My thanks to Pastor Leslie R. Lanier, Wayfarer's Chapel Lutheran Church, for his letter of support for the former Notre Dame football coach Lou Holtz. Holtz has characterized the Biden-Harris Democratic ticket as "..the most radically pro-abortion campaign in history. They and other politicians are Catholics in name only."

Both Pastor Lanier and Coach Holtz are correct. As a Catholic myself, with 16-years of education in the faith, the Pastor's comments on the Biden-Harris ticket are absolutely correct. Joe Biden is only one of a host of politicians who identify themselves as both Roman Catholics and members of the Democratic Party. A quick online search for Catholics in Congress produced this result: "Of the 96 newly elected members of Congress, 78 are Christian, including 28 who are Catholic. Overall, there are 141 Catholics in the House, or 32 percent of the chamber; 22 of the 100 U.S. senators are Catholic."

As Pastor Lanier points out, however, saying is one thing, doing is another. Saying you're a surgeon does not make you one; and holding yourself out as such without proper authority makes you a fraud. In short, one can be Catholic (or Christian) only to the extent one believes and practices the tenets of the faith. To the extent we disbelieve any of the foundational tenets or teachings of the faith, we become apostates or heretics and are no longer part of that body.

And here is the rub for all Democratic Party "Catholics": the principals of that Party are in absolute contradiction to Roman Catholic articles of faith. One cannot be a member of that Party without offending against the basic commandments of the faith. When Catholic members of the Democrat Party vote, for example, to approve abortions, they (by the Church's commandments) commit what is called a "mortal sin" immediately cutting themselves off by self-excommunication (Latae sententiae - a Latin phrase, meaning "sentence (already) passed"). No formal declaration is needed. Therefore, attempting to cure the problem with novel excuses, without repentance, is futile - regardless of what member of the episcopacy may seek to overrule the result. Catholicism is not a smorgasbord religion where you may take this article of faith and reject another. However, due to the extraordinary corruption in the Catholic hierarchy today, such attempts to ignore even the most blasphemous changes to traditional teachings are frequent.

For those who may be angry about these comments, please remember I'm speaking only about my religious faith, Roman Catholicism. I respect your own views concerning your own religious beliefs.

For corroboration of my conclusions here I strongly recommend Church Militant, The Vortex, by Michael Voris (churchmilitant.com), especially his most recent two short videos (Sept. 1, "Arrest the Democrats", and Sept. 2, "Overthrowing America"). His organization is dedicated to exposing and cleansing the Church of the infestation of homo-predator bishops and their minions. It's a remarkably transparent, no-holds-barred organization created to get to the truth in all matters of sexual predation, financial fraud, and cover-up in the Church. It is utterly factual.

Bottom line: One cannot be both a faithful Catholic and a member of today's Democratic Party, nor support Joe Biden or Kamala Harris, with a clear conscience, because they both approve of abortion. A faithful Catholic is obligated, among other things, to recognize that abortion is murder at any stage of fetal development. Again, one cannot condone abortion and be a Roman Catholic.

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To Kelly Scoles. Sorry again, no time or space. Will try to answer your letter online. May create a new page for this purpose in future.