Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:37:29 -0800 (PST) From: George Pinto <[email protected]>
Kennedy is being denied communion for supporting a pro-choice public policy, not for ever having aborted a baby with his partner/wife. Mere support for public policy is being justified. Why aren't the Bishops supporting a policy of denying communion where innocent life in taken in illegal and immoral wars, or even moral and legal wars for that matter. There is a danger that the communion-denial policy can be used as a political tool. Mario observes: The logic being used here seems inverted: a) Politicians like Patrick Kennedy are responsible for far more INNOCENT lives by their public support of abortion on demand than if they had aborted a foetus of their own. b) It is specious to accuse the Bishop of using his moral authority as a political tool when he was trying to STOP Kennedy from using his membership in the church as a political tool to influence other Catholics and diminish the moral authority of the Church. c) If Kennedy is such a believer in abortion rights, he can easily leave the Catholic Church and advocate for his beliefs all day long, rather than confuse and dilute their closely held beliefs d) There is an alternative to the choice of abortion in the case of an unwanted pregnancy - the choice of adoption which is a win-win option for all sides. e) The Catholic Church does oppose armed conflicts as a generality, but does follow a concept of just wars: http://catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/p/Just_War_Theory.htm f) It is specious for Catholic supporters of abortion to blithely play the "illegal war" card when they had no problems with the underlying atrocities and loss of lives that caused the war to be fought in the first place. George wrote: And if Kennedy is being denied communion for support of pro-choice, why should Cardinal Law (Boston) not be denied communion for his protection of priests who molested innocent children. What about the guilty priests too who ACTUALLY committed a crime? Shouldn't they be denied communion? Should the Pope be denied communion for protecting Cardinal Law by moving him to Rome in a deal to save him from prosecution and the embarrassment to the Boston Catholic community, including Catholic prosecutors? Mario responds: Actually it was the previous Pope, John Paul II, who gratuitously took the disgraced Cardinal Law to Rome, which is one of the reasons for my written opposition to the fast tracking of his case for sainthood by the current Pope. By the way, just for the record, Cardinal Law did not knowingly and deliberately "protect" pedophile priests - he was guilty of using poor judgment and believing the prevailing psychological thinking at the time that these animals could be cured with psychological treatment and counseling. In the disgusting and disgraceful pedophile priest issue, the entire Church, from Pope JP-II on down, have been publicly accused by me of reacting too slowly, doing too little too late, and of being far too concerned about the pedophile priests and the image of the Church and not concerned enough about the young victims who were scarred for life. Having said that, it seems you have missed the difference between those who have ACTUALLY repented from crimes they have committed, no matter how heinous, where the religion calls for forgiveness, versus those like Kennedy who continue to openly and publicly defy the teachings of the religion they pretend to belong to for social and political benefits. Kennedy would also be reinstated if he repents, regardless of how many innocent abortions he may directly or indirectly be responsible for. George wrote: It is mind-boggling that some US Bishops think denying sacraments is their prerogative (if I remember correctly Christ forgave sinners). Mario responds: So, I see you do know about the forgiveness of sinners, even though you have obviously missed the pre-condition of remorse and repentance, which Kennedy continues to be delinquent of. Kennedy can and will be forgiven if he repents, but he should not be allowed to openly and publicly defy the teachings of the Church and continue to enjoy the other benefits of membership. Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2009 08:39:29 -0800 (PST) From: George Pinto <[email protected]> Should these Dublin Bishops be denied communion too? http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091126/ap_on_re_eu/eu_ireland_catholic_abuse Mario responds: Of course they should, IF THEY HAVEN'T SHOWN REMORSE AND REPENTED, something that the Patrick Kennedy you seem to be defending has SHOWN NO SIGNS OF DOING.
