Posted on 11/22/2009 6:44:11 AM PST by Sons of Union Vets
.....A closer look at Belgium, the laboratory of Europe, shows, however, that the country lacks more than patriotism. It also lacks democracy, respect for the rule of law, and political morality.....
....I am not sure what happened next, however. Maybe word had reached the leadership of the Christian Democrat Party that Herman, a brilliant economist and intellectual, was considering leaving politics; perhaps they made him an offer he could not refuse........
Our paths crossed at intervals until 1990, when the Belgian Parliament voted an extremely liberal abortion bill. The Belgian King Baudouin (1930-1993), a devout Catholic who suffered from the fact that he and his wife could not have any children, had told friends that he would rather abdicate than sign the bill. The Belgian politicians, convinced that the King was bluffing, did not want the Belgian people to know about the Kings objections to the bill..........
.....In April 1990 the King did in fact abdicate over the abortion issue, and the Christian-Democrat Party, led by Herman Van Rompuy, who had always prided himself on being a good Catholic, had one of Europes most liberal abortion bills signed by the college of ministers, a procedure provided by the Belgian Constitution for situations when there is no King. Then they had the King voted back on the throne the following day.....
..... A few weeks later I met Herman at the wedding of a mutual friend. I approached him for a chat. I could see he felt very uncomfortable. He avoided eye contact and broke off the conversation as soon as he could. We have not spoken since.......
(Excerpt) Read more at hudsonny.org ...
This is why red flags go up when I see unknown politicians being peddled as “devout Catholics.” To paraphrase Forrest Gump, “Catholic is as Catholic does!”
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