Raymond Gravel deserves the gavel, and soon

Canonist Ed Peters weighs-in on the situation:

LifeSiteNews is reporting that the Canadian priest Raymond Gravel, notorious for his voiciferous disagreement with Church teaching on just about every major social issue, has obtained permission from his bishop to run for national governmental office. This claim, however, seems impossible to reconcile with sound canon law.

Under the 1983 Code, Catholic priests are flatly prohibited from holding governmental office: Canon 285.3 plainly states "Clerics are forbidden to assume public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power." The legislative history of this norm makes obvious the Legislator's intent to eliminiate any exceptions to this rule. [More...]