Politicians, Abortion and Bishops   Term Paper ID:31744 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Analysis of reports of bishops refusing the sacraments to pro-choice Catholic politicians.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Analysis of reports of bishops refusing the sacraments to pro-choice Catholic politicians. Focus of the discussion is on two journal articles. Paper Introduction: The purpose of this research is to examine two articles on the subjectof the Roman Catholic clergy\'s denial of the Catholic sacrament ofCommunion to politicians who articulate a policy stance that the Church hashistorically characterized as pro-abortion The plan of the research willbe to set forth the context of discourse in which these articles haveappeared and then to analyze the language used to discuss the issue and theuse of facts and premises in each article The Roman Catholic Church\'s opposition to abortion Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 19 9. Meanwhile,support of public policies aside from abortion that are against the "pro-life" ethos of the Church (capital punishment, a living wage) has notresulted in threats. V. In other words, the textdoes not report the information about compound sacrilege as the fact thatthe bishop had made this point in his case history. The always controversial issue gained heightenedvisibility in 2 4 with the publication of a statement by Bishop ReneGracida, emeritus, of Corpus Christi, Texas, stating that "there is noexcuse [for priests] to not deny Holy Communion to pro-abortionpoliticians" (Bishop). Quindlen's treatment of the denial of the sacrament to some Catholicsis dated before Gracida's statement, but it shows that the practice hasbecome part of public discourse. It also says, without attribution to Gracida, that ifthe man had received Communion after the bishop's interdiction but beforehis death, he would have compounded his sacrilege. .Gracida, Rene Henry. Whereasthe Bishop article refers to them as pro-abortion, Quindlen's refers tothem as pro-choice. . The main premise of Quindlen's text isthat the Church as an institution has inappropriately, selectively, andcontradictorily asserted religious authority in a partisan way overindividual conscience and the customs and practices of civil law in a freesociety regarding the issue of abortion. "Casting the First Stone." Newsweek 31 May 2 4. She refers to the "certain segments of theRoman Catholic hierarchy" a being politically partisan and "hellbent" onpolicies that "will weaken the church's moral authority and eventuallydeplete its membership. Quindlen rejects the clerics' moral authority by reason of their issueselectivity, their moral lapse with the pedophile priests, and by way ofBiblical authority, citing "the always topical injunction that it's he whois without sin who gets to cast the first stone." Additional authoritiesare invoked with a view toward offering alternative interpretations of pro-choice Catholicism: the distinction by Thomas Aquinas (the premier Catholictheologian) between civil and moral law; the concept of individualexamination of conscience embedded into doctrine about the sacrament ofPenance (Thomas): "[T]hey have decided to examine conscience for us,particularly if we are liberal Democrats." In other words, she specificallyrejects the clerics' basis for attacking some Catholics, which was alsoGracida's specific justification of his policy. 15 October 2 4. The Roman Catholic Church's opposition to abortion has persisted inthe United States even though since the Supreme Court's Roe v. "The Blessed Eucharist as a Sacrament." The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. However, thereport's use of the adverbs transforms reportage of what Gracida said intoan opinion about how he said it. The plan of the research willbe to set forth the context of discourse in which these articles haveappeared and then to analyze the language used to discuss the issue and theuse of facts and premises in each article. She also cites characterization by Church leadersof Catholics who ignored that encyclical as "'cafeteria Catholics,' pickingand choosing their beliefs" (Quindlen), for the purpose of arguing thatthere are now "cafeteria clergy, picking and choosing which prohibitionsthey emphasize and which they damn" (Quindlen). 