Posted on 10/30/2004 6:23:21 AM PDT by paladinan
LaCrosse, WI (LifeNews.com) -- An attorney with a Catholic diocese in Wisconsin told church leaders to prohibit the distribution of a pro-life voter's guide for the upcoming elections. According to news reports, the attorney is a longtime donor to candidates who favor abortion.
A Catholic World News report on Tuesday revealed that James Birnbaum, who acts as an attorney for the Catholic diocese of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, has given thousands in donations to pro-abortion candidates.
Birnbaum recently sent a letter to pastors and church officials telling them to block the distribution of Catholic Answer's "Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics."
The 10-page voter's guide cites Vatican documents showing that candidates who support abortion, euthanasia, human cloning or embryonic stem cell research should be disqualified from receiving the votes of faithful Catholics.
The voter's guides should not be distributed "on your parish grounds or during your parish activities," Birnbaum wrote.
Though Birnbaum cited a tax law, that others dispute would be broken if the church allowed the guides to be disseminated, CWN reports that his real motivation against the guides may be because of his support for pro-abortion candidates.
Birnbaum has donated $6,500 to pro-abortion Congressman Ronald Kind, a Democrat who has only a 9% pro-life voting record according to the National Right to Life Committee. Birnbaum sent Kind donations as recently as March and June of this year.
CWN reports that Birnbaum has also made donations to the campaigns of Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold, who has a strong pro-abortion voting record and co-sponsored a campaign finance proposal pro-life groups opposed because it restricts their activities, and to Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle, who has spoken at Planned Parenthood fundraisers.
Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis is the former Bishop of the La Crosse diocese, which is now without a leader since Burke has not yet been replaced.
Burke drew national attention as one of the first Catholic leaders to say he would deny communion to elected officials and candidates that support abortion. He said he would not offer the Christian sacrament to presidential candidate John Kerry.
This isn't the first time the Catholic Answer's voter's guides have been the subject of dispute.
Catholics for a Free Choice (CFFC), a pro-abortion group claiming to be Catholic, filed a complaint with the IRS to withdraw the charitable tax status of the apologetics group Catholic Answers for publishing what it claims is a partisan voter guide.
The 10-page voter's guide cites Vatican documents showing that candidates who support abortion, euthanasia, human cloning or embryonic stem cell research should be disqualified from receiving the votes of faithful Catholics.
Keating told the Culture of Life Foundation in an interview that his voter's guide "does not violate any tax rules" and that the group had legal experts verify that it met IRS requirements.
"In the voter's guide, we don't mention any candidates, any specific election, or any party, and we don't endorse or oppose anyone," Keating said. We merely state the principles that real Catholics are obligated to abide by when voting."
Related web sites: Catholic Answers - http://www.catholic.com
mailbox@dioceseoflacrosse.com
Here's the follow-up article on LifeNews.com:
http://www.lifenews.com/state769.html
Blah. Not sure why the hot links didn't engage:
e-mail for diocese: mailbox@dioceseoflacrosse.com
follow-up article: http://www.lifenews.com/state769.html
I wonder if this made the liberal La Crosse Tribune. Somehow, I doubt it did.
The atty was probably told that if he didnt recuse himself he would be excommunicated for standing against a papal writ. The Vatican doesnt take well to renegade parishioners.
Should this guy Birnbaum be advising the diocese of Lacrosse in the first place.
"James Birnbaum, who acts as an attorney for the Catholic diocese of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, has given thousands in donations to pro-abortion candidates."
The Hierarchy who hire these types should be refused Communion for giving Catholic collection money to supporters of abortion.
Where the hell are their brains, certainly not in their heads, must be to much communion wine.
Especially since he may well be under authority of Abp. Burke until a replacement is named. I wonder how canon law handles that?
The voter's guides should not be distributed ''on your parish grounds or during your parish activities,'' Birnbaum wrote.
Pray tell us where you stand on bubba & kerry campaigning in church, attorney Birnbaum. And what other free speech issues do you wish to censor?
Father Pavone warned watchers that those placing voting guides on cars parked in public places were using their free speech rights, and that priests and others who tried to intimidate them might find themselves in court...
Considering Pavone is a soft spoken guy, he was quite adament that Catholics do not give up their right to expression as private persons in private places just because they oppose abortion...
He can't do it.
The pro-life stance is doctrine, not politics.
If he does so, he is interfering with the free exercise of religion.
There is 2000 years of Christianity behind that culture of life position.
If I were a Catholic, I would be screaming that parishoners donations to the church are paying the salary of this guy.
I would be bringing my own lawsuit against the church for paying one red cent to this man. There has to be another lawyer in Wisconsin who is talented who is following the doctrines of the church.
Catholic Ping!
And a ping to you.
Pinging Catholics ...........
I'm off to work the phone banks to remind everyone in my state to vote!
Oregon was lost to Gore in 2000 by only 6,700 votes, yet 100,000 registered Republicans did NOT vote!
Get out the Republican vote in your state too!
Catechism of the Catholic Church and what it says about those who support abortion
Please notify me via FReepmail if you would like to be added to or taken off the Catholic Discussion Ping List.
Ah, I see you have the magic list. Thanks.
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I'm not asking permission for my parish. I just marked the flyers for distribution at the Catholic Churches with the times of Mass and the GOP are going to put them on windshields. While we have 3 private parking lots most of the people park on the street and none of the parking lots are marked as private.
I wish I were be a member of that parish...
So I could resign.
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