Scranton's Bishop Martino Orders Priests: No Communion to Public Sinners

Feb. 27, 2009 (CWNews.com) -

Bishop Joseph Martino-- who has emerged during the past year as the American bishop most determined to call pro-abortion politicians to account-- has now issued an order that in his Scranton, Pennsylvania diocese, "Those whose unworthiness to receive Holy Communion is known publicly to the Church must be refused Holy Communion in order to prevent sacrilege and to prevent the Catholic in question from committing further grave sin through unworthy reception."

Bishop Martino's directive was conveyed by the diocesan chancellor, James Earley, in an official notice dated February 26. The crucial concluding portion of notice reads:

Therefore, His Excellency, the Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino, Bishop of Scranton, reminds all ministers of Holy Communion, ordinary and extraordinary, that:

1. To administer the Sacred Body and Blood of the Lord is a serious duty which they have received from the Church, and no one having accepted this responsibility has the right to ignore the Church’s law in this regard;

2. Those whose unworthiness to receive Holy Communion is known publicly to the Church must be refused Holy Communion in order to prevent sacrilege and to prevent the Catholic in question from committing further grave sin through unworthy reception.

The official notice does not mention any individual by name. However it is impossible to overlook the fact that on the same day, February 26, the Scranton diocese also posted an open letter from Bishop Martino of Pennsylvania Senator Robert Casey, in which the bishop-- for the second time-- reminded the Catholic lawmaker of his moral obligation "to oppose abortion and other clear evils." [See today's separate CWN headline storyon the bishop's letter.]

Earlier in the month, in a first rebuke to Senator Casey, Bishop Martino had warned that the senator's vote against an extension of the Mexico City policy-- which prohibited US taxpayer funding of abortion advocacy abroad-- was a violation of the legislator's moral obligation. “Your failure to reverse this vote will regrettably mean that you persist formally in cooperating with the evil brought about by this hideous and unnecessary policy,” the bishop wrote.

The February 26 notice from the Scranton diocese notes that the #915 of the Code of Canon Law instructs Eucharistic ministers not to administer the Blessed Sacrament to Catholics "who have been excommunicated or interdicted after the imposition or declaration of the penalty and others obstinately persevering in manifest grave sin." [emphasis added] The official notice goes on to quote then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in his 2004 message to the bishops of the United States:


Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.

Thus Bishop Martino has clearly drawn the connection between public support for legal abortion and obstinate perserverance in grave sin, pointing toward the inevitable conclusion that a lawmaker who supports abortion must be barred from receiving the Eucharist.

Related Articles:
Bishop Again Voices Concern Regarding Sen. Casey’s Mexico City Policy Vote
Pro-Life Leaders Hail Bishop Martino's Courageous Outspokenness for Pro-Life, Pro-Family Values
Bishop Martino Tells St. Patrick Paraders: Cathedral Off-Limits if Pro-Abortion Politicians Honored

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights of the Unborn

Date: February 26, 2009
Article from Priests For Life
“The Negro cannot win if he is willing to sacrifice the futures of his children for immediate personal comfort and safety.” “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1929-1968
“I say today that we as Christians must press on, in the conviction that we are ‘a colony of heaven,’ called to obey God rather than man. Small in number, we must remain big in commitment. We must be too God intoxicated to be ‘astronomically intimidated.’ By our effort and example may God use us, as imperfect vessels that we are, to bring an end to such ancient evils as infanticide, abortion, racism, and oppression.”
Dr. Alveda C. King, reflections on “Letter from a Birmingham Jail”

In 1939, Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood, outlined her plan to eliminate the Black community: “The most successful, educational appeal to the Negro is through a religious appeal. We do not want word to go out that we want to exterminate the Negro population, and the minister is the man who can straighten out that idea if it ever occurs to any of their rebellious members.”

