What irks me more than the obvious here is the fact that Catholic Bishops seem to imply that only Dems are correct on Social Justice Issues. Wrong!
What about the injustices of high taxes, ponzy scheme SS, welfare? Without the Republicans, I couldn't afford to raise my family. Catholic social justice, as classicly understood by Pope Leo XIII, respects and encourages the rights of private property and the INDIVIDUAL pursuit of survival of a man and his family and a reasonable saving of wealth as the fruit of his labor. The Republican Party is what stands for this if you ask me.
My only hope is that more Catholics will embrace conservative economic values. Of course, we can differ on these, but I am tired of the view that Dems have the only answers to social justice concerns. I'm afraid that most Catholics would revert back to the Dems if it weren't for the moral issues.
One bishop (who shall be nameless) actually said in a pastoral letter that we could count our taxes as giving to the poor. (The churches around here don't even seem to have poor boxes anymore. I don't recall an announcement; they just disappeared.)
I read that when C.S. Lewis died, it was found he had been giving two-thirds of his income to the less fortunate -- not to any organization or charity, just to individual people in need that he knew about. No tax break (if there are such in England), no memorial plaques -- just Christian charity.