Posted on 03/10/2006 4:41:55 PM PST by Coleus
The bishops of the United States have countered a “statement of principles” issued by 55 Catholic Democrats with a statement of their own by calling on all Catholics to “shape our consciences in accord with the moral teaching of the Church,” Our Sunday Visitor has learned.
“As the Church carries out its central responsibility to teach clearly and help form consciences, and as Catholic legislators seek to act in accord with their own consciences, it is essential to remember that conscience must be consistent with fundamental moral principles,” said the bishops’ statement, which was released March 10 on the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The “Statement on Responsibilities of Catholics in Public Life” was signed by Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities; Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, D.C., chairman of the Task Force on Catholic Bishops; and Catholic Politicians; and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Policy.
Their 682-word document was a direct response to the 55 of 73 Catholic House Democrats’ statement last month that said while they seek the Church’s guidance on moral issues, they also believe “in the primacy of conscience” that can lead them to dissent from the Church’s position.
That statement, released Feb. 28 on the website of Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), was widely seen as a thinly veiled defense of Catholic legislators who support laws that protect or expand legal abortion.
The representatives said they “agree with the Catholic Church about the value of human life and the undesirability of abortion” and would work to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and promote alternatives to abortion. However, they also said they “acknowledge and accept the tension that comes with being in disagreement with the Church in some areas.”
The 55 Catholic legislators said they were “committed to making real the basic principles that are at the heart of Catholic social teaching,” including “helping the poor and disadvantaged,” “reducing the rising rates of poverty,” “pressing for increased access to health care” and “protecting the most vulnerable among us.”
But the bishops and the legislators, most of who support the pro-choice position on abortion, part company on whether unborn children must be counted among those most vulnerable and thus warrant legal protection.
“We encourage and will continue to work with those in both parties who seek to act on these essential principles in defense of the poor and vulnerable,” the bishops said. “At the same time, we also need to reaffirm the Catholic Church’s constant teaching that abortion is a grave violation of the most fundamental human right — the right to live that is inherent in all human beings and that grounds every other right we possess.”
The teaching of the Church, they said, “calls all Catholics to work actively to restrain, restrict and bring to an end the destruction of human life.”
The exchange of statements is in part a sequel to the very public debates that took place across the country during the national election of 2004 over the role of faith and conscience in arriving at political positions. The debate was sparked in part by the nomination of Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), a Catholic who supports legal abortion, as the Democratic nominee for president.
While individual bishops have taken different stances on whether pro-choice Catholic politicians should be allowed to receive Communion, the U.S. bishops were unanimous in urging all Catholic politicians to form public policy positions that are informed by Catholic moral and social teachings.
That encouragement will continue, the bishops said.
“As bishops, we too are bound by our own consciences to teach faithfully and to recommit ourselves to continued reflection and discussion on how Catholic faith and public service can work together to promote human life and dignity and advance the common good,” their statement said. “Through dialogue, especially the irreplaceable dialogue between Catholic political leaders and their own bishops, we hope to promote a better understanding of how the Church’s teaching on human life and dignity challenges us all.”
Bishops' Statement on Responsibilities of Catholics in Public Life (March 10, 2006) (on the U.S. Bishops' web site)
House Democrats Release Historic Catholic Statement of Principles (on web site of the U.S. House of Representatives)
COleus, I didn't hear it, was only responding to the post, sorry. Maybe mware knows more.
BTW the priest on the show gave him just enough rope to let everyone know what a hypocrite he was being by claiming to be a Catholic of conscience.
BTW keep Father Paul in your prayers would ya. I just got an email from him. His back is giving him fits right now.
Dem motto: only rights are state-given rights !!!
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