Frank reflects over the role of religion in family in his latest blog post: “Why does my cousin go to a Catholic school? What does that cross mean?” These are questions worth asking. Like most smart middle class people who are trying to live in reali…

Since 1984, the American tradition has been to name a Catholic as ambassador to the Holy See. Going deeper into history, however, there’s precedent for an alternative. When Franklin Roosevelt named a personal representative to Pope Pius XII at the outbreak of the Second World War, for example, he turned to Myron Taylor, a lawyer and former executive of U.S. Steel, and a prominent Episcopalian.
At the time, Roosevelt’s logic was to blunt Protestant criticism. Ironically, the more compelling motive now would be to short-circuit Catholic blowback[...]
(Cardinal Francis George of Chicago)’s reply was instructive. “We have a different relationship with non-Catholics than with baptized Catholics who bring themselves to communion,” George said. “Our relationship with [Catholics] is one of authority, and that’s the word that drives people up the wall.”

Your son needs to understand these things.

unclesmrgol on April 12, 2009 at 3:12 A

M

Yes, we have discussed Mr. Kmiec and other Catholics who supported Obama many times during this last election especially since it was his first as an eligible voter.

I found the story of Judas to have the most relevance to Mr. Kmiec. Judas was always the one talking about the poor. He did not realize when he was taking those 30 pieces of silver that he would have to betray the very Son of God for them.

For Mr. Kmiec to support Obama, he had to betray Jesus. My prayer is that he will see his error and repent.

I swear I can’t decide if Barack Obama is stupid or if he is doing all of this on purpose.
Niere on April 11, 2009 at 7:10 PM

Quid Pro Quo – Uncle Ted give dog to Omaba kids, Obama gives dog to Vatican?

Given that he was in a state of sin, the priest did the right thing.

Mr. Kmeic needs to repent of his sin, confess his repentance, and do the necessary penance.

As for crowing about all one’s good deads, it is better that the left hand not know what thy right hand doest.

He has gotten his reward, here on Earth.

Your son needs to understand these things.

unclesmrgol on April 12, 2009 at 3:12 AM

Exactly. What the priest did was an act of mercy because taking communion while in a state of grave sin compounds the sin.

Here’s a great article regarding this issue–it’s actually a few years old but I think it explains the Catholic Church’s position on this very well.

http://www.geocities.com/strawberrygrrl.geo/kerryEucharist.html

So according to that baptism can’t be erased. (IE,in the Church’s eyes lapsed Catholics are still Catholics. Yes, I realize the second one is Wikipedia)

Dave_d on April 11, 2009 at 9:08 PM

There is also this from the Catechism:

1463 Certain particularly grave sins incur excommunication, the most severe ecclesiastical penalty, which impedes the reception of the sacraments and the exercise of certain ecclesiastical acts, and for which absolution consequently cannot be granted, according to canon law, except by the Pope, the bishop of the place or priests authorized by them. In danger of death any priest, even if deprived of faculties for hearing confessions, can absolve from every sin and excommunication.

Isn’t the “insult” of having an ambassador who thinks Mohammed was a false prophet greater than the insult of having an ambassador who disagrees about the sanctity of life?

No.

Having an ambassador who subscribes to a different religion is very different than offering an ambassador who is a publically declared member of the religion/nation that is receiving the ambassador

The Kennedy swears at Mass a loyalty to the one and only holy and apostolic church but publically declares disloyalty to the highest morality of the church, and thus actively obstructs the most humane message of the church and facilitates what the church considers mass murder.

This is a very big problem. The ambassador would be trivializing a most important value of the Church at a time in History when this Pope has declared the problem is not trivial, not negotiable to Catholics, and not to be ignored

The Pope drew a line in his grand strategy of Christian decency

To send Caroline as ambassador after his public stands would be a nonproductive impediment to the purpose of sending an ambassador, which is a neutral channel for dialogue between two powers

She could go anywhere except the Vatican, assuming Obama doesn’t care how limited his ambassadors are in ability, and I suspect obama does not care much.

In fact, looking at the trail of crass Obama-snubs, leaking the Kennedy name as possible Vatican liason would be right on Target

I was appalled reading it.

Jvette on April 11, 2009 at 9:25 PM

Given that he was in a state of sin, the priest did the right thing.

Mr. Kmeic needs to repent of his sin, confess his repentance, and do the necessary penance.

As for crowing about all one’s good deads, it is better that the left hand not know what thy right hand doest.

He has gotten his reward, here on Earth.

Your son needs to understand these things.

Anytime I see someone that the VATICAN rejects, no matter which party or political side they take, they become a personal favorite of mine.

Monkei on April 11, 2009 at 5:55 PM

It’s good to know that the Vatican has importance in your life.

Just my take.

GunRunner on April 12, 2009 at 1:01 AM

Read that earlier this evening…

And my sister and her husband are still gushing over how wonderful Obama is and how his family is something to be emulated. Guess they just mean Barack, Michelle and the two little girls…I hope.

Obama’s father had four wives, and fathered eight children. His first wife Mum Kezia was only 15 when he purchased her from her family for 14 cows. With this wife he fathered Abongo, Auma, Bernard, and Abo who goes by Samson.

Barack Obama Sr. then married Ann Dunham while still married to his first wife. Ann was the daughter of two hard-core Marxists and believed she was striking a blow against the establishment by having sex with non-white men. She gave birth to Barack. Obama Sr. then abandoned her and she filed for divorce. Immediately after the divorce she married an Indonesian man. Obama Sr. then married a second white leftist, Ruth Nidesand. She returned to Nairobi with Obama Sr. She had two kids with him, David and Mark, before leaving him and marrying another African man.

Wow.

Thou shalt allow the Kennedy to be the emissary of the One.

Also, we have 300 millions people and Obama couldn’t find anybody who had sex with a little boy?

Team Chicago Jesus

FTW!!!

After he was refused communion, he sat back in the pew and thought to himself that all of the good deeds he had done, all of the good works for the poor and for justice and still he had been denied the Body of Christ. For his whole life, he had attended church, served as an altar boy, rosaries, devotionals, and raised his children and the priest ignored all of that.

I was appalled reading it.

Jvette on April 11, 2009 at 9:25 PM

Ephesians 2:8-9: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

That said, the priest who denied him communion was rebuked and had to issue a formal apology.

But, before we make Kmiec some kind of martyr, here is a quote from Wikipedia about Kmiec support of Obama:

Most of all, Kmiec said he endorsed Obama because he “believed him to be a person of integrity, intelligence, and genuine good will. I take him at his word that he wants to move the nation beyond its religious and racial divides and that he wants to return the United States to that company of nations committed to human rights.“

(emphasis mine)

So Mr. Kmiec, how’s that “taking him at his word” working out?

Oh, and how do you square Obama’s radical pro-abortion stance with returning the United States “to that company of nations committed to human rights.”?

I guess fetus’ don’t have rights, but terrorists do?