[Cardinal] O'Malley draws line with Democrats

Boston Globe ^ | November 15, 2007 | Michael Paulson

[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...

[Ann Archy]

You don’t give any money because you’re TIGHT.

[Aquinasfan]

Most people catch on to scams early in life.

And some people generalize early in life. Do you think your experience with the Church was typical? And remember too that Jesus told us that the weeds would grow up with the wheat. He also chose Judas as an apostle.

But the more important question is whether the Catholic Church is the Church that Christ founded. All other questions are secondary.

[Pyro7480]

I’m just stating a fact. The sacraments are supposed to help us to Heaven. If you deny yourself the graces they impart, it’s much harder.

[xtinct]

Obvious that the mostly Roman Catholic population of Boston are pro-abortion since they all vote for Democrats.

But the Catholic population here uses the Church for Baptism, First Communion, Confirmation, and Funerals.

Used to be a running joke that the Catholics and their priests (lots of drunks) could do any they wanted during the week then be absolved by the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) on Saturday.

Now the priest in my parish is lucky to fill up 20 benches at the cathedral style church. And, the demographic is mostly Latino.

[maryz]

Considering O’Malley’s attitude toward the faithful, I don’t blame the parishioners of St. Joseph’s.

[Bigg Red]

...support of many Catholics for Democratic candidates “borders on scandal.”

&&&
Tell it, Excellency, but hit ‘em a little harder, please.

[Bigg Red]

I do give to Catholic Relief though.

&&
Oh, dear, I used to, as well, until I realized that they are active in helping illegals, including with their “legal” problems.

[acapesket]

You could not be more wrong. I have never begrudged the parish or the school the money that is necessary to operate.
In my case, the parish gives the school a lousy 10K per year, the equivalent of 3 1/2 tuitions, in a school with 400 students, that is a pittance. The parents make up the difference via tuition, donations, volunteerism and a huge auction at the end of every year. That auction alone takes thousands of man hours to organize and execute.
Considering the fact that the tithing averages almost 15k per month and 25k at Christmas alone, you would think that the parish could support the school a tad bit better.
The church instead prefers to use the money outside of the community very often in support of the invasion of illegal aliens that are here.
The diocese of Boston is only as good as the human beings who run it, and Man, are they ever flawed!
You can make all the judgements you want about me.
Somehow I don’t think God intended his flock to accept “doormat” status, but if you live in Boston, that’s the best you are going to get.
Have a nice day.

[Ann Archy]

YOU said..” I refuse to give money to the church because of it’s political stances”>......did you NOT??

[Capt. Tom]

Her response..."well,that may be true but the RAT Party gives me my social security checks". What can I say,folks...I tried

That's socialism 101.
Vote for me, I will get you someone else's money. - tom

[SuziQ]

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.

Well said! I'd never let a lousy priest diminish my love for the Church, and the Sacraments she offers. Priests may have been anointed in the Holy Spirit by the Bishop at ordination, but they didn't give up their humanity. That means they can sin, and fail, just like the rest of us. I, too, celebrate when we have good priests in our Parish.

[acapesket]

That does not mean that I have not given in the past. When my son left the school, I pretty much left the parish.
Why are you so angry?

[SuziQ]

The Democrats in this state haven't listened to the Church for years. It didn't take the sex abuse scandal to do that. Cardinal Law was villified by the libs in Boston for many years before anyone ever heard of Geoghan or Shanley.

I remember when the Cardinal decided to close St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Dorcester, a largely minority neighborhood. Now he was closing the BIG facility, but was leaving open a clinic necessary for the everyday well being of the people in the surrounding Community. From the reaction at the Boston Globe, you'd have thought the Cardinal had donned KKK robes and burned a cross on the Boston Common. They intimated that he made that decision because he was from Mississippi, and 'everyone knows' what THOSE people are like! I wrote a letter to the Globe informing it's readers that the Globe obviously didn't bother to check out the Cardinal's background or they wouldn't have made such a glaringly WRONG assumption. While he was serving in MS, he was a very outspoken Civil Rights supporter, both as editor of the diocesan newspaper, and later as Chancellor of the Diocese. When the Civil Rights leader, Medgar Evars, was killed, there were very few white faces in the crowd at his funeral. Two of them belonged to Joseph Brunini, Bishop of the Diocese of Jackson, MS, and Rev. Bernard Law.

