Joe Biden Makes It Easier for Catholics to Oppose Pro-Abortion Barack Obama

Life News ^ | 8/23/08 | Steven Ertelt

[wagglebee]

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- A pro-life Catholic group says it will be easier for Catholic voters to reject Barack Obama as president now that he has strong abortion advocate Joe Biden on board. Although some pundits say Biden is an Irish Catholic who will help Obama in states like Pennsylvania, Brian Burch says he will turn off voters.

Burch, the head of the pro-life organization Fidelis, tells LifeNews.com that Biden's pro-abortion views, like Obama's, pose a major challenge for American Catholics.

Fidelis warned late last month that a pro-abortion Catholic choice as a vice presidential candidate would offend many Catholics who have struggled with the scandal of prominent pro-abortion Catholic politicians like Senator Biden.

“Barack Obama has re-opened a wound among American Catholics by picking a pro-abortion Catholic politician," Burch said.

"The American bishops have made clear that Catholic political leaders must defend the dignity of every human person, including the unborn. Sadly, Joe Biden’s tenure in the United States Senate has been marked by steadfast support for legal abortion," he added.

Burch pointed to history to support his contention.

In 2004, John Kerry’s support for abortion sparked a nationwide controversy over whether Catholics who support legal abortion can receive communion. The debate was re-activated in 2007 when several bishops criticized Rudy Giuliani, also a pro-abortion Catholic.

“Now everywhere Biden campaigns, we'll have this question of whether a pro-abortion Catholic can receive communion," he told LifeNews.com.

"Senator Biden is an unrepentant supporter of abortion in direct opposition to the Church he claims as his own. Selecting a pro-abortion Catholic is a slap in the face to Catholic voters,” he said.

Biden's own bishop, Bishop Michael Saltarelli of Wilmington, Delaware, has said that the issues pertaining to the sanctity of human life are the "great civil rights issues of this generation.”

Bishop Saltarelli denounced the notion that politicians like Biden can 'personally oppose' abortion, but refuse to pass laws protecting the unborn.

"No one today would accept this statement from any public servant: 'I am personally opposed to human slavery and racism but will not impose my personal conviction in the legislative arena.' Likewise, none of us should accept this statement from any public servant: 'I am personally opposed to abortion but will not impose my personal conviction in the legislative arena,'” said Bishop Saltarelli.

In fact, Bishop Saltarelli made clear that pro-abortion Catholic politicians should refrain from receiving the Eucharist.

"The promotion of abortion by any Catholic is a grave and serious matter. Objectively, according to the constant teaching of the Scriptures and the Church, it would be more spiritually beneficial for such a person to refrain from receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. I ask Catholics in this position to have the integrity to respect the Eucharist, Catholic teaching and the Catholic faithful," he said.

"Burch concluded: “The American bishops have instructed Catholic voters to consider many issues, but have characterized the defense of human life as ‘foundational’ and have explained that the issue has a special claim on the conscience of the Catholic voter."

"This means that a political candidate like Biden, because of his strong support for abortion rights, forfeits any claim for support despite his views on other issues like health care and the economy.”

[redgirlinabluestate]

Mitt will not appeal to the conservatives

LOL. That's funny because Mitt ALREADY appealed to a majority of conservatives. A quick perusal of any of the primary exit polls will confirm that fact for you. And, the last time I looked, the people who support him, like Ann Coulter, Judge Robert Bork, Jim DeMint, Rick Santorum and this guy are all pretty conservative.

[TAdams8591]

Great for Bishop Satarelli!

Supporting the killing of innocent human life obviously excommunicates one from the church. Such a depraved moral state would automatically render one unworthy to receive communion.

[TAdams8591]

Some of them are also Catholic, like Rick Santorum and Judge Bork, a recent convert to our faith.

Judge Bork converts to Catholicism

[Campion]

So it doesn't appear there are any Catholic pro-life pols

You mean any, or any on McCain's short list?

