In Germany, people talk politics ALL the time. We used to in NY, among the Irish opinionated relatives who were half and half, dem and GOP, depending, honestly, on their livelihood, statistically speaking.
That was before birth control and legalized abortion.
Their thinking trickled down to what you see in this lady’s thinking.
Actually, from what I’ve seen, people, esp in the northeast, who were baptized and received the sacraments in the Catholic Church, think that, because they went through 12 or so years of Catholic school or upbringing, that they know Church teaching.
They do not. It used to be that the clergy would brief them at Mass, but no. The clergy generally does not brief them on anything to do with the major issue, and that is, birth control and abortion. It is major for many reasons, but, in particular, because the democrat party has taken it on, and usurped the clergy on this matter, taking the place of the clergy and even causing half of catholics to turn to them as a religion.
Get that? Half of Catholics, (half of Catholics vote democrat) think that the Democrat party take the place of the Church. The Democrats are the ones who care for the poor, the blacks and minorities, the children, the immigrants who are just good people trying to make a life, and women, who are otherwise oppressed by the republican monopoly money mogul taking away their means for subsistence, their dignity and their freedom.
There is no guidance among these catholics. They do not know their faith, do not own or consult the Catechism, they don’t go to confession, do not have an acquaintanceship with their conscience as a result, as that is what they are called to do (no, other religions are not called to do this)
Plus, they are stuck in the politics of fifty years ago, the democrats of the sixties, descended from Truman, to Kennedy.
Abortion, the icon of the party, and all it’s phony women’s rights power, does not affect them. They don’t know any one who has had an abortion, but they do. No one who has had an abortion talks about it in real terms, why it causes them depression, disassociation from their families, etc.
They don’t realize that there are one and a half million abortions every year for forty years, and that the dems are the champions of this.
They claim Catholicism because, if abortion were bad, if the dems were awful and anti-Catholic, they’d hear about it at Mass.
But they do not.
The Catechism is clear. If they’d go to mass daily and read along with the three readings from the bible every day, they would not only get the teaching, they’d get the grace to open their minds to the truth.
No the Church does not choose party lines, and the most reverent of clergy won’t, but they’ll tell anyone that voting for a pro abortion candidate when there is an alternative, is a sin, to be avoided and or confessed and repented.
But people like your friend, there, do not hear any of this.
It’s the oppressive culture, and it has to be repelled. She doesn’t know that.
Good summary.