Vol.14 No.3

a great start
Priest Says… Excommunicate 14 Catholic Senators
Who Voted Against Late­Term Abortion Ban
BY LISA BOURNE/LIFESITENEWS.COM
ACatholic priest, earlier this year, called on
bishops to excommunicate the 14 Catholicidentifying
U.S. senators who voted against
banning late-term abortions. He is also
calling on priests to deny the Catholic proabortion
senators Holy Communion.
“Today is the day for their bishops to issue a formal statement
acknowledging that these men and women have publicly
denied their Catholic faith, and if not formally, then have
informally excommunicated themselves,” Fr. Dwight
Longenecker wrote in a past blog post.
Many bishops often refuse to publicly correct pro-abortion
politicians who say they are Catholic. Of these, a small number
prefer to be more “pastoral,” handling the matter in private.
But Fr. Longenecker wasted no time on this premise, pointing
out the reality of the infraction committed by public figures
identifying themselves as Catholic when they publicly support
abortion.
“So fourteen Catholic senators voted for this barbaric,
inhumane practice to still be legal in the United States and
thereby assured its continuation,” Fr. Longenecker stated.
Fr. Longenecker called on Catholic media to publish their names
and to “publish the horror that they have enabled by their vote.”
He also stated that “every Catholic college, university, institute
of learning, newspaper, and website should publish the names
of the Catholic senators who voted for late-term abortion, and
circulate their names as widely as possible.”
He included links to the official vote roll call and public record
of the senators’ identifying as Catholic, as well as a chart
containing their district, diocese, and bishop.
“Since their offense is public, it should be acknowledged
publicly and their pastors should publicly rebuke them and
deny them access to the sacraments,” he said, adding that if
Church hierarchy does not do so, then Catholics should make
their concerns known via the most effective channel — the
collection basket.
“If the bishops and priests do not do this,” Fr. Longenecker
added, “the faithful in their parishes and dioceses should rise
up and blizzard them with letters, emails, and the one thing that
will really make them sit up and take notice: withholding their
contributions.”
Longenecker, pastor of Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in
Greenville, S.C., wrote about the fact that 46 of 97 members of
the U.S. Senate voted January 29 against ending debate on the
Pain­Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, and the result of
that was the Senate not being allowed to vote on the bill, and
the senators in effect voting against the ban.
The bill’s premise is based upon the scientifically established
fact an unborn child can feel pain at 20 weeks.
One of two proposed bills up for a possible vote to coincide with
the annual March for Life, it was not perfect, allowing
exceptions for babies conceived in rape or incest. It was
regarded by some as feel-good legislation timed for the annual
March when pro-life advocates and media would be paying
attention. Despite its shortcomings, the bill would have banned
most late-term abortions, a brutal and inhumane practice.
Pope Benedict took the position that pro
abortion Catholic politicians excommunicate
themselves. His successor holds a different
position. Here is the Word of God on the matter:
King James Version - And if he shall neglect to hear them, (in this
case, regarding a patent endorsement of genocide) tell it unto the
church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee
as an heathen man and a publican. Matthew 18:17
Fr. Longenecker remained vocal on social media about his call
to name the 14 Catholic pro-abortion voting senators, making
numerous posts.
“USCCB website acknowledged Monday’s Senate vote in favor
of late-term abortion was ‘appalling’,” he tweeted Thursday,
February 1, “but fails to name and condemn Catholic senators
who voted for dismemberment of unborn babies. That article
34 WWW.AMERICAN CHRISTIAN VOICE.COM | VOL.14 #3