Posted on 11/15/2007 4:41:56 PM PST by Quiet Man Jr.
BALTIMORE - Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston, saying the Democratic Party has been persistently hostile to opponents of abortion rights, asserted yesterday that the support of many Catholics for Democratic candidates "borders on scandal."
In his sharpest comments about the political landscape since he was installed as archbishop of Boston four years ago, O'Malley made clear that, despite his differences with the Republican Party over immigration policy, capital punishment, economic issues, and the war in Iraq, he views abortion as the most important moral issue facing policymakers.
"I think the Democratic Party, which has been in many parts of the country traditionally the party which Catholics have supported, has been extremely insensitive to the church's position, on the gospel of life in particular, and on other moral issues," O'Malley said.
Acknowledging that Catholic voters in Massachusetts generally support Democratic candidates who are in favor of abortion rights, O'Malley said, "I think that, at times, it borders on scandal as far as I'm concerned."
"However, when I challenge people about this, they say, 'Well, bishop, we're not supporting [abortion rights],' " he said. "I think there's a need for people to very actively dissociate themselves from those unacceptable positions, and I think if they did that, then the party would have to change."
Link for full story...
(Excerpt) Read more at boston.com ...
Is there a gestapo-type guy who watches to make sure you put money in the plate? ...I didn’t think so.
You can go to Mass and not put a thing in the plate and nothing will happen, no-one will deny you the Eucharist, no-one will put your name in the bulletin saying you don’t give. You deny yourself for no good reason.
Besides, the money in the 1st collection is for the running of that particular parish and if you found a good one you wouldn’t mind helping to pay the utility bill. It is the 2nd collection that is for those other things and I don’t give to the 2nd collections. I do give to Catholic Relief though.
It’s Boston. What can you say?
He's right. Note he's saying this about the voters not the politicians.
Fabulous motivation there, pal.
Sorry guys I just couldn't help myself! :)
Well Yeah, Mr. Know it all..
there is. It’s a little white envelope that had better get in that basket every Sunday or mt little Peach could not have gotten into a very competitive Parochial School.
I would not have done 25 hours a week as Room Mother, Lunch Room Helper, Recess Helper and Field Trip Co- Ordinator for eight freakin years. Let’s not talk about the thousands of dollars I supplied in Craft every month ( we have no Art Teacher ), donating with my time, blood, sweat and tears.
Take your high and mighty some where else.
I thought that we were all supposed to walk a mile in each others shoes.
I did this all out of love and devotion.
And I am SORELY saddened by what passes for Catholic Christianity these days.
Good Night and God Bless.
So THAT'S why I've seen a couple of people on FR who have a burr under their saddle about the Cardinal.
I have a very different perspective on the whole 'church closing' issue. When the Bishop tried to close St. Joseph's here in Worcester, many years ago, I at first felt sorry for the folks who worshipped there. Then, I drove by the place, which was looking a little the worse for wear, and within one block, passed another Catholic Church that was obviously recently remodeled. I frankly became appalled at the horrid way the Bishop was treated by people who probably hadn't darkened the door of St Joseph's in years because they'd moved out of that poor neighborhood to 'better' ones. And I'm sure they hadn't put one dime in the collection plate in order for the Pastor to keep the place up.
The reason I was so angry at those folks was because where I grew up, in a South Mississippi city about one third the size of Worcester, there were exactly THREE Catholic churches, not thirty or forty! My husband grew up in the MS Delta, where there were folks who had to drive 20 minutes EACH way to be able to get to Mass on Sundays, and here were folks complaining about having to go an extra block to Mass. From what some folks who grew up in Worcester told me, the Church being closed had been originally built by the French settlers in the area. The one a block down the street was built by the Irish. So these folks in Worcester were actively trashing the Bishop because they had to go to a Catholic Church down the block that wasn't built by 'their people'.
Give me a break! If the people attending the Church can't support the physical plant, then they shouldn't be surprised if the Bishop suggests that they merge with a different Parish, and they certainly shouldn't trash him for the decision. They should thank God that they actually have another Church, which, given Boston's Catholic heritage, is probably within a 10 minute car or T trip.
Bless her heart! She can't help it, she's old. ;o)
I'm sure there are a lot of folks her age who think that. After all, it WAS FDR who got Social Security going.
Considering the actions of those who 'occupied' St. Joseph's for months, O'Malley was probably right.
The Shrine is not run by the Jesuits, it's run by the Palatine order. Your posts are filled with such anger, it makes me wonder what other of your complaints are not exactly truthful, but are colored by your own rage against the particular priest from your parish, or whatever reason you have.
The money you give to your Parish in the regular collection stays right in your Parish and is used to pay the staff who makes sure your kids receive religious instruction and that the Sacraments are available to all who are able to receive them. It also pays for the heat and lights so that parishoners can attend Mass.
