And he cannot be excommunicated since he is a Protestant
Yeah well the Bishop figures he's already going to hell as it is.
And he cannot be excommunicated since he is a Protestant
Why wink, it's true.Yeah well the Bishop figures he's already going to hell as it is.
Where did you read this? I can't find any articles confirming it. I have though seen several articles with this quote:And he cannot be excommunicated since he is a Protestant, not Catholic.
And the same quote--which would seem to suggest that the stepfather is indeed at least nominally Catholic--is also referenced in the article trevster posted.[Archbishop Cardoso Sobrinho] also said the accused stepfather would not be expelled from the church. Although the man allegedly committed "a heinous crime ... the abortion -- the elimination of an innocent life -- was more serious''.
Ah OK, I see it now.I've read it in an article by Alexander Smoltczyk, a German reporter and columnist about all things Vatican, and a great critic as well, who said that most critics of the church leave that fact out. He relies on other newspaper articles.
I hope he is right, overwise I have to apologize for this misinformation.
Denn erstens ist der Täter gar nicht katholisch, sondern ein Evangelikaler, und nach Medienberichten ein sehr gläubiger noch dazu. Und außerdem hätte sich der Mann auch kirchenrechtlich nicht schuldig gemacht. Denn er war an der Tötung werdenden Lebens nicht beteiligt, im Gegenteil, er war dagegen.
Anders offenbar als die Vergewaltigung einer Neunjährigen konnte er einen Schwangerschaftsabbruch nicht mit seinem Gewissen vereinbaren. Hat der Mann gesagt.
Nachdem am Mittwoch voriger Woche der Eingriff erfolgreich durchgeführt worden war, sprach der Erzbischof von einem "Verbrechen" und "Verstoß gegen die Gesetze Gottes" und exkommunizierte die Mutter des Mädchens, den Gynäkologen und weitere in den Fall involvierte Personen. Der Stiefvater wurde dagegen nicht exkommuniziert. Was manch einen wunderte. Besonders die üblichen Kritiker der katholischen Kirche. Aber das ist ungerecht.
Denn erstens ist der Täter gar nicht katholisch, sondern ein Evangelikaler, und nach Medienberichten ein sehr gläubiger noch dazu. Und außerdem hätte sich der Mann auch kirchenrechtlich nicht schuldig gemacht. Denn er war an der Tötung werdenden Lebens nicht beteiligt, im Gegenteil, er war dagegen.
Anders offenbar als die Vergewaltigung einer Neunjährigen konnte er einen Schwangerschaftsabbruch nicht mit seinem Gewissen vereinbaren. Hat der Mann gesagt.
Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, the conservative regional archbishop for Pernambuco where the girl was rushed to hospital, has said that the man would not be thrown out of the Church, because although he had allegedly committed "a heinous crime", the Church took the view that "the abortion, the elimination of an innocent life, was more serious".
I consider murder worse than rape.
I consider murder worse than rape.
Church excommunicates mother of 9-year-old rape victim – but not accused rapist - World news, News - Belfasttelegraph.co.uk
Brazil rocked by abortion for raped child
Monday, 9 March 2009
Declaring that "life must always be protected", a senior Vatican cleric has defended the Catholic Church's decision to excommunicate the mother and doctors of a nine-year-old rape victim who had a life-saving abortion in Brazil.
Cardinal Giovanni Batista Re, who heads the Pontifical Commission for Latin America, told reporters that although the girl fell pregnant after apparently being abused by her stepfather, her twins had, "the right to live, and could not be eliminated".
In an interview with the Italian newspaper, La Stampa, the cardinal added: "It is a sad case but the real problem is that the twins conceived were two innocent persons. Life must always be protected."
Police believe the girl was sexually assaulted for years by her stepfather, possibly since she was six. That she was four months pregnant with twins emerged only after she was taken to hospital complaining of severe stomach pains.
The controversy represents a PR nightmare for the Vatican. The unnamed girl's mother and doctors were excommunicated for agreeing to Wednesday's emergency abortion yet the Church has not taken formal steps against the stepfather, who is in custody. Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, the conservative regional archbishop for Pernambuco where the girl was rushed to hospital, has said that the man would not be thrown out of the Church, because although he had allegedly committed "a heinous crime", the Church took the view that "the abortion, the elimination of an innocent life, was more serious".
The case has set off fierce debate in Brazil, where abortion is permitted only in cases of rape or a medical emergency. Brazil is one of the most populous Catholic countries, but conservative attitudes in rural areas are strongly at odds with the relatively progressive public view of abortion in major cities.
Even the President, Luiz Ignacio Lula da Silva, has waded into the row. "As a Christian and a Catholic, I deeply regret that a bishop of the Catholic Church has such a conservative attitude," he said "The doctors did what had to be done: save the life of a girl of nine years old. In this case, the medical profession was more right than the Church."
