Bishops: God votes Republican
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Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is scheduled to deliver the concluding benediction at the Republican National Convention next week, after Mitt Romney’s acceptance speech.
The Eternal Word Television Network leaked word of Dolan’s appearance last night in a press release about Romney’s exclusive appearance, to be aired tonight, on the program “The World Over.”
The news — both its substance and the venue in which it was conveyed — make clear three things: that Romney intends to make the Bishops’ bogus arguments about religious liberty infringements a centerpiece of his campaign’s faith outreach; that any efforts the Obama administration made to placate the Bishops’ unattainable demands on insurance coverage for contraception were a fool’s errand; and that the USCCB has unequivocally attached itself at the hip to the Republican Party.
EWTN, the Catholic television network founded by the nun Mother Angelica in 1981, and which recently acquired the National Catholic Register (“America’s most complete and faithful Catholic news source”), sued the Obama administration in February, charging the contraception mandate violated its First Amendment rights. Michael Warsaw, the network’s president, decreed it a “moment when EWTN, as a Catholic organization, has to step up and say that enough is enough.” In its support of the Bishops’ “fortnight for freedom” earlier this summer, the network quoted — on the same page! — Sir Thomas More just before his beheading and the Rev. Martin Luther King. That was all alongside network head Warsaw asserting, “these are rights not given to us by governments. They are rights given to us by God.”
In its press release, EWTN notes that Dolan hasn’t endorsed a candidate in the presidential race, but emphasizes that “he has been an outspoken critic of a mandate issued by the Obama administration to require employers to offer health insurance plans that covers contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their consciences.” (This repeats the falsehood, which Dolan himself has perpetuated, that the contraceptives covered by the insurance requirement include abortifacients.)
Belying the claims of the nonpartisan nature of Dolan’s RNC appearance, EWTN goes on to highlight that “Obama has also voiced support for abortion and is the first U.S. president to openly advocate a redefinition of marriage to include homosexual couples.” Just in case you weren’t clear who the enemy is.
The Jesuit magazine America quickly weighed in, and didn’t spare the Bishops any criticism: “The cozy relationship between a sizable portion of U.S. bishops and the Republican Party should be cause for concern, and not just among progressive Catholics. For the church to be able to live out its role as prophet, it cannot be tied to one political party. Cardinal Dolan’s appearance in Tampa will damage the church’s ability to be a moral and legitimate voice for voiceless, as those who view the Catholic Church as being a shill for the GOP have just a bit more evidence to prove their case.” [More]
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Notice the picture the despicable author of this article chose of the cardinal — not a particularly attractive picture. If it was a story about Mr. 666, they’d have him looking good and cool and smiling. The media disgusts me, and it subverts our democracy.
Thank you Dan Dan for your comments.
No wonder people are losing faith, this is the example! This bishop in my opinion does not even come close to faith. I think he needs our prayers, and so do the people that have chosen to turn their back on God because of the example of people. We breath because God wishes it.
Charity for the poor is not simply a private matter, and it never has been. The Old Testament is replete with examples of legislation requiring the care and feeding of the poor — check out the book of Ruth for some examples. It is in fact more than wrong-headed to use the individual mandate of charity to shield the likes of corporations and givernments from duties and obligations commensurate with Old Testament teaching, New Testament teaching, past and current Catholic social teaching, and the personal examples of many orders of gray-haired nuns who aren’t waiting around for big money to trickle down from wealthy corporations or the fed/state governments. So says the Lamb on the Throne, who’s got much in common with the Lamb that was slain in 2 Samuel 12, read it and love it.
Subsidiarity, Florian, subsidiarity. This is in the Catechism published in 1997. Everything must be considered in context of everything else. When the USA federal government gets involved in health care, they control virtually every aspect of the life of a citizen, and there is no privacy. Quote me the verse from Ruth that mandates legislation (not individual responsibility) to care for the health of the poor.
Ruth, Jim? How about Matthew 25? Conservatives always seem eager totally to overlook that little part of the Gospels when blathering about the Constitution.
Daniel — stay focused. Florian raised the issue of Ruth, so I was just following up. I am very aware of Matthew 25 — but Florian is asserting the GOVERNMENT is commanded to help the poor in Ruth, whereas Matthew 25 tells the INDIVIDUAL to help the poor — which exactly supports my point.