I'm sorry you don't feel you should support them because you have some problems with the political stances taken by some American Bishops.
In our Parish, the amount each family with a child in the school was expected to contribute was just about $300, no matter how many kids they had in the school. I don't know about your Parish, but the average family in our Parish isn't wealthy, but could certainly afford $300 a year. Our Protestant brethren must get a real kick out of Catholics who complain about such a pittance each year, given the fact that they are encouraged to tithe.
And from your comments, it sure doesn't sound like you did all that volunteering at the school out of love and devotion. You write as though it was some sort of burden. Oh, and I have a good idea about how much time and effort you put into assisting your child's school. We have four kids who ALL went through Catholic Schools. The older two went all the way through high school, and the younger two through middle school until we decided we wanted to homeschool them. So we were involved in classroom work, and school fundraisers for over 15 years.
Regardless of the time and effort I put into the schools, I certainly didn't begrudge our Parishes asking for a minimum of $300 to help run them.
I'm not saying it's wrong -- bishops and bureaucrats have to eat too, and tribunals don't run on air (and ours don't charge the petitioners for things like annulments) -- but I was wondering if in other dioceses it was true that every penny put in the plate remained local.
Having said that, though, I want to ask why a lousy priest or parish is a stronger argument against taking up the duties (and privileges) of the Catholic laity than an great priest (or, on our case, bunch o' priests), parish, or bishop is FOR taking up those duties.
As a former Protestant clergyman, one thing I expect of clergy is that they be manifestly sinful, emotionally precarious, and not remarkably competent. The excellence of the priesthood is not theirs, but Christ's. The responsibilities of the job will make you crazy if you weren't crazy when you started.
One benefit of this attitude to the clergy is that when you have a cool bishop and cool priests, you're astonished and grateful, while when you don't you just say, "Yeah, yeah, thank you father, have a nice day, now excuse me, I'm talkin' to God here ...." The drone of a lousy sermon is a very restful backdrop to the practice of mental prayer ....
Don't confuse the salesman with the product, sez me. One argument for the truth of the Calflick religion is that despite the apparent preponderance of bozos, some of whom are lustful or larcenous felons, the Church endures, and still in the third millennium still bears the love of God to grateful sinners who are hungry enough that they don't care that the waiter's a jerk, because the food is nourishing.
From a weekly email from State House News Service,
"Finally, in a tangentially related story and under the heading of Holy Mackerel, Things Have Changed Around Here: Barely surfacing as an issue were Cardinal Sean Patrick O’Malley’s remarks to the Boston Globe that called Democratic support for abortion rights borderline scandalous. Time was, such criticism from the Chancery would have rattled the State House right to its Puritanical rebar.
This week, with political power so thoroughly dislocated from the Roman Catholic hierarchy, there wasn’t a flinch.
Asked about the level of concern with the cardinal’s remarks, Murray replied, “I haven’t talked to anybody about it, so I don’t know whether they’re concerned or not.” And there was your answer."
Oh, BTW, the Legislature just expanded the no-protest zones around abortion clinics...
I’d let it slip last year that I’m Roman Catholic here at work to one of my co-workers; then last week I was angrily confronted by another who must have found out that I’m Roman Catholic who blathered on that the Roman Hierarchy needs to keep it’s nose out of American Politics, and then of course went of on the child molester angle. My “guess” is that it’s going to get a lot worse before it gets better with this ‘08 election because I see more and more of the clergy and hierarchy no longer able to remain silent on the moral atrocities perpetrated by the Dems and their Commie allies. The backlash will be something to watch.
a report card on Cardinal Sean
Many of us had high hopes for him when he arrived in Boston. This place is lousy with liberals and Catholics-in-name-only. So, the first Holy Thursday, he had the ritual washing of the 12 men's feet which symbolizes the institution of the priesthood. Please note, men only, there never were and never will be women priests in the Catholic Church. Well, of course the CINOs complained and he capitulated the next year.
He's in the process of dismantling (i.e. selling off pieces of) St John's Seminary in Brighton. You can certainly argue that there are too many empty churches (maybe we should be working on filling them up again instead of closing them) but a seminary?! The head of the seminary resigned in protest.
I now attend, whenever possible Mass, at the St Benedict Center in Still River in the diocese of Worcester. It's a 40-mile drive one-way for me but Cardinal Sean doesn't feel that there is much interest for the TLM in New England...
That's it in a nutshell...
I should have explained, the Murphy person referred to in the email is Senate President Therese Murray, not a lowly Dem...
I'm sure that the devil has been enjoying this silence.
I think you're confusing her with my mother-in-law. Sheesh. There's more of them out there. God help us.
God should come FIRST in EVERY family.
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