One of the doctors involved in the abortion, Rivaldo Albuquerque, has raised the prospect of public clashes at his local church, telling Globo, the nation's main TV network, that he would keep going to mass there, regardless of the archbishop's order. The young girl at the centre of the case escaped excommunication only because she is still a child in the eyes of Church authorities. The stepfather, who is 23, was arrested last week, apparently trying to escape to another region of the country. Police say he is also suspected of abusing the girl's handicapped 14-year-old sister. He is in protective custody, and if convicted faces up to 15 years in prison.
BBC NEWS | Americas | Vatican backs abortion row bishopA senior Vatican cleric has defended the excommunication in Brazil of the mother and doctors of a young girl who had an abortion with their help.
The nine-year-old had conceived twins after alleged abuse by her stepfather.
Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re told Italian paper La Stampa that the twins "had the right to live" and attacks on Brazil's Catholic Church were unfair.
It comes a day after Brazil's president criticised the Brazilian archbishop who excommunicated the people involved.
Brazil only permits abortions in cases of rape or health risks to the mother.
Doctors said the girl's case met both these conditions, but the Archbishop of Olinda and Recife, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho said the law of God was above any human law.
He said the excommunication would apply to the child's mother and the doctors, but not to the girl because of her age.
why couldn't they rally to give the very best medical support to improve the odds that she could carry the babies to term?
So U.S. Catholics are hypocrites who have no respect for the sanctity of life, why couldn't they rally to give the very best medical support to improve the odds that she could carry the babies to term?
And that is a fine position to hold, sadly not one I could envisage the Pope endorsing to the masses.
AFP: Pope denounces condom use in visit to AfricaPope denounces condom use in visit to Africa
Pope Benedict XVI, who arrived Tuesday in Cameroon for his first trip to Africa as pontiff, denounced condom use on the AIDS-ravaged continent, saying there were better ways to combat the disease.
AIDS "is a tragedy that cannot be overcome by money alone, that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems," the 81-year-old pontiff told reporters on the flight from Rome.
The solution lies in a "spiritual and human awakening" and "friendship for those who suffer," said Benedict, who will also visit Angola during the weeklong trip.
Arriving in the Cameroonian capital Yaounde, the pope said he was bringing the "Christian message of hope."
"In the face of suffering or violence, poverty or hunger, corruption or abuse of power, a Christian can never remain silent," he said after being greeted on the tarmac by Cameroon President Paul Biya.
"Even amid the greatest suffering, the Christian message always brings hope," the pope said.
In his welcoming remarks, Biya told the pope: "Africans and Cameroonians in particular ... note your unwavering interest in those who suffer from war, disease and oppression."
He added: "This solidarity is also an encouragement for them not to cede to pessimism on Africa and to continue their efforts to build a more just and united society."
Thousands of people, including entire families, groups of children in their school uniforms, clergy and percussion bands, lined the route from the airport to the papal nuncio's residence where the pope was to be lodged.
Benedict, who left behind controversy at the Vatican over his lifting of the excommunication of a Holocaust-denying bishop, also denied feeling alone over the affair.
"In truth, this myth about solitude makes me laugh," the pope said during the flight, dismissing reports in the Italian media that the controversy had left him isolated. "I am surrounded by friends. Solitude does not exist."
The pope, who will turn 82 on April 16, last month said he wanted 2009 to be the "Year of Africa," which will also include a conference of African bishops in Rome in September and an African synod at the Vatican in October.
The stop in Yaounde, where Benedict will stay until Friday, will include a meeting with the representatives of 52 African states preparing the October synod.
The capital -- where Benedict is to celebrate an open-air mass on Thursday -- has been spruced up, with public buildings repainted, roads repaired and trees and shrubs planted and trimmed.
Vatican and Cameroonian flags bearing photos of Benedict and Biya flutter throughout the city, particularly around the teeming John F. Kennedy avenue.
However, in a country of nearly 19 million people where development has been hampered by one of the highest levels of corruption in the world, many ordinary people are struggling to show enthusiasm.
"Pope Benedict is offering us his first visit to Africa. We are happy. However, no one is going crazy with delight," Catholic sociologist Pierre Titi Nwel told AFP.
In Angola, which is still recovering from 27 years of civil war, Benedict will meet with diplomats posted in Luanda and urge the international community not to abandon Africa.
Sub-Saharan Africa is more heavily affected by AIDS than any other region of the world. Nearly two-thirds of all adults and children with HIV live in the region, according to a 2006 report by UNAIDS.
AIDS prevention is a subject that often puts the Vatican at odds with international health organisations, since the Roman Catholic Church advocates abstinence as the only effective way of preventing the spread of AIDS and opposes campaigns for the use of condoms.
In June 2005, the pope told southern African bishops visiting the Vatican: "The traditional teaching of the Church has proven to be the only failsafe way to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS."
Vatican watchers said they had never heard Benedict use the word "condom" before Tuesday.
While it is his first trip to Africa as pope, Benedict has travelled to the continent once before, as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in 1987 when he visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire).
He isn't a kindly old man, he is the leader of an entire religion, just because most Western Catholics are cultural (i.e. identify but don't believe the nonsense) doesn't diminish that fact.