Hmmm ... OK

[ysengrin]

http://www.washtimes.com/national/20040630-111108-2541r.htm

A Catholic lawyer has filed heresy charges against Sen. John Kerry with the Archdiocese of Boston, accusing the Democratic presidential candidate of bringing "most serious scandal to the American public" by receiving Holy Communion as a pro-choice Catholic.
[The lawyer] said he filed the heresy charge - - plus an additional complaint charging "harm" to himself as a result of Mr. Kerry's pronouncements on abortion and related issues - - because canon law entitles Catholics to "possession of the faith unharmed."
"By spreading heresy, he is endangering not just mine by every Catholic's possession of the faith," he said.

I'm not Catholic myself, but "heretic" seems a bit excessive.

Comments

[spikedpunch.livejournal.com]

Well, what would you rather have him do, charge him as a witch?

[megadog.livejournal.com]

Is heresy actually a crime in the USA? Should Kerry now go in fear of an unexpected visit from the Church Police?

[I don't think there is a specific crime of heresy any more under UK law - if there is I'd be interested/amused to know what the usual sentence would be].

[ysengrin.livejournal.com]

Ecclesiastical law, not civil. Here in America the worst that could happen would be the Catholic church would not let the heretic come play in their sandbox (excommunication); civil law frowns heavily on expressing their displeasure outside their sandbox (well, except verbally). Here that's not as severe a punishment as it would be in, say, Italy.

This is a complaint lodged by a church member accusing Sen. Kerry of heresy; as I understand the Catholic Church is not required to act on the complaint. I don't know if there is any sanctions against the person filing the charges if the church feels that they are frivilous, either.

Again, I'm not Catholic.

[megadog.livejournal.com]

How many divisions has the Pope? As you say, it's just some god-bothering lunatic trying to stir things up.

[I've been threatened with excommunication in the past, after deliberately-disruptive heretical behaviour in a Student Christian Movement meeting. My comment was "Go ahead - how can you kick me out of a club I'm not actually a member of?"]

[ysengrin.livejournal.com]

Right now it's on the order of loony-shouting-heretic.

It's a humerous non-issue unless the Catholic Church decides to pursue the issue (unlikely).

[brokkentwolf.livejournal.com]

As the first black, female head of the Ku Klux Klan, I just want to say: America stinks!

-Jay Sherman's Dad, The Critic-

[siegferret.livejournal.com]

To be heresy, Kerry would have to be promulgating a false teaching, which he isn't doing by merely receiving Communion when offered. The priest offering him Communion would be more at risk--except that the Church teaching on abortion isn't of the right magnitude to lead to issues of heresy or even excommunication.