Like Ryan and Biden, US Catholics are deeply divided
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Rev. Michael Pfleger delivers his sermon at St. Sabina Catholic Church during the predominantly African-American congregation's Unity Mass in Chicago, September 2, 2012. A Reuters-Ipsos Poll conducted last weekend reveals the divergent opinions in the Church and shows that Catholics are divided equally between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, with each winning just under 40 percent of voters. Picture taken September, 2, 2012. REUTERS-John Gress
In just hours, two Catholic candidates for vice president of the United States will square off – opponents in an election year that has seen the Roman Catholic Church flex its political muscle more forcefully than ever.
Paul Ryan and Joe Biden – one a social-values conservative, the other a fierce advocate for social programs – represent the deep divisions among American Catholics, who have been an important swing vote for decades.
A Reuters/Ipsos Poll conducted last weekend reveals the divergent opinions in the Church and shows that Catholics are divided equally between Democratic President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney, with each winning just under 40 percent of voters.
As America’s largest religious denomination, Catholics have long been a bellwether, picking the winner of the popular vote in every presidential election since 1972.
In the 2008 election, Obama won 54 percent of the Catholic vote. But this time, Catholics are hearing stronger advocacy on the conservative side of some issues from U.S. bishops, particularly regarding same-sex marriage and contraception. This troubles liberal Catholics, who feel Church leaders are turning too far to the right.
“There’s a profound wrestling going on in the Church right now over what it means to be authentically Catholic,” said John Gehring, Catholic program director for Faith in Public Life, a liberal advocacy group. “I’m worried that the Church is becoming a less friendly place for moderate and progressive Catholics who believe in the social justice mission.”
The two vice presidential candidates, who will debate each starting at 9 p.m. Eastern time, embody the conflicts: Biden has been criticized for his support of abortion rights, while some nuns and bishops have objected to the budget plan Ryan put forth earlier this year because of cuts to anti-poverty programs.
Writer and former priest Robert McClory said the stance of U.S. bishops on issues such as same-sex marriage and contraception is partly to blame for the continuing exodus of non-immigrant Catholics from the Church: Lapsed Catholics have become the nation’s second-largest religious group, according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. The push on sexual morality comes as the Church leadership is still recovering from the child sex abuse scandal.
“You get the feeling that the Church is a ship and that somebody amongst the crew goes down every week and drills another hole in the bottom of the boat, and eventually it’s going to be a very serious situation,” said McClory. “People are leaving. They’re embarrassed.”
Conservative voices say bishops are stressing sexual morality issues not because they don’t care about poverty or immigrant rights but because church teachings are under attack.
Bishops were enraged over Obama’s healthcare mandate, which required Catholic schools and hospitals to carry insurance that provides birth control, forbidden by Church doctrine, for free.
A Pew Research Center poll in August found that Catholics who had heard of bishops’ concerns over perceived restrictions on religious liberty share them – by a 56 percent to 36 percent margin. But just 22 percent of Catholics say they have heard a lot about them, and 51 percent of Catholic voters say Obama best reflects their views on issues such as abortion and gay rights. [More]
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21 Comments
Biden said exactly the right thing; he accepts the Church on abortion but MUST NOT impose his stand on others. There are many Christian and other churches that do not believe that ensoulment takes place at the moment when the sperm meets the egg. The Church for centuries believed that abortion was sinful but not homicide.
And the individual’s conscience, as Ratzinger once said, must be followed even if it is against the Church.
Definitely embarrassed to be Catholic because the men in power decided to abuse our children instead of be leaders. Can the Church face the issue head on? Time will tell. The statistics are speaking volumes. Very sad.
I thought Biden was very concise in expressing his identity as a Catholic and all of his enunciated beliefs were in line with CHurch teaching. We can not impose our beliefs on others without their consent-We can advocate for our position-if a vote was held today to render abortion illegal- it would loose.
Although my opinion will not be welcome I think that Mr. Biden did a good job in last evenings debate.
