Posted on 10/03/2006 10:16:49 AM PDT by NYer
Washington DC, Oct. 02, 2006 (CNA) - Four Supreme Court justices attended the annual Red Mass, which is traditionally held each autumn to mark the beginning of the courts new term and draws members of the legal community, Presidential Cabinet members, and occasionaly the President himself.
Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington presided at yesterdays Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, where the Red Mass has been held since 1952.
Four of the five Catholic Supreme Court justices Chief Justice John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, and Clarence Thomas attended, reported The Associated Press. Justice Samuel Alito did not attend.
Morality and ethical considerations cannot be divorced from their religious antecedents. What we do and how we act, our morals and ethics, follow on what we believe, the archbishop said in his homily. The religious convictions of a people sustain their moral decisions.
Faith and politics are distinct, yet interrelated, he continued, citing Pope Benedicts Deus Caritas Est.
Politics and faith are mingled because believers are also citizens. Both Church and state are home for the same people, he stated.
Also present were members of President George Bush's Cabinet including Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson foreign ambassadors and members of the capital's legal community, reported the AP.
The Red Mass dates to 13th century and is conducted to ask the Holy Spirit for guidance for those who seek justice. It takes its name from the red vestments, symbolizing the Holy Spirit, worn by the celebrants.
I hope they got through to Justice Kennedy.
IIRC, they (SCOTUS Justices) never all attend
The point of view that you must be religious in order to be moral will enable the pro-aborts to sink us if we don't watch out. Exactly what they would like: to be able to call us all religious fanatics.
**Chief Justice John Roberts, Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, and Clarence Thomas attended, reported The Associated Press. Justice Samuel Alito did not attend.**
I am aware that Scalia, Roberts, Thomas and Alito are Catholics. Kennedy a Catholic?
Then why aren't all pro-life decisions 5-4 for pro-life issues.
In a recent case, Justice Kennedy indicated that he would approve of parital birth abortion restrictions. In addition, the Doe v. Bolton case is up this year. It will be an interesting term. I am going to put Justice Kennedy on my prayer list.
This particular court line up hasn't had a chance yet to vote on any life related issues. We all need to pray that the five Catholic justices will vote to defend life in the several important cases they will be hearing in this term.
Kennedy is middle of the road on abortion. He seems to favor things like restricting late term abortions and parental notification, but he seems to supports abortion in other cases.
Wow, I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.
The NY Times is going wild claiming that if Alito and Roberts vote in favor of keeping partial birth abortion legal, it will show their "maturity" and how they have "evolved". The editorial board is losing sleep over the idea that some women may lose their right to kill their babies in the act of being born. This is the mentality we are dealing with.
This is a good point. However, the fact that the Ten Commandments says, "Thou shall not murder" does not make it invalid. You can certainly be an atheist and be pro life - ask Nat Henthoff about that. The 613 laws that G-d gave the Jews mention rape also - does that mean we can't ban rape because it is mentioned in the Bible? Or we can't have laws against theft and larceny? The other side tries to have it both ways. Take away their arguments.
If Roberts and Alito vote to keep partial birth abortion legal I will be furious.
Why would the Times even be speculating about such a thing? Everyone knows that if Roberts votes for partial birth abortion his wife would kick his a$$.
Why? Because sometimes people who are conservative bend over backwards to please the editorial board of the NY Slimes, notwithstanding their true convictions.
I want to see what Kennedy does this time. In 2000 he voted that the ban was legal. Will he try to please the editorial board of the NY Slimes?
Sorry, such speculation is absurd. I don't know much about Alito, but I can say with the confidence of someone who has been involved in the Pro-Life Movement since January 22, 1973 that Roberts will not betray his convictions. Roberts' wife is a strong, educated, pro-life woman. Strong, educated, pro-life women just don't marry men who are wishy washy on abortion.
The same reason that so many members of the Senate and the House who claim Catholicism as their religion consistently vote pro-abortion. And now John Kerry's former campaign manager has published a bogus "Catholic Answers Voter's Guide" to further confuse the Catholic Electorate as to how they should vote on candidates who declare themselves "Pro-Choice". Disengenuous, to say the least.
I hate to tell you this but people had high hopes for Anthony KEnnedy and he has frequently disappointed us.
Thanks for the info. Kennedy has usually sided with the libs on this; do you think he might be having a change of heart?
I probably shouldn't even post this, because the lefties who monitor our site will probably even now be sharpening their knives for Kennedy if they think there's a chance of defection.
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