Abortion is condemned to the highest degree

Apologetics
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Pope John Paul II wrote Evangelium Vitae (the Gospel of Life) in 1995. Up to that point the condemnation of abortion was a Sacred Tradition having been condemned early by the Church.

Evangelium Vitae made the condemnation of abortion an infallible doctrine of the Catholic Church equal in authority to the founding of the Church by Christ and all the Marian dogmas.

President Biden is therefor a heretic from the Catholic Church and his receiving Holy Communion is committing blasphemy and in mortal sin and anyone giving or approving his reception is in blasphemy and in mortal sin.

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I totally agree with your admonition in principle, but I would myself admonish you that you are not in authority to issue such condemnations and should use the proper wording to reflect this fact by saying “President Biden would be a heretic based on what I know” and “the proper authorities that are responsible for revoking his communion rights seem to be neglecting their duties”.

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To jaytea,

Thank you so much for your reply, I appreciate it even thou I disagree. In some covert situations you would be correct but not in this case.

Please see this new headline below taken from Bidens press conference 5 days ago. He is going to propose new abortion access.

Biden is an obstinate and notorious heretic on abortion and is excommunicated automatically… Can. 1364— § 1. An apostate from the faith, a heretic or a schismatic incurs a latae sententiae excommunication, without prejudice to the provision of can. 194 § 1 n. 2; he or she may also be punished with the penalties mentioned in can. 1336 §§ 2-4.

His public reception of Holy Communion for years is blasphemy and clerics who allow and approve of blasphemous Communion are in mortal sin. It is very simple and every Catholic is empowered to follow the rules of the Catholic Church and apply them in order to protect the souls of Catholics.

Biden administration announces new abortion initiatives on Roe …

Web5 days ago · WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden convened key members of his Cabinet on Monday to discuss abortion rights on the 51st anniversary of the Roe v. Wade ruling. It …

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While it is certainly true that abortion is gravely sinful and to dissent from the Church’s teaching on this matter is gravely sinful, that is not heresy.

Can. 751 defines heresy as the post-baptismal denial of a truth that must be believed in “by divine and Catholic faith”. This pertains to truths revealed to us by God that more directly pertain to faith than particular moral doctrines (which are related to faith, but less directly) do.

For example, we must believe with divine and Catholic faith that Jesus rose from the dead. To deny his resurrection is to commit heresy.

That being said, there are still grounds for refusing to give Holy Communion to Biden. Canon 915 says that those who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin (a bigger category than heresy) are not to be admitted Holy Communion.

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To CanadianPriest

Sorrowfully, you and almost all Catholic priests do not know the doctrines of the Catholic Church. First, the condemnation of abortion is a truth revealed by God in the 5th Commandment THOU SHALL NOT MURDER.

Second, the condemnation of abortion is an infallible doctrine by divine and Catholic faith of the Church equal in authority to the founding of the Catholic Church by Christ, the real presence in the Holy Eucharist and all the Marian dogmas. Biden’s denial of the condemnation of abortion is an act of heresy against an infallible doctrine of the Catholic faith decreed by God and the Catholic Church.

Here is the Vatican proof…

CONGREGATION FOR THE DOCTRINE OF THE FAITH

Doctrinal Commentary
on the Concluding Formula of the Professio fidei

  1. Examples. Without any intention of completeness or exhaustiveness, some examples of doctrines relative to the three paragraphs described above can be recalled.

To the truths of the first paragraph belong the articles of faith of the Creed, the various christological dogmas21 and marian dogmas;22the doctrine of the institution of the sacraments by Christ and their efficacy with regard to grace;23the doctrine of the real and substantial presence of Christ in the Eucharist24and the sacrificial nature of the eucharistic celebration;25the foundation of the Church by the will of Christ;26the doctrine on the primacy and infallibility of the Roman Pontiff;27 the doctrine on the existence of original sin;28the doctrine on the immortality of the spiritual soul and on the immediate recompense after death;29the absence of error in the inspired sacred texts;30 the doctrine on the grave immorality of direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being.31

31 Cf. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae , 57: AAS 87 (1995), 465.

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Thank you Chris, for your response.

Although I grateful for your contribution, I must protest against your claim that I “do not know the doctrines of the Catholic Church.” There are very few Catholic priests who are unaware that God gave the fifth commandment and that abortion is therefore gravely sinful. That being said, I grant that I am forever and student and forever learning.

This discussion is not a controversy about what the Church teaches, but instead about the doctrinal weight of certain teachings as compared to others, how assent/dissent are treated in canon law, and the juridic state of a certain member of the Church.

I appreciate your sharing of the link to the profession of faith with accompanying resources. This may prove useful in my ministry.

Having considered this and having re-read what John Paul II says in Evangelium Vitae, I can indeed see a case to be made that denial of this teaching should be put on par with heresy. (Though, I would reserve ultimate judgment to the proper authorities.)

That being said, there are still some cautions that I think we should observe.

