Wishy-Washy Statements by Catholic Bishops on Abortion and Voting Leading to Scandal

TORONTO, June 23, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Over the past few months at least several individual US and Canadian Catholic Bishops have given clear, strong directions on the primary importance of the life and family issues when making voting decisions. However, statements by US and Canadian Bishops Conferences have left many Catholics in the dark as to the pre-eminent importance of the direct life issues such as abortion and euthanasia. These statements have often lumped abortion and same-sex marriage in with much less absolutely immoral issues such as poverty, health care, unemployment and similar issues.

The result has often been scandalous to many Catholics. A Catholic candidate for a pro-abortion party, who is a chair of a Catholic school council, has written LifeSiteNews.com to explaining her position is in favour of 'choice' on abortion. In her email she says: "I am devoting my life to helping the less fortunate by building a Canada that looks after the poor, elderly and sick. In fact the Canadian Council (sic) of Bishops gave out a letter at mass on sunday (sic) saying that Anti abortion and Gay Marriage should have equal weight with preserving public medicare and helping the world's poor."

Prominent U.S. politician Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), described as "U.S. Roman Catholicism's most distinguished laymen" has also noted with dismay the disastrous effects of the repeated failure of the hierarchy to remain strong on the abortion issue when dealing with politicians. Hyde, the first person to win a victory for the pro-life cause since Roe vs. Wade, with his Hyde Amendment in 1976 banning public spending on abortions, told the Chicago Sun Times recently, "I am greatly disappointed with the failure of much of the church hierarchy to take an unequivocal stand on abortion." Speaking of the tendency to equate issues such as poverty and healthcare and abortion, Hyde said it provides, "'people like Ted Kennedy, Dick Durbin and John Kerry the cover they seek to maintain their Catholic affiliation and at the same time pander to Planned Parenthood."

See the Sun Times coverage: http://www.suntimes.com/output/roeser/cst-edt-roes12.html

See LifeSite's The Moral Obligations of Voters, Politicians and Religious Leaders with many relevant quotes by religious leaders

"I am greatly disappointed with the failure of much of the church hierarchy to take an unequivocal stand on abortion." Speaking of the tendency to equate issues such as poverty and healthcare and abortion, Hyde said it provides, "'people like Ted Kennedy, Dick Durbin and John Kerry the cover they seek to maintain their Catholic affiliation and at the same time pander to Planned Parenthood."

Ping. (As usual, if you would like to be added to or removed from my "conservative Catholics" ping list, please send me a FReepmail. Please note that this is occasionally a high volume ping list and some of my ping posts are long.)

Election Day and Christian Responsibility

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The elections of 2004 are a critical juncture for the future and direction of our nation.

This year voters will either defend the Culture of Life, or advance the culture of death. As Christians, we have a clear and moral obligation to register to vote and to carefully consider the candidates' position on the sanctity of LIFE when we cast our vote.

Christians are called to vote with a PROPERLY FORMED CONSCIENCE. This can be explained with one sentence from our LORD, which applies, even inside the voting booth, “Whatsoever you do to the least of these my brethren, you do to Me” (Mt.25:40). From The Gospel of Life: “Abortion and euthanasia are crimes, which no human law can claim to legitimize. In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to `take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or vote for it'.”

What about the other issues? "Calls to advance human rights are an illusion if the right to life itself is subject to attack." Faithful Citizenship. A powerful consideration from Fr. Frank Pavone, "If a candidate can't respect the life of a little baby, how is he supposed to respect ours?" From A Brief Catechism for Catholic Voters: “A disqualifying issue is one which is of such gravity and importance that it allows for no political maneuvering. It is an issue that strikes at the heart of the human person and is non-negotiable. A disqualifying issue is one of such enormity that by itself renders a candidate for office unacceptable regardless of his position on other matters.” FIVE such disqualifying issues are Abortion, Euthanasia, Fetal Stem Cell Research, Human Cloning, and “homosexual marriage”.

Participation in the political process is a virtue, and every vote counts. Christians have every right to strive by legitimate means to shape public policy according to their moral convictions. We are each, individually, called to help build a Culture of Life-voting in defense of LIFE is among the most important ways.

Children waiting to be born cannot speak for themselves-we are their voice. We must speak up in their defense at the voting booth. If we do not, millions more will never be allowed to speak.

This map has 17.5 states blacked out. The population of these states is equal to the number of “legal” surgical abortions since 1973. Perhaps this visual perspective helps one to grasp the number 44,000,000-that's 44 MILLION PEOPLE who are gone, dead--robbed of their God given Constitutional right to LIFE.

Help end this tragedy, promote registering and VOTING PRO-LIFE.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

Kevin Jeanfreau

Louisiana Director

Knights for Life

Ed Jeanfreau

Louisiana Chairman

Knights for Life

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Download this document and others related at:

www.KnightsForLife.org

http://cpforlife.org/id126.htm

On a lighter note, this was amusing:

"Many of you will recall a horrid depiction of the Virgin Mary several years ago at a museum in Brooklyn. It was an image by an artist named Chris Ofili of a strange, unbecoming Madonna splattered with elephant dung. I even hate to write those words, but there was a message here. For several weeks ago there was a fire at a London warehouse, and in it was Ofili's blasphemous image, which (along with the other warehouse contents, and as eventually happens to all evil) was burnt to a crisp."

http://www.spiritdaily.com/vandalism.htm

Many of you will recall a horrid depiction of the Virgin Mary several years ago at a museum in Brooklyn. It was an image by an artist named Chris Ofili of a strange, unbecoming Madonna splattered with elephant dung.

Glad to hear it burned. Haven't heard of anyone crying about it.

I was thinking about this the other day when Clinton's portrait was unveiled at the White House.

Why didn't he elect to have the artist create an abstract rendition of himself splattered with elephant dung? He's all for this crap (pardon the pun), right?

Instead, he chose to have himself rendered in oil paint in a traditional, realist style.

I guess crappy abstract art is for the little people, and Christ's Mother.

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