Catholic Church Excommunicating Kerry, pro-choice Dems- Insane much?

[UdoKier]

http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=32830


Los Angeles, Oct. 18 (CWNews.com) - A consultant to the Vatican has said Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry has incurred the penalty of excommunication from the Catholic Church.

The consultant made his statement in a highly unusual letter to Marc Balestrieri, a Los Angeles canon lawyer who formally sued John Kerry in ecclesiastical court for heresy.

Is this a credible source?

Can these people seriously be excommunicating pro-choice catholics (at least half of American Catholics are pro-choice) while they continue to protect the molesters of little boys? Am I in Bizarro World?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Sounds like RW propaganda to me

No way would the Catholic Church decide to excommunicate the pro choice Catholics, because there are so many of them. And if they leave, they take their money with them. With the Church being so strapped right now due to the lawsuits about molestation, I don't think they'd do such a thing.

[punpirate]

2. The Bushies don't have a...

... lock on hypocrisy.... *sigh*

[mikehiggins]

3. Strictly an election ploy

It ain't all that easy to get excommunicated anyway. Bishop Fabian Brucsewisc (sp) out in the Mid-West (go figure) claimed that any Catholic who belonged to the Freemasons would be excommunicated. He didn't get a whole lot of support from among his peers, to say the least, and that's a conflict that's been going on for over a century.

Actually, in technical terms (which is what the Church in Rome lives and breathes with) Kerry is not taking a pro-abortion stance as much as he is taking a position in accord with the laws and Constitution of the United States. That may seem a slight distinction but to the Church, faced with the possiblity of trying to ex-communicate an American President (c'mon, you know we're going to win don't you?) it will be more than enough.

Meanwhile, the clown who started this should be mocked and ridiculed at every opportunity. Its treatment he has bought and paid for.

[charlie]

4. No, Balestrieri's spinning

Father Cole, author of the response received by De Fide, was contacted on Monday evening and in a courteous and extremely affable tone explained that he does not speak for the Vatican. The response that he had provided to Mr. Balestrieri was simply his personal opinion. In providing further detail, Fr. Cole explained that the Vatican delegates inquiries such as the one presented by Balestrieri to priests around the world. Father Cole had been tasked with this particular letter and provided a response that was clearly in his own opinion.

Despite the contradiction, the media has latched onto the notion of Kerry's excommunication from the Catholic Church. A headline on Catholic World News read "Kerry said to be excommunicated" while the Drudge Report blasted in red ink, "Move to excommunicate Kerry and others advances."

Mr. Balestrieri was contacted regarding this article and quickly responded in length stating, "the response is unofficial in that I, as a layman, am not entitled to receive an 'official' response, because the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith does not give out official responses to laymen like myself, only Bishops." Balestrieri went on to write, ". . . the theologian writes that this truth is 'manifest.' Now, no theologian worth his salt ever throws such a thorny term around lightly. It was for that reason I received a response in the affirmative so quickly: The content of the teaching is not just official, but infallible. Any Bishop will tell you that."

...

Additionally, Fr. Cole's response was dated September 11th 2004. It is unclear as to why De Fide held this letter until October 18th, merely two weeks before the presidential election. Detractors may say that this is a planned "hit" on John Kerry while others may argue that it is coincidence. Personally, I will have to say that it is just one of many "October Surprises" to come.

http://www.washingtondispatch.com/spectrum/archives/000665.html

[flordehinojos]

5. they might as well excommunicate me too!!!!! I am voting for John Kerry

and whether the church likes it or not ... my relationship with my God will continue on ... despite their 15th century approach to religion and spirituality. they are the ones who ought to be excommunicated!

[DarkPhenyx]

6. I applaud their move.

They should stick up for their beliefs and act according to them. Unfortunately they do have blind spots, and have taken a pretty hypocritical stance on child molestation. Prehaps this signals a move, on their part, back to a closer adherance to their beliefs and traditions.

[The Zanti Regent]

7. Why is nobody excommunicating Bush from HIS church?????????

Oh, I forgot, Republicans CAN get away with murder!

[Killarney]

8. This is NOT true and it is NOT a credible source.

This dumbass LA lawyer has been trying for a year to get Kerry thrown out of church, but Kerry's church will not do it. There is also a priest or Bishop in Italy working with the lawyer to try to get it done but the Bishop in Boston won't do it and he's the one that counts.

[absolutezero]

9. I'm waiting for this

I've been trying to get myself excommunicated for years

[noonwitch]

10. The freepers were debunking this yesterday

They seemed to think there was no way Kerry would be excommunicated prior to the election.

I don't think the archbishop will excommunicate him, but for a different reason. They need $$$ donations from people like Theresa Heinz-they have lawsuits to pay off, after all.

[mmonk]

11. If the Church did this

the current financial crisis due to the molestation settlements would be even greater. The Church in America, I believe would eventually collapse.

[RainDog]

12. Yes, you have to be a pedophile to get Vatican support

at least, that's what I've seen recently.

So, if this guy wants to excommunicate Kerry, I'd like to know how many priests were excommunicated for their crimes.

How many bishops were excommunicated for covering for them?

How many republicans demanded the same?

Only whores for the right wing would even bring up such an issue about Kerry.

[Midwest_Doc]

13. I am an ex-Catholic

The "last straw" for me was the church's vigorous ant-gay political activism (No, I am not gay - if that matters).

Being a Secular Humanist has been liberating and invigorating for me. I recommend it.

[GreenPartyVoter]

14. So they'll just have to stick with the Liberal Catholic Church, then.

[NicRic]

15. Am I in Bizarro World

Apprently the answer to that ? is yes. With 1/2 of the country supporting a President that has not done one positive thing while in office,and in fact has done everything wrong ,including making us much more likely to be victums of another attack, a war hero being called a traitor, up is down,right is wrong,and black is white ! If this idiot in office gets elected ,it goes from bizarro world to extremely bizarro world.

[obreaslan]

16. So let me understand this...

If you feel that it's a woman's right to choose what she does with her own body, you are thrown out of the church.

But, if you diddle a young boy, you're protected by that same church? :o

So, don't kill the fetus, the priest may need him later? :(

[BonjourUSA]

17. The medieval era is coming back in the USA ?

:(

[Bandit]

18. I would say there is blackmail involved here

Sex is a huge factor in society and the Catholic church has been badly damaged by it. I suspect it goes all the way to the top. It appears to be propagated down the line from the very beginning.

[high density]

19. Not.

The Church isn't that stupid.

[UdoKier]

20. A lot of informed people are saying this is bunk.

It's a relief to me, since some Catholics might actually be swayed by such a thing (though I can't imagine why_.

And yes, the Methodists definitely should excommunicate Dumbya for ignoring their protest against the war of choice he started.

But I don't think the protestant churches excommunicate (let me know if I'm wrong, I'm an atheist with limited experience with churches)

[ArtVandaley]

21. Wouldn't come from the Vatican

The Pope is very anti-Bush.