Pro-Abortion Politicians 'Must' be Denied Communion

In June 2004 then-head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI issued a letter entitled 'Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion. General Principles' to U.S. Bishops who were debating the issue stating, in part:

"5. Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.

6. When "these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible," and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, "the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it" (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration "Holy Communion and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics" [2002], nos. 3-4). This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgement on the person’s subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person’s public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin."

Spanish bishops heeded this letter on November 27, 2009 when, according to a LifeSite article, the Plenary Assembly of the Spanish Episcopal Conference issued a statement saying that politicians who vote for a proposed law liberalizing abortion in Spain place themselves in an "objective state of sin and, while the situation lasts, may not be admitted to Holy Communion."

Catholicism vs. Catholic American Politicians 2009

Asking only what is expected of them, the Catholic Church is finally holding accountable those Catholics in leadership roles, to show us their faith.

America was founded on Christian principles. It was what framed our laws we see today and has continued to frame them. From the deliverance from the totalitarian King of England, to the emancipation of the slaves, to the current struggle of ensuring life for children in the womb, Christian principles have and must prevail to keep our country strong and civil. The farther we veer from these principles the weaker we become and the more we shrink from human civility.

As Pope John Paul II phrased it:

"If there is no ultimate truth to guide and direct political activity, then ideas and convictions can easily be manipulated for reasons of power. As history demonstrates, a democracy without values easily turns into open or thinly disguised totalitarianism."

- Pope John Paul II. Centesimus annus (May 5, 1991)

The article explains:

Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishop' Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, said Monday that his group will "work with senators of both parties" to address their concerns. But his group blasted the Senate health bill on Friday, and Doerflinger said Monday that the conference will oppose it if their concerns are not met.

James Ch. 2:10-26:

"And whosoever shall keep the whole law, but offend in one point, is become guilty of all.

For he that said, Thou shalt not commit adultery, said also, Thou shalt not kill. Now if you do not commit adultery, but shall kill, you art become a transgressor of the law.

. . .What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he has faith, but has not works? Shall faith be able to save him?

And if a brother or sister be naked, and want daily food: And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit?

So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself.

But some man will say: You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without works; and I will show you, by works, my faith.

You believe that there is one God. You do well: the devils also believe and tremble.

But wilt you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar? See you, that faith did co-operate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled, saying: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, and he was called the friend of God.

Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith alone?

. . . For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead."

Sold Out: Political Corruption with Taxpayer Dollars Used to Purchase Health Reform Vote

Political Corruption Hits the American Taxpayer

Political corruption reaches deep into our pocketbooks to buy votes. We learned today from the Washington Post that Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.), who contributed one of the 60 votes needed to keep the "health reform" legislation alive was given $300 million in extra federal money for her home state. She brazenly exclaimed, "I am not going to be defensive. And it's not a $100 million fix. It's a $300 million fix."

Kathleen Sebelius to Defend Both Abortion AND Adoption

Another walking contradiction. Sebelius, a Roman Catholic vetoed pro-life abortion legislation in Kansas in 2003, 2005, 2006, and again in 2008 including a measure that would have required informing women who are considering an abortion about both the development of their unborn child and the alternatives to abortion. Yet, today we learn that she is championing adoption policies by celebrating the 10th anniversary of National Adoption Day. Well, which is it? Veto bills that inform women of abortion alternatives yet later on celebrate adoption when it's politically expedient? Will you support life or veto legislation that attempts to protect life? Apparently she wants it both ways. Sounding similar to Pontius Pilate style governing, Roman Catholic Sebelius both defends death and life by defending abortion and adoption. And here I thought that 'human enlightenment' had propelled the 'humanistic condition' to mature beyond 1st century rulers the likes of Pontius Pilate.

