Where the Rubber Hits the Road

This is the first detailed account of the Sr. Margaret Mary McBride incident in Phoenix which provides a complete context of how the decision to terminate the pregnancy with an abortion came to pass. I appreciate what happened now much better than I had previously. This does not change my opinion as the specifics of the case, nor does it detract from the legitimacy of the Bishop's actions but it does go a long way into explaining why Sr. McBride decided as she did. I wish to add one further point: everyone in this case, including Sr. Margaret Mary, the patient and the Bishop carried themselves with dignity. Each did what they thought was the correct thing to do and they each took responsibility for their actions. As I have often said here and in other places, there is a straightforward process for her to be brought back into full communion. I would be surprised if she has not done so already. America Magazine - What Happened in Phoenix?

The one argument that is not made clear (IMO) is that the Bishop did not excommunicate Sr. McBride. He was merely pointing out that she had incurred a 'self-inflicted' excommunication.  The Code of Canon Law makes it unequivocally clear that such a sentence is automatic in its effect if someone actively facilitates an abortion. He was asked what the teaching of the church was when the case was brought to his attention. He just affirmed that her action took her outside of the walls of the Church. This rendered her ineligible to fill the position she did with a Catholic Hospital, so he also took the appropriate action. She (as most Catholics) knows that there is a straightforward practice for her to follow if she wants to be reconciled to the Church. We are ALL sinners, and nobody on earth can presume to know anothers' state before God. The Church can only control who belongs within its walls; not speak definitively on anyone's state of grace. As to the peril to her sou...