Free Republic

Father Martin's statements — even those covered under the guise of 'objectivity' — appear to be more faithful to a political agenda than to Catholic teaching. In several tweets pertaining to faithful voting for Catholics, the popular Jesuit priest and author Fr. James Martin, S.J., who offered prayers during the 2020 Democratic National Convention, presents a distorted view of Catholic moral teaching about voting while creating unnecessary confusion for the faithful.Among the most misleading impressions Martin promulgates is posting an out-of-context quote from Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, in which the former head of the CDF (and current pope emeritus) articulated: “When...

For years genuine Catholics have been forced to watch helplessly as Democrat, fake Catholics have trashed Catholic doctrine for political gain with little more than a peep from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. We have been forced to shy away from discussions about the feckless response our Church leaders have displayed in the face of Democrat fake Catholic demands. When the Bishops give an inch or appear to give an inch the fake Catholic Democrats demand a yard. This has embarrassed us to no end; but things might be changing. After years of remaining largely silent while Democrat fake...

The lemmings go marching two by two… it’s the same oddball mishmash of fringe extreme left-wing wing nuts. This time with a really ominous refrain. The gaggle of misfits, malcontents and freeloaders came together three times to deny the very existence of God. From a biblical standpoint, probably not a smart thing to do. From a political standpoint, it may just have cost the DeMarxists whatever fringe elements of the fundamentalist south they still held under their hypnotic gaze. Nominal Catholics, those identifying as Catholic but not actively practicing, who as ‘independents’ went big for MaoBama in the 2008 election,...

Here is an outstanding video put together by CatholicVote.com, which encourages Catholics to vote their values this November and vote for a culture of life. I'm not Cathoic, but I am an Evangelical Christian. I found this video to be stirring and powerful, and focusing on what millions of evangelicals will be joining Catholics in voting for this November - LIFE. . . . . (see video at link)

Catholic Voters and Moral Choices: A Response to 'Catholic Answers' by Thomas Storck In a few [days] in the United States we will have an election in which all the members of the House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate will be up for re-election. And, as they did in the 2004 election, the California organization Catholic Answers, this time by means of their parallel political action committee, Catholic Answers Action, is planning to issue a Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics in an attempt to influence how Catholics vote in this election. And not only Catholics, for this time...

As Prefect of the Congregation for Doctrine of the Faith, Cardinal Ratzinger spent many hours pouring over Liberation Theology.  The liberationists had become very involved in political movements to insure a just society.  They had confused the role of the Church and the role of the State.  And, at times, they were openly Marxists.  In 1966 when the German journalist Peter Seewald asked the Cardinal what was his greatest success in his work, he pointed to the corrections offered to Liberation Theology.  The Pope's first encyclical shows the fruit of this long struggle with liberationists.  The Holy Father carefully outlines...

<p>Democratic Gov. James E. McGreevey is a proud Irish Catholic.</p> <p>He also supports abortion rights, stem cell research, domestic partnerships and the death penalty, all of which go against Catholic church teachings and edicts.</p> <p>Diocese of Trenton Bishop John M. Smith isn't pleased.</p>

Come see Ambassador Ray Flynn (the only pro-life appointee of Bill Clinton who voted his conscience for pro-life George Bush) tonight, June 29, 2004 at 6:30 pm at Saint Veronica's Parish Family - Howell, NJ  other speakers will be Bishop John M. Smith  and Sujo John, survivor of 9/11, Rosary starts at 6:30pm, speakers at 7:15pm, sponsored by the:Catholic Tent Revival, of the Good News Ministries, Howell, NJStatement by Raymond L. Flynn: National President of Catholic Citizenship Former U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican (1993-1997), Mayor of Boston (1984-1993)To the Good News International Conference Howell, New Jersey Tuesday, June 29,...

Catholic Voters A Key ConstituencyOxford Analytica, 11.09.05, 6:00 AM ET NEW YORK - Voters cast ballots Tuesday in bellwether gubernatorial races in Virginia and New Jersey and on a slate of politically controversial initiatives in California. This is an "off-year" election--federal offices are not being contested--but the outcome may signal whether recent White House setbacks have influenced the electorate. Catholic voters are an important "swing" constituency and have been heavily courted by both parties. Analysis of the 2004 presidential campaign suggests that energizing President George Bush's base of support and appealing to certain "swing voters," including Catholics, were decisive factors....

Code: ZE05100401 Date: 2005-10-04 Question Raised on Communion and Abortion Prefect of Doctrinal Congregation Presses the Issue VATICAN CITY, OCT. 4, 2005 (Zenit.org).- The new prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is urging the Synod of Bishops to discuss whether voters who support pro-abortion candidates should be receiving Communion. Archbishop William Levada, who succeeded Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as prefect of the dicastery, quoted No. 73 of the working document of the Synod on the Eucharist, in which reference is made to the relationship between the Eucharist, morality and public life. The archbishop today suggested that the...

