So it looks like Cardinal Ouellet spoke out on how Catholic Politicians should vote. (See Lifesite article).
This is all fine and all. But can the good cardinal, the bishops and the clergy explain to the Catholic politicians what the CONSEQUENCES are for not voting according to Catholic principles?
Because right now, there is a failure in communication, a failure in strategy. I think the Church has done a better job in putting forward the notion that Catholic politicians are supposed to take into account the natural law when voting.
So now the question: what if they don't?
See, they keep leaving out that crucial detail.
I suppose it's because the bishops and priests are going to do absolutely NOTHING (!) about it.
They don't have the gall to confront politicians and rap their knuckles by denying communion, or, ultimately, by excommunication.
See, if there are no consequences, it doesn't work. That's why Canon Law foresees consequences to the sin of scandal!
Not only that, but if an authority doesn't spell out what the consequences are for not following the said instructions, the authority becomes a joke. Nobody listens. It's a case of "Stop or I'll stay stop again!"
I have my suspicions as to why they don't deny communion. I'm sure Cardinal Ouellet is a fairly orthodox guy, but I suspect a lot of bishops are, in private, fairly modernist. By "modernist" I mean, their theology is somewhat influenced by the capital-M Modernist heresy. They don't believe all Church doctrines as she defines them: they play philosophical games in their heads to make them mean something that they don't mean; or they play them down in favour of relatively less important issues. Orthodox Catholics know what I am talking about.
I also suspect that many bishops are afraid of confronting politicians because there's a lot of money at stake. There's all that money that goes into churches for "heritage buildings" to keep old churches open; charitable status and tax-exempt status. I have my suspicions that bishops are afraid to push the envelope because they don't want to compromise their financial standing.
Buildings be damned. I love history, I love old church buildings, but if this is the cost for speaking the truth, then they might as well be lost to the bulldozer. It's not worth it!
Set up church in a tent if we have to! But let's not let all these worldly considerations prevent us from speaking the Truth plainly and (when necessary) bluntly and state ever so clearly the consequences (and apply them!)
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