No doubt one can be excommunicated from the Catholic Church formally by a bishop, or even a pope. But many don’t realize they can do it to themselves. Nor do they realize personal excommunication is more prevalent than the formal announcement, but no less severe.

Actually, excommunication is a medicinal, rather than a vindictive penalty. It is intended, not so much to punish the perpetrator, as to correct them and bring them back to the path of righteousness. The penalty (meant to be temporary only), deprives the guilty Christian of all participation in the common blessings of Catholicism. Some will return to the right path.

Benedict has an Interview

On 5/9/07, Pope Benedict XVI flew to Brazil. During an unprecedented twenty-five minute on-flight press conference, Benedict left little room for interpretation: pro-choice politicians should not only be denied communion, but face outright excommunication from the Church for supporting “the killing of a human child”. A reporter broke the ice by asking him if he supported the excommunication of Mexican legislators who had voted to legalize abortion. The Pope replied, “Yes, this excommunication was not something arbitrary, but is foreseen by Canon Law…” He was emphatic, and continued to insist that such actions involved excommunication.

Automatic Excommunication

On the flight to Brazil, the Pope was talking directly about latae sententiae (automatic excommunication). This occurs without formal declaration if there is an obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin. Abortion is one of those intrinsically evil deeds classified as grave. With this sin, excommunication is self-inflicted by the perpetrator.

What is sure to raise hackles, is that an automatic excommunication is likely triggered when any Catholic votes for those who vote for abortion laws, funding, and structures that encourage and perpetuate such egregious evil.

Even though the remaining Republican candidates may not be considered conservative, they are still pro-life. They will appoint judges to the Supreme Court who are strict constructionists, and will likely overturn Roe. The remaining Democrat candidates are obviously pro-abortion, and any of their SC nominees are almost guaranteed not to be pro-life. Withholding votes from a pro-life candidate because one doesn’t like the position that candidate takes on other less significant issues, makes the election of the pro-abortion candidate that much more likely.

Realistically, this ‘pro-life’ window is open very shortly. One choice will give us fewer deaths than the other choice, if Roe is overturned. More deaths on one’s head are simply not an acceptable option. If you do not vote in this election, and the pro-death party wins, more deaths will occur, and so will the proliferation of evil.

Not voting could actually push the pro-abortion candidate into the presidency. It would then be essentially guaranteed that Roe would not be overturned for as long as a Democrat would hold office. The ‘pro-life’ contingent would have failed to strike when the ‘fire’ was hot. The current fight to overturn Roe (>50% now in favor) may likely die a slow death.

Bottom line, no matter how distasteful voting for a Republican candidate might be, many more infants will die an excruciating death if a Democrat is elected this time. A vote for a Democrat would therefore obliterate the principles of “life’ that anyone should hold closest.

One Party is Not Only Choice

No doubt, if a Democrat candidate was pro-life, and every Republican candidate was for abortion, a true Catholic, or anybody considered ‘pro-life’, would vote for the Democrat. One’s religious belief should always take precedence over the party. In this election, Democrats would rather be caught dead (no pun intended) than nominating a pro-life judge. And it is almost a given that the next president will nominate at least two Supreme Court justices during their tenure. Passing this opportunity up to nominate a SC justice that would overturn Roe won’t return for years if 2-3 justices retire this upcoming presidential term.

Remember that Christ had very severe words for those who persisted in evil. If the members choose not to obey those rules, they can be removed from that organization. Benedict made “excommunication” crystal clear. Would any organization continue to keep you as a member if you continually acted against their most precious values?

Father Against Son - Sister Against Brother

Why are abortion and euthanasia ranked so high as evils? If someone is aborted or euthanized all other issues are all moot points. Without life, none of those issues can exist. Christ said He came to earth to separate, not establish peace. More precisely, “From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three…”(Luke 12:52). Maybe some admitted division will begin to heal some of those wounds.

It undoubtedly would make stimulating conversation at the dinner table.

All Scripture taken from the NAB(New American Bible).

Kevin Roeten can be reached at roetenks@charter.net or kevin@kevinroeten.us.