A cabal of 48 House members, 45 of whom think butchering babies in their mothers’ wombs is just fine and dandy and must be a protected legal right, signed a letter to Washington’s Archbishop Theodore McCarrick warning – that’s right – warning – him against obeying church law by casting them into the outer darkness where there is weeping and wailing and the gnashing of teeth.
In their May 10th letter, the signers, all members of the National Socialist Democrat Abortion Party (NSDAP), had the unmitigated gall to warn that should the nation’s bishops enforce canon law and refuse to give Communion to politicians who violate church doctrine, they “will revive latent anti-Catholic prejudice.”
Latent anti-Catholic prejudice? Where have these people been? Don’t they read the New York Times or the L A Times, bastions of anti-Catholicism. Do they watch the swill Hollywood produces? How can you “revive” something that’s running rampant across the fruited plain, as Rush Limbaugh would say.
Anti-Catholicism, it is said, is the anti-Semitism of the intellectuals, and that bunch of elitists makes no attempt to disguise their hatred of the Roman Catholic Church and all she stands for.
Aside from that absurdity, the 45 House Democrats (three signers oppose abortion, but being members of the pro-abortion NSDAP they went along with their comrades to show, I guess a little solidarity) had the gall to instruct the bishops on the responsibility of politicians to put political expediency above allegiance to their faith – the sheep telling the shepherds what their job happens to be, which is not to lead.
The letter was circulated by Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro (D-Conn) and Rep. Nick Lampson (D-Tex.) among the 73 Catholic Democrats in the House. It was a result of meetings among a small number of Catholic Democrats in the House who wanted to talk privately about faith and public service, DeLauro said. “This was not about politics. It was about us and our church and our own faith,” she said.
In the letter, the Democratic House members said they “firmly believe that it would be wrong for a bishop to deny the sacrament of Holy Communion to an individual on the basis of a voting record. We believe that such an action would be counter-productive and would bring great harm to the church.”
Bill Donohue, who heads the Catholic League and has an ability to recognize humbuggery when he sees it said “The Democratic congressmen who signed the letter, almost all of whom are pro-abortion, are admonishing the nation’s bishops not to ‘revive latent anti-Catholic prejudice’ by threatening to deny them Communion. This is a classic example of ‘blaming the victim.’ Bishops who call upon Catholic legislators to protect the rights of the unborn lest they jeopardize their Catholic standing are simply exercising their episcopal authority. To suggest that in doing so these bishops are promoting anti-Catholic bigotry is to exculpate the guilty and blame the innocent. If the issue were segregation, would these Catholic Democrats rebuke those bishops who endorsed sanctions against pro-segregation lawmakers? Would they be counseling the bishops to shut up lest they spark Catholic bashing?
“The letter also questions why the bishops have not sought sanctions against Catholic politicians who voted for the war in Iraq or who are in favor of the death penalty. In doing so, these lawmakers evince a profound ignorance: the pope’s position on the war was that it could be resorted to only ‘as the very last option,’ thus allowing room for a legitimate debate on whether that time had arrived. Regarding the death penalty, the Holy Father has never taken an absolutist position against it; he argues that for the most part it is no longer necessary to defend society. In short, war and capital punishment, while never desirable, may sometimes be necessary. By contrast, abortion is intrinsically evil.”
As Barbara Kralis explains in “Ten questions regarding the denial of the Eucharist.” , it is the bishop’s obligation to follow canon law, and Canon Law n.915 mandates the denial of Communion to all “manifest, obstinate, persistent sinners,” including but not exclusive to politicians.
Supporting the legalized killing of the unborn is by canon law deemed to be manifestly, obstinately, and persistently sinful. To put it bluntly, it is murder, and no politicians can sanction legalized murder and retain the right to call themselves Catholics. They don’t need a bishop to excommunicate them – they have already excommunicated themselves.
I am at a loss to understand their reasoning, To be a Catholic is to be a Catholic in the full sense of the word. That is to accept the authority of the Church in all matters involving faith and morals. If a politician cannot accept that authority, he or she should go find a church that allows one to believe anything one chooses to believe.
The signers of that letter were not only seriously mistaken – they were insolent in instructing the bishops in matters of faith and morals, neither of which these Democrats seem to have any understanding.
If the nation’s bishops can find it in themselves to obey canon law, they will promptly cast these unapologetic apostates into the outer darkness where they can enjoy the weeping and wailing and the gnashing of teeth until, one hopes, they come to their senses. In the meantime, pray for them, but don’t under any circumstances vote for them.