Posted on 09/19/2008 7:30:34 AM PDT by kellynla
WASHINGTON, Sept 19, 2008 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The following open letter from the head of the Knights of Columbus, Carl Anderson, to Senator Joseph Biden was published in major newspapers on Friday, September 19, 2008, including USA Today, the Washington Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
OPEN LETTER TO SENATOR JOSEPH BIDEN
Dear Senator Biden:
I write to you today as a fellow Catholic layman, on a subject that has become a major topic of concern in this year's presidential campaign.
The bishops who have taken public issue with your remarks on the Church's historical position on abortion are far from alone. Senator Obama stressed your Catholic identity repeatedly when he introduced you as his running mate, and so your statements carry considerable weight, whether they are correct or not. You now have a unique responsibility when you make public statements about Catholic teaching.
On NBC's Meet the Press, you appealed to the 13th Century writings of St. Thomas Aquinas to cast doubt on the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church on abortion.
There are several problems with this.
(Excerpt) Read more at marketwatch.com ...
OUCH!!! That’s gonna leave a mark.
KofC bump!
Memo to the Head of the Knights of Columbus: Brother you hit the nail on the head with a big ole hammer! Bravo!
Kerry, Pelosi, and Kennedy took communion at the Papal Mass, and will take communion at every high profile Mass to come.
Other than the paid ad in the major papers, this will get less MSM play than Heart’s little hissy fit about playing their 30 year old hit “Barracuda” at the GOP convention.
That was BEFORE kicking the hornet’s nest.....let’s see what happens at The RED MASS for the opening of the Supreme Court.
A beautifully written letter with HUGE ramifications.
What an election cycle this is.
That was BEFORE Pelosi......geesh....
Second, Aquinas' theological view is in any case entirely consistent with the long history of Catholic Church teaching in this area, holding that abortion is a grave sin to be avoided at any time during pregnancy. This teaching dates all the way back to the Didache, written in the second century. It is found in the writings of Tertullian, Jerome, Augustine and Aquinas, and was reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council, which described abortion as "an unspeakable crime" and held that the right to life must be protected from the "moment of conception." This consistent teaching was restated most recently last month in the response of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to remarks by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Statements that suggest that our Church has anything less than a consistent teaching on abortion are not merely incorrect; they may lead Catholic women facing crisis pregnancies to misunderstand the moral gravity of an abortion decision.
Neither should a discussion about a medieval understanding of the first few days or weeks of life be allowed to draw attention away from the remaining portion of an unborn child's life. In those months, even ancient and medieval doctors agreed that a child is developing in the womb. And as you are well aware, Roe v. Wade allows for abortion at any point during a pregnancy. While you voted for the ban on partial birth abortions, your unconditional support for Roe is a de facto endorsement of permitting all other late term abortions, and thus calls into question your appeal to Aquinas.
I recognize that you struggle with your conscience on the issue, and have said that you accept the Church's teaching that life begins at conception - as a matter of faith. But modern medical science leaves no doubt about the fact that each person's life begins at conception. It is not a matter of personal religious belief, but of science."
It is an important point. It's not a "belief" or a leap of faith but a fact. The Church teaches it as a fact within reason, understanding, and direct observation. Biden and the rest need to drop the line about being prohibited from imposing their faith. It's not faith which defines a fetus as a living human child. It's not a theological mystery like Jesus being the Son of God or the doctrine of the Trinity. Biden and Pelosi should acknowledge that the vast majority of abortions which occur beyond the point of the medieval idea of "ensoulment" are clearly homicides and evil, if they are going to cite that controversy. Pelosi's use of a garbled quotation from Augustine was hardly a sound argument for abortion on demand at all stages.
“That was BEFORE Pelosi......geesh....”
“before Pelosi?” what’s your point?
Rooty (who was honored by NARAL for his untiring efforts to advance abortion) was not invited to Ground Zero when the Pope was in the US.
But thrice-wed, gay-loving Rooty WAS seen at Mass at St Patrick’s taking Communion.
Then Rooty choked on the Communion host......he fell on his knees and shouted "Hosanna in the highest."
So his wife rushed over, picked him up, and said, "You called, Rooty?"
And Rooty said, "I'm choking."
So his wife said, "I'll get your security detail over here on the double."
Rooty replied, " I don't want my security detail, you bimbo. I want a priest."
It was not exactly a secret where Pelosi, Kerry, Kennedy, Biden, Durban, Mikulski, and nearly every other damned RC Congressman and Senator stood on abortion well before the Papal visit in June. Knowing full well where Pelosi stood on abortion, the DC Archbishop allowed her to use RC facilities to hold Masses celebrating her taking over as Speaker in ‘07. These members have been unchallenged by the Church for their position for decades now, and it’s about time it stops.
AN OPEN LETTER TO SENATOR JOSEPH BIDEN
Dear Senator Biden:
September 19, 2008
I write to you today as a fellow Catholic layman, on a subject that has become a major topic of concern in this yearʼs presidential campaign.
