Bishop Vasa: Pro-Abortion Candidates are "Disqualified" - Clarifies "Faithful Citizenship"

LifeSiteNews ^ | 9/12/08 | John-Henry Westen

[wagglebee]

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina, September 12, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - During the opening day of the Catholic Leadership Conference yesterday, Baker Oregon Bishop Robert Vasa clarified the teaching of the US Bishops Conference regarding voting in favor of pro-abortion politicians. The question of whether Catholics may remain in good standing with the Church while voting for pro-abortion politicians was raised.

Bishop Vasa responded referencing the document of the United States Catholic Conference titled "Faithful Citizenship", noting a pro-abortion stance disqualifies candidates from consideration by faithful Catholics.

LifeSiteNews.com spoke with Bishop Vasa after the session. Describing the deliberation among US bishops over the "Faithful Citizenship" document, he said: "When we were working on the document 'Faithful Citizenship', and the issue of whether or not a person's adamant pro-abortion position was a disqualifying condition, the general sense was 'yes that is a disqualifying condition'."

However, during the discussions mention was made of the document by Pope Benedict just prior his elevation to the pontificate which noted that Catholics may in good conscience vote for a politician who supports abortion in the presence of "proportionate reasons."

Bishop Vasa explained the notion of proportionate reasons, saying, "The conditions under which an individual may be able to vote for a pro-abortion candidate would apply only if all the candidates are equally pro-abortion."

He added: "And then you begin to screen for the other issues and make a conscientious decision to vote for this pro-abortion candidate because his positions on these other issues are more in keeping with good Catholic values." In that case, he said, "It doesn't mean that you in any way support or endorse a pro-abortion position but you take a look in that context at the lesser of two evils."

Speaking of politicians with a pro-abortion stand he said, "When we have someone who has that stand on a disqualifying issue, then the other issues, in many ways, do not matter because they are already wrong on that absolutely fundamental issue."

Only when taken to a level of insanity could a 'pro-war' candidate be considered on par with a pro-abortion candidate in the Bishop's view. "If we had a candidate in favor of a war in Iraq in which we decimate the entire population and we kill as many civilians to impose as much terror on everybody as possible to make sure . . . If that was in opposition to a pro-abortion person then I'd have a real conflict of conscience because you'd have a direct and intentional killing of innocent persons on one hand and the direct and intentional killing of persons on the other hand, said the Baker Bishop.

"But we don't have that issue with capital punishment, we don't have that issue with the war in Iraq we don't have that issue with the present Administration," he added.

Bishop Vasa explained that as a man from the Midwest, the analogy of a combine worked well to describe how a sifting of candidates could be undertaken. He described a combine as having a series of sieves, the first of which eliminates the largest and most obvious refuse. In the analogy the first screen would eliminate pro-abortion candidates, "to weed out the greatest evil," he said.

He concluded saying, "Abortion needs to be in our country a defining issue and we ought not be afraid to make it a defining issue because when we do that we will have an end of abortion in this country."

[Coleus]

A Voter's Guide: Pro-choice candidates and church teaching

Abortion and embryo-destructive research are different. They are intrinsic and grave evils; no Catholic may legitimately support them. In the context of contemporary American social life, abortion and embryo-destructive research are disproportionate evils. They are the gravest human rights abuses of our domestic politics and what slavery was to the time of Lincoln. Catholics are called by the Gospel of Life to protect the victims of these human rights abuses. They may not legitimately abandon the victims by supporting those who would further their victimization.

Catholics cannot support abortion rights-Vatican

Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics - 5 NON-NEGOTIABLE ISSUES FOR CATHOLIC VOTERS

Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility

Catechism on Abortion

The Gospel of Life

Living the Gospel of Life

[Das Outsider]

Abortion and embryo-destructive research are different. They are intrinsic and grave evils; no Catholic may legitimately support them.

Well said, but with all due respect, I would amend that to say "no Christian should..."

Like supporting a pro-war, abortionist candidate was ever a good idea to begin with. Ahem, Rudy Giuliani. ;)

Thanks for a great pro-life ping, Coleus!

[Coleus]

"Catholic University" bans pro-abortion speakers, Bishops to Catholic Politicians: Vote Pro Life

Politics And Logic by Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli, Diocese of Paterson

American Bishop: Pro-Choice Equals No Communion For Catholics

[Das Outsider]

American Bishop: Pro-Choice Equals No Communion For Catholics

While that sounds harsh to cafeteria Catholics (and feel-good Protestants, for that matter), doesn't it qualify under St. Paul's exhortation to be of one mind? Communion is a matter of unity of confession, is it not?

[editor-surveyor]

1Cr 11:29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.

[editor-surveyor]

"Communion is a matter of unity of confession, is it not?"

It is primarily a remembrance of the Lord's death. As for the rest:

1Cr 11:28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of [that] bread, and drink of [that] cup.

[fetal heart beats by 21st day]

I like the combine image- weed out and ELIMINATE the largest and most obvious evil first. Then, move on and weigh your options.

[afraidfortherepublic]

I’m waiting to see when Archbp Timothey Dolan of Milwuakee weighs in — or Sklba — or the new guy. We got a chilling insert in our bulletin at church yesterday. Despite Fr. Pavone’s assurances to the contrary, no “voter guides” will be allowed on church property.