The doctrine of “parens patriae” holds that governments are individuals (persons) too. (Corporations, LLPs, LLCs and such also have legal personality.) The state cannot ignore the well being and welfare of its citizens or of anyone who enters or dwells within its borders. This fundamental responsibility is legally non-delegable and non out-sourceable, the GOP to the contrary notwithstanding.
I’m still waiting for the chapter and verse from Ruth, Florian.
Also, “parens patriae” is NOT a doctrine of the Catholic Church, but rather a legal dogma. I’m waiting for chapter and verse from Ruth or a paragraph from the Catechism.
in above post, “dogma” should be “doctrine.”
Still waiting for the chapter and verse from Ruth, Florian — or don’t you talk to me because I have enough courage to tell you the truth — that God appointed men to be the leaders of women, and equipped them with the skills to carry out that task?
Subsidiarity means that problems should be solved at the lowest, simplest level possible. I presume that means, starting with the individual Catholic, then the Parish priest, then the Bishop, Archbishop. And last of all, Rome.
I know from experience that very many priests will condone contraception, for instance; that problem is actually being solved at that level. The bishops ignore the fact that the army of Catholics is not marching with them.
It is dismaying that Fr. Mark has this narrow misguided and ignorant impression of Republicans. No one is tossing the needy aside. Jesus said to render to Caesar that which is Caesar’s and to God the things that are God’s…..I don’t believe that He charged us all to let the government do our charitable works. The Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy were meant for all as individuals. It is a known fact statistically that Republicans are far more generous to the poor as individuals than the liberals. They expect the government to do it and pass the buck….pardon the pun.
If we don’t get our economic act together…and we have a moral responsibility to do so.. so that everyone is not in jeopardy….we will be in dire straights. It is too bad that one is believing in the bias of the media. I would suggest you educate yourself read up on this and on the facts of this man. He has jeopardized much in enacting his policies. And furthermore, have you yourself read the entire Democrat platform? How does that sit with your conscience.
Be aware, Elinor, that “Father” Mark is not a Catholic priest at all. If you Google his name, you will see that for yourself. He is in favor of women’s ordination; homosexuality; etc. So, enough said — he is a heretic, pure and simple, but a more cunning than average heretic, as he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing: he conveniently neglects to tell us he is not a Catholic priest, but rather lets us assume he is by his use of the moniker “Father.”
Thanks Jim, I figured as much but unfortunately there are those members of the clergy who are in complete agreement with him. My statements still stand….maybe someone might think a little on them.
Elinor — FYI — I think your 2:00 P.M. post was right on target; I agree with everything you said, including about the despicable, biased media; the fact that it is the individual, not the government, that has the responsibliity to be charitable; the fact that conservatives are actually more generous than liberals; and that we have a moral responsibility to balance the budget. It is a shame that some actual Catholic priests support the Demoniac-crats. My guess, sight unseen, is that they are not particularly devout and holy priests, although there likely are exceptions to that (i.e., it is possible a priest could be both holy and support the Demoniac-crats, although that seems such a stretch to me).
let’s see:
republicans are pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-religious liberty.
democrats are anti-life, anti-marriage, and do everything possible to remove religion from our society.
I think I’ll choose republican come November.
Perhaps the Democratic Party should invite the Cardinal to offer a prayer at their convention.
Raymond Arroyo mentioned after his interview with Romney that Cardinal Dolan had offered to give the benediction for the Democratic convention. So far, no reply from the Dems.
That’s because, Monica, the Demon-crats are trying to get Pussy Riot out of their Russian jail to give them benediction. Failing that, they probably will next try Satanists.
The understanding is that Dolan offered to do so for the Democrats and was turned down.
that has not been confirmed…don’t guess.
Here is what has been confirmed, Mark — you are NOT a Catholic priest. Quit masquerading as one.
CathNews should be ashamed for printing such slanted propaganda written by Sarah Posner. She outright lies when she says that EWTN and Cardinal Dolan are wrong in their statements on aborifacients. Sarah knows full well that the American College of OBGYN states that ” Methods of contraception including emergency contraception prevent pregnacy by inhibiting ovulation, fertilization and/or IMPLANTATION. Posner is both biased and attemting to mislead and misinform anyone who happens to read her brand of journalism.
I think the religious freedom thing is way over-rated. There is an issue here, but it is not like they are killing priests or burning down our churches.
