Nancy Pelosi is not a 'conservative Catholic'; anti-life stance creates scandal within Church

American Life League ^ | 11-18-02 | staff

[doug from upland]

AMERICAN LIFE LEAGUE NEWSROOM

Nancy Pelosi is not a 'conservative Catholic'; anti-life stance creates scandal within Church

"In recent media appearances, new House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has been described as a conservative Catholic," said American Life League president Judie Brown. "This disturbs me. I want her bishop to know that her public opposition to Catholic teachings is creating scandal among faithful members of the Church. It is my prayer that he will respond accordingly."

Mrs. Brown has written Archbishop William Levada of San Francisco that Rep. Pelosi (D-Calif.) is one of "many members of Congress who claim Catholicism as their creed while doing everything they can to undermine basic teachings of the Church and the Biblical principles upon which those teachings are based. And people listen to them."

Rep. Pelosi has voted repeatedly in favor of pro-abortion legislation, and has reportedly hosted representatives of the strident pro-abortion organization "Catholics for a Free Choice" in her congressional offices. "There is danger that this behavior will lead others to sin," said Mrs. Brown. "In Catholic Church terms, this is scandal."

According to Section 2284 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "Scandal is an attitude or behavior which leads another to do evil. The person who gives scandal becomes his neighbor's tempter. He damages virtue and integrity; he may even draw his brother into spiritual death. Scandal is a grave offense if by deed or omission another is deliberately led into a grave offense."

"The Catholic hierarchy must be made aware that the public behavior of pro-abortion political figures such as Nancy Pelosi, who claim solidarity with the Catholic faith, creates an extremely dangerous situation for other Catholics," said Mrs. Brown. "It is our hope that Archbishop Levada -- and other shepherds of the Church -- will call these politicians to task for their belligerent and insistent promotion of abortion, an act which, according to Church teaching, is a grievous sin. Souls are at stake. We pray for Rep. Pelosi, that she may repent of her continued advocacy of child killing."

Release issued: 18 Nov 02

[Jim Noble]

You are correct, many individual Roman Catholics have been the leaders of the pro-life movement, and their courageous witness has brought Protestants and Jews to the cause. Without their fearless devotion, the movement would have been extinguished long ago.

HOWEVER...

The witness of the bishops, archbishops, and chanceries has been much less noticeable. This is especially true in the case of their attitude towards leading politicians who benefit from their Catholic status while ferociously defending the most barbaric forms of the abortion license.

Surely you cannot dispute that the love of Massachusetts Catholics for Senator Kennedy is due in part to the fact that their archbishop publicly fawns on him.

Now, you will object (not without some justice) that all I have done is point out that the Catholic Church contains sinners (Law and Kennedy, in this case). But the Catholic Church makes unique claims about its institutional structure, and unique claims for the authority of bishops and archbishops. If these claims are true, it is very reasonable to ask, "Why do Kennedy, and Pelosi, and Cuomo, etc, etc continue to enjoy the favor of their bishops when they are responsible for the most vile atrocities against the most innocent?"

[berned]

So, so far we have active Catholics going 47% to 44% for Dole over Clinton in 1996,

WHOA!!!!! I had NO IDEA!!!

47 per cent of PRACTICING catholics voted against Abortion and Homosexuality in 1996??? WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

I take back every word I said. I had no idea the level of political bravery Catholics exhibited back then. WOW!!!!!!!

47 per cent of practicing catholics voted against abortion and homosexuality? That is truly, truly impressive, Campion. Do you realize that's ALMOST HALF?

Y'all have every reason to swell with pride.

[HumanaeVitae]

If the South hadn't handed the Democrats the presidency for all those years--remember the "Solid South" of Democrat fame?--then I guess Roe v. Wade would never have been decided, would it?

The South is just a hotbed of Catholocism, right? Sarcasm off.

Let's go into a little abortion history here. You probably don't know it, but abortion was legal in this country from the time of the Mayflower Compact until 1867, right after the civil war. Ok? When Protestants dominated national politics. Abortion was legal during the first four months of pregnancy--up until what was then known as the "quickening", or when a mother could feel her child move in her womb.

Abortion was outlawed by the overwhelmingly Protestant AMA in 1867 because of--TAH DAH--anti-Catholocism. When pro-life Catholics started coming to this country, the Protestant majority was worried about being "bred out" of power. Protestants had no problem with abortion prior to this time--in fact, most women receiving abortions prior to 1867 were middle-and-upper-class WASPs--until it looked like they were going to be overwhelmed demographically by Catholics who would never have chosen to have abortions.

Prior to 1867, abortion was an accepted fact of life under Protestant-dominated English common-law tradition. Only the influence of Roman Catholocism stopped it in this country.

