This is what Pope Francis did to the Mafia on Saturday afternoon in Calabria, Italia!
I just can't get enough of this Liturgy and it is so well done. The Gregorian Chant, the true chant of the Latin Rite, elicits prayer and contemplation from those who chant and listen. It is unique to our authentic Catholic spirituality and all but lost in the Latin Rite in about 99% of the parishes in our country and the world in favor of Broadway sounding ditties sometimes with a country/western twang as well as "Protestant Praise and Worship drivel." Time for true liturgical renewal!
Pope Francis, despite his inclusive reputation, has not shied away from excommunication when appropriate. I suspect we will see more of it as this pope will not have Satan manipulating Catholics and the institutional Church.
I see excommunication both public and private as having two major effects.
The first is that it makes clear what sin and evil one commits that places that person outside the boundaries of the Church and cuts them off from full communion with the Church.
The second is that is makes clear to the one excommunicated that they are outside the Church and possibly damned for it if they do not repent and return to the full communion of the Church. The Church is in fact the field hospital that must quarantine her sick, contagious members in order to cure them of their sin and evil sickness without spreading the contagion to others. For public excommunication there must be public repentance and reconciliation.
For these two reasons, I agree with Cardinal Burke that public figures like politicians who are Catholic must be excommunicated if they propose public policy that the Church opposes, not from the political point of view, but from the point of view of the Catholic Church's sure and certain Faith in the areas of morals.
I would say that this "nuclear option" must be used especially in the areas of the protection of innocent human life at its beginning and end (abortion and active euthanasia).
It must be applied, in my most humble opinion, to those Catholic politicians who deliberately try to undermine the religious liberty of the Church and try to use government to change the Church's teachings in the areas of human life, abortion and artificial contraception.
It must be applied to Catholics in the political sphere who oppose natural law even as it concerns secular marriage.
The mafia and politicians--there are similarities when evil and anti-Catholic actions are embraced even as feigning to remain active as Catholics.
LET THEM BE EXCOMMUNICATED AND ANATHEMA!
14 comments:
One good thing about not having a modern rite of excommunication is we haven't had to hear the "dynamic equivalent" translation of it for 40 years.
I think the real elephant in the excommunication room is the reality that a majority of practicing Catholics openly oppose essential teachings on a range of issues. The question for the sacred pastors is, do we clear out the riffraff, starting with prominent heretics, or are these lost souls more likely to convert through delicate persuasion?
There was no excommunication, it was just another publicity stunt for the masses. Did Bergolglio ever speak out forcefully when his own priests in Argentina were abducted? Or did he, as one of those priests himself said, he remained totally silent and did nothing behind the scenes to help them?
As the Vatican spokesman clarified. No Canonical excommunication has taken place. As usual it was an off the cuff, emotional outburst from an undisciplined liberal who happens to be a pope.
Not that the members of the Mafia shouldn't be excommunicated. But so should those "Catholic" bishops who hid pedophiles, as should those "Catholic" priests who abused children, as should those "Catholic" religious who purposefully taught error and created a generation of faithless "Catholics" as should those "Catholic" politicians and priests and religious who promote abortion as something good and moral, but the "excommunication" of those people will never happen. Not only will it never happen, no correction at all will ever happen. Letting these people continue to spread error without correction isn't charity or love, and it's not how a parent acts. A good parent corrects children in order to show them the good way to live.
And just because no one points it out, because in truth you have a hard time dealing with opposite points of view, the jumping through hoops to justify the things coming from the bishop of Rome are obvious and you diminish your own credibility. You don't justify silliness, even from a pope. You either stay silent, or you explain why it is wrong in a thoughtful, rational way. And popes are wrong sometimes. Some more than others. And it's not a sin to critique a pope and his actions.
While bishops should be disciplined for gross mismanagement of their priests, I know of no bishops who ideologically promote that abuse of teenagers and other minors should be the choice of the priest and thus Catholic moral teachings changed. Your rant betrays a rage that of course is illogical!