Dr. King was among a select group of Negro leaders hand-picked to promote a seemingly beneficial plan to promote healthy family planning. It was a plan of wolf in sheep’s clothing and Trojan Horse proportions. Dr. King, a man of love, peace, non-violence and strong Christian faith would be assassinated before the truth of the Planned Parenthood map for genocide would be made public after the passage of Roe v. Wade. The abortion agenda is in direct conflict with the teachings of Dr. King.

In 1966, Martin Luther King, Jr., a non-violent supporter of natural family planning, received the Planned Parenthood Margaret Sanger Award. In his acceptance speech, Dr. King pointed to the benefits of family planning among Negro families and the "kinship" between the civil rights movement and Margaret Sanger's early efforts. His hopeful speech would not include abortion: "Our sure beginning in the struggle for equality by non-violent direct action may not have been so resolute without the tradition established by Margaret Sanger and people like her."

As Dr. King’s niece, I too once accepted the lies of Planned Parenthood until the truth of the violence of abortion was revealed to me. If Planned Parenthood had announced that over 50 million babies would be aborted in the onslaught of their agenda, I would never have aborted a child. Dr. King would never have agreed with the violent violation of the civil rights of the millions of aborted babies, and Planned Parenthood’s subsequent blitz of women’s health problems related to chemical and artificial birth control methods.

This conclusion leads me to remind my readers that I too have a dream. It’s in my genes. How can the dream survive if we murder the children?

Dr. Alveda C. King, Pastoral Associate of Priests for Life, is a mother, grandmother, ordained minister, author and artistic producer.

Priests for Life is the nation's largest Catholic pro-life organization dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia. For more information, visit www.priestsforlife.org.

The Elephant in the Room: In praise of Catholic priests who dare to teach and enforce

By Rick Santorum Feb. 26, 2009 The Philadelphia Enquirer
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a self-proclaimed "ardent, practicing Catholic," had an opportunity last week to meet a fellow ardent Catholic, Pope Benedict XVI.
It appears that the pope used the visit to educate a confused Pelosi about the Roman Catholic Church's long-held position on the life issue.

Appearing on Meet the Press just prior to the Democratic National Convention, Pelosi told the country that, over the centuries, the Catholic Church had been unable to define when life begins. "We just don't know," she chirped.

The Vatican's statement after last week's meeting between Pelosi and the pope began: "His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death."

Pope Benedict did not allow any photos of the meeting, making a second and equally bracing instructional point: Dissenting Catholic politicians who deliberately mislead others about the church's core teachings will not be given another chance to do so by having their picture taken with the vicar of Christ.

The pope heads a long list of church leaders who have used the speaker's comments to teach the faithful. It includes our own Cardinal Justin Rigali.

Pelosi made it easy for the bishops to confront an offense against church teaching, because, rather than state her own position, she misstated the church's position. To the church, this is akin to wearing a "Kick me" sign on your backside.

Sadly, the church hierarchy has been less assertive when public figures' policy positions openly dissent from core teachings.

That's why Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino got so much national attention last fall. Martino, formerly the auxiliary bishop of Philadelphia, made the welcome decision to publicly bar then Sen. Joe Biden and other abortion advocates from receiving Communion in the Scranton Diocese. Then, after the November election, he admonished his brother bishops for their reluctance to deal with the issue faithfully.

Last month, Martino took on the most influential family in his diocese, the Caseys. He excoriated Sen. Bob Casey, who claims to be pro-life, for voting to give taxpayer dollars to overseas organizations that perform abortions. He warned that Casey was "formally cooperating with evil."

Martino was not done. Two weeks ago, the Philadelphia native and St. Joseph's Prep graduate issued a strong statement of disapproval to a local, nominally Catholic college, Misericordia University, that had scheduled a speech on campus by someone advocating same-sex marriage. "The faithful of the Diocese of Scranton should be in no doubt," Martino said, "that Misericordia University in this instance is seriously failing in maintaining its Catholic identity."

