Church's embrace of Sebelius angers anti-abortion advocates

Lawrence (KS) Journal-World ^ | 2/13/04 | Scott Rothschild

[madprof98]

Topeka — Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and Catholic leaders were arm-in-arm Thursday on the issue of affordable housing, but have been at arm's length on other issues, most notably abortion.

Anti-abortion advocates issued a broadside against Sebelius and the Catholic Church after the governor, who is Catholic and supports abortion rights, was invited to lecture at the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth.

Mark Gietzen, head of the Kansas Coalition for Life, said Sebelius' campus visit would be a scandal greater than recent ones involving priests who abuse children.

"If the pro-abortion-choice governor is honored as planned by the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church in Kansas will no longer be able to claim to be pro-life," Gietzen said. "We are about to witness a church scandal of far greater proportion."

Thursday, Archbishop James Patrick Keleher was in the Capitol to join forces with Sebelius in calling for efforts to increase the availability of housing for low- and middle-income Kansans.

The two shook hands and spoke briefly together before the news conference.

But Keleher, who heads the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, has previously been at odds with Sebelius.

Keleher expressed displeasure with Sebelius and her abortion-rights stance a year ago when she took office. He asked Sebelius to move an inauguration interfaith service from Topeka's Assumption Catholic Church, the church Sebelius attends. She refused.

Wednesday, Keleher testified to a House committee in favor of a measure to put a prohibition of same-sex marriages in the Kansas Constitution. Sebelius said the measure was unnecessary because Kansas law already has the same ban.

Asked about Sebelius' visit to Saint Mary, Keleher declined to comment. His diocese covers 21 counties, including Douglas County.

For her part, Sebelius said she had a good working relationship with Catholic leaders.

She met with several bishops this week on issues such as housing, criminal justice and poverty.

"The reality is that the vast majority of views that I hold and act on, I share with the Catholic Conference, and they are comfortable with that and I am, too," she said.

Last year, Sebelius vetoed a bill setting health and safety standards for abortion clinics. She argued that medical personnel -- not legislators -- should develop such standards.

An effort to impose the safety standards is again before the Legislature, and Sebelius said if the exact same bill was sent to her desk, "I'll veto it again."

[Salvation]

**Kansans for Life**

Good choice!

But don't be afraid to write or talk to a bishop or even your priest and tell them you are unhappy with the governor.

[Desdemona]

We in St. Louis, send our best, and Bishop Joseph Neuman to you. He is one of the most sincere men in the episcopacy you will ever meet. And he will not tolerate any sort of nonsense of a pro-choice "Catholic". You'll like him.

[GirlShortstop]

He [Archbishop James Patrick Keleher] asked Sebelius to move an inauguration interfaith service from Topeka's Assumption Catholic Church, the church Sebelius attends. She refused.

Is this standard operating procedure?   Happy Valentine's Day

[Desdemona]

Is this standard operating procedure?

It shouldn't be. He's the archbishop, he has final say.

I dont' know what it is about some of these bishops being such wimps around women. If they dissent, they dissent. It doesn't matter who they are.

[workerbee]

I wondered the same thing. It made me think, gee, next time she may as well just hold a pro-abortion rally there, too. Since apparently the poor widdle bishop is powerless to say what goes on in his churches.

[BlackElk]

Give her thirty days to publicly repent. When she fails to do so, publicly order all priests not to give her the Eucharist without further permission from the archbishop.

Then, give her another thirty days to publicly repent. When she fails to do so, excommunicate her publicly. In any event, unless and until she reprents, the RCC should have nothing to do with her and supporting housing schemes does not overcome the evil of cooperating with the political benefit conferred on this baby-killer in Catholic drag.

If Sebelius (or Granholm) wants to whine about divisive, let's show her what divisive really means and what Catholic really means. Jesus Christ guaranteed that if we were to be what we should be the world would despise us for it. Let's go for the gold!

[hocndoc]

There is no reason to respect people or organizations who will not enforce the right not to be killed.

Let's face it, if the majority may decide to kill unwanted human beings - to ration or discriminate between the inalienable rights of individuals - there is no justification for government to continue forcing the tax support of housing, food, or any other social welfare programs.

It's only with the human right to life and liberty that justifies the accumulation of our individual rights and might to intervene in the lives of other human beings, especially by use of implied and real force.

[hocndoc]

" If life is not respected from the very beginning, how can one respect life at all. "

Exactly.

And, I'm convinced that all of these people *know* that they are doing wrong. But, they manage to twist their thinking around for emotional reasons or to gain power until they can't hear their consciences any more.

[Meldrim]

Why did he just TELL her to move the ceremony?

[GirlShortstop]

Why did he just TELL her to move the ceremony?

A good question Mel, in light of the facts offered that a "request" (using the article's term) is not standard operating procedure.

Sowing seeds of dissent isn't supposed to be a Catholic m.o., so I'm left to wonder, "what's up with that?!".  FReegards.