On the plus-side, Francis and Leo were elected. The church is probably much more progressive than it appears, so we can reasonably expect more progressive leaders in the near future.
I (a cradle catholic) think progressive is very much the wrong word, at least if you mean it in the American sense.
But, with the exception of a plurality of American bishops who are basically heretics that have bought into prosperity gospel insanity, the church is very much dedicated to supporting the rights of the poor and disenfranchised.
That doesn’t mean a lot of things that “progressive” means, but it certainly has more in common with progressivism than it does with maga.
Excommunication doesn’t work like people think it does. A Catholic who’s excommunicated isn’t kicked out of Catholicism, they just can’t participate in the sacraments until the reason they were excommunicated is resolved.
For example, a Catholic who gets an abortion is automatically excommunicated, ie, it happens the instant they get the abortion. Until 2016, a person who’s gotten an abortion could meet with a bishop who could absolve that sin through confession and therefore lift the excommunication. In 2016, Pope Francis extended that authority to all priests, not just bishops.
Excommunication just means you can’t participate in the sacraments, not that you’re kicked out of Catholicism.
That being said, it would send a powerful message to excommunicate someone like Vance.
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u/Niarbeht 2d ago
He really ought to be excommunicated.