Cardinal George has warned Catholic members of Congress that voting for the Freedom of Choice Act may result in excommunication.

Francis Cardinal George of Chicago, who is president of the USCCB, did not say politicians supporting FOCA would necessarily result in excommunication -- he said it would depend on whether the cooperation with evil was "material" or "formal."

This is what Cardinal George said in response to the question from CNS about the process of excommunication:

“The excommunication is automatic if that act is in fact formal cooperation, and that is precisely what would have to be discussed once you would see the terms of the act itself,” responded George.

“Could you expand on that, Cardinal?” a reporter asked.

“The categories in moral theology about cooperating in evil, which make you complicit in the evil, even though you don’t do it yourself, are material cooperation, which is usually remote and therefore doesn’t involve you in the moral action except in a very auxiliary and minor way, and formal cooperation, which would involve you even though you are not doing it, in the way that makes you culpable,” said George.

“So we would have to take a look at each case, and at each law, to determine whether or not the cooperation is material or formal. We’ve never done that,” he added.

Material or formal cooperation in evil: the former “remote,” the latter “direct.”

Ok, let’s compare the following:

A Catholic member of Congress votes for the Freedom of Choice Act overthrowing all the legal restrictions against abortions in all 50 states.

According to a study from the Heritage Foundation, 125,000 more abortions a year will be the result. Regardless of the precise number, more abortions are a certainty as a result of FOCA.

Is that direct, formal cooperation with the evil of abortion?

It looks formal and direct to me. Why? Because by voting for FOCA you know more abortions will be the result. The intent of FOCA is to make abortion more available.

I’d be interested in hearing the argument that voting for FOCA is “remote” cooperation.

Compare the member of Congress voting for FOCA with, say, the voter who put Obama in office knowing he intended to sign FOCA if it reached his desk.

Is that remote, or direct?

Compare the member of Congress with the bishop, or the priest, who said nothing to warn his flock about the likelihood of FOCA being passed by the Congress and signed by the president if Obama was elected.

Remote or direct?

Remember, more abortions are a certainty if FOCA is passed and signed by the president.

Cardinal George has raised an important question, and he has addressed it in a way to prompt reflection on the consequences for all Catholics, not just for members of Congress, who publicly support FOCA or who supported Obama knowing that FOCA was on his legislative agenda.

Do we face the possibility that most of the Catholic members of Congress will be excommunicated in 2009 by their support of FOCA?

Will the USCCB issue an official statement on whether support for FOCA is material or formal cooperation with evil?

Cardinal George said, "We've never done that."

It's time for the bishops to draw a line. That shouldn't be too difficult a task.

FOCA leads directly to the death of more unborn children. I can only imagine the impact on the Church if all our bishops do not, like Cardinal George and others, acknowledge that.