What do we do when an issue is both political and religious? Asking a religious authority to stay silent about the issue is as unrealistic as asking a politician to remain silent. They both have their say. It also requires that the public appreciate some delicate distinctions. And of course, as soon as we require delicate distinctions, we automatically turn off the sound from the mainstream media (since they’re consistently clumsy with all distinctions, not just the delicate ones).

Popes (especially these days) are very careful about these kinds of distinctions. Remember, John Paul II was a cardinal and bishop for many years in a communist country. If he interfered in politics, he faced serious (and sometimes fatal) retaliation. John Paul II knew how to play this game, by being aggressive in defense of his church without ‘interfering’ in secular authority. This pope seems to know how to do it as well.

When the pope weighs in on such issues (especially abortion), people who only see the political side presume the pope is intruding in politics. To be clear, the pope cannot issue orders to any politicians, Catholic or otherwise. If you don’t believe that, just ask him. The pope is fully aware of religious freedom, and he must follow Vatican II’s Declaration on Religious Freedom. It would be a mistake to think that Catholic politicians must obey the pope or face consequences because they disobey the pope. Instead, the argument is that abortion violates humanity, and that means the politician violates his own humanity by supporting it. The politician contradicts his own humanity, and that’s the underlying sin. The politician excommunicates himself; the local bishop (and where necessary, the pope) merely calls him on it.

I don't know why everyone has such a problem with the Pope insisting that Catholic politicians follow Catholic teaching. Liberals have no problem shunning one of their own who dares to step outside "approved" Liberal stands and positions. Bernard Goldberg and Tammy Bruce are good examples. Both deviated from the "acceptable" view, and both were "excommunicated" for it. Liberals might say they separated themselves: by espousing other than the "acceptable" view, they showed they didn't want to be part of the group any more. That is exactly what the Pope is saying: a politician who supports abortion has separated himself from the communion of the Church. The Church then says: OK, you don't want to be a member any more; therefore you don't get to take part in the sacraments and rites (the benefits of membership) anymore.

At the height of Papal dominance, earlier in the last century, the threat to be excommunicated was akin to a death sentance to those threatened. Wish it was similiar today.

“How many divisions does the Pope have?”
Joseph Stalin

The TIME article is still inaccurate.  It says that such persons "face outright excommunciation" if they vote for or publicly support abortion.  The facts is, under Canon Law, the law that governs the Catholic Church, any Catholic---politician or regular Catholic citizen----incurs (not "faces") automatic self-excommunication if they either privately believe, support, endorse and/or publicly support or encourage those ideas or actions that are contrary to Catholic moral teaching. 

For instance, if a Catholic supports abortion, privately and tells no one, they still incur auto-self-excommunication.  They have separated themseleves from the Church, in the "objective" sense.  We cannot judge their "subjective" motives, only God can do that. But "objectively" they are outside the Church.  Also, if a Catholic supports contraception/birth control, sex outside marriage, gay marriage, or rejects the teaching that the Pope is the Vicar of Christ on earth, or rejects apostolic succession--from the apostles down to the present bishops, etc.---or rejects Mary's perpetual virginity, all these things, and many more will, if rejected or disbelieved by a Catholic, incur automatic self-excommunication. The person excommunciates himself or herself.  It is that simple. That is Canon Law. The person does not "face" or "risk" anything--the person has excommunicated himself. The Church does not issue a letter or a statement. 

I'm not mentioning this to start a debate with non-Catholic Christians over their beliefs, but only to point out what the Catholic Church instructs---and to note that the media still don't have it right, particularly TIME magazine.