Never ceases to amaze me that the claim is to never impose religious beliefs on the country. How about the other impositions: Obamacare, taxes, Mandates, how the Democrats are so charitable and fight for the vulnerable….(yeah, right)and other untold numerous lies and deceits of this administration? those beliefs are somehow okay. We believe what we choose to believe and unfortunately it is not always the truth. Ryan at least had the profound courage to say that he could not separated out his beliefs for political gain.
Thought this was importantWASHINGTON—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) issued the following statement, October 12. Full text follows:
Last night, the following statement was made during the Vice Presidential debate regarding the decision of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to force virtually all employers to include sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion, in the health insurance coverage they provide their employees:
“With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution—Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital—none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact. That is a fact.”
This is not a fact. The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain “religious employers.” That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to “Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital,” or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.
HHS has proposed an additional “accommodation” for religious organizations like these, which HHS itself describes as “non-exempt.” That proposal does not even potentially relieve these organizations from the obligation “to pay for contraception” and “to be a vehicle to get contraception.” They will have to serve as a vehicle, because they will still be forced to provide their employees with health coverage, and that coverage will still have to include sterilization, contraception, and abortifacients. They will have to pay for these things, because the premiums that the organizations (and their employees) are required to pay will still be applied, along with other funds, to cover the cost of these drugs and surgeries.
USCCB continues to urge HHS, in the strongest possible terms, actually to eliminate the various infringements on religious freedom imposed by the mandate.
For more details, please see USCCB’s regulatory comments filed on May 15 regarding the proposed “accommodation”: http://www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/rulemaking/upload/comments-on-advance-notice-of-proposed-rulemaking-on-preventive-services-12-05-15.pdf
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Keywords: vice presidential debate, HHS mandate, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, insurance plans, Catholic hospitals, charities, social services, sterilization, contraception, religious liberty, USCCB
The statement makes no mention of the fact that numerous Roman Catholic entities have filed federal lawsuits over this alleged “abridgment of religious freedom.” This typically means that the facts, as well as the law, are in dispute.
Until the federal courts definitively rule on these matters, it’s highly presumptuous for the USCCB or anyone else to “correct” Vice President Biden, especially if these lawsuits get tossed, that is, dismissed with prejudice.
Watching last nights debate, I was astounded by Biden’s claim to be a practicing Catholic all his life and in the next breath his thoughts on aborion. If he was in Church all these years, where was his heart and his soul.
I thought he was rude, disrespectful, clownish, and without the dignity, integrity, and honor we expect in the vice president of the United States of America.
He probably thought he was funny, he was, however, disgusting. Even the TV anchormen commented on his actions.
Obama was impassive and not there mentally, and Biden was putting on a circul clown act – who would ever vote them into office and why???????????
Of course we would expect from a Republican.
Joe Biden’s seemingly bizarre behavior in the debate last night is actually one of the standard defensive strategies taught to debaters when you are the weak candidate. The weak candidate sits there and smirks, laughs and makes condescending distorted facial expressions (like a clown) to the audience while the stronger candidate is trying to communicate to the audience in a responsible, professional way. However, last night Joe went way overboard with this stupid tactic. He looked unbelievably stupid!
Vice President Biden called his opponent out over his misunderstanding of Catholic social doctrine, which favors the poor and the have-nots — just like the Gospels themselves — just like the nuns on the buses, and much more.
Wealth is not the definition of success, but giving wealth away is a step in the right direction.
I’m sure then, Florian, that you give a lot of YOUR own personal wealth away.
