October 19, 2010 2:12 PM
Vatican: Catholic pro-abort politicians must repent
HT: WendyVatican's Chief Justice: Catholic Politicians Who Support Abortion or Gay Marriage Must Publicly RepentMonday, October 18, 2010
Raymond Leo Burke, archbishop emeritus of St. Louis, MO, and current prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the highest court at the Vatican, in Rome.
(CNSNews.com) - Catholic politicians who publicly support abortion or homosexual marriage and then seek to turn away from such "gravely sinful acts" must perform "public" actions of "repentance," said Raymond Burke, the archbishop emeritus of St. Louis and the current head of the highest court at the Vatican, the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura.
In remarks at the 5th Human Life International World Prayer Congress for Life in Rome, Italy, Arbp. Burke said that the culture today pushes a "cafeteria Catholicism," whereby some Catholics pick and choose "what part of the deposit of faith to believe and practice." As a result, "there has developed in places a false notion that the Christian or any person of faith, in order to be a true citizen of his nation, must bracket his faith life from his public life."
"We find self-professed Catholics, for example, who sustain and support the right of a woman to procure the death of the infant in her womb, or the right of two persons of the same sex to the recognition which the State gives to a man and a woman who have entered into marriage," said the archbishop. "It is not possible to be a practicing Catholic and to conduct oneself publicly in this manner."
Arbp. Burke continued, "When a person has publicly espoused and cooperated in gravely sinful acts, leading many into confusion and error about fundamental questions of respect for human life and the integrity of marriage and the family, his repentance of such actions must also be public."
"The person in question bears a heavy responsibility for the grave scandal which he has caused," said the archbishop in his speech last week. "The responsibility is especially heavy for political leaders. The repair of such scandal begins with the public acknowledgment of his own error and the public declaration of his adherence to the moral law."
Read more at CNSNews.com
See also RealCatholicTV
Posted in Catholicism, Pro-Life Issues | Permalink
Comments
Seems to me like the Church needs to remind Catholics everywhere of exactly what it means to be Catholic. Somewhere along the line I think the Church must have gone astray and did not properly teach young kids growing up. Now, they are not firmly rooted in their faith, don't know what their faith actually teaches, and think that it's ok to pick and choose. Or worse, they think all that church "stuff" is only for Sunday. We are reaping what was basically not sown. I think the Church needs to do a better job teaching and then standing behind what it teaches. Some of these politicians clearly are bad Catholics and should not be allowed to receive communion, yet too many priests still permit it.
Goodness, this story hit close to home today and I could go on and on but I'll stop.
Posted by: Michelle | October 19, 2010 3:27 PM
I deeply wish that the Catholic church would take firm action against these politicians or any other public figures evangelizing against Catholic doctrine. I have never understood how a Catholic, or any other Christian from a Bible teaching church, could preach these things.
Posted by: Julia | October 20, 2010 8:20 AM
