Wednesday, May 09, 2007

Church Millitant?

Okay, not quite, but the Pope comes down hard on Catholic pro-choice politicians:

Pope Benedict on Wednesday warned Catholic politicians they risked excommunication from the Church and should not receive communion if they support abortion.

About time I say. Tertullian is finally easing up on the rolling in his grave.

I'd like to see the Pope come down on those politicians who supported an interventionist War in Iraq as well, but these things take time.

The Catholic Church in America is quite weak at the moment. Some seventy percent of Catholics between the ages of 20 and 44 don't believe in the Real Presence in the Eucharist, and an appalling 86% of all Catholics have no moral qualms with Birth Control. Some fault lies with the people, no doubt, but the hierarchy has done a tremendously inadequate job of informing lay people about their faith. It's unfortunate that the Bishops in America are so cowardly that it takes the Bishop in Rome to set a fairly obvious example, but that's one reason why we have a Pope.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'll bite the abortion bit, but I'll hold on the lib gravy. Ha

I won't try and convince you, however,I will put one across the bow. What we are getting in the way of training for the men over there at that price is much better and far cheaper than the liberal indoctrination coming from most school funding. We are producing citizens there, not wallowing leftists. Practical, get-the-job-done realists, not the 'I hurt so I can't' college or highschool grad. And beyond, I would lay money, that given the demographics, fewer are dying there per capita than are dying here.

Just some thoughts.

A Wiser Man Than I said...

The reason that the Iraq War is and was immoral is that it does not satisfy the Just War criteria. Both John Paul II and Benedict were quite clear on this matter.

Anonymous said...

I have read that. I have also read the Just War criterai, and specific debates surrounding it. And I also understand that declaring war on Germany also was not considered a just war by those criteria (arguably). I am not sure what the Pope of the time indicated?

As a new Catholic, there is something I am unsure about. I understand the Pope is considered infallable. I also understand that this is in regard to only a specific arena. What I am unclear about is which things he says are or aren't held in such regard?

Having said that, I must add, my personal views are open to the Pope's view and I yield, if I do continue to seek wisdom.

A Wiser Man Than I said...

The Pope is infallible when he speaks Ex Cathedra (from the chair) on matters of doctrine. Neither of the past Popes were infallible in their pronouncements against the Iraq War. However, they were guided by past Church wisdom and it's fairly clear that the Iraq War was not justifiable based on the Just War Theory.

I think WWII was different in that there was no other way to go about liberating France, Poland, etc. from the grip of Nazi Germany save in declaring war upon them. In WWII, moreover, both Germany and Japan were the aggressors. To quote my favorite author, G. K. Chesterton obviously, "The only defensible war is a war of defense." We were "playing defense" for the powers of Europe who could no longer defend themselves. Or so I see it.