Phoenix Bishop Misrepresented by Secular Press

Lifesite News -- Your Life, Family, and Culture Outpost ^ | August 10, 2005

[topher]

Phoenix Bishop Misrepresented by Secular Press

PHOENIX, August 10, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The flap started last year over a speaking engagement on a proposition to the Arizona government to impose restrictions on illegal immigrants. Governor Janet Napolitano cancelled speeches against the proposition, which the Arizona Catholic conference also opposes, in some of the Catholic churches in the Phoenix diocese. This resulted from the Diocese of Phoenix asking the Governor to choose another venue, because, though they were in agreement over the treatment of undocumented immigrants, the Methodist Governor supported abortion and homosexual “marriage,” which are non-negotiables for Catholics.

One Arizona online news source ran the Republic article with the headline, “Bishop’s ban targets Napolitano.” The paper then reported that last week some members of a group of poverty activists voluntarily bowed out of a memorial service for homeless people in a Phoenix Catholic church on the grounds that their views on abortion clashed with the Catholic teaching.

Representatives of the diocese of Phoenix have said that the Arizona Republic’s characterization of the story as a case of an ‘archconservative’ Catholic bishop issuing “edicts” to suppress freedom of speech is unfair. The paper further confused the issue, says Ron Johnson, Executive Director of the Arizona Catholic Conference, by giving the impression that there was a double standard at work in which only public figures were “targeted.”

Johnson said in an interview with LifeSiteNews.com, “There’s no double standard. The prohibition does not apply to those who may privately disagree or hold a confused position. The point is not to ‘target’ anyone. So if you are a public figure whose support for abortion is a matter of public record, we have to prevent confusion or misunderstanding about what the Church teaches.”

In a follow-up email, Johnson said, “The clear inference from this headline seems to reduce the importance of Bishop Olmsted's policy to a mere personal attack.”

In December 2004, Bishop Olmsted wrote a letter to priests stating that those public figures who supported the killing of unborn children by abortion and the normalization of sexual immorality must not be given a public forum in Phoenix parishes or other Catholic institutions. It was a follow-up of the decision taken the previous June by the entire US Conference of Catholic Bishops to have individual bishops implement measures to protect the Church from misrepresentations of its teachings.

“Bishop Olmsted's policy on politicians supporting abortion is not a personal attack directed at any single person,” said Johnson, “but primarily an effort to protect the Church from being used by politicians at odds with core Church teachings.”

The Republic’s overtly anti-Catholic bias was revealed when it included quotes from Frances Kissling, the notorious anti-Catholic abortion crusader and founder of the duplicitously named, “Catholics for a Free Choice.” CFFC is a front organization funded by Planned Parenthood whose self-proclaimed mission is to undermine Catholic influence in public and force the Church to abandon its ancient teachings on sexual morality.

The US Bishops and others have repeatedly attempted to clarify that neither Kissling nor her organization is qualified to speak as representative of the Church.

Read Arizona Republic coverage:
http://www.azcentral.com/12news/news/articles/0805...

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[topher]

Janet Napolitano, Frances Kissling, the Arizona Republic, Rockefeller, Ford, and Packard Foundations -- liberal ectasy with so many liberals gathered in one spot.

The anti-Catholic group of Frances Kissling's CFFC is supported by Rockefeller, Ford, and Packard Foundations. This dummy corporation/group would not exist without being propped up by these liberal foundations.

The Most Reverend Olmsted is one of a handful of Catholic Bishops that have drawn a line in the sand to make Catholic teaching clear. Pro-aborts and those who support homosexual marriage need not attempt to cross that line.

The MSM is doing its normal distortion, Catholic bashing, and promotion of immorality.

Maybe the New York Times will investigate adoptions that the Diocese of Phoenix has helped to provide children with families.

After all, what is the MSM good for -- but to attack the traditional family, traditional values, and hurt Americans any which way they can.

[topher]

ping -- prolife, Catholic, and fight against immorality ping. Also 5:30AM EDT ping (too early to be up...)

[topher]

Link to the Arizona Republic article:

Bishop's ban targets Napolitano -- Catholic move mutes speeches at churches.

Caution: Those viewing articles by the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Atlanta Journal Constitution, and the Arizona Republic may result in a very severe feeling in the stomach. Please stop reading immediately, ban subscriptions, and seek help from a medical professional and aid from Freerepublic posters and lurkers...

[NYer]

Catholic Ping
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[Romish_Papist]

Thanks for posting this. Something to consider though, all the bold italicized text can get a bit taxing on the eyes. I understand your desire for emphasis, but maybe underlining would work better?

Oh, and Bishop Olmstead rocks!

[netmilsmom]

>> The Most Reverend Olmsted <<

God Bless him!

[NaughtiusMaximus]

The Arizona Repulsive and Gazoot: one of the lamest newsrags ever, anytime, anyplace. The headliner article on the Olmstead/Napolitano clash stated that the Bishop had condemned anyone who did not endorse Catholic views. Only one thing was discernible in the murky/ill written text; either the paper was using a summer intern to write the article or they were attempting to induce, incompetently, a No Popery riot.

[topher]

all the bold italicized text can get a bit taxing on the eyes. I understand your desire for emphasis, but maybe underlining would work better?

I will try to save some cyber ink with less both, and also save cyber italics as well. Sorry!

[topher]

I did pass this along to a couple other Bishops. They probably should be aware regardless if they intend to comment in their Diocese of not.

But if all Catholic organizations hang together, this nonsense will not happen. (Or when it does, then those who engage it will learn quickly not to.)

[Romish_Papist]

Lol, cool! :)

[old and tired]

This has been the longstanding policy in Philadelphia. Although it did not stop the pro-abort Rendell from holding a a rally at a Main Line Catholic Church prior to his election. The policy is only right, but whether the Archdiocese of Philadelphia has the stomach (or other body parts necessary) to back it up is another issue altogether.