Kerry-communion drama makes USA Today
And take a wild guess at who they recruit to write the article: None other than Thomas Fox, publisher of the National Catholic Reporter.
Fox: "Unfortunately, some Catholic bishops and conservatives now fail to distinguish moral from civil law, the ideal from the real."
Again, Evangelium Vitae: "Consequently there is a need to recover the basic elements of a vision of the relationship between civil law and moral law, which are put forward by the Church, but which are also part of the patrimony of the great juridical traditions of humanity. Certainly the purpose of civil law is different and more limited in scope than that of the moral law. But 'in no sphere of life can the civil law take the place of conscience or dictate norms concerning things which are outside its competence,' which is that of ensuring the common good of people through the recognition and defence of their fundamental rights, and the promotion of peace and of public morality. The real purpose of civil law is to guarantee an ordered social coexistence in true justice, so that all may 'lead a quiet and peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way' (1 Tim 2:2). Precisely for this reason, civil law must ensure that all members of society enjoy respect for certain fundamental rights which innately belong to the person, rights which every positive law must recognize and guarantee. First and fundamental among these is the inviolable right to life of every innocent human being" (71).
# posted by Jamie : 7:35 AM
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