The first caution concerns the particular sins of Mr. Biden. In my mind, it seems hard to accuse him of heresy in particular unless he has explicitly denied that killing an innocent human being is sinful. Even if he commits mortal sin by supporting action in his deeds, it isn’t heresy unless he denies the truth. So - as unreasonable as such a position would be on his part - if he believes that abortion is a sin but nonetheless promotes abortion by his actions, he is not a heretic (though he is guilty of sin in other ways).

In the same way, a man may commit adultery even though he does not deny that it is a mortal sin. Such a man is a grave sinner, but not a heretic.

Whether Biden has outright denied that it is gravely immoral to directly kill innocent human beings, I don’t know. But it is a significant factor.

The second caution is that latae sententiae excommunications are tricky things, in large part because (so long as the penalty remains undeclared by the proper authority, but only “automatic”), it binds the person who has been excommunicated, but with regard to those who come in contact with him… not so much.

A better ground to refuse to give Biden (or others like him) Holy Communion is canon 915, which I cited above.

For those interested in more info on latae sententiae excommunications from a canon law who strongly believes in refusing Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians, please see the following:

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@chrisg93 Automatic excommunication is a real thing, but it’s there for the sake of the sinner and it should not be mistaken as granting any authority to laymen to determine whether it applies to someone or not. We can speak of it’s likelihood, we can even say something like that “as long as Biden knows what he is doing is wrong, he has been excommunicated,” but humility, charity, and respect for the authority of the church demands that you refrain from making an absolute determination of fact in this matter. Biden isn’t on trial, and you aren’t on his jury.
A similar defense applies to the clergy who give him communion. I wouldn’t bet my money that those people are going to heaven, and even if they haven’t considered whether they should withhold communion they could be sinning just by not considering it, but it is outside my competence and authority to make statements as to whether or not they have in fact sinned.
What I’m kind of ruminating on now is that what this comes down to is that there are those in the hierarchy of the church who do have such authority and responsibility to use it, and are not using it. Without a doubt, we’re being neglected here, that much is indisputable to my wit. I wish that your efforts could compensate for this neglect, but they cannot and I don’t think you would claim that they could.

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I think this is the kind of situation where we need to petition the church to do what it should have already done without being petitioned to do so. Get out the pots and pans, go down to where your bishop lives, and make sure he knows he’s in dereliction of duty.
I can tell you that I’ve already written a couple of letters to my bishop about a matter that I think is even more important than politics, and I made sure to tell him he has no place in heaven if he will not do the work God put him here to do. Being a bishop isn’t about how many pancake breakfasts go on in your diocese.

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@ jaytea

I am overjoyed at your resolve to change the status quo. “Petition, pots and pan, dereliction of duty, letters to my bishop, if he will not do the work God put him here to, many pancake breakfasts go on in.”

You’ve hit all the important points with vigor, strength and spirit. If I can be of some help, anything at all, please let me know. I have been doing pro-life for years, so let me know how things go for you. You have my sincere appreciation and admiration.

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@CanadianPriest

Sorry, did not mean to offend, I was referring to the fact that very few clerics know that the condemnation of abortion has the same authority as the founding of the Church by Christ and all the Marian dogmas via The Profession of Faith. Why aren’t clerics taught this? Why isn’t this shouted across the world? This is the infallible wording of Evangelium Vitae on abortion at #62…

Given such unanimity in the doctrinal and disciplinary tradition of the Church, Paul VI was able to declare that this tradition is unchanged and unchangeable. 72 Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops-who on various occasions have condemned abortion and who in the aforementioned consultation, albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine-I declare that direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing of an innocent human being. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the written Word of God, is transmitted by the Church’s Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. 73

To deny the condemnation of abortion doctrine is a heresy just as denying that Christ founded the Church or to deny the Real Presence or to deny all the Marian dogmas are all heresies. It is plain as day.

Heresy can be committed by words or by actions. Biden is purposely evading the outright verbal denial of the doctrine hoping that will protect him, but it cannot. Actions speak louder than words and by their fruit will you know them. Heresy is eminently provable by actions, otherwise he could help murder millions of babies and still be a Catholic in good standing. He is an obstinate and notorious heretic.

Your comment on canon 915 is excellent and should be applied to Biden and many other politicians who also defy God.

Latae sententiae excommunications should continue for abortion. The article you attached was very weak. Remember excommunication has a very important Biblical function,
“hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord ” 1 Corinthians 5:5.

I’ve been on the abortion clinic sidewalk for 20 years. I will be very glad to discuss this or any other aspect of abortion. I have a sheet of 64 condemnations of abortions. So please stay in touch. I do have a similar topic about a Canadian Bishop to discuss if you are so inclined. Wonderful to dialogue with you and I hope we can continue. God Bless you greatly.

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I likewise have enjoyed the chance to dialogue with you on this forum.

And I’m glad that you had no intention to cause offence.

May God bless you!

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Hi jaytea

I must in truth disagree with you completely. When we see an obvious sin a good Catholic is entitled to tell the truth. Only clergy can enforce Church law but any and every Catholic is duty bound to proclaim Church doctrine.

Your assertion that I must condition my proclamation with “as long as Biden knows" is to dodge the truth. Your assertion that I must “humility, charity, and respect for the authority of the church demands that you refrain” is also an unfounded and mistaken assessment of the true responsibility of a true Catholic.

