Replies

Bishop Burke should hold classes for Catholic priests, pastors all across the country. I'm Catholic and I spoke with one of my parish priests re urging Catholics to do their homework before they vote for a candidate. The priest explained they could not tell people who to vote for...separation of Church and state. I responded I was not suggesting that the Church tell parishoners whom to vote for..but, I believed the Church should remind Catholics that abortion is against the teachings of the Church and, thus, Catholics should not support candidates who pro-choice. Further, Catholics should be urged to learn about judicial candidates before voting. If we continue to elect liberal judges, celebrating the true meaning of Christmas may someday be against the law. My parish priest agreed with my concerns but was not too anxious to address the issue from the pulpit. Needless to say, I felt discouraged and angry when I walked away from my parish priest.

If we continue to elect liberal judges, celebrating the true meaning of Christmas may someday be against the law. 18 posted on 01/30/2004 5:03:15 PM PST by 4integrity (AJ)

Excellent point. They seem to be moving in that direction - that all public expressions of Christianity should be forbidden. Hey...isn't THAT someone imposing their personal religious and moral views on others? The idea that there is something wrong with Christianity in public...

My parish priest agreed with my concerns but was not too anxious to address the issue from the pulpit. Needless to say, I felt discouraged and angry when I walked away from my parish priest.

One can preach on the grave evils of abortion and the culture of death, describing the organizations and ideology behind this. Secular humanism as an ideology, and population control, are within the scope of pastoral preaching. The dangers to the soul posed by secular humanist ideology and its grave moral evils are in fact things which priests should discuss with the laity. Lay men and women can also organize themselves as Catholics to discuss how these social problems should be addressed. Parishes can also schedule prayer vigils and Eucharistic Devotion in reparation for the evils of the culture of death which imperil human life in modern American society.

GET THIS! If you're a concerned Catholic, this is an great, short (16 pages), pocket booklet called "A Brief Catechism for Catholic Voters". It does NOT tell people exactly how to vote or what party, it's not political. Instead, it's a very clear explanation of solid church teaching on abortion for a voter or an elected official. It specifies the responsiblities of citizens in how they vote, and any Catholic elected representative in how he votes or behaves. It also clears up the confusion about why the abortion issue is completely different than death penalty question.

My priest got these for our parish, they cost about 50 cents a copy. We can't rely on most priests to explain the details, but Catholics do want to know. The media also is clueless about the details of this extremely important doctrine. Encourage your priest to get these for your church, or have a group you're in (KofC, etc) buy some to distribute. Here's details:

Leaflet Missal Company
976 W. Minnehaha Ave.
St. Paul Minnesota 55104

"A Brief Catechism for Catholic Voters" text by Fr. Stephen F. Torraco, Ph.D.. Copyright 2003, Leaflet Missal Company.

As many laity the priests may sometimes put labor loyalty or dedication to a Socialist type agenda ahead of their Faith. When I grew up, priests were tough guys who would kick the crap out of you, then absolve you in Confession.
Today they are all Kum-by-ya touchy feely...too many psych classes, not enough gut checks.