Michael Gaynor
Pope Francis must not be afraid of phony "Catholic" politicians
By Michael Gaynor
The greatest act of faith AND humility that Pope Francis can perform is to follow fundamental Church teaching despite the wishes of the phony "Catholic" politicians.
Wesley Pruden, editor emeritus of The Washington Times: "The new pope rebukes this synthetic Christianity, urging a return to 'the Christ of the Cross' who came to redeem humankind with a sacrificial death on Calvary. This puts Pope Francis clearly at odds with cultural Christians who would reduce the faith of our fathers to a catechism lifted from the pages of the New York Times."
True.
Pray that Pope Francis recalls that Jesus cleared the Temple of the moneychangers and deals strongly with the phony "Catholics."
Madeline Cuomo, daughter of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and sister of current New Yrok Governor Andrew Cuomo: "I don't think [Pope Francis is] what we need right now in the Catholic Church. "We're looking to move the Church forward, with gay marriage and women priests. He's going to turn back the clock."
Mario Cuomo: "The way [Pope Frances has] lived has been simple and admirable, but it has not taught him how to deal with the high pressure of huge problems in the Church. . . . The whole question of women, the question of marriage – not even the question of same-sex marriage, which is a recent development – but the whole idea of priests not being allowed to be married. That's led to a lot of unhappy relationships and ugly relationships by people who are basically sick. That's something this new pope will have to deal with."
The biggest problem that Pope Francis needs to deal with is the phony "Catholic" politicians who are out to "fundamental transform" tenets of the Catholic Church, like the Governors Cuomo, Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Secretary of State and 2004 Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and, tragically, many more.
In 1971, Ted Kennedy wrote, "Human life, even at its earliest stages, has a certain right which must be recognized – the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old." Then Roe v. Wade was decided and political expediency prevailed over Catholic principle for many ambitious politicians and priests and even bishops cooperated with them instead of complied with canon law
As I wrote in "Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick: More Concerned with 'Comfort' than Christ?" (www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=1125):
"Jesus said: 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me' (Luke 9:23).
"The path of Jesus is not always a 'comfortable' one.
"For decades, Roman Catholic priests in the United States have knowingly given Holy Communion to unrepentant, publicly known, nominally Catholic, pro-abortion politicians, out of misguided compassion, excessive political correctness, fear of losing the Church's tax exemption and/or contributions from pro-abortion people, personal preference or ignorance.
"In doing so, they have disregarded, if not deliberately disobeyed, unambiguous canon law."
"Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the most prominent Catholic clergyman in the United States and chairman of the task force on Catholic Bishops and Catholic Politicians,...said...he (Cardinal McCarrick) had 'not gotten to the stage where [he's] comfortable in denying the Eucharist.'"
Things have gotten worse since I wrote this in 2004 (www.yourcatholicvoice.org/articles.php?article=28):
"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, an ardent abortion supporter and nominal Roman Catholic, 'fully intend[s] to receive communion, one way or another,' despite Vatican opposition to the receipt of Holy Communion by persons professing to be both Catholics in a state of grace and abortion supporters.
"Ms. Pelosi explained that receiving Holy Communion is 'very important' to her. ....Will America's Catholic bishops cooperate or chastise America's Nancy Pelosi's, Tom Daschle's, Ted Kennedy's and John Kerry's? ... [and] some nominally Catholic Republicans ... such as Maine Senator Susan Collins.
"Canon 915 provides that '[t]hose... who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.'
"Canon 915 protects the Holy Eucharist and prevents the public scandal that would result from ineligible persons receiving Holy Communion."
Allowing that public scandal sowed confusion.
Pope Francis needs to put an end to that public scandal and confusion.
Averting public scandal is vital. As St. Thomas Aquinas long ago explained, a distinction "must be made" between secret and open sinners, and "Holy Communion ought not to be given to open sinners when they ask for it."
As then Archbishop and now Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Raymond L. Burke put it in his statement on Catholic Politicians and Bishops made on June 17, 2004:
"Right reason...tells us that a bishop, if he truly cares for the flock, must admonish Catholic politicians 'who choose to depart from church teaching on the inviolability of human life in their public life' regarding 'the consequences for their own spiritual well being, as well as the scandal they risk by leading others into serious sin' (Living the Gospel of Life, No. 32)."
"...if the Catholic politician does not recognize the lack of the proper disposition to receive Communion, then the church herself must refuse the sacrament, in order to safeguard the worthy reception of the sacrament and to prevent a serious scandal among the faithful."
"For a bishop or any pastor to exclude someone from Communion is always a source of great sorrow....What would be profoundly more sorrowful would be the failure of a bishop to call a soul to conversion, the failure to protect the flock from scandal and the failure to safeguard the worthy reception of Communion."
The greatest act of faith AND humility that Pope Francis can perform is to follow fundamental Church teaching despite the wishes of the phony "Catholic" politicians.
