All Posts Tagged With: "Catholic"
Knights of Columbus Attack Biden For Pro-Abortion Stance
Letter almost certainly sets up a confrontation between Biden and Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin who is adamantly pro-life.
The head of the Knights of Columbus has sent an open letter to Democratic vice presidential candidate Senator Joe Biden (D) Delaware, urging him to follow his conscience as a Catholic and work to ban abortions. The letter is also published in USA/Today and several other large newspapers. There letter says in part:
“I write to you today as a fellow Catholic layman, on a subject that has become a major topic of concern in this year’s presidential campaign…
“Senator Obama stressed your Catholic identity repeatedly when he introduced you as his running mate, and so your statements carry considerable weight, whether they are correct or not. You now have a unique responsibility when you make public statements about Catholic teaching.
“On NBC’s ‘Meet the Press,’ you appealed to the 13th Century writings of St. Thomas Aquinas to cast doubt on the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church on abortion.
“There are several problems with this.
“First, Aquinas obviously had only a medieval understanding of biology, and thus could only speculate about how an unborn child develops in the womb. I doubt that there is any other area of public policy where you would appeal to a 13th Century knowledge of biology as the basis for modern law.
“Second, Aquinas’ theological view is in any case entirely consistent with the long history of Catholic Church teaching in this area, holding that abortion is a grave sin to be avoided at any time during pregnancy.
“This teaching … was reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council, which described abortion as ‘an unspeakable crime’ and held that the right to life must be protected from the ‘moment of conception…’”
“While you voted for the ban on partial birth abortions, your unconditional support for [Roe v. Wade] is a de facto endorsement of permitting all other late term abortions.”
Biden recently departed from the party line and said that as a Catholic, he believes life begins at conception, although he said of abortion-rights advocates in his party: “They believe in their faith and they believe in human life, and they have differing views as to when life … begins.”
But Supreme Knight Anderson chastises Biden for not acting to oppose abortion, saying in his letter: “Your unwillingness to bring your Catholic moral views into the public policy arena on this issue alone is troubling…
“You have a choice: you can listen to your conscience and work to secure the rights of the unborn to share in the fruits of our hard-won liberty, or you can choose to turn your back on them.
“On behalf of the 1.28 million members of the Knights of Columbus and their families in the United States, I appeal to you, as a Catholic who acknowledges that life begins at conception, to resolve to protect this unalienable right.”
The abortion issue could prove to be a major factor among Catholics in the upcoming election, as evidenced by their increased support for the Republican ticket following the selection of anti-abortion candidate Sarah Palin as John McCain’s running mate.
“Observant Catholics are returning to the Republican fold now that Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin has joined the GOP ticket,” The Christian Science Monitor observed, adding that “Catholics are an important subset in presidential elections.”
Excerpted, edited and added from an artIcle by NEWSMAX Friday, September 19, 2008
The Catholic Church Continues to Give Hypocrisy a Bad Name
The Catholic Church was once a blood brother in the warmongering, corrupt triad of eurasian armies with armed monks, the incestuous monarchies and state religion commanded by the city state that became the Vatican and the home of the Pope, the nation state of the Catholic Church. Before the Henry the Eighth sexually motivated break, it battled with the Muslims for control of the Holy Land, winning some battles but ultimately losing the war. Bill Maher belonged in the Catholic Church of that time, but not the evolving one that I hope I see emerging today.
The holy land remained outside of the control of Catholic, Protestant or Jewish authority until the controversial creation of Israel in 1948. I support the right of Israel to exist, acknowledging all of the injustices committed by all sides in that arena from the beginning and in so much of human history. Show me a place anywhere in the world inhabited by human beings, give me a little time and if there is written or oral history to be researched, I will show you a lot of injustice committed in human actions against other humans that will revolt you.
In more modern times the Catholic Church has renounced violence, becoming significantly but not completely pacifist, a goal I support and admire. The Church asserts its transnational rights on the basis of it’s agenda of searching and supporting human dignity first, at least it does so in the US where it can get away with it. It denounces the sovereign rights of the United States to have and enforce immigration laws on the basis that humans are not always accorded the dignity god wants them to have. Today the Pope’s TV surrogates emphasized that his agenda is not nation based, rather that his agenda transcends nations and is based on the search for human dignity. To be sure to distance himself from Bush, he refused a state dinner with the President. I might consider doing that same thing but for different reasons.
Today the Pope says he is deeply ashamed of the sexual abuse committed in America (or is it just exposed in America?) and wanted to assure everyone that it will never happen again in the Catholic Church. I give him credit for such a clear statement. But why no apology?
So many questions bubbling up, but one seems to be particularly jangling given the Pope’s view that the US does not have a right to protect its borders by enforcing its laws due to human considerations which should come before all.
Why then does the Catholic Church hide behind and exploit various US laws and procedures to try to evade or minimize it’s exposure of the than embarrassing sexual abuse of children, which was overlooked by Bishops who retain their positions.
What about that element of human dignity the Catholic Church now hypocritically ignores, even TODAY while the Pope was speaking, to take advantage of US regulations that protect the Church due to the passage of time? Why does it use some laws and feel it has the right to work against other laws. Why not look beyond US laws as it does with immigration laws, to enhance human dignity and accept responsibility for those whose rights have expired because their human dignity was seriously taken away so long ago?
When will the Church make amends to those many who kept silent so long that US laws now protect the Catholic church from prosecution?
Not being an insider, I do not know, but here is an outside clue: The Catholic Church has so far been forced to dispense 2 billion dollars in legal settlements. Yes, they want this embarrassing event to stop, stop the bleeding of their coffers. Hang the dignity of a person who kept quiet too long and has lived for decades with who knows what kind of shame, embarrassment and psychological disruptions.
So the first persons loss of dignity decades ago seems not to be equal in the eyes of the Churck to the loss of dignity experienced by mostly hardworking family men trying to make money to support their family who happens to be a citizen of another country is held accountable for breaking that law. What is the real difference in these two different circumstances of human dignity?
The first deserves for the Church to compensate him and the second is part of a fine group of people who are inclined to give the Church money.
Pay money or get money? A transnational agenda for sure.
The Catholic Church, despite stated good intentions and vast improvements from the embarrassing inquisitions and so on, continues to give hypocrisy a bad name.
Catholic Hospital Hypocrisy
I work for a hospital that is part of a Catholic organization. When I went to employee orientation 10 years ago, I was surprised to hear that they would not pay for any birth control medications or procedures based on their Catholic faith. They stated that it is part of their belief system and they feel strong enough about it to take this stance.