Saturday, June 10, 2006
Eastern canon law has a penalty for first degree murder
Recall, this penalizing canon is narrowly drawn on purpose and strictly applies only to cases where it clearly applies. Some have the impression that there are automatic excommunications all over the place. That is not true. Curiously, our Latin Western Code of Canon Law has no canonical penalty for first degree murder; whereas the Eastern Code of Canon Law (1990) does (cn. 1450, #1). In a sane society, we should be able to assume that the criminal code would prohibit and punish crimes against human life.
For all of your questions on excommunication, Homiletic & Pastoral Review, Msgr. Smith. I think he has a show on EWTN.
I often am too quick to condemn, myself. It's easy to be an armchair bishop, and I really don't understand how, say, Ted Kennedy can go about saying he's a Catholic while basically making fun of the Church. But I'm not him, so maybe it is possible to fit both of your things in your mind at once. Then again, maybe not.