Much ado about nothing.
Did Francis actually excommunicate anyone Saturday? Must one follow some canonical process to excommunicate? Also, is there sufficient notice to precisely whom was being excommunicated (other than the "you know who you are" approach)? It seems to me that "those who follow this path of evil, as mafiosi" might be too vague to give notice (or even for Francis to know exactly who it is he was supposedly excommunicating). For instance, what if you are in an organization similar to the Mafia, but distinct from it? What if you were made by peer pressure or family pressure to join, and have done some evil things, but have some reservations or conscience pangs? Etc.
On the other hand, maybe these mafiosi are excommunicated latae sententiae, in which case Francis wasn't himself excommunicating anyone. If that's so, why the hullaballoo over what he said?
In the end, the only substantial thing we can take away from Saturday's statement is that Francis apparently believes that such a thing as excommunication still exists in some form, which is more than many modernist bishops do. But noting that mafiosi are excommunicated is like being for mom and apple pie; it isn't likely to cause controversy. When Francis takes on the huge numbers of dissidents within the Church--pro-abort "Catholic" politicians for instance--_That_ will be news. Don't hold your breath.
Pope Francis made the obvious clear and in no sugar coated words and he did it on mafia turf! The pope may experience retribution for this and be made a martyr for the Faith and in fact He may be the pope of the Fatima third secret not Saint JPII!
"Your rant betrays a rage that of course is illogical!"
Oh Father, more ad hominem at attacks. That is a sign that you need to read more Aristotle, St Thomas. You need to learn how to argue rationally instead of lashing out. You are too emotional especially for a priest.
I expressed no "rage", but you just did. Exclamation point. And my points are not illogical. They follow Thomistic classical points of argument. And I can prove my logic using a Venn Diagram, but you can't. But if I did have "rage" over thousands of priests abusing innocent children I would be justified. You are just upset because I pointed out that you can't handle criticism. You are quick to attack me but you don't answer my points because you can't.
But I digress, no excommunication took place against the mob. Just more Francis publicity. Yet we can't obsess over mothers murdering their babies. I know I know, out of context. No rage no mortal sins, not even "minor" ones (that you invented and are not part of the deposit of the Faith)........please no name calling handle this rationally and calmly. Do you not realize that your fellow priests are laughing at your emotional reactions. Think responses out before you publish them. Take a breath, calm down. It will be ok. Francis will take the Church to the brink of destruction because he is modernist but Christ will protect His Church and in the end all will be well and Francis will get his just reward.
I'll believe these people are actually excommunicated when I see the first news story about a mafia soldier or don being turned away from Communion. Meanwhile, it just looks like talk to me.
So what about Nancy Pelosi?
I suppose no one was named in public, but that would be a long day for the Pope to list each of us who should be excommunicated. It seems he gave a green light to the local bishops and clergy to make the lists and let the people know. now he has to hold the bishops accountable. He has been pretty tough on the people with direct responsibility to him.
I believe Anonymous has a point…I'm thinking there same thing. Nothing to see here…move along.
Surely an excommunication goes through a formal canonical process before happening. I happen to agree with Anon and Siena...nothing to see here.
I think we'd be better off if we talk about bringing people in rather than tossing people out. I must remember though, that I'm talking to lots of "smaller but purer" people....not sinners like me.
Do we really need more mafia to expand the Church?! YIKES!
Maybe some day they'd hear an inspiring homily from you, in their native language, and mend their ways.
Anon at 3:39: I sin plenty. Any orthodox Catholic here will say the same of himself. So please don't pull that line on us.
But if Nancy Pelosi believes that procuring abortion isn't a sin, then you bet I want her gone. She and I aren't in communion with each other, and she isn't in communion with the Church. It would be charity both to her and to those who seek to know the truth of Catholicism to excommunicate her. Maybe a formal pronunciation of excommunication would do more for her spiritual health than would a thousand sermons.
Our desire here for excommunication has everything to do with what one professes and nothing to do with whether one sins.
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