So-Called Catholic Politicians

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Chris_LaRock

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This may not be the right place to post this, but here it goes.

I would like to know how do the Catholics on this site feel about so-called Catholic politicians supporting the culture of death through abortion and assisted suicide? Do you think such people should be excommunicated?
 
Keep in mind that they excommunicate themselves through mortal sin. A formal declaration of excommunication would only be declaring what is already in effect.
 
Vatican Cardinal: Catholic Voters Can Never Be Justified in Voting for Pro-Abortion Politicians

lifesite.net/ldn/2005/oct/05100602.html
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ROME, October 6, 2005 (CWNews.com/LifeSiteNews.com) - The president of the Pontifical Council for Health Care has stated flatly that Catholics cannot, in conscience, support a politician who favors legal abortion.

Cardinal Javier Lozano Barragan made his remarks in an interview with the Italian daily La Repubblica. He was responding indirectly to an intervention by Archbishop William Levada during the discussions of the Synod of Bishop. Archbishop Levada-- the American prelate recently chosen by Pope Benedict XVI (bio - news) to be prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith-- had asked other prelates to reflect on the question that had divided the US hierarchy during the 2004 election year: How bishops should respond to Catholic politicians who support abortion.

“A Catholic cannot support a politician who presents abortion as a general norm,” said Cardinal Lozano. The Mexican prelate added that “a son of the Church cannot consider himself to be in full communion if he supports what the Church condemns.”…**
 
Aaron I.:
Keep in mind that they excommunicate themselves through mortal sin. A formal declaration of excommunication would only be declaring what is already in effect.
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I thought there was a difference between excommunication and mortal sin, in that mortal sin can be forgiven through reconciliation whereas excommunication is permanent unless the Church decides to reverse it.

Anyhow, I’m not sure if excommunication would be the way to go in this case. These ‘Catholic’ politicians are not trying to say that the Church supports culture of death, they’re saying that they don’t agree with the Church’s stance. As long as this is clear, these people don’t really pose a threat to the Church - they are distancing themselves from it rather than trying to change it from within. Excommunication is for heretics who have convinced people that the Church teaches something which it doesn’t actually teach - in that case, people think that they are an authority and so the Church has to make it clear that they’re not by excommunicating them.

I’m no expert on these things though, I could be wrong.

The Church should probably just treat these politicians like secular politicians who are saying the wrong thing.
 
What about the so-called Catholics who vote for the so-called Catholic politicians?
 
What about them? They are sinning, but we can’t just go around excommunicating people at random. All we can (should) do is tell them to repent.
 
Catholic politicians who support the culture of death are traitors in my book. I can only imagine what they are going to say to God when they meet him face to face.
 
I never, ever would vote for a So-called Catholic, who promotes the Culture of Death while claiming he(or she)is a “good” Catholic. If a choice of only two people to vote for and both promoted culture of death and one was an “Atheist” and the other a “Catholic”, I’d vote for the Atheist because at least he/she is not a phony.:hmmm:
 
Shouldn’t the question be, isn’t the pro-choice politician the one using the Christian faithful, and the Most Holy Eucharist, as ladder rungs to achieve political ends?*

Appearing to be Catholic in the public eye is very useful to Catholic politicians who have large Christian constituencies.* It gives those politicians an instant advantage with voters who, having to choose between different candidates, often identify themselves with publicly-elected officials coming from the same background, raised in the same religion, etc…**

By intimidating Bishops and Priests to give them Holy Communion, pro-choice Catholic politicians are the ones who dare to use Christ as a shield to charges of aiding and abetting the butchering of the innocent.
 
The so-called Catholic politicians that openly support the pro-choice movement are heretics and I think the Church should speak our more assertively against them. Kerry made me sick when he would say: "I’m a Catholic, I was an altar boy, but I support a woman’s right to choose."
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Economically I would be a lot better under a Democrat President, but I voted for President Bush because I knew that the Supreme Court would most likely have 2 openings & that was our chance to get more conservative Judges on the bench.

I’m amazed at some of my Catholic friends that voted for Kerry or just didn’t vote. Again, I think the Church should speak out in a more assertive way about pro-choice Catholic politicians :banghead:
 
Just wait until one of these folks becomes President, which probably will happen with the direction our moral system is going.

Once that man (or woman) takes the election by storm (and it will probably happen soon) by placing the “faithful Catholic” statement in his campaign, all the constituents in this forum (or any other Catholic conservative network) will “solemnly swear.”

It makes me sick that one of these people is morally accepted by Catholics… but then again, maybe the majority of the church in America is following its politicians (bad examples, huh?)

-SR

P.S. That quote “solemnly swear” was Jon Stewart’s reaction to George Bush’s nomination directly after he said “I, George W. Bush, solemnly swear…”
 
Economically I would be a lot better under a Democrat President, but I voted for President Bush because I knew that the Supreme Court would most likely have 2 openings & that was our chance to get more conservative Judges on the bench.

I’m sorry you feel that the economy would be better under a Democrat. The facts do not bear that out. Yes, the Clinton years were good, the Dems were pulled kicking and screaming into reforming welfare, balancing the budget and several other things that Pres. Clinton did not want to do. If you mean the cost of gasoline and gas products, there is a whole lot that goes into that, none of which the President has anything to do with. All the economic indicators are good but with all the things that are happening i.e. Katrina, Rita, the war, our budget is spread pretty thin. And then there is the Congress, both parties, that are determined to bring their pets projects home regardless of what it does to the budget. Biggest offender—Senator Stevens (R-Alaska) who will not give up his “bridge to nowhere”.
 
It seems to me that some Catholics are excited that a canidate is a professing Catholic, and overlook his/her pro-death veiws for the sake of electing a fellow Catholic. Catholics have been persecuted within the political system, and I think some Catholics take that into consideration when they vote and see the election of anyone calling themselves a Catholic as progress in ending discrimination.
 
Yes I think they should be excommunicated. Afterall, they are publically endorsing laws which go against the Catholic faith. They give scandal to all Catholics in the formative stages of life.
 
I don’t think people should call themselves something they are not. Even if they are politicians and lie about everything else. 😃
 
The root of the problem is that many of them are not catechized. I think our bishops and priests hold a majority of the responsibility. It goes back to the idea of single issue politics. Dr. Mirus says thus, “No morally neutral or morally irrelevant agreement or disagreement with a particular political candidate can overbalance the requirement to vote for or against the candidate when a political issue is at stake. Moral issues are fundamentally different from other political issues.”
 
Chris LaRock:
I don’t think people should call themselves something they are not. Even if they are politicians and lie about everything else. 😃
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Unfortunately, politics is the politicians life.
 
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bones_IV:
Unfortunately, politics is the politicians life.
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For St. Thomas More, politics was his death. However, he accepted his martyrdom in the best political spirit of all, stating that he was “The king’s good servant, but God’s first.”

~~ the phoenix
 
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Grandsmoor:
Yes I think they should be excommunicated. Afterall, they are publically endorsing laws which go against the Catholic faith. They give scandal to all Catholics in the formative stages of life.
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I had just such a discussion with the pastor of my church about a month ago. For example, it was more obvious when someone of the prominence of Jackie Kennedy marries out of the church than it is, of course, for someone who is not in the public eye. And it brings disgrace on the church. To see them receive communion when others in their position cannot is troublesome.
 
The Anti-abortion candidate may not always be the best candidate sometimes. For example, if I had to choose between Hillary Clinton (a pro-abortionist) or David Duke (an anti-abortionist) for president. I would choose Hillary Clinton! Who would you vote for?😛
 
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