Posted on 11/02/2008 8:21:14 AM PST by flyfree
October 31, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The priests of CallforherSOS.org have delivered what may be the most blunt directive yet to Catholic voters in the upcoming presidential election.
In three short videos, Fr. Tom Celso and Fr. Don Eder embellish little upon a simple, strict manifesto of Catholic moral teaching.
"It is the mission of the Catholic Church to pass moral judgements in matters related to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man require it," say the priests.
"The Democratic party and Barack Obama have brought shame and horror to this nation. Mr. Obama has promised to legalize partial-birth abortion, the savage murder of babies during birth. We are outraged.
"Catholics must uphold human rights, avoid sin, and cannot vote for abortion candidates. They cannot vote for Obama."
The videos were created by by the Catholic coalition CALL FOR HER - SOS, i.e. "Catholics Activated Leading Laity For Openly Recognizing Human Elementary Rights - Salvation Of Souls."
The website explains the coalition's mission to "activate Catholics and other Christians, especially laity, to lead other persons to recognize ... the most basic human rights and the importance of saving souls in the context of the current election."
The only other known Catholic leader to openly condemn voting for Obama by name is retired Texas Bishop Rene Gracida. In a letter to Catholic World News, the Bishop explained why most Bishops will not endorse candidates by name. "In the United States the danger of losing the tax-exempt status of the Church may perhaps be seen as justification for caution on the part of Ordinaries (Bishops in charge of particular dioceses))," said Gracida.
The bishop added however, "It would be wrong for an Ordinary to jeopardize the tax exempt status of his Diocese for any reason short of the most important, the defense of innocent human life. Therefore, I do believe that abortion is a great enough threat to our society to justify an Ordinary taking a strong stand against the candidacy of such a pro-abortion candidate as Barack Hussein Obama. An Ordinary need not name the candidate by name, as I have done, but surely the Ordinary possesses the literary skills to condemn the candidacy on moral grounds in such a way as to leave absolutely no doubt in the reader's mind as to the identity of the candidate whose candidacy is being condemned."
To see the videos, go to: http://www.callforhersos.org/
See the letter to Catholic World News:
http://www.catholicculture.org/commentary/blog.cfm?id=300&nb...;
The Bishops have been very clear and very vocal this cycle. Good for them.
Bishop Gracida did say it in plain Spanish (and English). IN fact, he said that Catholics cannot vote for Barack HUSSEIN Obama!May God Bless and reward His Excellency. Many of our beloved Pastors have been heroes this year. Tell them we noticed, pray for them and raise your sons up to follow in their heroic footsteps.
I agree.
They need to be gently but publicly rebuked. A copy of the USCCB voters guide and a gentle word can work wonders.
Second that here from Boston. I guess Cdl. O'Malley did appear at some rally and wax on about Trig Palin -- carefully avoiding any mention of actual candidates or being very specific. No mention of the elections in the sermon at the Mass I attended today in my parish, but in the Petitions was a prayer that voters would take into consideration "concern for the poor, [something else I can't remember], and respect for life." Note "respect for life" came third.
I don't know if it's related, but the lector who did the readings read the Psalm (The Lord Is My Shepherd) substituting "God" for every "he"! That particular lector is a nun I've seen out doing anti-war protests in the local shopping area. Sheesh.
“Can we Catholics, in good faith, have some minor disagreements with the Church? I think we can. But when it comes to something this fundamental, life, we cannot disagree. Kerry, Kennedy, Pelosi, et al should have been excommunicated long ago. They can start their own church.”
Yup. The bishops refusal to use discipline to teach what the Church believes when it comes to baby butchery will be looked back at as much more shameful than the homosexualist priest scandal.
Freegards
And if they do, may Almighty God judge them as complicit in murder.
I saw a huge sign draped across the fence today at the catholic church in my town. It said to celebrate life from conception to natural death. I mean this was a HUGE sign....in more ways that one!
I have a question and will include my wife for an answer. Whence "celebrate life"?
How about "defend life" for it is certainly under attack?
The problem has been that too many Catholics convince themselves (often with the help of misguided priests), that abortion is just one of many equal issues. In point of fact it is the most important issue because without the right to life there is no right to anything else. Many many more Catholic bishops have been stepping up to say this very thing and I am glad to hear it. But, I hope it isn’t too late for the average Catholic who has been left to his own devices when it comes to proper catechesis since and probably even before Vatican II. It is going to take many years to un-do the damage done since the 1960s.
***The problem has been that too many Catholics convince themselves (often with the help of misguided priests), that abortion is just one of many equal issues. In point of fact it is the most important issue because without the right to life there is no right to anything else. Many many more Catholic bishops have been stepping up to say this very thing and I am glad to hear it. But, I hope it isn’t too late for the average Catholic who has been left to his own devices when it comes to proper catechesis since and probably even before Vatican II. It is going to take many years to un-do the damage done since the 1960s.***
Yup. Got into a heated discussion today at the church lunch with a liberal baby boomer whose wife appears on a local Democratic candidate’s flyers. He got apoplectic when I first defined left and right and how they got their names, and then lumped the socialists, communists, Nazis and fascists all firmly on the left; the right is more economic and personal freedoms and responsibilities, while the left is all about control over individual men.
He refused to believe that Wall Street bankers are 9-1 Democrats, as are the news media; he seemed to think that the entire conventional media on the left is balanced by Fox and that it is okay. That generation of liberal socialists is gradually fading away; but their damage will live on for decades until it can be repaired.
I agree.
“Celebrate life” is appropriate when mother and baby are fine. When mother is being tempted by all the suave and pefumed powers of Hell to commit a desperate and irrevocable act, and baby’s life is moments away from the edge on a knife, the active, transitive verbs are “guard,” “defend,” “protect,” “rescue”-— not “celebrate.”
Yes, the Catholic Church is speaking out. Our good priests, here in Los Angeles — the Belly of the Beast — have been unequivocal about voting pro-life and pro-marriage. They are a feisty bunch.
| Over 100 Bishops Have Spoken Out on Priority of Life Issues Posted on October 28, 2008, 11:59 AM | Deal W. Hudson |
***130 out of 197 Bishops state that life is the most important issue when voting.***
Our bishop is missing; our pastor was wishy washy. Pray God that the liberal outhouse of our bishopric be cleansed of its temporal ways.
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