The church still advocates strongarming its followers

[bernie]

Seattle times article/New York Times

What if said candidate has other issues that the voter fully agrees with? What if the opponent is say, a white supremecist?

Idiots.

b

[elwoodblues]

I'll give you 10-1 that he's a republican...

You can't receive communion if you vote for someone who favors abortion rights, same-sex marriage, euthanasia or stem cell research.

You can (presumably) receive communion if your candidate favors capital punishment and an unjust war (using the Church's just war theory).

What a bunch of crap.

[MMMMMM]

Seems like many such problems would be the natural eventual outgrowth of Petrine doctrine and the doctrine of apostolic succession.

[Philuva]

From the Colorado Springs Diocese website, it states one of its missions as:

[ QUOTE ]
We seek to strengthen unity through constant renewal.


In the Vatican II Document on the Church the fathers clearly saw the Church as always in need of spiritual renewal. In a sense the Church follows the Latin phrase of her reality "ecclesia semper reformanda" a church always being reformed.

"While Christ, holy, innocent and undefiled knew nothing of sin, but came to expiate only the sins of the people, the Church, embracing in its bosom sinners, at the same time holy and always in need of being purified, always follows the way of penance and renewal." (Lumen Gentium 81-83)

It was never a part of the church’s character to be unchanging in that sense. Though she is founded by the Holy One, she herself reflects the makeup of those in need of redemption. In her divine founder she is irreformable. In her people she is always in need of growing, changing and reforming. Most authentically, the Church responds to the signs of the times. This requires a constant process of deepening and expanding her understanding of, and influence in the world.

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess it embraces those sinners as long as they are not Democrats running for office.

[fluff]

God, the Catholic church is such a farce.

It's the fricking 21st century, and they're still threatening to use excommunication as a political weapon?

If their clergy rapes young boys, they'll go out of their way to protect them at all cost. But when someone goes out and exercises their right to vote differently than church doctrine, they threaten excommunication.

Can't believe at one point in my life I seriously considered converting to Catholicism and join these stupid bastards.