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@chrisg93 “When we see an obvious sin a good Catholic is entitled to tell the truth.” Ok, what I will admit to be true is that it is a spiritual work of mercy to admonish the sinner. That said, much of what we see in the world coming out of the desire to correct others does not qualify as admonishment but as degradation. And in this we see the law that Christ gave us, judge not lest ye be judge: those who shun humility when faced with the sins of others fall to below those others.
When you speak publicly about a person who is a sinner, are you admonishing that person? No, you are not, unless the public speaking has a chance of reaching that person. But even if this is what you are doing, the prescription of Christ not to judge, lest you receive the punishment God gives for doing so, guides us to not conclude prematurely that the sinner has true fault, but to defer to the possibility that the sinner does not know his own sin. God provides us with this possibility to provide for our own humility, and even if it is not true that the sinner is innocent, God still wills us to hold faith that we do now know what God does not wish us to know.
And the nuance in our conversation is that you also do not have the authority to speak on behalf of the church. It is to the church that Christ gave “whose sins you forgive are forgiven and whose sins you retain are retained” and so it is only for those who speak on behalf of the church to speak to whether a person is damned or not for what they are doing. To stay within your sphere of authority, you must abstain from concluding that the person is damned, and refer only to that they are if they are culpable and do not repent.

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Hi jaytea

Your replies are particularly negative and insulting to me along with being inaccurate.

You have said to me…

“does not qualify as admonishment but as degradation”,

“those who shun humility when faced with the sins of others fall to below those others.”

“the prescription of Christ not to judge, lest you receive the punishment God gives for doing so”

“you must abstain from concluding that the person is damned”

This is what I have actually said which has no element that you claim…

Biden is an obstinate and notorious heretic on abortion and is excommunicated automatically… Can. 1364— § 1. An apostate from the faith, a heretic or a schismatic incurs a latae sententiae excommunication

President Biden is therefor a heretic from the Catholic Church and his receiving Holy Communion is committing blasphemy and in mortal sin and anyone giving or approving his reception is in blasphemy and in mortal sin.

When we see an obvious and notorious sin a good Catholic is entitled to tell the truth. Only clergy can enforce Church law but any and every Catholic is duty bound to proclaim Church doctrine.

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@chrisg93 Are you not outside your sphere of authority to say that Biden is a heretic? Or has he been declared so already by the church and you are just repeating what the authority has declared?

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@chrisg93 I think my point is that, in order to do justice to Biden we would have to have him here and ask him if he means to contradict the teaching for which he would be automatically excommunicated before we could conclude together that he has been. Otherwise, even though he has indicated quite clearly that he contradicts the teaching publicly, we owe it to him to consider it possible that he does not know what he is saying, or in some other legitimate way escapes the culpability of automatic excommunication. This is why automatic excommunication is virtually meaningless, and really is only meant to be considered by the one who is automatically excommunicated. It would be helpful if the proper authorities in the church would clarify whether an automatic excommunication has taken place or not, as then I might not have to defend Biden.

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Thanks for your reply. I would say that there are 4 obstacles to your approach…

First…Can. 748 §1. “All persons are bound to seek the truth in those things which regard God and his Church and by virtue of divine law are bound by the obligation and possess the right of embracing and observing the truth which they have come to know.”

Biden is obligated to seek the Church’s truth of his positions as is every person by canon law.

Second…Biden’s Bishop is obliged to make clear to him that his position is heretical and the penalty thereof. If the Bishop has not done that then that is not my fault.

Third… his personal verbal admission to heresy is not necessary to prove heresy. His multiple actions in favor of abortion over an extended time are the “fruit by which they can be known.”

Fourth…Automatic excommunication is a very powerful inducement to right actions and has been historically valid for a long time. It is the Church’s judgement on very serious sins and the seriousness of punishment. It is regarded by the Church as medicinal to help the offender repent of his sin. I think it is wonderful for the Catholic Church to take such a firm stance on the gravity of abortion.

Thanks

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As someone that follows the news and politics extremely closely, I can appreciate the vigor and passion of the posters on this thread, especially considering it involves abortion. However, at the risk of getting lambasted from both directions, here is my approach. I agree that Biden has excommunicated himself, but that is the hierarchy’s job to deal with that. I need to focus on my own sinfulness and working “out my own salvation in fear and trembling.” After myself, I have an obligation to look after the spiritual well-being of those under my authority, namely my wife and children. I and all Catholics should point out sin in general (hey everyone, abortion is murder and a grave sin), but leave the judgement of those committing the sins to God.

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Hi MDD2299
I urge everyone to become actively pro-life. Have you ever been to the sidewalk in front of an abortion clinic? I have been for 18 years message me back and I can help you.

  • The moral law prohibits…refusing a person in danger (CCC 2269)

  • Those unborn babies are in terrible danger.

  • The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Mt 25:40

  • Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. Proverbs 24:11

  • Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked Psalm 82:4

Thank you immensely.

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But why would you say such a thing unless you are taking on the role of a judge?