Sam Brownback, Rick Santorum, and Bobby Jindal are all Catholics and all pro-life.

[TAdams8591]

Mitt has already appealed to the majority of conservatives. And btw, to call Mitt a socialist is a lie.

His health care reform plan was mostly devised by the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank who counts among it's most prominent members, Margaret Thatcher who very recently did a radio ad for them.

I suppose by extension and the parameters you set, Salvation, the members of the Heritage Foundation who largely devised Mitt's health care plan, and Margaret Thatcher are socialists too?

[narses]

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[Gumdrop]

Pawlenty is the youngest child of his birth family. By the time he was 17 years old, both parents had died. So, he was more-or-less orphaned during his teenage years. His older siblings sort of took him under their wings. This must have been a traumatic time for him.

I would not judge him on his change of religious faith. I would judge him more on being able to overcome such a hard knock so early in life and become a very faithful Christian, husband, and father. His wife, Mary, is an evangelical, and a lawyer. She is a judge now.

[Salvation]

**I would love to have a no-lawyer ticket. Obama, Michelle, and Joe are all lawyers.**

I like that idea.

[Salvation]

There are statements by Archbishop Chaput in this post:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2066766/posts?page=26#26

[Jvette]

Where might I find this in displayable form?

[Jvette]

Where might I find this in displayable form?

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

Biden, as a Catholic (he claims to be), is strictly forbidden under the penalty of grave sin and excommunication, from supporting abortion, infanticide, of stem-cell embryo research.

Under the same rules he cannot support Obama in a political effort to promote such evils and continue to receive Holy Communion at Mass. These are the official rules and law in the Catholic Church. For Biden to suggest otherwise is blasphemous and a lie. It not falls to the bishops of Wilmington and Washington, D.C. to clarify this since Biden is now the partner of a candidate who promotes infanticide, the most extreme pro-abortion and pro-infanticide position in American history and the Western world.

[Aliska]

Sam Brownback, Rick Santorum, and Bobby Jindal are all Catholics and all pro-life.

No, I meant in general, not anybody's short list. Read off and on about the three you mentioned, didn't know they were Catholic, don't/can't keep up with all of it. Thanks.

Salvation, thanks, too, I have read several threads about Chaput and much on all those other links is familiar to me. I looked up Obama's voting record way back when on my own, and think he took some of it off his senate page, couldn't swear to it, and not making accusations of what I can't prove. Then it was harder to track it down to credible sources. Now it seems to be out there.

[NYer]

"Burch concluded: “The American bishops have instructed Catholic voters to consider many issues, but have characterized the defense of human life as ‘foundational’ and have explained that the issue has a special claim on the conscience of the Catholic voter."

It's elementary. Without life, you have no voters!

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[defconw]

Don’t know that he is on the short list or not, but Sam Brownback is Catholic and pro-life.

[defconw]

Michael Steele.

[nickcarraway]

Mildy? When he was running against Hillary Clinton, he was more pro-abortion that she was. He is 100% for later term abortion, even Hillary hedged on that.

[mware]

So their "so called" Catholic VP pick will be in Denver, and the Archbishop of Denver is going to be conspicuously absent since he was not invited to attend any of the functions at the convention.

Ahh well, the Archbishop did state last night on World Over Live, that he will be in a March for Life along with Dr King's niece, during the convention.

Shame on Biden he should be standing next to them.

[mware]

Yes, Giuliani is the same kind of Catholic as Biden. Although Giuliani had the sense not to attempt to receive communion when John Cardinal O'Connor was alive. He did receive communion during the Holy Father's last visit here and was admonished by Cardinal Egan for doing so.

Actually I was presently surprised. I didn't think Cardinal Egan had it in him.

[stevem]

Since Obama favors killing any poor souyl who happens to survive an abortion, what do Catholics require to oppose him? Rather, what can Obama offer to make Catholics vote for him...even among VP candidates?