Why couldn't she just champion pro-life policies instead of vetoing every pro-life bill that came across her table? After all she was first a citizen of Catholicism before she became a citizen of Kansas. Her Archbishop said he hoped his meetings with her would make her understand the need “to take the difficult political step, but necessary moral step, of repudiating her past actions in support of legalized abortion” and also the need to extend “the maximum legal protection to the unborn children of Kansas.” In her last veto, the governor of Kansas ended it by scowling at pro-lifers in her veto message saying, “For years, the people of Kansas have asked their elected officials to move beyond legislative debates on issues like abortion.” Have the people of Kansas really asked that Sebelius? or do you just assume it since you won an election?

Apparently, Sebelius also has selective hearing. For years her Archbishop has likewise asked her to move beyond legislative debates on issues like abortion and finally become faithful to her true citizenship in heaven by enacting moral policies that defend the unborn. When Sebelius received the Sacrament of Confirmation she was elected first by God as a representative of His divine laws. Sacramental Confirmation is an indelible mark on the soul that swears an oath to God to uphold his principles, teachings, and the faith in all its forms. Sebelius, you were elected by God before the citizens of Kansas even heard of you. When you were baptized you were elected a citizen of Heaven - a country that existed long before Kansas was established. When will Roman Catholic Sebelius move beyond political self aggrandizement and live up to the sacramental vows made in Confirmation of defending the teachings of the Church? Whom do you serve, God or man?

But like Pilate, Sebelius admits to listening to the mob first before God. Like Pilate, she knows which strings will strike a chord with promoting her popularity in the political arena. She knows what to feed the angry mob to save herself. But we can be fair, Pilate probably acted out of fear of the angry pack before him, so we can assume that perhaps Sebelius is acting out of fear of the prowling pack looking to devour yet another faithful pro-life Catholic politician and continue embarrassing Roman Catholicism. She knows that the media will lap up her celebration of adoption along with any celebration of Roe v. Wade. Then she can breathe a sigh of relief, for she has deluded herself that is better to fear the world rather than God. She knows how to work the bloodthirsty pack and as long as she gives the world greater credence than she owes to God, then she's got it made in the liberal media today.

Sebelius further claims that she is 'personally opposed' but dares not force her morals on somebody else. Oh really? So if I'm a lawmaker back when the decision came to make rape illegal, which I am personally opposed to, should I have vetoed such a proposal because "I dare not impose my morals on another"? Of course not, that is, not unless I was a careerist politician and thought that I answered not to God, but to mob. Not unless I made a careful calculation of how it would look to the mob for my political advancement.

Sebelius didn't fool her Archbishop who stated “The governor has spoken to me on more than one occasion about her obligation to uphold state and federal laws and court decisions. I have asked her to show a similar sense of obligation to honor divine law". Rape was only repulsive to man's law only after and only because it was first repulsive to God's law. Slavery was legal for centuries even though divine law repudiated it. People considered slavery established precedent while they unjustly enslaved their fellowman until they were emancipated. Had slave owners and those who supported slavery listened to divine law, slavery could have ended much sooner. God's laws made it to the books only after man finally figured it out and accepted the truth in them. The same is true with abortion.

Meanwhile, for politicians to remain consistent, they cannot celebrate life on November 21, only to celebrate death on January 23.

For more on Archbishop Naumann of Kansas and the exchanges with Sebelius click here.

Archbishop Naumann:

"The Catholic Church views abortion as first and foremost a moral issue - not a religious or faith issue - because the sacredness of human life pertains to the natural law, which reveals the intrinsic rightness or wrongness of human acts through reason."

"Obama Leading America Towards Socialism"

Governor of Texas, Rick Perry:

Pope John Paul II in 1991 wrote about the Socialist State saying:

"It must be added that totalitarianism arises out of a denial of truth in the objective sense. If there is no transcendent truth, in obedience to which man achieves his full identity, then there is no sure principle for guaranteeing just relations between people. . . If one does not acknowledge transcendent truth, then the force of power takes over, and each person tends to make full use of the means at his disposal in order to impose his own interests or his own opinion, with no regard for the rights of others. People are then respected only to the extent that they can be exploited for selfish ends. Thus, the root of modern totalitarianism is to be found in the denial of the transcendent dignity of the human person who, as the visible image of the invisible God, is therefore by his very nature the subject of rights which no one may violate — no individual, group, class, nation or State. Not even the majority of a social body may violate these rights, by going against the minority, by isolating, oppressing, or exploiting it, or by attempting to annihilate it."