Election 2004: The Role of "Moral Values" Cathy Cleaver Ruse, Esq. This election was supposed to be about terrorism, the economy, and Iraq. But there was a more pressing issue that motivated people to vote this year, and that was the issue of moral values. According to exit polls from the National Election Pool, the official election source for broadcast and cable television stations, "moral values" was cited as the most important issue this election by more people than any other concern. The economy and jobs was next, followed by terrorism, then the war in Iraq. Among those who cited...

Some attempts to sabotage Catholic voters Barbara Kralis Barbara Kralis October 29, 2004 The Catholic Church possesses the fullness of truth, the complete moral teachings of our age. We thank God for the Magisterium of the Church, for the solemn teaching office of our Pope John Paul II and the Popes before him, and the 'ordinary magisterium' or the Bishops in communion with him. Yet, attempts by Church leaders are made every day to sabotage these teachings. Let us look at a number of recent damages: On August 20, 2004, La Crosse diocese Attorney James G. Birnbaum wrote a letter...

Ye shall find him under a big star: (OK, that one’s a stretch, but I’m working on a theme…) Crucified with two common criminals by his side: (Stretch #2) (Well, since this photo was taken in Zaprudervision, it might be a JFK thing,but that’s the same as God to the liberal mindset.)

NewsMax.com's Fr. Michael Reilly has his eye on the latest developments with one of the most hotly contested demographic groups in this year's election.President Bush has opened a wide lead over John Kerry among Catholic voters, according to a new poll reported by the Times of Trenton, and this could help the President in a swing state like New Jersey with 3.4 million Catholics. Forty percent of New Jersey residents are Catholic. The Barna Research Group, which focuses on a Christian audience, found Bush leading Kerry among Catholics 53 to 36 percent. The same survey in May showed Bush with...

In a pastoral letter published Friday, Archbishop Raymond Burke tackled one of the stickiest issues he has faced so far as the leader of St. Louis' Roman Catholics. The letter addressed the sensitive topic of voting, sin and Holy Communion, and it delved into the moral law that the archbishop says dictates how Catholics in a secular democratic society must choose their leaders using the teachings of the church as their guide. The letter itself was Burke's attempt at a final statement on a topic that has dominated his first summer as the city's prelate. It also was meant as...

"Seismic" Catholic Shift to Bush by Uwe Siemon-Netto President George W. Bush has suddenly acquired a commanding lead among Catholic voters over his Democratic rival, Sen. John Kerry, according to the latest survey of the California-based Barna Research Group. Barna called this finding a "seismic shift." In May, Kerry led Bush 48-to-43 percent among Catholics. Today, the ratio has changed to 53-to-36 percent in Bush's favor, reports Barna, an organization researching opinions and behaviors of the religious communities in the United States. "That swing is attributable to an encompassing assessment by many Catholics of the leadership abilities, character, and policy...

A memo released privately two months ago by the Vatican's leading theologian, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, is being portrayed by the media and liberal Catholics as giving Catholic voters permission to vote for the pro-abortion Democratic candidate for President. So far, a moral theologian and a high-ranking official of the Detroit Archdiocese, where the story first broke, say the document's precise language is being distorted. Ratzinger issued a private memo in the spring that explored whether pro-abortion politicians ought to be denied communion. He concluded that they must be denied communion if, after consistent teaching by the bishop, they persist in...

An article in the Post-Dispatch announced that Archbishop Raymond Burke is giving St. Louis Catholics a way to vote for politicians who support abortion rights without committing a grave sin or having to go to confession: “In his latest clarification of controversial comment he made earlier this summer, Burke said Thursday [September 2] he believes Catholics could vote for a politician who supports abortion rights as long as that's not the reason they are voting for the candidate, and they believe the politician's stance on other moral issues outweighs the abortion-rights stance. “Previously, Burke had said Catholics who vote for...

As Democrats and Republicans work hard to woo Catholic voters for the presidential election, Greensburg Bishop Lawrence E. Brandt is warning his flock to be wary of their "intellectual sleight of hand." Months after other bishops in the United States announced they would withhold communion from elected officials who support abortion, Brandt spelled out the church's teachings -- and the Greensburg diocese's position -- in a pastoral letter last week to its 188,000 faithful. The timing of the release of the letter -- one week before the Republican National Convention -- was coincidental, said Angela Burrows, executive director of infomedia...

OPINION -- Last June Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote a memorandum on “Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion,” to assist the U.S. Council of Catholic Bishops. Cardinal Ratzinger noted that (1) for a Catholic to vote for a candidate because the candidate favors abortion is so sinful as to render that Catholic unfit to receive Communion, but (2) voting for a pro-abortion candidate despite that candidate’s support of abortion is not sinful, if “proportionate reasons” justify voting for that candidate. Unfortunately, Catholic News Service misreported that Cardinal Ratzinger “said it is not...