The bishop who rushed to judgment on those Covington students finally apologized and said he was bullied into making a premature statement. Hogwash. We know that the media, the liberal left, and celebrities have been pounding on the church for sex scandals, but is that any excuse for caving in with fear from these secular critics?  For many years we have watched so-called Catholic politicians enact laws contrary to church teaching without getting called on the carpet by their pastors.

Governor Andrew Cuomo was overjoyed signing the most egregious, evil legislation in New York State history, allowing abortions up to birth, and Cardinal Dolan says that excommunication for him is inappropriate. For heaven’s sake, it’s not as if Cuomo is even a practicing Catholic. Excommunication is different in the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church in that it is not a permanent separation but is a censure and considered a medicinal penalty intended to invite the person to change behavior, repent and return to full communion. The church is a spiritual community and has the right to exact rules and edicts that belong to it so that it can be well administered and survive. Members who, by their obstinate disobedience, reject the means to this common cause deserve to be removed from such a society.

Not only should Cuomo be excommunicated but any Catholic legislator that voted for this bill should be as well. That goes for CINOs (Catholics in name only) like Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry, Joe Biden and other frauds who put on the mantle of the church at funerals, baptism, weddings when they should be ostracized. They should go join any of a multitude of Christian churches who mock the teachings of Christ.

Catholic leaders have become cowards preferring to look the other way when the rich and powerful pull out their wallets. Have the Kennedys been sterling examples of the faith? Do pro-abortion Democrat Catholics have the nerve to blatantly receive the Holy Eucharist because they know the priest won’t dare refuse them?

Cardinal Dolan was on Fox News (video here) explaining that by excommunicating Cuomo this would be perceived by critics as just a Catholic issue. So what, Cardinal? It became clear during this broadcast that Dolan is just as much a politician as any Democrat finding rationalization for their sins.  His job as a leader of the Church is to give moral guidance to the flock with the apostolic authority given by Christ. In Luke 17:1-2, Jesus tells his disciples: "Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!" Surely, the very idea of abortion being permitted until the day of birth should be a condemnable offense, but just because God’s mercy forgives all sins doesn’t mean that the offense should ever be permitted or excused.

Screen grab via YouTube

Why has the church become so weak-kneed in ignoring its mission? Certainly the church has been under endless attacks by the left slamming it for sexual assaults by priests, and yet by the numbers, these charges, some unconfirmed, are minuscule given those committed in schools and the entertainment world. It is very easy to accuse someone of sexual assaults that occurred decades ago when the accused has died but the church seems to be more concerned with public relations than pointing out right and wrong and permitting abortion till birth is very, very evil.

Several years ago, it was obvious that religion was under attack by progressives, so I wrote a column for Irish Examiner USA. Here’s an excerpt:

These are perilous times with powerful entities engaged in a war against religion and the Church must use its full authority to thwart the attacks. Weeding out the CINOs - Catholics in name only - is one step. Censuring the religious in the communities and universities is another. There are many priests and nuns in academia that are pro-choice and also promote same sex marriage. They need to find a more suitable church for their beliefs and there are many other liberal Christian communities that would welcome these dissenters.

Excommunication may seem harsh but this isn't exactly the sixteenth century. No one will be put in towers or have their wealth taken away. These pseudo Catholics don't respect church teaching in their public lives anyway so excommunication will simply deprive them of the sacraments and church rituals they only use now as photo ops.

What is happening today in the local parishes is disgraceful. I know priests who are heavily involved in the pro-life movement who are being admonished by their superiors to cool it with the anti-abortion sermons. In the Q&A segment on Fox and Friends when Dolan was asked about the Democrats being in line with abortion rights, he answered that it wasn’t his job to tell people how to vote and he said that he was brought up in a Democrat family. Well, we all were, Cardinal. but that was then, and today’s Democrat Party has turned to the dark side and we’re not supposed to admit that? Meanwhile Democrats are always making appearances at Black Protestant churches to preach their socialist Marxist agenda but priests can’t condemn abortion?

Our pastor this past week made the comment about the NY law and said that many people were angry at these vile politicians. But, he asked, who elected these politicians? There we have the crux of the matter and we have to look in the mirror and recognize what evil happens when we don’t get involved. Cardinal Dolan said that his father told him to never vote for a Republican. How any Catholic today could vote for a Democrat knowing what their laws have done to dismantle our faith and values is beyond me.

I am forever Catholic but as a native New Yorker, I am thoroughly ashamed at what my city and State has become: the abortion capital of the world. God save us.