Posted on 11/19/2008 3:56:29 PM PST by wagglebee
WASHINGTON, November 19, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The possible signing of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) by President-Elect Barack Obama would be "the equivalent of a war" an unnamed senior Vatican official recently told TIME magazine.
The startling comments make the second time this week that a Vatican official has forthrightly and in the strongest language condemned Obama's extreme policies on abortion. Speaking at the Catholic University of America a few days ago, Vatican Cardinal James Stafford labeled Obama's anti-life policies as "aggressive, disruptive, and apocalyptic," also noting that, "On November 4, 2008, America suffered a cultural earthquake" (see coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111703.html).
With Catholic, but outspokenly pro-abortion individuals occupying two prominent positions (Joseph Biden as vice president and Tom Daschle as Health and Human Services Secretary) the specter of public excommunication or denial of communion for prominent members of the Obama Administration has arisen.
The focus of the Vatican’s concern, FOCA, is a bill that would do away with state laws on abortion, including laws mandating parental involvement, or banning partial birth abortion. FOCA would also compel taxpayer funding of abortions, and, of greatest concern to Bishops, would force faith-based hospitals and healthcare facilities to perform abortions.
Obama has in the past said that he would make signing FOCA one of the highest priorities of his presidency.
Last week at the meeting of US Bishops in Baltimore, Cybercast News Service asked Chicago Cardinal Francis George, the current president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, if voting for FOCA would bring a penalty of automatic excommunication for Catholic politicians. The Cardinal did not rule it out.
"The excommunication is automatic if that act is in fact formal cooperation, and that is precisely what would have to be discussed once you would see the terms of the act itself," responded Cardinal George. When asked for more, he added: "The categories in moral theology about cooperating in evil, which make you complicit in the evil even though you don't do it yourself, are material cooperation, which is usually remote and therefore doesn't involve you in the moral action except in a very auxiliary and minor way, and formal cooperation, which would involve you even though you are not doing it, in the way that makes you culpable.
"So we would have to take a look at each case, and at each law, to determine whether or not the cooperation is material or formal. We've never done that."
Cardinal George has, however, personally analyzed FOCA and expressed his grave concerns about the legislation. In a message to the Obama Administration at the end of the USCCB meeting George wrote on FOCA, saying it would, "outlaw any ‘interference’ in providing abortion at will. It would deprive the American people in all fifty states of the freedom they now have to enact modest restraints and regulations on the abortion industry. FOCA would coerce all Americans into subsidizing and promoting abortion with their tax dollars. It would counteract any and all sincere efforts by government and others of good will to reduce the number of abortions in our country."
The Cardinal added: "FOCA would have an equally destructive effect on the freedom of conscience of doctors, nurses and health care workers whose personal convictions do not permit them to cooperate in the private killing of unborn children. It would threaten Catholic health care institutions and Catholic Charities." (see coverage: http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/nov/08111209.html )
In light of this possible attempt to revoke conscience rights under the Obama administration, Catholic League president Bill Donohue has urged President Bush to enact regulations, already in draft for months, which would protect the rights of doctors, nurses and health workers from being discriminated against if they refuse to perform or assist in abortions, as well as other morally contentious procedures. "At stake are the religious rights of these professionals," said Donohue.
"To put it differently, were FOCA to become law (it needs to be reintroduced in the House), the culture war that the Vatican official was referring to would come to a boiling point," he warned. "In practical terms, this would mean the closure of every Catholic hospital in the nation: No bishop is going to stand by and allow the federal government to dictate what medical procedures must be performed in Catholic hospitals. Make no mistake about it, the bishops would shut down Catholic hospitals before acquiescing in the intentional killing of an innocent child. Were this to happen, it would not only cripple the poor, it would cripple the Obama administration."
Donohue concluded: "It is for reasons like these that the Catholic League urges President Bush to move with dispatch in instituting rules protecting the religious rights of all health care workers. If Obama wants to undo them, it will set up a confrontation he will surely regret."
See the TIME article:
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1859856,00.htm...
See the Cybercast News article:
http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=14369
‘...the grass root people who will ultimately demand reform from their weak bishops.’
That is exactly it! Waiting for reform or correction or whatever from the TOP will not do it. (Well, unless by “top” you mean God, I meant the Church hierarchy in this regard.) WE are the Church and these lame excuses of ignorance don’t wash. Yes the bishops are failing to teach and lead, but buy a Catechism, people. Don’t wait for some idiotic vague USCCB pamphlet. Learn the truth and then defend it.
