On May 14th eighteen House Democrats lead by Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut signed a statement which was a result from a reply Pope Benedict XVI gave as he was traveling to Brazil May 9th inquiring whether he agreed with a bishop in Mexico City in regards to the excommunication of legislators in Mexico City who voted for the right to abortion. He stated “Yes,” and went on to say “The excommunicated was not something arbitrary. It is part of the canon law code. It is based simply on the principles that the killing of an innocent human child is incompatible with going in communion with the body of Christ.” A Vatican spokesman later made it very clear that neither the Mexican bishop nor the Holy Father have taken any actions and were not threatening excommunication. The Pope just “simply announced to the public what is stipulated by the law of the Church.” After reading the response given I had to ask myself does the Pope have the right and authority to say what he did and if he does do any of us have a right to pass judgment on what the Church teaches? Also do Catholic politicians who vote with the wisdom of their Church stand against our constitution which reads “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;…” and if these individuals vote in opposition to their faith are they self-excommunicating themselves by not adhering to the truth of their Church? Eighteen Democratic legislators, individuals who because of there Catholic ties felt threatened because of how they have voted criticized the Pope stating “Religious sanction in the political arena directly conflicts with our fundamental beliefs about the role of democratic representatives in a pluralistic America. – It clashes with freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution. Such notions offend the very nature of the American experiment and do a great disservice to the centuries of good work the Church has done.”
The obvious humor of this statement is it was taken from a reply the Pope gave in response to the Mexican Church. This possibly explains why there is so much confusion on the immigration policy here in this country when they can’t even distinguish that Mexico and the United States are two different countries. What is most unfortunate is we live in a country that any aspiring Catholic politician who states they stand in accordance with the beliefs of there faith would never be elected. We stand here today with many voices who cry out that we respect the individual’s right to free thinking but I am left here questioning if this is truly possible in every situation. Democracy was built on the presumption that there is no true way and that all roads are mutually recognized. I find this to be true in the arena of politics but when it comes to social justices or matters of faith is this so? Are we living in relativism? Are our ethical truths dependant upon the individual and the groups holding them or are we as the dictionary states limited in our mind to the conditions of knowing? We seem to be confused with Separation of Church from the interference of the State and that of a private institutions right to authority in matters of faith. The Mormon Governor of Massachusetts, Mitt Romney, stated when asked his thoughts, “I don’t say anything to Roman Catholic bishops. They can do whatever the heck they want. Roman Catholic bishops are in a private institution, a religion. I can’t imagine a government telling a church who can have communion in their church. We have separation of Church and State, and it’s served us well.” Why is it now once again do we feel that our opinions and choices have to be forced on others. The Catholic Church is only reminding her people what the teaching is in matters of faith and morals. If life according to the Church begins at the moment of conception and if they truly believe what is stated clearly in it’s doctrine that “human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains forever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being – Catechism 2258” why should we be shocked that they would take such a passionate stance on abortion. The Church was simply reminding the politicians that even though they don’t physically play a role in such acts they in the ultimate end still play an active role deciding who has a right to live and who does not. I’m not here to say one way or another what my thoughts are but they are to ponder the question why is what this man said “offending the very nature of the American experiment?” How is this “clashes with the freedoms guaranteed in our Constitution?” To think you and I don’t vote or think because of the beliefs we hold in our heart is foolhardy. To believe a politician can separate what they believe if they are sincere about what it is they believe is impossible. It’s more admirable to me to see individuals who are willing to stand up for what they believe in and sacrifice their position then it is to find individuals who change there positions with little or no thought. All this shows me in the end is a group of individuals who are more concerned with the monetary benefits that come with how they vote then it does by the faith they claim to have. I always find it interesting when I see people compromise what they claim to believe just so they can fit in.
In the end receiving the Eucharist is not a right, it’s a sacrament and I question if these 18 politicians have a right criticizing the Church they claim to belong to...after all why should State interfere with Church? I’ll leave you with the words and advice of presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani when asked his thoughts on this “I do not get into debates with the Pope. That is not a good idea.”