Whoever the leader of the Church in Boston happens to be, and no matter how much he says or does to support the pro-life message, he will always be ignored by Catholic Legislators because they're more wedded to the Democrat Party than they are to their faith, and seem to have been that way for years.

[phillyfanatic]

This is just reality. Dem leftists are downright evil, not just wrong, evil. For once a spiritual leader finally calls them for their iniquities and doesn’t care what the MSM thinks. Good for him.

[SuziQ]

Used to be a running joke that the Catholics and their priests (lots of drunks) could do any they wanted during the week then be absolved by the Sacrament of Penance (Confession) on Saturday.

Sounds like calumny to me. I've known, personally, probably a hundred priests in my lifetime, and possibly two or three were alcoholics. Certainly not 'lots', and not even most. They all had their own personalities, and I had disagreements with some, and let them know it, but I don't make generalizations about all priests based on the actions of a very few.

[SuziQ]

St. Joseph's was closed by Bishop Harrington, here in Worcester, and his treatment at the hands of the 'occupiers' was atrocious. Yes, he was adamant about the closing, and he didn't try to make anyone 'feel better' about it. But, at the time of the closing, the people who were complaining were no longer members of that parish, but they believed it should be kept open because that's where they had been Baptized, and some were married. But they were no longer supporting the Parish; they just got their knickers in a twist and wanted to claim they were being dis-respected by the Church.

As I said in a previous post, coming from MS, which has about a 3% Catholic population overall, there are still folks who are happy to have a Church within a 20 minute drive from their home. I didn't feel sorry for the folks in Worcester who could have attended a different Parish Church one block away, but decided, in their selfishness, to create a big stink about it.

[Aquinasfan]

From the reaction at the Boston Globe, you'd have thought the Cardinal had donned KKK robes and burned a cross on the Boston Common. They intimated that he made that decision because he was from Mississippi, and 'everyone knows' what THOSE people are like!

Glad I missed that one, and I'm glad that you dope-slapped them, for what good it will do.

Funny that the Globe hasn't done such high quality investigative reporting regarding the fact that Planned Parenthood abortuaries are disproportionately located in black areas, and that "a 1992 report revealed that 23.2 percent of women who obtained abortions at its affiliates were black —although blacks represent no more than 13 percent of the total population." [Planned Parenthood Federation of America 1992 Service Report, “Characteristics of Abortion Patients,” 12.] Link.

Can't wait until the Glob goes belly up.

[SuziQ]

When my son left the school, I pretty much left the parish.

Then what do you care what the Parish does with the money it receives? You got what you wanted from the Parish, while you were there. There are people in that Parish who were helping to subsidize that school who's kids never went there because they couldn't afford the tuition.

Don't confuse the cash infusion from the Parish as the only way it 'helped' the school. That school was likely also used during the week for Parish meetings and on the weekends for Religious Education. All of the school's utilities and upkeep were covered under the Parish Physical plant costs. I've been a member of our Parish Council and, as President of our Parent Assocation, a member of the School Board. There is always tension in the Parish between those who have kids in the Parish, and those who don't. The Pastor always walks a fine line, but as I liked to remind those who might complain about the School getting lots of Parish resources, it is families from the school who provided lots of volunteer hours for Parish as well as School activities.

[SuziQ]

Can't wait until the Glob goes belly up.

*snort* It's known as 'The Glob' in our home, too.

[infoguy]

Good for Cardinal O’Malley! This is great news for Boston and for Catholics.