Posted on 09/08/2008 1:42:40 PM PDT by NYer
The last two paragraphs sum-up Archbishop Chaput's position:Denver bishops release letter to faithful, stress importance of accurate moral reasoning by public servants
Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. and Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley have released a new letter to the Catholics of northern Colorado, titled “Public Servants and Moral Reasoning.” In the letter, they reaffirm the importance of informed moral reasoning when discerning public action, especially in regard to Catholics who serve their country on the national stage. Click here to read the full letter (PDF file)
Bishops who have responded to Biden so far: 3.In his Meet the Press interview, Sen. Biden used a morally exhausted argument that American Catholics have been hearing for 40 years: i.e., that Catholics can't "impose" their religiously based views on the rest of the country. But resistance to abortion is a matter of human rights, not religious opinion. And the senator knows very well as a lawmaker that all law involves the imposition of some people's convictions on everyone else. That is the nature of the law. American Catholics have allowed themselves to be bullied into accepting the destruction of more than a million developing unborn children a year. Other people have imposed their "pro-choice" beliefs on American society without any remorse for decades.
If we claim to be Catholic, then American Catholics, including public officials who describe themselves as Catholic, need to act accordingly. We need to put an end to Roe and the industry of permissive abortion it enables. Otherwise all of us - from senators and members of Congress, to Catholic laypeople in the pews - fail not only as believers and disciples, but also as citizens.
I know some of those same people here. They just don’t get it!!! 50 million dead American children and people think they can continue to vote for the dems without thinking about the abortion issue. I suppose they think if they themselves aren’t effected by the abortion issue,no big deal.
You need to update your understanding of excommunication. Good resource
The bishop's responsibility is to educate those who are ignorant in their Catholic faith. When that fails, he has other options. Excommunication is a last resort.
They can speak about issues and people. It’s when it gets to endorsements and specific legislation that it gets tricky.
Sounds like the do-nothing Congress to me. Are Kennedy, Pelosi and Biden's immortal souls in danger or not? Have any of them indicated any sort of willingness to listen to the "dialogue"? Or is the good Archbishop really just preaching to the choir?
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