To those who ask, “Whatever became of the doctrine of separation of church and state?” this month’s actions by Pope Benedict XVI pretty much provides a definitive answer: it’s almost nonexistent. Earlier this month, the Pope made his first trip to Latin America since he became pontiff. It is there that nearly half of the world’s one billion-plus Catholics live.
In order to give reporters on the papal plane something to chew on, Benedict said he supported excommunication for politicians who back legalized abortion. The edict followed Mexico City’s decision to legalize abortion if it is performed during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Not only is the person having an abortion excommunicated, so too are the doctors and nurses involved in the operation, and now, any lawmakers who support the procedure.
Excommunication is a form of punishment that cuts off membership in the Catholic Church and the sacraments (including communion) of the church. While the Pope’s remarks were aimed at recent events in Latin America, they suddenly took on added meaning for at least 18 Catholic House Democrats who issued a statement saying, “Religious sanctions in the political arena directly conflict with fundamental beliefs about the role of democratic representation in a pluralistic America – and clashes with freedoms in our Constitution.”
The Vatican’s position, said Benedict, is not negotiable. And furthermore, he said, “This is nothing new. It’s normal and is what has been foreseen by the Catholic Church’s doctrine.” But once the shocked – shocked reaction from Washington was in the mix, the Vatican began an ecclesiastical soft shoe worthy of any Broadway musical. The Vatican press director, Father Federico Lombardi, attempted to “clarify” the Pope’s statement. “No one has been declared excommunicated by the Pope,” said Lombardi. While Mexican bishops had threatened to impose that perturbing penalty, they so far had not done so, therefore “there was no decree of excommunication for the Pope to affirm.” [Catholic World News, May 9, 2007]
Then Lombardi added the postscript that got all those U.S. legislators’ underwear all wadded up: “Individuals who vote for abortion have excluded themselves from communion.” So, according to this “logic,” it is not the Catholic Church who has denied the sacraments to wayward politicians, it is the politicians themselves. So does this mean that separation of church and state is intact – that this is not really intervention by a religious group into American politics, but merely a longstanding warrant that Catholic politicians inherited when they were baptized?
If Separation of Church and State means the church stays out of the state’s business and the state stays out of the church’s business, then indeed the metaphor is not intact. Thomas Jefferson added emphasis to the notion when he coined the phrase “wall of separation between church and state” [letter to the Danbury Baptists, January 1, 1802].
In addition to the excommunication issue, the Catholic Church is already distributing voter guides to the faithful, urging them to oppose any candidate who countenances abortion, cloning, euthanasia, stem cell research, and same-sex marriage. Other Catholic leaders are urging voters to adopt their stance against the Iraq war (a human rights violation ), the death penalty, and certain strains of Christian fundamentalism. Sister Helen Prejean, author of Dead Man Walking, has compared Bush to Hitler and is calling for his ouster.
The Catholic Church has suffered a drastic decline in membership over the past few decades. This also included a serious reduction in the number of Catholics entering religious orders to become priests and nuns, although some convents now report a slight increase in applicants. Church and school closings were also rampant during the past several years, due to the cost of maintaining the vast numbers of places of worship and education that flourished in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The rise of secularism and the “Me generation” in America follows a culture that wants to enjoy the whim of the moment and further blur the difference between right and wrong.
Rome continues to prohibit artificial or assisted reproduction to infertile couples craving parenthood. The Church also forbids the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS for same reason – a condom is also a contraceptive. These dictates are more honored in the breach than in the observance by Catholics, since the human longing for parenthood, and the fear of life-threatening viruses are two imperatives that outweigh any Vatican dictum.
Add to all of this a growing rift between the Church’s traditionalist wing and the more liberal 30-somethings over the wider use of the Latin Mass, the standard service before the Second Vatican Council. It is a delicate balance between those of an older generation, who sense a conservative drift in Catholic affairs, and the current crop of modern Catholics, including younger priests who are unfamiliar with the long practiced Latin version. Tie this in with generational differences on religious freedom, ecumenism, and interfaith relations, and once can sense the gathering “perfect storm.”
– Chase.Hamil
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21 users commented in " The Catholic Church preparing for the perfect storm "
Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackThe church has the right to preach what she has preached for 2000 years.
If Politicians don’t like it, they can join the Protestant church.
Ironically, the Democratic party won the congress because many areas preferred to vote for pro life Democrats (e.g. Casey in Pennsylvania).
And the “progressive” wing of the church is mainly not “thirties something” but 50’s something. The young are either unchurched, protestant, or fervant.
Perhaps you are unaware of the fact that a lot of Gen-X priests actually are better disposed to the pre-Vatican II rite of Mass than their elders. Groups such as the Fraternity of St. Peter and the Institute of Christ the King exclusively celebrate the preconciliar rite, and they are almost exclusively young men.
The Catholic Church has every right to speak on behalf of the spiritual welfare of their flocks. I think secularists should check their secularism at the door. Maybe we could deal with a little separation of secularism and state.
The only thing young people have to learn from secularism is about how to be a bunch of narcissistic, egotistical hedonists.