By now all Catholics here on FR know this weekend is the CCHD “second collection” and men of goodwill are to put nothing in it, or as some are doing, little cut-out pictures of ACORNS!!! OK? Team effort, stop the money, then the bishops will start to wake up.
‘He has spoken forcefully against other U.S. political issues such as the war.’
Not correct.
He told us, if you vote for a candidate that does not support life, any and all legislation that is past under that administration, you have made your own.
I believe in barter and cash economics to the extent possible.
I wonder if he’s getting this confused with Distributism? On which many papers were written, by sincere Catholics both hopeful and critical, but not by any popes, of course.
Church consistently against all Marxist ideologies, socialism, communism, etc, they are inherently contrary to the right of property, which is consistent with Christian doctrine since the beginning, well, before actually, it’s right in the 10 Commandments: “thou shalt not steal” implies a person’s right to ownership (not to greed or course).
Pope John Paul was so outspoken about socialism’s dangers it was the only moment of anger noted in his 26-year pontificate.
I have absolutely no problem with life being first. But understand that the pro-abortion agenda has been triumphant exactly because millions of Catholic/Christian voters overlook the abortion issue because covetousness is acceptable and even RIGHTEOUS in their eyes!
The Bible says that if you are guilty of one point of the law you are guilty of the whole thing.
By the way I have taken part in pro-life demonstrationS in my city and in Washington. The main issue of this past campaign was whether it is ok to covet your neighbors’ goods(wealth). Spreading the wealth, taxing the better-off.
Iowa has been borderline for a long time. For some reason the counties along the Mississippi go blue. But in a word - ethanol. I came across a tidbit in the last couple months that not one dime of venture capital was spent on ethanol in 2008. That's down $495 million in two years. Plants have either been idled or abandoned. Iowa was getting a lot of money from that and its drying up. It's the economy.
“No one can be at the same time a sincere Catholic and a true Socialist.”
Pius XI, Quad. Anno (1931)
As quoted on the Masthead every week by the Catholic weekly THE WANDERER.
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven. (Matthew 18:10)
It wasn’t a secret. The Germans let him. If he had done anything that REALLY mattered towards actually stopping them then he would have been dead.
“The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity”
You have said you are a Christian....may I suggest a little Christian humility that you may not have all the answers might serve you well.
******************
Interesting.
Amen.
Everyone of good conscience has to fight FoCA,
AND
reduce your taxable income profile so that you don’t fund evil.
Congratulations! You just tried to erase the meaningfulness of 860,000 Jewish lives.
Those are not real Catholics, most of these ones who voted for Obama don’t even go to Church, which means they are not in communion with the Church. Just because they say they are doesn’t make it so. If they do go to Church, they are wasting their time, being pro choice (pro-death) incurs mortal sin until they repent and confess. True repentance, not ritual, true repentance in a very public way. What you say, what you do.
Let me repeat that wise old Texas saying:
JUST CUZ YOU PUT YER BOOTS IN THE OVEN, DON’T MAKE IT BREAD.
‘US politics is run by covetousness.’ Let’s amend that — HUMANS will, by default, CHOOSE covetousness. That’s why it is listed in the Big Ten.
Glass half-full, Larry. The Lord told Gideon to send home all but his fiercest warriors, don’t forget. And 2/3 of Americans did NOT fight in the American Revolution - some left for Canada, some just stayed home and tended their crops.
‘So, there you are. Apparently, our parish kids are being taught to be proud and pleased re this election, and Bush is given the bum’s rush. I guess a Catholic education is not what it once was.’
To add another observation, our associate pastor and pastor both spoke out strongly to rightly form consciences in the runup to the election. The congregation all heard these homilies. Yet on the parish staff, we have an SSND professed religous as pastoral associate who fairly (by fairly I mean mentioning her position in mixed company, loud enough to be heard and overheard by others) openly professed her support of Obama, justifying it by hastily adding when questioned, ‘I’m anti-war.’ Her primary role at our parish is Adult Faith Formation. Another instance involves the brother of one of my layman friends in a men’s prayer group we have that discusses much in the way of current events in light of Church teaching. This man’s brother is a diocesan priest, who openly (more so than the religous described above) supported Obama throughout the election cycle. I’m amazed and depressed by this all at the same time.
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