The bishops who have taken public issue with your remarks on the Churchʼs historical position on abortion are far from alone. Senator Obama stressed your Catholic identity repeatedly when he introduced you as his running mate, and so your statements carry considerable weight, whether they are correct or not. You now have a unique responsibility when you make public statements about Catholic teaching.
On NBCʼs Meet the Press, you appealed to the 13th Century writings of St. Thomas Aquinas to cast doubt on the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church on abortion.
There are several problems with this.
First, Aquinas obviously had only a medieval understanding of biology, and thus could only speculate about how an unborn child develops in the womb. I doubt that there is any other area of public policy where you would appeal to a 13th Century knowledge of biology as the basis for modern law.
Second, Aquinasʼ theological view is in any case entirely consistent with the long history of Catholic Church teaching in this area, holding that abortion is a grave sin to be avoided at any time during pregnancy.
This teaching dates all the way back to the Didache, written in the second century. It is found in the writings of Tertullian, Jerome, Augustine and Aquinas, and was reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council, which described abortion as "an unspeakable crime" and held that the right to life must be protected from the "moment of conception." This consistent teaching was restated most recently last month in the response of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to remarks by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Statements that suggest that our Church has anything less than a consistent teaching on abortion are not merely incorrect; they may lead Catholic women facing crisis pregnancies to misunderstand the moral gravity of an abortion decision.
Neither should a discussion about a medieval understanding of the first few days or weeks of life be allowed to draw attention away from the remaining portion of an unborn child's life. In those months, even ancient and medieval doctors agreed that a child is developing in the womb.
And as you are well aware, Roe v. Wade allows for abortion at any point during a pregnancy. While you voted for the ban on partial birth abortions, your unconditional support for Roe is a de facto endorsement of permitting all other late term abortions, and thus calls into question your appeal to Aquinas.
I recognize that you struggle with your conscience on the issue, and have said that you accept the Churchʼs teaching that life begins at conception – as a matter of faith. But modern medical science leaves no doubt about the fact that each person's life begins at conception. It is not a matter of personal religious belief, but of science.
Finally, your unwillingness to bring your Catholic moral views into the public policy arena on this issue alone is troubling.
There were several remarkable ironies in your first appearance as Senator Obamaʼs running mate on the steps of the old state capitol in Springfield, Illinois.
His selection as the first black American to be the nominee of a major party for president of the United States owes an incalculable debt to two movements that were led by people whose religious convictions motivated them to confront the moral evils of their day – the abolitionist movement of the 19th Century, and the civil rights movement of the 20th Century.
Your rally in Springfield took place just a mile or so from the tomb of Abraham Lincoln, who in April 1859 wrote these words in a letter to Henry Pierce:
“This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it.”
Lincoln fought slavery in the name of “a just God” without embarrassment or apology. He confronted an America in which black Americans were not considered “persons” under the law, and were thus not entitled to fundamental Constitutional rights. Today, children of all races who are fully viable and only minutes from being born are also denied recognition as “persons” because of the Roe v. Wade regime that you so strongly support. Lincolnʼs reasoning regarding slavery applies with equal force to children who are minutes, hours or days away from birth.
The American founders began our great national quest for liberty by declaring that we are all “created equal.” It took nearly a century to transform that bold statement into the letter of the law, and another century still to make it a reality. The founders believed that we are “endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable rights,” and that first among these is “life.”
You have a choice: you can listen to your conscience and work to secure the rights of the unborn to share in the fruits of our hard-won liberty, or you can choose to turn your back on them.
On behalf of the 1.28 million members of the Knights of Columbus and their families in the United States, I appeal to you, as a Catholic who acknowledges that life begins at conception, to resolve to protect this unalienable right. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues personally with you in greater detail during the weeks between now and November 4.
Respectfully,
Carl A. Anderson
Supreme Knight
This turd got into office by walking on the backs of innocent umborn children.
Conman Lieberman lied his way into office. His campaign had an internal poll that showed thousands of pro-life votes were there for the taking.
So fraudster Lieberman calculatedly conned Catholic pro-life leaders, saying he would be good on abortion (not like his opponent, pro-abortion incumbent Weicker).
When Lieberman got in w/ Catholic pro-life votes, he showed his true colors....
Lieberman became the Senate's most ardent abortion worshipper---and even voted six separate times for p/b abortion (read infanticide).
They will receive communion. Always have, always will.
The folks in the KOC and forums such as this will tut-tut the scandal, and the bishops will remain silent. Somewhere down the road some bishops will issue some more memos, but nothing will be done.
The Catholic Church needs to start excommunicating all pro-abortion politicians.
Biden is no Constantine—Constantine was a leader.
This letter should be translated into Spanish and printed in every Hispanic newspaper in the nation. Most see abortion as an evil thing.
sorry...before Nancy Pelosi told LIES about the Church’s teachings on TV.
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