Editor's Note: The following is Traditional watchdog Gary L. Morella's insightful and absolutely Catholic response to the flim-flam being bandied about regarding the Catholicity of John F. Kerry. The facts are that Kerry and those who espouse the persistent sin of legislating or voting for abortion measures or candidates have incurred latae sententiae in which he falls at once under the ban of the Church, as when it is said, "let him incur excommunication ipso facto" Contrary to the tired tread of opinion, such sentences are not unjust, nor do bishops need to deliberate over them for months on end ad nauseum. The facts are that the offenders such as Kerry have known it is wrong and have been duly warned in the Gospels. Indeed Kerry has had much more warning and knows the difference more than desperate women who are talked into having abortions. They wouldn't be talked into such abomination if men like Kerry had not legislated such an atrocious law. If indeed Kerry does still consider himself 'Catholic' he had best realize he is an excommunicated Christian, and rightfully MUST be deprived accordingly of the sacraments, sacrifices, sacred offices, benefices, dignities and all the rights which he had acquired at baptism. Until he makes amends and satisfies Holy Mother Church, he must remain persona non grata in the Church. The bishops have been forewarned. In fact, why don't these prelates treat him like they do the SSPX and there would be no problem since the modern miters consider the SSPX the scum of the earth. The only difference is the SSPX walk the talk and are more Catholic than all the bishops put together. That frustrates the modern hierarchs something fierce.

    How can it be blasphemously said that John Kerry is a “practicing Catholic” when he publicly enables a "culture-of-eternal-death" that is antithetical to Catholicism? Kerry shamelessly promotes contraception, abortion, homosexuality and euthanasia – all of which are condemned by the Church as sins, sins no less that cry to Heaven for vengeance. One does not have to be handling the forceps that crush the skulls of babies when one is the political instrument for making such barbaric acts "legal".

    Kerry could not even bring himself to vote for a recent bill that would have made it illegal to kill an innocent in the womb if the mother WANTED the baby. Its promoters went to pains to tell the professional baby killing lobby that it would have no effect on the Roe v. Wade decision. Kerry was so moved by this attempt at appeasement to the radical left that he made a special effort to vote AGAINST this bill so that his core support in NOW and NARAL would not be endangered. This support applauds every filthy non-Catholic vote Kerry makes to kill babies in what should be their safest place of refuge - their mothers' wombs.

    So let’s get one thing straight in reporting about John Kerry. He is NO Catholic, PERIOD! “Something cannot be and not be at the same time in the same respect” – a fundamental principle of philosophy. Catholics are not called to check their faith at the door before entering public life. On the contrary, Catholics are called to uncompromisingly witness to it, per the end of the Gospel of Matthew, for the common good of society in accord with the Natural and Divine Law leading ultimately to a “Kingdom NOT of this world.”

    This has nothing to do with politics. This has everything to do with what it means to be a Catholic in more than name only instead of the Catholic fraud that is John Kerry, who is a man that blatantly mocks the faith along with those pseudo-Catholic clergy and laity who support him.

    Catholic moral theology has always clearly taught that you can NEVER do an evil for a greater good. What could be a greater evil than voting for someone who officially promotes the killing of innocents in the womb regardless of whatever other positions are held by this individual? Without life there are NO OTHER ISSUES, PERIOD, because natural life is the only means to ETERNAL life for man in obedience to the Law of God.

    In recognition of this truth, Cardinal Ratzinger, the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, in his recently released memorandum entitled "Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion — General Principles," said without ambiguity: The minister of Holy Communion MUST refuse to distribute it when warning and counsel given to the manifest sinner "have not had their effect." It is Catholic Church teaching that the faithful must follow their consciences, which are to be informed with the Teaching Magisterium of the Church on faith and morals - the information aspect dismissed out-of-hand by public dissenters like Kerry who fraudulently use Vatican II as an excuse for a "freedom of conscience" to do anything that one wants, which is a freedom confused with license. Vatican II's Catechism in accord with Sacred Scripture and the Great Tradition of the Church since her founding upon the Rock that is Peter does not teach such a lie, given any objective reading of it on conscience.

    Those playing politics with the faith are the liars like Kerry who reinvent the faith to suit their political ends. It would come as news to the Pope that freedom of conscience gives a Catholic permission not to have one.

    Whenever Democrats mock George W. Bush for holding that human life "begins at conception," they will also be mocking their own presidential candidate. John Kerry agrees with Bush. "I believe life does begin at conception," Kerry said last weekend. "I oppose abortion, personally. I don't like abortion." This also echoes his wife's comments earlier in the year when she let slip that "I don't view abortion as just a nothing" and that abortion means "stopping the process of life."

    Kerry assumes that making this sort of political show of his personal moral distaste for abortion will make his "pro-choice" views more respectable. But it only makes them more disgraceful. Kerry can't even claim lack of culpability on account of being clueless. He knows that abortion destroys a human life but promotes a right to it anyway. Such people ARE NOT CATHOLIC!