15 October 2 4. Wadedecision women in the US have had a constitutionally protected right toelective abortion. "Denying Holy Communion: A Case History." Lifesite.net. The report of Gracida's statement cites informationabout his personally seeing to it that a Texas politician who had "strayed"from the Church's anti-abortion stance was formally denied access to thesacraments of Communion and Anointing of the sick (Gracida). That is because Gracidais reported to have relied on Canon Law and Scripture, and the effect isthat the text adopts Gracida's position that he has the authority toprevent Catholics from receiving the sacrament. Other language tends to foster criticism of theclerics' statements. Works Cited"Bishop Gracida Explains How and Why Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians Must Be Denied Communion." Catholic News Agency, 28 September 2 4. He is reported asreferring to them as "pro-abortion Catholics" and to priests and bishopswho do not refuse Communion to any Catholics as "relativizers of theobjectively established precepts" of the Church (Bishop); however, thearticle does not merely report Gracida's characterizations as such. Her assertion that Democrats have been threatened moreoften than Republicans, "even Republicans who favor legal abortion," may beaccurate, though no documentation for that is in the text. .Quindlen, Anna. Additional facts presented include a reminder that "knownpedophiles [were] permitted to give communion for years" (Quindlen) withoutecclesiastical condemnation. However, theopinion text develops out of the recitation of a number of facts thatappear to have been selected as a means of exposing the contradictory andotherwise (to her) inappropriate nature of clerical statements and actions.Her language choices appear to be meant to reinforce the strength of thoseopinions. The most important language difference in the Quindlen and Bishoptexts is in description of persons affected by the bishops' views. A NewJersey politician's decision not to "present himself for the sacrament isalso cited. The purpose of this research is to examine two articles on the subjectof the Roman Catholic clergy's denial of the Catholic sacrament ofCommunion to politicians who articulate a policy stance that the Church hashistorically characterized as pro-abortion. It alsoadopts the "pro-abortion" characterization of excluded Catholics indescribing Gracida's pronouncement as "clearly and unequivocally"presenting the basis for selectively denying communion. 15 October 2 4. Quindlen uses terms of discourse within the modernChurch to develop her narrative. "Examination of Conscience." ." The Catholic Encyclopedia, Vol. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 19 9. The language used to describe Gracida's exclusion of some Catholicsfrom the sacrament focuses on their views of abortion. In the same vein and linked withthat characterization, the text refers to an interview with the politicianin question that was published in the paper as "constitut[ing] a publicscandal" (Bishop). The text may be taking its cue from Gracida's original document, butit does not attribute its characterization of the Corpus Christi CallerTimes, which appears to be the newspaper of record in the city, as"strongly pro-abortion." In other words, instead of reporting as fact whatmight have been Gracida's characterization of the newspaper, the textwriter offers an opinion about the Times. Theconclusion is that Church authorities should stop threatening Catholicswhose views of abortion they dislike with excommunication and damnation. Reference is made to the 1968 encyclicalHumanae Vitae, which, against a papal committee's recommendation, forbadeCatholics to use contraception, and the practice of American Catholics toignore that rule. A secondary premise is that therecent pedophile scandals in the church have robbed it of the moralauthority to threaten Catholics with regard to sexual behavior. Two aspects ofCatholic doctrine regarding Communion are relevant: 1) that it is necessaryfor the faithful to receive it under all but extraordinary circumstances inorder to achieve salvation, and 2) that it is closed to both non-Catholicsand to Catholics who are, according to the Church, not "worthy" to receiveit (Pohle). Louis, New Jersey, and Colorado have publicly declaredthat politicians not adhering to the Church position on abortion, same-sexmarriage, and stem-cell research should be barred from communion. Those facts support the contention that the Church haswrongly interfered with the political process and claimed authority overit. V. Quindlen's article is manifestly an opinion piece. The text recites a number of facts that appear to have been collectedfrom the historical record and that at least some readers may not be awareof. She provides information that some 25 years ago, because of a priest'spublic defense of abortion rights, the Vatican ordered all priests to getout of politics (Quindlen), but other facts in her document support hercontention that some ecclesiastical minds have changed. 24 September 2 4. .Pohle, J. MSNBC. .Coppens, Charles. 15 October 2 4. If the bishop did notmake that point in his own text, and even if he did by not strictlyreferring to the source of the sacrilege characterization, then it isnecessary to conclude that the text is offering its opinion on the matter.That would have been avoided had the text specifically attributed thecompound-sacrilege statement to the bishop. The text reportsthat bishops in St. 12 October 2 4. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.