Blessed Pius IX and other pre-Vatican-II popes have rightly condemned the separation of Church and state. See Pius IX’s “Syllabus of Errors” and encyclocals by Pope Leo XIII.
In a confessional Catholic state, the state has the right, though not the duty, to suppress public non-Catholic religious ceremonies. IIn a Catholic confessional state, the government protects Catholicism and ensures that the sthe state’s laws jibe with what the Catholic Church teaches about morality.
The Church ought to excommunicate pro-abortion poltcians because abortion is murder and because those politicians commit sacrilege when they receive Holy Communication.
It is typical of papal and Vatican arrogance to exlude people from membership and the Table. Thinking, intelligent Catholics will make up their own minds as to how they experience God, Community, and Communion. The deeper crisis in the RC Church is the understnading of power and authority. Popes and bishops will continue to error in thinking that other mature adults are going to overly value out-dated, unscientific, indecent, and unjust proclamations and “excommunications”. Being an ordained minister in this denomination continues to be meaningful ( in terms of accompanying thinking people_ and an embarrassment when dealing with the “officaldom”
It is silly to say that the youth neither want nor know the Latin Mass. I’m only 15, a Catholic who loves her faith, and on the rare occasions I hear a Latin Mass I am thrilled. I know many of the Latin prayers and have always dreamt of knowing more. I welcome this decision with open arms.
R.E. and others of your inclination, please tell me the attraction to praying in a language and in words that are not your own?
The Catholic church equates pro-choice with being pro-abortion. This is childishly simplistic. Abortion is a moral choice made by the woman, many of whom will not be catholics, and not politicians. In countries where abortion is illegal thousands of woman suffer or die each year following back street abortions.
Catholic politicians who are pro-choice are responding to their conscience which says that they cannot force their own moral values on other people, particularly non-catholics, and that prohibiting abortion does not prevent abortions but leads to preventable death and injury.
The impact of current Catholic doctrine is arguably a greater evil, but the clergy wash their hands of the onsequences of their lobbying.
Chris, thank you for a humane and humanly decent perspective on abortion. Would that “Pro0life” advocates were aware of how Churches teachings and doctrines end up “ABORTING” sll kinds of living and loving between their two sacred pillars of abortion and euthanasia…unjust church policies have aborted the dreams of little girls and all ages of women dreaming of ordination to priesthood, judgemental harshness from the Vatican continues to abort the hopes ans dreams of same-sex couples for some level of dignified respect for their relationships. What is the purpose of respecting the beginnings of a embryo if that fetus is created by God gay or lsbian and year’s latter want to express their affection sexuaklity and commitment to someone of their own gender….and that desire to enter into intimacy is aborted by hateful, bigoted and ignorant church doctrine. So Pro-life folks seem to say: “Love and respect that embryo and label that toung adult disordered and intrinsically evil..
Chris and Greg:
Your comments betray your abysmal lack of knowledge of the Catholic Church, its history and its culture. You ask – “please tell me the attraction to praying in a language and in words that are not your own?” Well it’s more than language, it’s the Rite – Try attending one with an open mind. As far as abortion is concerned, this is a LIFE issue. And God is THE CREATOR thus He is Life and Love. Murdering children and calling it a right is wrong-headed. Check what the Bible teaches of those who call right wrong, and wrong right.
If it was truly “faithful to the Gospel”, the Catholic Church would reserve the same Excommunications for those who unjustly divorce and for those who support them in this, but this would Excommunicate the entire hierarchy in America, which forces anyone who wishes a formal investigation into the validity of their marriage to divorce their spouse.
The Catholic Church is clearly speaking from both sides of it mouth when it says it supports marriage but hands out false annulments and encourages divorce in the process. There is no requirement for reconciliation of the valid sacramental spouses when the tribunal reaches the conclusion that a marriage is valid but when the opposite conclusion is reached the “freed” spouses are allowed to marry with the blessing of the Church. In fact, the Catholic Church encourages scandal and wrongdoing by accepting couples living together who are guilty of public adultery when they agree to “live together as brother and sister” for the good of their children created through adultery. No consideration at all is given to the children of the abandoned sacramental marriage, who are treated as inconsequential and less important or not important at all by such a Vatican “compromise”. This also gives the official Catholic Church blessing to the continued violation of the sacramental spouse who is often abandoned and civilly persecuted by the “adulterous” spouse, whom the Catholic Church now encourages to deny any justice to the innocent, wrongly abandoned, spouse, “for the good of the children” of adultery and completely in violation of the moral theological law forbidding evil to be done for the sake of good.
The Catholic Church is Christ’s Church and is not ever bound by false constructs like the ‘Separation of Church and State”, which in many instances is constantly violated and ever expanding through the all powerful “state” and its various organs but it should better police itself for internal consistancy. Justice is required of the Catholic Church as it governs itself and those who call themselves Catholic. But in this regard the Catholic Church is a dismal and scandalous failure. Abortion is but one Pro-Life issue. At least an aborted child dies in God’s grace. An abandoned spouse suffers a lifetime of terrible unending injustices at the hands of BOTH Church and State, as well as at the hands of an adulterous spouse. Their suffering often leads to many abandoning the Catholic Church and losing their faith, which should be of a GREATER concern to the Catholic Church than the mere LIVES of the unborn. As has ALWAYS been taught by the Catholic Church, the loss of salvation is infinitely worse that the loss of a life.