". . . The State or the party which claims to be able to lead history towards perfect goodness, and which sets itself above all values, cannot tolerate the affirmation of an objective criterion of good and evil beyond the will of those in power, since such a criterion, in given circumstances, could be used to judge their actions. This explains why totalitarianism attempts to destroy the Church, or at least to reduce her to submission, making her an instrument of its own ideological apparatus."

". . . Nowadays there is a tendency to claim that agnosticism and sceptical relativism are the philosophy and the basic attitude which correspond to democratic forms of political life. Those who are convinced that they know the truth and firmly adhere to it are considered unreliable from a democratic point of view, since they do not accept that truth is determined by the majority, or that it is subject to variation according to different political trends. It must be observed in this regard that if there is no ultimate truth to guide and direct political activity, then ideas and convictions can easily be manipulated for reasons of power. As history demonstrates, a democracy without values easily turns into open or thinly disguised totalitarianism."

". . . Even in countries with democratic forms of government, these rights are not always fully respected. Here we are referring not only to the scandal of abortion, but also to different aspects of a crisis within democracies themselves, which seem at times to have lost the ability to make decisions aimed at the common good. Certain demands which arise within society are sometimes not examined in accordance with criteria of justice and morality, but rather on the basis of the electoral or financial power of the groups promoting them. With time, such distortions of political conduct create distrust and apathy, with a subsequent decline in the political participation and civic spirit of the general population, which feels abused and disillusioned."

". . . Economic activity, especially the activity of a market economy, cannot be conducted in an institutional, juridical or political vacuum. On the contrary, it presupposes sure guarantees of individual freedom and private property, as well as a stable currency and efficient public services. Hence the principle task of the State is to guarantee this security, so that those who work and produce can enjoy the fruits of their labours and thus feel encouraged to work efficiently and honestly."

". . . By intervening directly and depriving society of its responsibility, the Social Assistance State leads to a loss of human energies and an inordinate increase of public agencies, which are dominated more by bureaucratic ways of thinking than by concern for serving their clients, and which are accompanied by an enormous increase in spending."

- Pope John Paul II. Centesimus annus (May 5, 1991)

NOAA Data Reveals More Global Warming Skepticism

A monthly report from the NOAA shows that October was the 3rd coldest on record. How can this be with Al Gore's money making assertion that the planet is burning up? The fact is many scientists believe we are in a longer term cooling period marked with shorter term fluctuations in temperatures - some lasting longer than others. These are all determined by sun spot activity - the driving force behind our planet's weather. The NOAA reports:

National Overview:

• Temperature Highlights - October
• The average October temperature of 50.8°F was 4.0°F below the 20^th Century average and ranked as the 3^rd coolest based on preliminary data.
• For the nation as a whole, it was the third coolest October on record. The month was marked by an active weather pattern that reinforced unseasonably cold air behind a series of cold fronts. Temperatures were below normal in eight of the nation's nine climate regions, and of the nine, five were much below normal. Only the Southeast climate region had near normal temperatures for October.

‘No Guarantee’ Amendment Prohibiting Abortion Funding Will Be Retained in Final Version of Health-Care Bill

It's in then it's out, it's back in then it's back out again. What is going on with the abortion coverage of the socialist health care bill that jacko'lantern Pelosi is peddling? Her scheming is transparent. What she is trying to do is sneak it in one area of the enormous document hoping nobody catches it. Then when somebody does, quickly withdraw it in order to "prove" to the country that the abortion watchdogs are 'making things up'. Then when the storm finally settles she puts it back in somewhere else. So the cycle continues. Just watching Pelosi's track record on this bill concerning abortion tells us there will be abortion coverage in the bill, period.