Then, last week, Martino took on some more of the biggest guns in the diocese: the Irish clubs that organize the largest public Catholic event of the year, the St. Patrick's Day festivities. Through a letter from his Irish auxiliary bishop, Martino warned that if any of these groups went ahead with plans that in any way honor politicians who are not pro-life, he would close the cathedral where Mass is usually held prior to the parade, as well as other diocesan churches. He said he would not countenance anything that created confusion about the teachings of the church.

The reason for the letter: Scranton's St. Patrick's Day parade last year featured Hillary Clinton.

Many of his brother bishops will look at Martino as they do at other uncompromising defenders of the faith, worrying about the world's reaction. As a Philly guy, though, his excellency knows something about being booed. He also knows his job and calling: to be the good shepherd who faithfully leads and protects his flock from those who would lead them astray.

Yes, scores of people are reportedly protesting and threatening to leave the church. In the end, however, people leaving the church because of a bishop who enforces its teachings are a blessing compared with the alternative: people leaving because bishops and their priests don't teach, much less enforce, those teachings.

Giving Up and Getting Up ~ Lenten Inspirations

Click here to read Message from His Holiness, Benedict XVI for Lent 2009
Lent is not only a time for giving up, but also a time to get up and do something about our faith. It can be going a few extra days to mass, committing to saying a daily rosary, or deciding to read the Bible.
So here are just a few things I intend to give up, and some things I intend to get up and do. Thinking about what I am going to do for Lent is not enough for me. I have to write it down, put it in black and white.....
I am going to give up coffee. I love having a cup of coffee. (Well, maybe a few cups!!) I love the way it sounds, the comfort it brings. I would like to replace that earthly desire with a heavenly desire...to drink up the Word of God, and to be comforted by the peacefulness that only He can bring by attending daily mass and saying a daily Rosary. My hope is that this will continue beyond Lent.
I would also like to become consecrated to Jesus through Mary. I have tried this before, and was unsuccessful in completing the 33 day process.
This past weekend, my daughter and I attended a mother-daughter retreat where we met many amazing, spiritual & fun-loving women and their children. One of the mom's said to me, "Ask the Lord before doing anything!!" (if only I had met her years ago!!) So, I am going to take her advice, and ask God for the grace to follow through with these desires in my heart, and to live out the challenge given to us at the imposition of ashes -- "Turn away from sin and be fiathful to the Gospel." May God Bless You abundantly this Lenten Season!
~Georgia

40 Days for Life, "a special period of prayer, penance, and activisim" by Father Frank Pavone

Ash Wendnesday not only marks the beginning of Lent, but also the beginning of the 40Days for Life. What is the 40 Days for Life?



40 Days for Life is a community-based campaign that draws attention to the evil of abortion through the use of a three-point program:

Prayer and fasting
Constant vigil at abortion clinics AND Planned Parenthood Facilities
Community outreach

40 Days for Life takes a determined, peaceful approach to showing local communities the consequences of abortion in their own neighborhoods, for their own friends and families. It puts into action a desire to cooperate with God in the carrying out of His plan for the end of abortion in America.

40-day series of devotionals
Get involved!

Pelosi and the Pope...What really happened (from: Catholic Fire blog)

Breaking News: Abortion Ban PASSED: ND House Declares Fertilized Egg Has All the Rights of Any Person

Feb 17 2009 7:37PM
KXMCTV Minot
North Dakota's House of Representatives has passed a bill effectively outlawing abortion.

The House voted 51-41 this afternoon to declare that a fertilized egg has all the rights of any person.

That means a fetus could not be legally aborted without the procedure being considered murder.

Minot Republican Dan Ruby has sponsored other bills banning abortion in previous legislative sessions - all of which failed.

He also sponsored today's bill and says it is compatable with Roe versus Wade - the Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion.

(Rep. Dan Ruby, -R- Minot) "This is the exact language that's required by Roe vs. Wade. It stipulated that before a challenge can be made, we have to identify when life begins, and that's what this does." VO CONTINUES But Minot Democrat Kari Conrad says the bill will land North Dakota in court, trying to defend the constitutionality of a law that goes against the Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion.