The actions of the Catholic Church since it opened the floodgates of easy annulments has endangered the souls of many abandoned spouses and this is openly denied by the hierarchy of the Catholic Church and shows the moral and ethical bancruptcy of the recent generations of Catholics both religious and lay, among the worst of which are the current and immediate past Popes, who have done nothing to address this gravely injust situation except talk about it.
God speed, Benedict!
“The Church also forbids the use of condoms to prevent the spread of HIV and AIDS for same reason ”
— Condoms = more promiscuity = spread of HIV increased
— Condoms don’t always work = spread of HIV not always prevented
— No sex outside marriage = spread of HIV prevented
— Chastity within a marriage where one partner has HIV = spread of HIV prevented
— Which position is more responsible? “Fidelity and, where necessary, chastity” or “Condoms for all!”
““Individuals who vote for abortion have excluded themselves from communion.” So, according to this “logic,” it is not the Catholic Church who has denied the sacraments to wayward politicians, it is the politicians themselves.”
How is this illogical? You commit mortal sin –> you’re not in a state of grace –> you can’t receive communion – in other words, you’ve exCOMMUNIcated yourself.
Most effective solution to HIV problem = chastity and fidelity
“catholic leaders urge voters to make a stance on the Irag war as a human rights violation”. Well thats odd ?…The pope recently sent a letter to the vatican bank investigation saying that the Nazis didn’t break any international law by slaughtering nearly 1 million people in WWII by the Eustacha. Although the heads of the Eustasha were catholic clergy and catholics stood to gain so much out of it. Now there is food for thought. I guess it’s what’s suits the church at the time in making this call.
The Catholic Church’s pro life policy is looking rather shakey after Phills comment. And yes unfortunatly it did happen.
Thank you, Phil…The Vatican’s repeated duplicity is the crisis. I appreciate your presentation of solid and uncomfortable facts.
Your welcome Gregory, anyone can visit the website at vaticanbankclaims.com. Unfortunatly this is the true history and culture of the church that even devout catholic’s (the good people they are) fail to see, that has occured since the Roman Empire handed it’s power to her and the church became the biggest politicle power in the world until the truth of the reformation occured.
I will check out that website. Is there a way, Phil, to contact you? Thank you again for some light on a sore subject.
There are deeper issues involved in going back to pre-Vatican II celebrations of Eucharist. Once again the priest will be the dispproportionate object of visual and audio attention…i.e. where Father is standing, how he is holding his fingers, the magic words he is saying, and once again we will be praying for the wayward jews (demonstrating the actual anti-semities we often are) and separated brethren. Lay people’s role in common prayer will once again be reduced to ‘responses…and though there will much more smells and bells, and communion rails and outward piety…world consciousness and the larger body of Christ celebrated in Eucharist will be replaced by ritual purity where we all GOOSE-STEP with rubric exactitude and precision…and obedience is not to the new REALM (“Kingdom”) OF GOD OF PEACE, EQUALITY AND JUSTICE, but letter of the law obedience to Vatican dictates. Adult self-determination and primacy of conscience will be replaced by “genuflections”…a definite setback for Pentecost.empowerment of ALL and back to the “good ol days of heirarchical childhood fears and dependence. So while some are nostalgically drawn to the male-clerical dominated smells, bells, and ‘security” of the good ol’ days…be aware of the bigotry and igniorance that underlies it all.
One of Gods Commandments is “Thou Shalt not Kill” It doesn’t seem to matter what Christian Church you belong to, we are sinners if we kill and have to answer to the one who made us all in the end.
Here it is, 4 1/2 years later, but still no “perfect storm” for the demise of the Catholic Church. Could it be that the establishment, sustenance and guidance of this organization is not attributable to mere human invention and intervention? Remember: “Professionals built the Titanic, but Noah built the Ark!” Talk about “survival of the fittest”! I would love to have the time to research and expound on the many and varied trails and mountains of substantial evidence that the opposite view of “the perfect storm” will one day come true – the convergence of all the seriously negative, even deadly, consequences of moral relativism in all its many forms and names (secularism, pluralism, materialism, so-called “tolerance”, etc.), versus the pure, powerful, unadulterated Truth (with a capital “T” = God’s Truth). We all know who will conquer in the end. “A kingdom divided against itslef cannot stand.” God could easily allow it to happen in our lifetime if He so chooses – but why would we think our generation is so special and priviledged to see and enter into “the promised land” after such disobedient grumbling and disregard for truth and morality? If anything, we deserve what Sodom and Gomorrah got – if not worse. But thank almighty God, that He doesn’t give us what we truly deserve! Lord, have mercy on us! Thy kingdom come! The New Israel! The New Jerusalem – The Holy City, come down from heaven! The knigdom of heaven IS at hand!
If anyone is interested in seeing more of the signs that God’s kingdom, the “Holy City”, the “New Jerusalem” is arriving as we speak, visit: http://www.divinegps.com/fountain and prepared to be awakened!
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