Pope Publicly Supports Excommunication that Never Happened

With the abortion debate fresh in the minds of all Catholic Americans, the Pope continues to address the subject of moral decency and church opposition in public. On a recent trip to Brazil, Pope Benedict XVI, who recently suggested all Catholic politicians supporting the legalization of abortion willingly excommunicated themselves, upheld the churches tough stance on abortion.

When asked about how he felt in regards to the excommunications Pope Benedict XVI offered, "Yes [I agree with the excommunications]. The excommunication was not something arbitrary. It is part of the (canon law) code. It is based simply on the principle that the killing of an innocent human child is incompatible with going in Communion with the body of Christ. Thus, they didn't do anything new or anything surprising. Or arbitrary."

The Pope's comments were a bit unfounded due to the fact that the legislators in Mexico City have yet to be formally removed from the church. Church officials claim the Pope may have thought the order had already been issued, when in fact it had not. The excommunication process is one the Mexican Cardinal Norberto Rivera has no intention of starting. Furthermore, in a statement later released by officials surrounding the Pope, "Since excommunication hasn't been declared by the Mexican bishops, the pope has no intention himself of declaring it."