At first, I was tempted to feel disappointed in the reactions of Father Augustine DiNoia and Father Basil Cole. This story from CatholicNews.Com sure had the smell of backpedaling, and I felt embarrassed that I had so quickly given them kudos for taking an action that reinforced my perception of their moral ground. (Selfish me)

You see, I see so few people doing that these days, that I was simply pleased to see it.

In truth, the fact of the matter is that I do not know anything about the Roman Catholic Church, latae sententiae or even being called an "obstinate sinner". My distaste for the apparent backpedaling could be just as off base as I was when I jumped up and shouted "You tell 'em!" after reading Father Cole's letter the first time.

In the end, I am only left with the sure fact that I am annoyed when I hear Kerry double-speak about his religious beliefs (Life begins at conception / but it is still a woman's choice).

:: sigh

In Washington, Father Cole told CNS the Holy See "gets these requests ... tons of them," and that Father DiNoia asked him to respond to Balestrieri in a private capacity.

"I have no relationship to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith ... and the letter that I wrote to Balestrieri was purely private," he told CNS Oct. 19. "I wrote it as a private theologian, not with any authority. It has no authority whatsoever.
"Its worth is disputable," he added.

One Vatican official contacted by CNS said no church official had seriously approached the point of declaring Kerry a heretic.

"No, Kerry is not a heretic," he said.

"There are three distinct questions involved" in the current U.S. discussion about support for legalized abortion and the worthiness of Catholic politicians and voters to receive Communion, he said.

The three questions, he said, are: "Is Kerry a heretic? Is Kerry an 'obstinate sinner' because of his support for legalized abortion? Can a Catholic vote for Kerry?"

Even if one answered "yes" to the second question, he said, it would not mean the senator is a heretic, nor would it oblige Catholic voters in all situations to vote against him.

Posted by Michael at October 20, 2004 09:42 AM