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Originally Posted by noodles
yes, you can be catholic and pro-choice.
the two are a very unlikely combination if we're talking about someone with genuine faith, but its still possible.
its not a sin to be pro-choice. its only a sin if you partake.
and just because one is pro-choice doesn't mean someone is going around preaching about it.
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/me busts out "1001 questions and answers about Catholicism."
Page 140: "Certain sins, such as apotasy, incur
ipso facto excommunication. The priest must then defer absolution until he has the permission of a higher ecclesiastical authourity. In danger of death or grave emergency, the priest is authorized to absolve from the sin and the censure of excommunication without recourse to higher authority."
In layman's terms, if at any point you renounce a teaching of the church, that renunciation effectively excommunicates you from the church. To remain a member, you must fully acept all of its teachings.
Another fun fact: the criteria for forgiveness include a desire to repent, not just asking for forgiveness. When in danger of death, it is sufficient to repent simply out of fear of divine punishment (hell.) If a clergyman is not able to reach the dying person in time, asking God for forgiveness directly is acceptable. Additionally, the last rights can be administered by a clergyman for some time after physical death, with the justification being that since some of the body's systems can continue to function after brain activity ceases, we cannot rule out the possibility that the soul remains in the physical body for some time after physical death.