I worry that the call for freedom is shaping the Catholic church into a different kind of Church, one that is in an antagonistic relationship with society and culture. That betrays our basic convictions about working toward the common good with other people of good will. Do we really want to become Protestant in the way we think about our relationshop with society?
I also worry that the bishops have latched on to the freedom campaign because they know they have no credibility in sexual matters.
I am very disturbed by the bishops’ apparently uncritical alliance with the Republican party, and that they are willing to completely abandon health care reform and health care for the poor over this issue of condoms. The irony is that not long ago, many Catholic universities were making condoms available FREE of charge in their student health services.
Thank you Charlie b for your excellent statement
Baloney!! Yes, I know that the correct spelling is Bologna. Again, if Dolan gave the closing prayer at the Democratic Convention, progressive catholics would be in awe. I wonder if any Catholic Bishop was invited to say a prayer at the Democratic Convention. If you remember four years ago, no Catholic Clergy was invited to offer a prayer at Obama’s Innauguration.
To borrow a phrase from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s vile racist rhetoric, Obama’s “chickens are coming home to roost.”
The Cardinal’s shrill anti-Obama rhetoric and his faux fortnight for freedom render his very presence at the GOP convention an endorsement of the GOP ticket, for which he would expect Catholics to support and vote “under pain of mortal sin and the loss of eternal salvation.” (Applause) That’s why we need some comic relief from, say, Hurricane Isaac.
I hope that all you anti-Obama chest beaters are going home and re-reading the Gospels. Then take a minute and read the GOP platform BEYOND right to life because, believe it or not, there are other important issues. Where is the GOP on providing for the poor and homeless? Where do the majority of their candidates stand on the death penalty? What about health care for everyone? What about tax codes that favor the wealthy? Oh, I’m sorry, responder here are “progressive” Catholics, aren’t they? Jesus spent his life among poor and discarded people, and the GOP is tossing them and their needs aside. Many years ago, when I was a kid, my pastor told me Catholics should never vote Republican if they honestly believe in the work of Jesus Christ. Only in the past year have I come to realize the wisdom of his counsel.
Father Mark (in the interest of disclosure, you are NOT a Catholic priest) — Obama’s proposals will hurt the rich, true — but they also will hurt the poor. His spending plan is unsustainable, and it is grossly immoral to but our country in such perilous straits financially. With regard to a tax code that favors the wealthy: you obviously watch one or more of the following: MSNBC, NBC, CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, and read one or more of hte following: The NY Times, the Boston Globe, the Washington Post. So, you listen to and read propagand until you believe it. The wealthy already shoulder a grossly disproportionate share of the tax burden. Most Americans pay zero federal income tax — is that fair to the wealthy? No, it is not. Why are the poor poor? Well, for one thing, about 10% of the population has a substance abuse problem — might that explain their poverty? Naaaa, it’s the wicked Republicans who are responsible for their drug problems. Another 1% of the population has schizophrenia, another 1% has Bipolar Disorder, and I believe more than 1% has Alzheimer’s disease. All of those folks are going to be poor under any system. If you remove the incentive for people who are capable, no one will be working hard — and then this country will sink even faster than it already is.
You must be a stalker to know so much about him, and it’s interesting that you’ve listed pretty much every news organization except Fox, which you have admitted you follow. So, anybody who listens to anything that you don’t is immediately branded as blindly following propaganda, even though Fox News is the only news organization to have sued for their right to outright lie to their viewers. I think you’re drinking the cool-aid a bit too much there Jim.
Furthermore, I personally know poor people who do not have mental disorders, do not use drugs, and are working very hard in their difficult situations to improve their lives. Those are the people the government should help. And what does the Catholic church say about helping those who cannot help themselves?
Being poor is an incentive in and of itself for people to improve their situation. And even if it isn’t, making their kids’ lives more difficult is simply going to perpetuate the cycle of poverty – that’s why welfare is fundamentally a good idea, because it is cost effective for society to turn a poor kid into a successful adult and collect taxes they would have otherwise not collected.
And blag, you can see how successful our welfare system has been — generation after generation of babies born out of wedlock who grow up to be welfare recipients and have their own babies out of wedlock. As of 2007, according to the CDC, the out-of-wedlock birth rate in the African American community was 70% — 70% blag, you read right. Back in the early 1960s, the illegimacy rate among blacks was, I believe, about 20%. Yep, modern welfare really has helped them help themselves. What it has done is made them dependent on government, and they have learned how to live on a combination of government benefits, drug sales, and prostitution.