(Rep. Kari Conrad, -D- Minot) "People who presented this bill, were very clear that they intended to challenge Roe versus Wade. So they intend to put the state of North Dakota into court defending Roe vs. Wade"


The bill now goes to the North Dakota Senate. Click Here to Play :55 sec News Clip

12-Year-Old Takes 1st Place in a Speech Contest Arguing for the Rights of the Unborn: Offended Judge Quit!

Despite facing threats of disqualification, a 12-year-old girl took first place in a speech contest when she eloquently argued for the rights of unborn children – after an offended judge quit.

"What if I told you that right now, someone was choosing if you were going to live or die?" the seventh-grader begins in a video recording of her speech on YouTube. "What if I told you that this choice wasn't based on what you could or couldn't do, what you'd done in the past or what you would do in the future? And what if I told you, you could do nothing about it?"

The girl, a student at a Toronto school identified only as "Lia," continued:

"Fellow students and teachers, thousands of children are right now in that very situation. Someone is choosing without even knowing them whether they are going to live or die.

"That someone is their mother. And that choice is abortion."




Full news story on this controversial speech

What Does This Photo Say About Life & The Choices We Are Making?

"During a spina bifida corrective procedure at twenty-one weeks in utero, Samuel thrusts his hand out of the surgical opening of his mother's uterus. As the doctor lifts his hand, Samuel reacts to the touch and squeezes the doctor's finger. As if testing for strength, the doctor shakes the tiny fist. Samuel held firm. At that moment, I took this "Fetal Hand Grasp" photo.

As a photojournalist, my job is to tell stories through pictures. The experience of taking this photograph has had a profound effect upon me, and I'm proud to share this moment with you...."

~ Michael Clancy
http://www.michaelclancy.com/story.html

Another Dissident Catholic, Kansas Gov. Sebelius, Rumored to Replace Tom Daschle as Head of All Health Policy for U.S.

The idea that the head of all health policy for the United States would be an advocate of expanding federal funds for the killing of innocent children in the womb made millions of Americans deeply concerned and faithful Catholics angry...click here to read full story.

Bishop Martino Asks Senator Casey to Rescind Vote on Mexico City Policy

Priests for Life - Bishop Martino of Scranton Asks Pa. Senator Bob Casey to Rescind Vote on Policy

Vatican Official: Bishops Have no Choice But to Refuse Communion to Pro-Abort Politicians

"The Church's law is very clear," says Archbishop Burke, who was appointed last year by Pope Benedict XVI as the head of the Church's highest court, the Apostolic Signatura. "The person who persists publicly in grave sin is to be denied Holy Communion, and it [Canon Law] doesn't say that the Bishop shall decide this. It's an absolute." Click here to read the full story from Life Site News

Bishop Martino: The Unborn are Counting on Us

Priests for Life - Bishop Martino: Fighting for the Least

Florida Clinic Botched Abortion, Threw Out Live Baby

This is absolutely heartwrenching! We must storm the heavens in prayer! God Bless! ~Georgia

Archbishop Naumann: A Struggle for the Very Soul of Our Nation

We face the worst economic crisis that our nation has experienced in the past 75 years. Yet, I believe, the most serious threat to the health and future of our nation is a moral crisis – a struggle for the very soul of our nation..click here to read the rest of Fr. Naumann's homily from the March For Life Vigil Mass.

Can I Live? - by Talented Hollywood Actor & Mariah Carey's Husband, Nick Canon ~ His Incredible True Story

Nick's incredible true story of his mom's decision NOT to abort him; Heartfelt and convincing. Although short,(3 minutes), its' message is POWERFUL! Listen closely to the words of this song ~ they are profound... and pay close attention to everything happening in the background. The ending is a tearjerker.
In case you are not familiar with him, he is a very talented actor, and quite popular among our youth. This is AMAZING!! God Bless! ~Georgia