© Michael Gaynor
March 21, 2013
The greatest act of faith AND humility that Pope Francis can perform is to follow fundamental Church teaching despite the wishes of the phony "Catholic" politicians.
Wesley Pruden, editor emeritus of The Washington Times: "The new pope rebukes this synthetic Christianity, urging a return to 'the Christ of the Cross' who came to redeem humankind with a sacrificial death on Calvary. This puts Pope Francis clearly at odds with cultural Christians who would reduce the faith of our fathers to a catechism lifted from the pages of the New York Times."
True.
Pray that Pope Francis recalls that Jesus cleared the Temple of the moneychangers and deals strongly with the phony "Catholics."
Madeline Cuomo, daughter of former New York Governor Mario Cuomo and sister of current New Yrok Governor Andrew Cuomo: "I don't think [Pope Francis is] what we need right now in the Catholic Church. "We're looking to move the Church forward, with gay marriage and women priests. He's going to turn back the clock."
Mario Cuomo: "The way [Pope Frances has] lived has been simple and admirable, but it has not taught him how to deal with the high pressure of huge problems in the Church. . . . The whole question of women, the question of marriage – not even the question of same-sex marriage, which is a recent development – but the whole idea of priests not being allowed to be married. That's led to a lot of unhappy relationships and ugly relationships by people who are basically sick. That's something this new pope will have to deal with."
The biggest problem that Pope Francis needs to deal with is the phony "Catholic" politicians who are out to "fundamental transform" tenets of the Catholic Church, like the Governors Cuomo, Vice President Joe Biden, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin, Secretary of State and 2004 Democrat presidential candidate John Kerry, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius and, tragically, many more.
In 1971, Ted Kennedy wrote, "Human life, even at its earliest stages, has a certain right which must be recognized – the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old." Then Roe v. Wade was decided and political expediency prevailed over Catholic principle for many ambitious politicians and priests and even bishops cooperated with them instead of complied with canon law
As I wrote in "Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick: More Concerned with 'Comfort' than Christ?" (www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php?ID=1125):
"Jesus said: 'If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me' (Luke 9:23).
"The path of Jesus is not always a 'comfortable' one.
"For decades, Roman Catholic priests in the United States have knowingly given Holy Communion to unrepentant, publicly known, nominally Catholic, pro-abortion politicians, out of misguided compassion, excessive political correctness, fear of losing the Church's tax exemption and/or contributions from pro-abortion people, personal preference or ignorance.
"In doing so, they have disregarded, if not deliberately disobeyed, unambiguous canon law."
"Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, the most prominent Catholic clergyman in the United States and chairman of the task force on Catholic Bishops and Catholic Politicians,...said...he (Cardinal McCarrick) had 'not gotten to the stage where [he's] comfortable in denying the Eucharist.'"
Things have gotten worse since I wrote this in 2004 (www.yourcatholicvoice.org/articles.php?article=28):
"House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, an ardent abortion supporter and nominal Roman Catholic, 'fully intend[s] to receive communion, one way or another,' despite Vatican opposition to the receipt of Holy Communion by persons professing to be both Catholics in a state of grace and abortion supporters.
"Ms. Pelosi explained that receiving Holy Communion is 'very important' to her. ....Will America's Catholic bishops cooperate or chastise America's Nancy Pelosi's, Tom Daschle's, Ted Kennedy's and John Kerry's? ... [and] some nominally Catholic Republicans ... such as Maine Senator Susan Collins.
"Canon 915 provides that '[t]hose... who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin, are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.'
"Canon 915 protects the Holy Eucharist and prevents the public scandal that would result from ineligible persons receiving Holy Communion."
Allowing that public scandal sowed confusion.
Pope Francis needs to put an end to that public scandal and confusion.
Averting public scandal is vital. As St. Thomas Aquinas long ago explained, a distinction "must be made" between secret and open sinners, and "Holy Communion ought not to be given to open sinners when they ask for it."
As then Archbishop and now Cardinal Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, Raymond L. Burke put it in his statement on Catholic Politicians and Bishops made on June 17, 2004:
"Right reason...tells us that a bishop, if he truly cares for the flock, must admonish Catholic politicians 'who choose to depart from church teaching on the inviolability of human life in their public life' regarding 'the consequences for their own spiritual well being, as well as the scandal they risk by leading others into serious sin' (Living the Gospel of Life, No. 32)."
"...if the Catholic politician does not recognize the lack of the proper disposition to receive Communion, then the church herself must refuse the sacrament, in order to safeguard the worthy reception of the sacrament and to prevent a serious scandal among the faithful."
"For a bishop or any pastor to exclude someone from Communion is always a source of great sorrow....What would be profoundly more sorrowful would be the failure of a bishop to call a soul to conversion, the failure to protect the flock from scandal and the failure to safeguard the worthy reception of Communion."
The greatest act of faith AND humility that Pope Francis can perform is to follow fundamental Church teaching despite the wishes of the phony "Catholic" politicians.
© Michael Gaynor
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