"NOBODY CAN TELL ME HOW TO BE A CATHOLIC!! NOT EVEN THE CHURCH!"

Well, John Kerry has stepped in it again. Responding to a questioner at a panel of local newspapers about some criticism of his tepid Catholicism, he replied:

"Who are they?" he demanded of his questioner. "Name them. Are they the same legislators who vote for the death penalty, which is in contravention of Catholic teaching?"

He added: "I'm not a church spokesman. I'm a legislator running for president. My oath is to uphold the Constitution of the United States in my public life. My oath privately between me and God was defined in the Catholic church by Pius XXIII and Pope Paul VI in the Vatican II, which allows for freedom of conscience for Catholics with respect to these choices, and that is exactly where I am. And it is separate. Our constitution separates church and state, and they should be reminded of that."

Let’s get the stupid and inconsequential stuff out of the way. He meant John XIII, not Pius XIII and I don’t care at all he made that mistake. It’s irrelevant to the great problems nestled in his angry remarks.

Problem #1. He demands, “Name them.” I guess I would start off by saying it doesn’t matter who said it. Kerry is trying to show that the people who said it have ill-motives, i.e., they hate Kerry and therefore have no right to ask a question. As Jonah Goldberg over at National Review Online has pointed out, the liberals have switched the emphasis on a statement from consequences and results to motives. Only those pure of heart dare question a policy.

Look, just because the person who turned in the rapist was a burglar, it doesn’t make the rapist any less guilty. Just because it was someone like Rush Limbaugh you brought up all of Kerry’s pro-abortion votes, it doesn’t mean Kerry wasn’t violating Church teaching.

Problem #2. Technically, the Catechism of the Catholic Church does allow for the death penalty. The Catechism states,

“2267. The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude, presupposing full ascertainment of the identity and responsibility of the offender, recourse to the death penalty, when this is the only practicable way to defend the lives of human beings effectively against the aggressor”

Now, in defense of Kerry, Pope John Paul II has said there is no defense for capital punishment in the civilized societies of today; it is not the “only” option available to protect the innocent. And of course, the Pope is right, AGAIN.

Problem #3. Kerry’s pronouncements ex cathedra. When Kerry says:

“My oath privately between me and God was defined in the Catholic church by Pius XXIII and Pope Paul VI in the Vatican II, which allows for freedom of conscience for Catholics with respect to these choices, and that is exactly where I am”

He’s completely wrong. This is a common misconception of Catholics. I’m not sure where it started, but it is pretty wide spread and I think it comes from too much time sleeping in on Sundays, no Sunday school, weak priests afraid to speak of sin, wishing desperately it was true and mis-reading the Catechism. Here is the passage that has caused all the trouble:

“1782 Man has the right to act in conscience and in freedom so as personally to make moral decisions. "He must not be forced to act contrary to his conscience. Nor must he be prevented from acting according to his conscience, especially in religious matters."

You can see how just that bit can absolve all kinds of people from following Church teachings. Of course, anything taken out of context can do that. Let’s look at other pertinent passages to put that in context:

“1785 In the formation of conscience the Word of God is the light for our path, we must assimilate it in faith and prayer and put it into practice. We must also examine our conscience before the Lord's Cross. We are assisted by the gifts of the Holy Spirit, aided by the witness or advice of others and guided by the authoritative teaching of the Church.” (Emphasis mine)

“1792 Ignorance of Christ and his Gospel, bad example given by others, enslavement to one's passions, assertion of a mistaken notion of autonomy of conscience, rejection of the Church's authority and her teaching, lack of conversion and of charity: these can be at the source of errors of judgment in moral conduct.”

Clearly, The Church says it's teachings supercede the "conscience" of a single person, a Catholic cannot follow his conscience and "reject the Church's authority and teaching"." If Kerry were a good or honest Catholic, he would understand this. But, he is neither. John Kerry is a “cafeteria Catholic”, picking and choosing what to follow, ignoring the rest. He should just come out and admit as much and leave the Church.

Of course, should he continue speaking authoritatively about Church teachings, he’s going to push a priest too far, and in a history making photo-op, he will be denied the Eucharist and told to confess his sins and abandon his sinful ways before coming back for Communion. Perhaps Kerry recognizes this – that’s why this weekend he chose to receive Communion from a protestant minister, again, flaunting Church Teaching.