With Biden and Obama having nothing to show for their FOUR LONG YEARS in the White House, Joe Biden put on the clownish performance of a court jester in the vice presidential debate last night. I was appalled that, rather than watching two polished professionals discussing the issues, which is what the American people wanted and deserved to hear, we were forced to listen to and tolerate the empty-suited, condescending, sophomoric idiocy of a jerk. In an effort to sabotage the clarity of the message Paul Ryan was trying to communicate, Biden kept interrupting him, making condescending smirking, snorting noises, and childish facial expressions, which made one wonder whether Biden had already entered into his senile years. If Biden still has any thoughts of running for the presidency in the future, he shot himself in the foot last night. The moderator was also clearly biased in that she cut off Paul Ryan more than a few times when he was trying to answer some core questions that needed to be answered and which the American people wanted to hear. What a shame!
Recovering Catholic – AMEN and Kudos to you
The problem with heresy — yes, heresy — is that one aspect of the truth is selected and overemphasized at the expense of another aspect, or other aspects, of the truth. Truth is truth; it does not change (cf. Hebrews 13:8). Does the heart matter, as Recovering Catholic says? Yes it does; however, contra Recovering Catholic (and many others who think like him) the rest of the body also matters. Listen to St. Paul: ” Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions” (Romans 6:12) and “… you were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body” (I Corinthians 6:20). If we want to follow Jesus, we must do so completely, not picking and choosing whatever we want or whatever pleases us at the moment, or whatever is based on the latest “study” (which will certainly be superseded by the next “study”). To do anything else is to fall into heresy, which has plagued the Church for a very long time now.
As for the celibate priesthood, which so many Roman Catholics are very annoyed with nowadays, the Roman church could learn a thing or two from the Orthodox, who have allowed priests to marry for many, many centuries, well before the Schism.
I understand that the REAL reason celibacy was inforced on priests in the 11th century was that they were passing land and church property down to their children.
It is refreshing to read something that is CATHOLIC, stated here.
Reading this blog, I wonder, how many, souls are LOST. Because Catholics don’t know their FAITH.
The first commadment of God and of HIS Church, Is to Know,Love and SERVE GOD. You can’t Love what you do not know. And unfortunately over the last 50 years or more the FAITH has not been TAUGHT in the official ConsiLAIR church.
I personnally pray, that the Church, will lose all Govt. grants, and exemptions.
For then FREED from the dictates of a PAGAN govt. She can become again what She always has been THE LAST HOPE FOR THE WORLD. The BRIDE of CHRIST, outside of which there is NO SALVATION, and certainly needs no human (of fallen and corrupted natures) Except the that which God appointed. Nor does She, need to be guided by Talmudic – Masonic pagan ideologies (Marxism/Socialism) Saul Alinsky (Social justice programs)to survive.
As She was purchased a GREAT PRICE, by Our Blessed Lord and Redeemer. And though gentle and forgiving,also SAID, That is order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven you MUST become PERFECT AS MY FATHER IN HEAVEN IS PERFECT. Well folks have you reached perfection…I have live a long time and I know I am far from this absolute…but also try to remind myself That The FEAR of GOD is the beginning of WISDOM. And we are instructed to work out our salvation in fear and trembeling SO WHAT HAS HAPPENED my dear friends in Christ?
+JM+
p
Apart from matters liturgical, sexual morality (sometimes referred to as “pelvic theology”) is perhaps the most divisive element of church teaching. Much of that teaching is based on perceptions which have been radically altered by both science and human experience, yet the celibate prelates of the church stubbornly insist that this teaching is “divinely revealed” and therefore irreformable. Meanwhile, the same prelates continue to violate their own “traditional morality” by failing to discipline the master-planners of the clergy sex abuse coverup: themselves. Bye Bye bishops’ credibility, ditto for their moral authority
I agree with you, Florian; it’s the “heart” that matters — and not any other body part. Every culture since the beginning of time has figured this out; I don’t understand why those who “control” in the Catholic hierarchy still don’t get it.
Yes, Recovering, so let’s all go and have wild sex parties. As long as our heart is in the right place, it doesn’t matter where our pelvis is.
Jesus in the Gospels speaks loudly and clearly on behalf of the poor, the powerless and the voiceless as His disciples we can only have a preferential option for the poor.