Vatican: Pro-Abort Catholic Politicians Must Repent PUBLICLY

Archbishop Raymond Burke

 THE CATHOLIC KNIGHT: A Vatican official, Archbishop Raymond Burke, who is the Prefect of the Apostolic Signature, the highest court in the Catholic Church, took bishops in the Western World to task on the issue of communion given to pro-abortion Catholic politicians. For years (decades even) so-called "Catholic" politicians (especially in the United States) have been playing a little game. Many of them support abortion, embryonic stem-cell research, euthanasia and gay marriage. Some of them claim to "disagree privately" but as a matter of public policy, they support these issues. Then they make whatever private confession they can (if any) just before receiving communion in the Catholic Church. A few of them even bring members of the press to mass with them, to make sure the photographers get a few pictures of them receiving communion. The pictures are then circulated in the news to create the image that the Catholic Church "approves" of their political stance, and that it's "okay" for Catholics to oppose Church teaching in the realm of politics.

This is a crock! Many Catholic politicians (especially in the United States) have been playing this little game for decades, and Archbishop Raymond Burke (Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura) has just put the "smack down" on every Western bishop who has played along with this, or turned a blind eye to it. So-called "Catholic" politicians who publicly support teachings contrary to the Church have in effect committed a public sin. Therefore, in order to avoid further scandal, their repentance must be public as well before they should be allowed to receive communion....

(LifeSiteNews.Com) - Turning to the issue of scandal within the Church, the archbishop said, “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. It is not possible to be a practicing Catholic and to conduct oneself publicly in this manner.”

To resounding applause Burke said, “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 Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura then voiced a concern that struck a deep chord with many of the Catholic pro-life activists present at the conference. “One of the ironies of the present situation is that the person who experiences scandal at the gravely sinful public actions of a fellow Catholic is accused of a lack of charity and of causing division within the unity of the Church,” he said. “One sees the hand of the Father of Lies at work in the disregard for the situation of scandal or in the ridicule and even censure of those who experience scandal.”

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