It's ironic that so many anti-Catholic measures--like stopping government aid to religious schools in the 19th Century to choke off the burgeoning Catholic-school movement--are now whipsawing on fundamentalists.

No wonder you guys used to be called the "know-nothings".

I believe that's your petard you're now sitting on.

[HumanaeVitae]

"Evangelicals vote 90%..."

That is patently untrue. Blacks are not evangelicals?

[Campion]

I take back every word I said.

You should, because you've now said several times that they vote "overwhelmingly Democratic". That's plainly untrue, and the statistics you post show it to be untrue.

[justshutupandtakeit]

Without the Catholic votes there would be few RATs elected outside the South. Don't you know of the long tradition of Catholic RAT machines herding the faithful to the polls on election day to put more corrupt and evil RATS into office?

This protest will go nowhere. The Catholic church is one of the main RAT pillars and has been for almost 200 yrs. It ain't going to change.

[Campion]

I largely agree with your post, however, I have to comment on this:

Surely you cannot dispute that the love of Massachusetts Catholics for Senator Kennedy is due in part to the fact that their archbishop publicly fawns on him.

Having lived in the RAThole called Massachusetts, I can attest that any "public fawning" by Cardinal Law, or any other Catholic prelate, over the Kennedys has very little to do with it. The Kennedy vote is a strange combination of real ideological liberalism, Irish ethnicity, and a bizarre sympathy vote Teddy gets by virtue of his dead brothers and his mother's long-suffering tolerance of his rogue father. It's really rather irrational.

[berned]

But listen, I am newly impressed by the statistics posted by Campion and Right Wing Professor.

Do you realize that of PRACTISING CATHOLICS, the ones who buy into Roman Catholicism and go to church weekly, a STAGGERING 47 percent of them voted AGAINST Abortion and Homosexuality, back in 1996!!!

Forget those 9-11 firefighting wussies... I've now seen a whole new level of Moral Bravery.

47 PER CENT of Active, Practising Catholics voted against Abortion!!!!!!! That's almost HALF!!!!

Of course, that's only ACTIVE catholics, those who totally buy into catholicism, and go to Catholic churches and listen to the sermons, and buy into what they are taught there. But STILL... I am truly humbled and impressed by those kind of jaw dropping numbers.

[berned]

I wrote "Your link will go unread".

Then you wrote -- Someday, Jesus will want to you to answer for how you spent your time. This is going to be some of the evidence that will be presented against you.

Okay! I agree to answer to God for not reading "Campion's posted link", and you can answer to God for being a loyal apologist for "The City That Sitteth on Seven Hills".

It's a deal!!!

[Campion]

I am newly impressed by the statistics posted by Campion

You posted them, I just pointed out to you that you didn't bother to read your own posts. Can I now point out to you that you aren't decent enough to retract your false comments about Catholics "overwhelmingly voting Democratic"?

I stand by what I said earlier. You want Catholics out of the GOP, out of this website, out of America, and out of everything else. You're a hater.

[Campion]

you can answer to God for being a loyal apologist for "The City That Sitteth on Seven Hills".

At least I'm not dishonest enough to trash something without reading it.

[slimer]

Check Out This Shi Crap

[berned]

No way. I'm a new convert. I had no idea 47 per cent of Practising Catholics voted against the Party of Abortion & Homosexuality. Wow. Do you realize that is ALMOST HALF of them??? That is truly impressive.

You have every reason to swell with pride, Campion. I had no idea Practicing Active Catholics had THAT level of commitment and moral rectitude. 47 per cent!!! WHEW!!!

[SerpentDove]

Catholic Church? Catholic Church...oh, I remember them!

The pedophile-protectors.

It will be interesting to see how "up in arms" they get about this.

[desertcry]

The damage created by pelosi's claim of being a Catholic conservative is much worst than the damage done by child abusive priests. Abortion is terminal, thus pelosi should be ex-cummunicated form the body of Christ.

[Max7]

Now that makes sense.

[Campion]

You have every reason to swell with pride, Campion. I had no idea Practicing Active Catholics had THAT level of commitment and moral rectitude. 47 per cent!!! WHEW!!!

I just really admire your ability to cut yourself off from anyone whose sins you find too execrable by simply declaring that they're "not real evangelicals". See, I'm stuck with pointing to a bare plurality of identifiably practicing Catholics voting for a cadaverorous Viagra posterboy over Billzebubba. You, on the other hand, can simply declare any self-identified "Christians" or "evangelicals" who did vote for Billzebubba as "not real evangelicals".

[conservonator]

...Black "christian" churches are a completely different animal, unique to themselves...

Wow. I can't even begin to imagine what you mean by this, and I don't think I want to know. I'll pray for you, you need it.

And yes, I sin and need prayers also.