Whether Politician-X, Y, or Z can call themselves Catholic or not—given their rejection of core Church doctrines—is not important. Because it’s not about what we can/can’t call ourselves, it’s about whether we conform to what we claim to believe.
The devil is an angel, and yet he’s in hell. Can he call himself an angel? Technically, yes. But what does it matter, when he’s in hell and the other angels and saints are in Heaven. The difference is the angels in heaven obeyed, and the saints in heaven conformed their lives to what they believed and professed.
Transcript
Is the devil an angel? Yes, he is. He is an angel. He believes in God. The devil will profess everything that we profess in the creed and believe every word. And yet the devil is in hell and the saints are in heaven. So does it matter that the devil is an angel? Does it matter that he’s an angelic being?
No, it does not. He can call himself or we can call him whatever we want. What matters is the devil did not live in a way that was in accord with what he knows, with what he believes. The devil chose against what he believes, though he continued to believe it. Can you be a practicing Catholic and still believe in abortion?
I would say it doesn’t even matter. You can call yourself whatever you want. Can someone who’s excommunicated still be called a Catholic? I think, technically, no. Well, I still practice Catholicism. I’m still going to Mass and this and that. Okay, then you are practicing Catholicism, but you are not doing so as a Catholic in good standing with the Church.
