"Devout Catholics" and the Scandal They Bring

America’s founding fathers, after successfully fighting a war to free our newly formed nation from the chains of tyranny, were adamant that we the people would not replace one tyrannical regent with an equally tyrannical federal government over our nascent nation.  Out of that legitimate concern, the brilliant United States Constitution was written to limit the role of what the federal government could and should do and to further enshrine in our Bill of Rights what our rights were that the government was sworn to protect under this new constitution.

One of our 1^st amendment rights as Americans is the “right of the people peaceably to assemble”.  As such, America has many such groups, clubs, professional societies, service organizations, and institutions of faith where like-minded people are free to assemble in furtherance of their intended causes.  Many of these groups and faith organizations have developed their own by-laws and codes of conduct in order to be a member in good standing with that said group. 

The Roman Catholic Church is one such group.  Indeed, the very church built on the rock of Peter by Jesus Christ himself has long established such rules and codes that a Christian is to live by if he or she is to remain faithful to God and His teachings.  These teachings are encoded in Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church for anyone to read. 

One of these teachings regards the mortal sin of abortion.  The Catechism specifically states the following,

“2270  Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception.  From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person – among which in the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.

‘Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.’  (Jer 1:5)     

‘My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.’ (Ps 139.15)

2271  Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion.  This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.  Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:

‘You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.’  (Didache 2,2)

‘God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves.  Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.’ GS 51 3

2272  Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense.  The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life.  ‘A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae’ ‘by the very commission of the offense’ and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law.  The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy.  Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

2273  The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation:

‘The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority.  These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin.  Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being’s right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death.’  CDF Donum vitae III

‘The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law.  When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined… As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn child from the moment of conception, the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child’s rights.’  Donum vitae III

So, what are we to make of public figures such as Joe Biden and Speaker Pelosi who insist that they are being good, devout Catholics, while giving support and indeed even promotion and tax-payer dollars to what their faith describes as a mortal sin?  Further, that mortal sin that they have committed unrepentantly has not only brought great scandal upon the Catholic Church as it can and has given permission to those Catholics that are less well-versed in their faith, scripture, and catechization, to support this grave and mortal sin.  Catholicism teaches that in order to partake of the Eucharist, Holy Communion, one must not be in a state of mortal sin.  To partake anyway in such an unworthy fashion is to commit another grievous sin. 

And yet, many of our Catholic leaders still insist upon their own piety.  They disregard the very rules of the Church of which they profess to be members.  If they deny the sacredness of life from conception to natural death, then perhaps Catholicism is not a compatible faith for them.  Perhaps they should look for salvation elsewhere accordingly if they are invincibly ignorant in their steadfast support of abortion.

They certainly should not be propping themselves up as spokespeople for the Church when they are clearly and obstinately not abiding by its core tenets.  There are many bishops, including Nancy Pelosi’s own Archbishop Cordileone, that have instructed their dioceses not to distribute Holy Communion to such transgressors. 

Luckily, the sacrament of reconciliation offers Christ’s mercy to reestablish communion with the church for these transgressors, but they must truly be repentant for the support of this grave evil and work to not fall back into such sin.  In the meantime, it brings great shame and scandal to the church for such high-profile politicians to proclaim their Catholicity while blatantly ignoring its teachings. 

If Mitt Romney, as a Mormon were to be a heavy drinker and smoker and promote such things, he would likewise bring scandal to his church.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints would similarly be greatly dismayed as such intractable behavior that goes against their church laws.  Certainly one can understand that a group can establish its own rules.  Churches in particular have a right and obligation to do so.  Membership in such suggests that one is willing to abide by those organization's rules.  This becomes of the utmost importance when the rules are dictated by God himself!

Renowned Catholic apologist Jimmy Akin recently wrote,

“…someone who still professes to be Catholic—even unfaithfully—remains so, even if it is purely in a “bodily” way and not “in his heart.”

Although there is no doubt that public figures—as well as private individuals—gravely compromise their communion with the Church when they reject key Catholic teachings and values, this doesn’t mean that they literally cease to be Catholics.

Bad Catholics are still Catholics. And that just makes their betrayal of the Faith worse.”

Indeed, and that is why Joe Biden and Nancy Pelosi may view themselves as devout, but their sins and hypocrisy is clear for all who know to see this.  Prayers for their conversions of heart is greatly needed from the truly devout accordingly.