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Presidential Candidate John Kerry charged in Catholic Court for Abortion Stand

BOSTON, July 5, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A Catholic canon lawyer has filed suit with the Archdiocese of Boston, charging John Kerry with causing a "most serious scandal to the American public," for continuing to take Communion while being an active proponent of the grave sin of abortion.

Marc Balestrieri, a Canon lawyer and Associate Judge for the Los Angeles archdiocese tribunal, launched the suit June 14, which was released to the public on Sunday.

"Heresy is a public, ecclesiastical crime," Balestrieri told the Washington Times. "It affects entire communities. It is one of the greatest sins you can commit."

The ultimate result of a heresy charge, if entertained by the Boston archdiocese, would be excommunication from the Church. "My goal is his repentance, not excommunication," Balestrieri said. He is not suing for financial damages.

A Catholic layman can lawfully bring charges against a fellow layman, according to Rev. Arthur Espelage, executive coordinator for the Canon Law Society in Alexandria. "I have never heard of a case like this being processed before," he said.

If the Boston archdiocese rejects the charges, Balestrieri can appeal directly to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in Rome. "I'd suspect there will be communication between the [Boston] Archdiocese and the Holy See on this," Rev. Espelage said.

"The Criminal Complaint alleges that US Senator John F. Kerry, as a baptized Catholic, has committed a court-martial offense under Canon Law by professing the Right-to-Murder heresy, commonly known as the 'Right to Choose' doctrine," Balestrieri's web-site describes. De fide, the name given to the organization behind Balestrieri's action, "aims to stop the monumental scandal which has been ongoing for the past thirty-one years of baptized Catholic politicians claiming to be Christian while professing the life-threatening Right-to-Murder heresy."

Balestrieri added the additional charge that John Kerry's stance does harm to himself, because canon law entitles that Catholics possess "the faith unharmed." "By spreading heresy, he is endangering not just mine but every Catholic's possession of the faith," Balestrieri said. "I am inviting all baptized Catholics who feel injured by Kerry to join the suit as third parties."

"People are saying you can be pro-choice and be a good Christian, that it is not contrary to the faith to support aborted murder," he said. "This is a life-threatening heresy."

Read the complaint: http://www.defide.com/

Join the Class-Action Lawsuit: http://www.defide.com/join.html

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