The article under this title heading explains . . . (click here). It states in part:

The amendment would prohibit federal funds from paying for any part of any health insurance plan that covers abortion. Stupak told CNSNews.com in a video interview posted on Oct. 23 that he had organized a group of about 40 Democrats who would vote to kill the health-care bill if Speaker Pelosi did not allow a straight up-or-down vote on his amendment when the health bill came to the House floor.

Pelosi finally consented to this request and instructed the House Rules Committee to approve a vote on Stupak’s amendment in the wee hours of Saturday morning—the same day the bill came up for a vote.

During debate on the bill on the House floor Saturday afternoon, House Minority Leader John Boehner (R.-Ohio) said he believed the Democratic leadership had relented and allowed a vote on Stupak’s amendment only because they needed more votes to pass the bill itself. Boehner said he doubted the amendment would be included in the final version of the bill that emerges from a House-Senate conference committee.

“The only reason this amendment is allowed to be offered is in order to secure enough votes to try to move this bill through the floor today,” said Boehner. “And I have my doubts about whether this language if it passes has any chance of ever being in the final version of this bill.”

Pelosi’s Government-Run Health Plan Will Require a Monthly Abortion Premium

This headline by article from Republican Leader John Boehner isn't just "playing" politics, it's a grim reality. Knowing Nancy Pelosi's Catholic Pro-Abortion track record, it isn't surprising. The article states:

line 17, p. 110, section 222 under “Abortions for which Public Funding is Allowed” the Health and Human Services Secretary is given the authority to determine when abortion is allowed under the government-run plan. The Speaker’s plan also requires that at least one insurance plan offered in the Exchange covers abortions.

What is even more alarming is that a monthly abortion premium will be charged of all enrollees in the government-run plan. It’s right there on line 16, page 96, section 213, under “Insurance Rating Rules.” The premium will be paid into a U.S. Treasury account -and these federal funds will be used to pay for the abortion services.

Section 213 describes the process in which the Health Benefits Commissioner is to assess the monthly premiums that will be used to pay for elective abortions under the government-run plan. The Commissioner must charge at a minimum $1 per enrollee per month.

In fact the US Conference of Catholic Bishops reaffirms that Pelosi is legislating such a government funded abortion program in another article. More recently, the USCCB asserts on October 8, 2009 that:

“No one should be required to pay for or participate in abortion. It is essential that the legislation clearly apply to this new program longstanding and widely supported federal restrictions on abortion funding and mandates, and protections for rights of conscience. No current bill meets this test…. If acceptable language in these areas cannot be found, we will have to oppose the health care bill vigorously.”

They recommend in a USCCB NATIONWIDE BULLETIN INSERT:

Please contact your Representative and Senators today and urge them to fix these bills with the pro-life amendments noted below. Otherwise much needed health care reform will have to be opposed. Health care reform should be about saving lives, not destroying them.

ACTION: Contact Members through e-mail, phone calls or FAX letters.

 To send a pre-written, instant e-mail to Congress go to www.usccb.org/action.

 Call the U.S. Capitol switchboard at: 202-224-3121, or call your Members’ local offices.

 Full contact info can be found on Members’ web sites at www.house.gov & www.senate.gov.

MESSAGE to SENATE:

“During floor debate on the health care reform bill, please support an amendment to incorporate longstanding policies against abortion funding and in favor of conscience rights. If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed.”

MESSAGE to HOUSE:

“Please support the Stupak Amendment that addresses essential pro-life concerns on abortion funding and conscience rights in the health care reform bill. Help ensure that the Rule for the bill allows a vote on this amendment. If these serious concerns are not addressed, the final bill should be opposed.”

WHEN: Both House and Senate are preparing for floor votes now. Act today! Thank you!