Posted on 10/21/2004 4:44:27 PM PDT by Former Military Chick
Fifty priests and several hundred sisters and laity from Western Pennsylvania have signed an ad in the Pittsburgh Catholic, saying that voting decisions cannot be reduced to the single issue of abortion.
The ad is in response to the bishops and conservative lay organizations that have declared it wrong for a Catholic to vote for a candidate who does not publicly oppose legal abortion, such as Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John F. Kerry.
The ad, sponsored by Pax Christi USA, a 60-year-old group advocating pacifism and nonviolence, says, "Members of the media -- and indeed a few of our own religious leaders -- do a great disservice to our church and nation when they attempt to use one or another issue as the benchmark for Catholic identity.
"A candidate for office must understand that the Church stands against any policy or course of action which diminishes life, dignity or the rights of the human person: abortion, capital punishment, war, scandalous poverty, denial of health care, mistreatment of immigrants and racism to name but a few. All are essential issues to a 'pro-life' voter."
The Rev. Regis Ryan, parochial vicar at St. John of God in McKees Rocks and executive director of Focus on Renewal, a social service center, said he hoped the ad had a "calming effect" on Catholics.
"There is certainly nothing doctrinal about voting for Kerry or voting for [President] Bush, but when you listen to some of the statements of some of the bishops, it seems like doctrine," he said.
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, the highest-ranking Roman Catholic prelate in Colorado, for example, has said a vote for a candidate like Mr. Kerry who supports abortion rights or embryonic stem cell research would be a sin that must be confessed before receiving Communion.
Most Pittsburgh priests who signed the ad are well known for advocacy of liberal causes, but there were surprises. Among them was the Rev. Michael Salvagna, a retreat leader at St. Paul Monastery who is popular with conservative Catholics. He was unavailable for comment.
A representative of the Kerry campaign alerted the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette to the ad. But the Rev. Bernie Survil, a Greensburg priest, said it should not be read as an endorsement of Kerry.
"It is nonpartisan. There is no mention of either candidate, nor does it mention parties," said Survil, who noted that he has marched against abortion. Pax Christi opposes abortion.
The ad cites statements of the U.S. bishops regarding a broad range of social issues the church is concerned about. But many statements by the bishops also argue that issues such as abortion, which involve state-sanctioned, unprovoked taking of human life, are paramount because other rights are useless without the right to life, said Susan Rauscher, secretary for pastoral and social concerns for the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
"The text of the ad is accurate in its quotes of the bishops. But the nuance [on the varying importance of issues] is glossed over," she said.
Pittsburgh Bishop Donald Wuerl has written on why the church considers abortion and related issues to be of paramount concern, but has stopped short of saying it is the only issue on which Catholics should base their vote. And memos that leaked from the Vatican this summer also stopped short of saying it is always wrong to vote for a candidate who supports legal abortion.
"If you're voting for a candidate because they support abortion, that is in fact problematic," Rauscher said. "However, if you vote for a candidate who happens to support abortion, but your conscience moves you to vote for that candidate for other reasons, that falls into another category."
The Association of Pittsburgh Priests, a liberal Catholic group that includes lay members, has scheduled a press conference for tomorrow, where members will call on the faithful to "obey your conscience" when voting. The group said in a news release that "it will be asserted that Catholics are not single issue voters and will look at a broad spectrum of issues before casting their vote."
---------------------------------------------------------
(Ann Rodgers can be reached at arodgers@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1416.)
Well hey, Hitler had a good jobs plan.
What's wrong with one-issue voting? Jewish voters will not vote for anyone against aid to Israel and WASPs will not vote for anyone against tax cuts.
Can any Christian justify a vote for kerry before GOD? I would like to hear the argument?
Heretics.
Fear not there are many reasons to vote against Kerry.
All the Cafeteria Catholic rats are using these talking points.
Would that statement still be operative?
I'm not against one issue voting, per se.
For instance, there are a number of Liberals that are going to be voting for G.W. this year solely based on the WOT.
I do think one issue voters need to keep those issues in perspective to the relevent threats of the day.
The preservation of a union from the threat of terrorism surpasses every issue, imo.
Pax Christi = non-partisan?
Ask any bishop you know what he's heard about Pax Christi's guru, Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, sometime Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit.
See if he can catch himself and put on his best "Bishop's Club" face before he starts laughing.
They tried to make this guy Titular Bishop of the Planet Pluto about 25 years ago - and everyone in the movement is just as whacked out - or more so - than he!
Check out the article at www.spectator.org = Kerry's Auxiliary Bishops - and then go to www.natcath.com, check John Allen's The Word From Rome, and read that IN THE HOLY SEE ITSELF, true Europeans that they are, rather than true Catholics, they would vote 60% - 40% for Kerry rather than Bush.
They would rather have a sham Catholic who doesn't accept his faith than a Protestant like Bush who upholds most Catholic teachings. That's why so few bishops have the courage to actually follow through to the logical consequences of our teaching on abortion and the consequences to those who support it.
They're very much like Kerry - who respects the Faith in theory but rejects it in practice.
And right in line with the UN - say everything right, and be verbally tough - but just don't DO anything practical that flows from what you say!
Okay, one more time, confused adies and gentlemen of "the cloth":
There's the narrow, briar-ridden road to heaven...
and then there's the wide open easy path to hell.
When something is intrinsically evil, inhumane, ultra-convenient, and mandated by godless China... it's, uh, from hell.
Kerry doesn't even have that.....
Just a few more members of that 21st Century leftist icon, Pacifists for Genocide.
They talk about "one issue" like it's choosing between blue or red being the color that represents their party. THIS IS INFANTICIDE FOR PITY SAKES!! The Pope himself has said life begins at conception, and Catholics believe or suppose to believe (whenever convenient) that the Pope is infallable when it comes to issue dealing with morals and religion. So if the Pope says it's murder when you have an abortion then this "one issue" should be an overiding factor for Catholics in their decision who they will vote for president of the USA. When you can callously throw aside the issue of infanticide as being just one issue it tells you how far America has fallen from it's lofty perch into the gutters of immorality, egocentrism, and self-agrandizement; it even supercedes life for a baby!! God help America!!!
They should read their catechism, its pretty straight forward. Pro abortion is a disqualifying stance, that doesnt mean you have to vote for the pro life opponent, you just cant vote for the pro abortion one.
What they say contradicts what the American bishops said in their 1998 statement "Living the Gospel of Life" (http://www.usccb.org/prolife/gospel.htm)
as well as Vatican statements.
I fear that the faith of many may simply reduce down to roughly the same dimensions as their politics. I think it can unfortunately happen on the right or the left.
That's what I always tell people too.
Also, when sKerry brought up the fact that he was an altar boy, I responded "So were Hitler and Stalin."
Can't vote on just one issue? How about 5 issues?
1.) Abortion. Kerry supports, Bush opposses
2.) Gay marraige. Kerry supports (though he flipflops), Bush opposes
3.) Destroying human embryo's for stemcells. Kerry supports, Bush opposes.
4.) Euthanasia. Kerry supports, Bush opposes
5.) Human Cloning, Kerry supports, Bush opposes.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.