken to the man, or is basing his personal judgment of the man (something Jesus forbade) on what he has read in his media of choice. I do not know if he is right or wrong about the state of the man’s soul.

This question of judging a person’s soul is continually brought up in this context even though it has nothing to do with the issue. It is not the state of a person’s soul that is being judged but rather the nature of his public actions. This is why a person who has been divorced and remarried cannot receive publicly even if he abstains from sexual relations. He may receive privately, but not publicly.

It is what is done in public that triggers canon 915, and what Biden (and pretty much every other Catholic Democrat) has done by publicly supporting abortion (euthanasia, gay “marriage”, et al) is what has, as it should, made 915 applicable.

 

[pnewton]

It is what is done in public that triggers canon 915, and what Biden (and pretty much every other Catholic Democrat) has done by publicly supporting abortion (euthanasia, gay “marriage”, et al) is what has, as it should, made 915 applicable.

I can not agree or disagree with whether this applies, or 912 applies. It is not my decision. It is not his either. In fact, without personal knowledge, I do not know how obstinance can be fully known. The man has not been consistently pro-abortion, after all.

 

[Ender]

I can not agree or disagree with whether this applies, or 912 applies. It is not my decision. It is not his either. In fact, without personal knowledge, I do not know how obstinance can be fully known. The man has not been consistently pro-abortion, after all.

Can. 912 Any baptized person not prohibited by law can and must be admitted to holy communion.

Canon 915 is the law that prohibits the distribution of communion (when specific criteria have been met). To ignore the public behavior of well known Catholics, or to claim we are in no position to evaluate it, is to turn a blind eye to evil. It is essentially to ask “What is truth?” Either church law means what it clearly says, or it is without meaning entirely. Either we act as if it has meaning, or our actions ignore it.