A Twelve Step Program for Bishops to Deal with Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians

Bishop Rene Henry Gracida, Bishop Emeritus of Corpus Christi Texas, has submitted to LifeSiteNews.com his twelve step program for bishops to deal effectively and charitably with the problem of pro-abortion Catholic politicians.

Bishop Gracida describes his Twelve-Step Program as "clear, coherent with the Faith, and in accordance with the requirements of canonical equity." He notes that if church penalties "are now to be dusted off and brought out of the cupboard within which they have lain dormant for almost half-a-century, it is because the balm of mercy and discretion of measure have failed to heal the growing infection of error and scandal inside the Church and the genocide increasing daily in the world around us." He concludes, "The time for half-measures and fear of reprisal, loss of position, temporal advantage, or career opportunity is over - the time for action is now."

Kudos to Bishop Gracida! This looks to be an excellent guide to for bishops (perhaps some Canon lawyers could comment? Ed Peters?

In his first step, he states, in part:

Any public and obstinate support, by word or by vote, of either abortion, or absent that, “only” the civil “right-to-choose abortion” qualifies as heresy.

This statement can be confirmed in the the Doctrinal Commentary of the Professio Fidei of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

The Twelve Step Program for Bishops