2) Mexican bishops and communion law.Mexico City Mexico City Spanish Ciudad de México City (pop., 2000: city, 8,605,239; 2003 metro. area est., 18,660,000), capital of Mexico. Located at an elevation of 7,350 ft (2,240 m), it is officially coterminous with the Federal District, which occupies 571 sq mi -- After the condemnation of pro-abortion Catholic politicians by Cardinal Norberto Rivera Carrera Norberto Cardinal Rivera Carrera (born Norberto Rivera Carrera on 6 June 1942) is a Mexican cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and the current Archbishop Primate of Mexico. (see C.I., June 2007, p. 18), a second Mexico City bishop, Auxiliary Marcelino Hernandez, warned the politicians that, although the Church would not officially pass sentence on them, they would automatically excommunicate ex·com·mu·ni·cate tr.v. ex·com·mu·ni·cat·ed, ex·com·mu·ni·cat·ing, ex·com·mu·ni·cates 1. To deprive of the right of church membership by ecclesiastical authority. 2. themselves by voting in favour of the legislation. A different warning was issued earlier, in March 2007, by Bishop Arizmendi of Chiapas at the Mexican Episcopal Conference The Mexican Episcopal Conference (Spanish: Conferencia del Episcopado Mexicano) is an organization of Catholic bishops, known as an episcopal conference. It is the official leadership body of the Catholic Church in Mexico. . He said abortion is murder and "thus, a grave, mortal sin mortal sin n. Christianity A sin, such as murder or blasphemy, that is so heinous it deprives the soul of sanctifying grace and causes damnation if unpardoned at the time of death. , punished by excommunication excommunication, formal expulsion from a religious body, the most grave of all ecclesiastical censures. Where religious and social communities are nearly identical it is attended by social ostracism, as in the case of Baruch Spinoza, excommunicated by the Jews. ." This statement refers to participation in an actual abortion. It is always followed by the automatic excommunication of all those directly involved in the abortion: the doctor, nurses, the woman who has the abortion if done freely and with full knowledge, or those who coerced her (Canon 1398). Cardinal Rivera also called on all medical professionals to uphold the right to conscientious objection and to refuse to participate in abortion procedures, in defiance of the city's claim that all must conform. Not unexpectedly, the cardinal's action led to accusations of violating laws prohibiting political involvement by the Church. This is now a standard accusation by secularists here, as elsewhere. The Cardinal's office, however, stated the Church will continue in its campaign to oppose the law. Lay pro-life leaders in Mexico also plan a new campaign in defence of life. (Files from Zenit, It's Time, May 15, 2007; Nat. Cath. Register, May 6, 2007.) |
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