Clint Reilly *** Warden Norton
Posted on 05/06/2009 8:41:02 AM PDT by presidio9
Can we criticize the Catholic Church without having our faith and loyalty called into question? It seems that the answer is “no.” A climate of theological McCarthyism has infected the institutional church, particularly around the issue of abortion.
Selective public condemnations by a handful of conservative bishops are a Sword of Damocles over Catholic leaders who have experienced drive-by denunciations from the pulpit.
It is unfair that a Catholic presidential nominee – or a Catholic United States senator or member of Congress – who personally opposes abortion but has genuine convictions that a blanket anti-abortion law would not work in a pluralistic society – can be randomly refused communion by any bishop who so decides.
A boldface example of the intolerance for alternative views in the public square that is emerging in the Catholic Church is the push to ban President Barack Obama from speaking at Notre Dame University because of his pro-choice position on abortion.
Great! Let’s not invite America’s first black president – elected with the enthusiastic support of the nation’s youth – to talk about the state of the world at our leading Catholic university.
John Quinn, the retired Archbishop of San Francisco, recently published a courageous article in the March 30 issue of America magazine severely questioning the wisdom of banning President Obama from speaking at Notre Dame:
“The demand from many Catholic bishops and lay leaders that the University of Notre Dame rescind its invitation to President Obama to deliver the 2009 commencement address is surely a critical moment in the relationship between the Catholic Church in the United States and the wider American society,” he writes.
He plainly implies that banning a U.S. President would actually set back the pro-life agenda: “If the President is forced to withdraw, will that bring about fewer abortions in America? Will it enhance the mission of the church? Will it be used to link the church with racist and extremist elements? Will this action be seen as proof that the bishops of the United States do not seek dialogue on major policy questions?”
Archbishop Quinn has it right. As a former Democratic political consultant, I have watched closely as Republican strategists like Karl Rove cynically manipulate the issue of abortion in campaign after campaign.
President Bush’s public courtship of Pope Benedict XVI in two orchestrated meetings in Washington and Rome was never without the subtext of Bush’s pro-life stance on abortion. Contrast these camera-ready official encounters to the Pope’s 15-minute meeting with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the Vatican. After a short cup of coffee, Pope Benedict released a statement with an implied criticism of Pelosi’s position on abortion. It is too easy to mistakenly infer that Pope Benedict blesses Bush’s entire Republican political agenda while rejecting the totality of Speaker Pelosi’s Democratic platform.
Second, pro-life politics have become the cultural dividing line in Republican campaigns to determine who is more authentically conservative. Look no further than the choice of pro-lifer Sarah Palin over more qualified pro-choice Republicans as the party’s 2008 vice-presidential nominee.
Third, Republicans have blatantly used abortion to court Catholic Democratic votes across the nation in the last two presidential elections, relishing the attacks by conservative Catholic bishops on Democrats.
But one thing is clear. Through all the television spots, brochures, speeches, photo ops and posturing by both candidates and the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, there has been virtually no impact in making laws that have reduced abortion in the United States.
I believe that Catholic legislators who personally oppose abortion but acknowledge the right of others to disagree ought to be respected. Let the Church challenge them to support voluntary education campaigns that discourage abortion or to write laws that eliminate the most outrageous practices of abortion-on-demand.
The Church should redirect its massive powers of persuasion – now exclusively aimed at a failed and deeply divisive 30-year public sector campaign – toward public education and persuading pregnant women and their families, not targeting Catholic politicians.
Clint Reilly *** Warden Norton
Uh, Clint, the definition of religion is that it has absolutes. Any religion. Even the Unitarians believe in the absolute that there are no absolutes.
This portrays such a staggering lack of understanding, it defies any form of logic.
If you believe abortion is wrong because it is the deliberate taking of the life of an innocent (murder), how can you justify not acting to stop it?
Does a moral person really turn their back on injustice?
hey reilly, two things for you ...
the venona papers and irony
“McCarthyism” charges always coming from the libtards, who constitute the most grave threat to American liberties this republic has ever faced.
I have watched closely as Republican strategists like Karl Rove cynically manipulate the issue of abortion in campaign after campaign
The Rove paranoia never quits; even years after he's moved on, the left never does. Even if it were true that Rove cares nothing about the death of the unborn, why would that translate into me not caring? Why would someone else's lack of conscience impel me to discard mine?
Yada yada yada.... you’re still a baby killer.
Evil needs a million excuses. Good requires none.
You’d think that now that we know how right McCarthy usually was the liberals would give it a rest. But McCarthyism is just a word for them now, not an historical example of anything.
Sorry can’t agree with ya on this
It should be even easier for us, having the added benefit of being correct.
This fascist should go pull up the Perez Hilton interview on Larry King.
Laura Ingraham played a portion.
He says that her answer SHOULD have been “politically correct”.
END GAME.
The liberal agenda is having a trial already, “are you now or have you ever been a conservative Christian, renounce your faith now and the gold and glory of Miss USA are YOURS!”
Ask the “personally oppose abortion but...” fools to try that argument with slavery.
Both victimized other individuals.
A father is obligated to his children for 18 years.
Why do mothers get to cop out and murder them?
But they don’t personally oppose abortion. Obama is on record saying that he favors it because he doesn’t want his daughters to have to be burdened with a mistake for the rest of their lives.
It goes farther than that: You don't get to be a Catholic just because you are calling yourself one.
Clint Reilly is a sorry bag of excrement!
We get treated to one of his disgusting self-promoting ad-letters just about every day in the CCT. He fairly oozes tyranny from his pores.
Clint needs to read the Bible and pay attention to my tagline. A Christian in office needs to stand up for what is right, not some lilly livered quivery leftist barf.
"Randomly"? BS!
And I take it you guys also think that someone who supports black chattel slavery, though he wouldn't own a slave himself, would also be entitled to receive communion?
Clint Reilly = hideous democrat party troll
No concerns from old Clint on the Obama regime’s demands that all Catholic hospitals abort babies and euthanize.
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