Please clarify whether Joe Biden has excommunicated himself for officiating at a same-sex “wedding.”
[NOTE: To add your name to this letter, please fill out the form at the bottom.]
Your Eminence and Your Excellency,
In 2013, Pope Francis informed Rev. Greg Reynolds of Melbourne, Australia that he had been excommunicated for the sin of heresy. The heresy Fr. Reynolds was guilty of was his vocal support for same-sex, so-called “marriage.”
Canons 750 and 751 of the Code of Canon Law require all of the faithful to believe all that is contained in the Magisterium of the Church, and heresy is defined as the obstinate denial of “some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith.”
According to the Canon 1364 §1, regarding the sin of heresy:
An apostate from the faith, a heretic, or a schismatic incurs a latae sententiae excommunication;
The Universal Magisterium makes clear that marriage is a sacrament reserved exclusively for one man and one woman. According to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops:
It is not unjust to deny legal status to same-sex unions because marriage and same-sex unions are essentially different realities. In fact, justice requires society to do so. … Christians must give witness to the whole moral truth and oppose as immoral … homosexual acts.”
In 2012, Vice-president Joseph Biden publicly endorsed same-sex “marriage,” and yesterday, August 1, 2016, Mr. Biden officiated over a same-sex “wedding.”
In light of this, Your Eminence and Your Excellency, we, the Catholic faithful, ask you in charity, both for the sake of those scandalized by Mr. Biden, and for the urgent sake of Mr. Biden’s soul, to examine and explain whether Mr. Biden has incurred the latae sententiae excommunication for the sin of heresy by officiating in a same-sex “marriage.”
We the undersigned, urge you to make haste in examining this matter.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Michael Hichborn
President, Lepanto Institute
Dr. Deal Hudson
Publisher, The Christian Review
Judie Brown
President, American Life League
John-Henry Westen
Co-founder and editor-in-chief, LifeSiteNews.com
Paul Rondeau
Social researcher and speaker
John Jakubsczyk
President, Southwest Life & Law Center
Steve Skojec
Publisher & Executive Director, OnePeterFive
Shaun Kenney
Former Executive Director of the Republican Party of Virginia
Matthew Hoffman
Author and translator of The Book of Gomorrah
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What is more “sinful,” officiating at a gay wedding or publicly judging a human being when Christ specifically asked us not to do this? If you truly want to bring people closer to Jesus Christ, follow his teachings carefully.
Your institute might be sincere, but it is divisive. Follow the leadership of the Holy Father who is truly trying to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Amen, amen I say to thee, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, received at Confirmation, is ‘right judgment’ (also known as Counsel) and is associated with prudence. The gift of judgment helps us make choices to live as faithful followers of Jesus. With judgment we can tell the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, beautiful and ugly, organized and chaotic, heavenly and demonic, virtue and vice.
It is absolutely proper and fitting for a person to look at the actions of a public figure and judge whether the public person is acting good or bad. This is putting the gift of prudence and right judgment into action as we are expected to do.
And when a public figure says something or does something that is wrong it is charitable to correct the one who errs so he does not die in his error.
Yes, we are to make judgments about our OWN conduct. Jesus asked us not to judge others. If we wish to help someone who we believe is sinning, we do what we can to assist that person but we NEVER judge them publicly. Jesus was explicit about this.
The case of Joseph Biden is a good example of why we should leaving the judging to God, as He taught us to do. As a Catholic, Mr. Biden probably believes that marriage is a sacrament bestowed on a man and a woman when they are joined together in a Catholic ceremony. So he would see a civil marriage as something performed by the state (NOT a sacrament) and his involvement as an employee of the state. Because Jesus himself taught us to “Render unto Caesar…” etc. Mr. Biden might see his conduct as reflective of Christ’s teachings. The point is this: Only God knows what Biden’s motivations are and only God can judge him. This is a BASIC teaching of the Catholic/Christian religion and should be observed at all times. Yes, it is human to want to judge others and we probably all do it. But it is not what Jesus asked us to do.
With all due respect, Linda, it seems this is a misuse of this scripture. Indeed we render to Caesar what is his and to God what is God’s. Question, is marriage God’s or the state’s? Are our very lives, and all we do and say as believers God’s or the state’s?
Furthermore, as to “judging”, it is absolutely our duty to understand what Mr Biden is doing, because he is a public official, and public officials are accountable to the citizens of this country. Pretending it’s none of our business what a public official does using his public capacity is hooey nonsense. Of course we are supposed to “judge” his actions because he is accountable, by his office, to the citizens of this country.
Judging him as citizens and judging him as Catholics are not the same. Yes, as citizens we can decide we don’t like what he does and speak out against him for doing whatever we dislike. We can refrain from voting for him, write articles that are critical of him and withdraw financial support.
Declaring someone a “sinner” and asking him to excommunicate himself and not receive the sacraments, is a whole other thing. Jesus asked us not to do this. Read the scriptures for yourself. They are quite clear.
Your thought process leaves me very distressed. By Mr. Biden officiating at this civil wedding is like Ms. Pelosi’s view on abortion. Either you are Catholic and follow the Church’s teachings or you are a politician.
Linda, you are jumping through hoops to justify your personal beliefs and convince us (and yourself) that your beliefs match the teaching authority of the church. You are not the first and you won’t be the last to preach this message. This is not a forum that is sympathetic to your arguments.
I call on all readers of this site to ask St Michael’s intercession for all who argue from a “Christian” perspective, but whose real interest is to reinvent the Creator’s design.
Yes, I argue from a Christian perspective. This site has an anti-Christian tone to it and is not in alignment with the teachings of Jesus or with the guidance of Pope Francis. Read some of the articles and the comments and you will see for yourself. Do you detect the scent of heresy?
I just realized that perhaps this organization is not affiliated with the ROMAN Catholic church. Is it? Or is it one of those right wing Catholic organizations that has broken from Rome (like Mel Gibson’s “catholic” church?) Does the Lepanto Institute have the approval of Rome? Thank you.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops explains the difference between judging someone and the obligation of all Catholics to correct error as outlined in the Seven Works of Mercy. Please see item 3:
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/how-we-teach/new-evangelization/jubilee-of-mercy/the-spiritual-works-of-mercy.cfm
I’m going to reply to you here since I cannot below. I am a catholic citizen, they are not separate personas, but one. I judge Mr Bidens actions, not his whole person. He publicly used his role to violate the faith he professes. There is nothing wrong with calling him out on it, as a Catholic and a citizen. This is not a violation of Jesus’ words to us, as we are objectively able to judge particular actions while not judging his whole person or whole life. To try to frame his words as meaning no one can be called sinful for particular actions or become excommunicated makes no sense. We are all sinners after all. And we are duty bound to be concerned for our brother.
Jesus asked us not to judge the sins of others. We might not like his teaching but he was very explicit about it. The practicing Christian obeys Christ’s teachings.
Christian: I believe Joe is a sinner so I will pray for him and talk to him privately to see how I can help get him back on the right track. I will not do what Joe is doing because I think it is wrong.
Not Christian: Joe is a sinner. I will let everyone know and ask for public acknowledgement and punishment.
Pope Francis reminded us of this important Christian teaching when he asked, “Who am I to judge?”
Well then I guess someone better let all the folks who publicly decried those involved in the sex abuse crisis as sinning, know that they are not living up to your personal interpretation of Christianity. You’ll have to include the the pope and lots of others.
The pope asked people not to judge until an investigation is done. Then these people are turned over to civil authorities and accused of CRIMES. The church removes them from their positions (and rightfully so) but never declares them as “sinners” or orders them publicly not to receive the sacraments. Catholicism decrees that all can be forgiven and can earn salvation with sincere contrition and penance. Only God judges the sinner. That is core Catholic teaching.
http://www.catholic.com/magazine/articles/judge-not
Yes! If we want to bring people closer to Christ, we must know his teachings! Thank you.
Followers of Jesus do not have to worry about the perceived sins of others. An individual or organization that calls out the sins of others, even public figures, is not following Christ.
Officiating a “gay wedding” is overwhelming sinful.
Publicly calling out that sin, and those committing it os not any kind of sin.
Rather it is a Christian’s duty to do so.
I’m in agreement with Linda Johnson. If gay people make up only 2% of the population, then we aren’t going to have a tsunami of gay marriages, are we? Church authorities might direct their attention and teaching authority then to far more important issues. I’m also curious about the concern Christian religious conservatives have re the gayz; seems kind of obsessive to me.
I see same-sex marriage as a strictly civil situation having nothing to do with the sacrament of Holy Matrimony; I’d have a much different opinion if Biden in his official capacity was telling the Church to change its theology and regulations and sanction ssm under Holy Matrimony. I do not believe Joe Biden has incurred a self-excommunication.
What does bother me greatly is any Catholic politician who supports in public the legality of abortion. Why? Simply because I believe abortion is the murder of an innocent human life, a life which cannot even defend itself from its murderers! I’m thinking that Joe Biden has long-ago given public support to the legality of abortion and by such action may have incurred self-excommunication. I have little knowledge of canon law so I would be careful about judging the actions of another in such a situation.
One final thought: If one has been excommunicated for promoting heresy “a”, can one be excommunicated a second time for promoting heresy “b”? I’m thinking not.
Is this not a matter between Cardinl Wuerl and VP Biden? Why is Lepanto involved in what seems to be no business of theirs, unless the hope is controversy ill raise money and i just dont get this. ZBTW, carinl Wuerl is holy and learned, why make his job harder with petitions like this?
Joe Biden is a public figure and he is causing grave scandal. Cdl. Wuerl has a holy obligation to protect Joe Biden from further sacrilege by at the very least telling him not to receive Holy Communion … but even more to the point, if Biden is in a state of excommunication, he needs to know it. Furthermore, the faithful need to know it because they need to be guided on where the line is and not to cross it.
Joe Biden goes against what God says and he does it publicly so he needs to be publicly excommunicated , too many so called Christians think whatever they do shouldn’t be judged, I wonder how many raising their children judged who they were hanging out with? Typical gutless Catholics protect Biden from the truth , how many of you defending Biden vote for the Abortion loving Obama or Hillary ? Skipping your way to Hell
“Skipping your way to hell.” Is this the statement of someone who follows Christ? The word “Christian” has been hijacked by people who do not know Jesus or His teachings. Read the gospels and understand them if you want to witness Christ’s teachings.
Jesus asked us not to judge others in a spiritual way. That means we cannot call someone a sinner and condemn him. Is Joe Biden a sinner? That is for God to decide.
Also, God asked us not to bear false witness against others. Obama and Hillary do not “love abortion.”
Did either Cardinal Wuerl or Bishop Malooly ever respond to your open letter regarding Vice-President Joe Biden’s possible automatic excommunication for officiating at a homosexual union or so-called marriage? Mr. Biden repeated this offense to his Catholic faith in 2017 but to my knowledge neither Cardinal Wuerl nor Bishop Malooly or their successors have ever rebuked or taken any other action against Mr. Biden.