Posted on 10/31/2004 12:44:31 PM PST by Grendel9
"Much in the news these days are stories of Catholic politicians whose public positions diverge from the moral teachings of the faith they profess."
THIS WAS PASSED OUT AT MASS THIS A.M. IT IS EXCERPTS FROM CHICAGO'S CARDINAL GEORGE MONTHLY COLUMNS IN THE URL SOURCE. KERRY IS NOT MENTIONED BY NAME...BUT IS THERE ANY DOUBT WHO IS BEING ALLUDED TO?
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewworld.com ...
But does it not seem to you (or perhaps I should just say it seems to me) that whatever a local bishop says (even a Cardinal Archbishop) is trumped by the fact that the Vatican fell all over itself last week to make sure that no one thought HEADQUARTERS (Rome, the Pope, the Curia) was implying that Kerry was a heretic, or unfit for communion?
As I have posted elsewhere, the Pope is surrounded by anti-Bush, anti-American Cardinals in the Curia (Sodano, Martino, Tauran) and manipulated by lower functionaries, like Tariq Azziz's Father Jean-Marie Benjamin (4.5 million barrels of Saddam's bribery oil) - good luck to any lone bishop who decides to speak up and say the right thing, the truth, when the Vatican has morphed into just one more corrupt, anti-American European government.
We had a sermon today in St. Augustine's Church, Montpelier, VT, which consisted of a letter from the Bishop of Burlington, Roger Angel.
I don't think Bishop Angel is a conservative, but he seems to be making some since this past year or so.
The letter basically said that Catholics have a duty to follow the Truth, which is Christ. They have an obligation to form their consciences in accordance with the Truth. And the bottom line for Catholics is to respect life, from the moment of conception to the moment of death.
He hedged a bit, maybe, but not very much. It was pretty clear what the message was--that no decent Catholic or follower of Christ could vote for kerry. Of course what the liberal Catholics sitting in the pews may have thought they heard, I can't say. But I noticed that our liberal deacon was squirming around in his seat.
Bishop Kenneth Angell, of Burlington VT, lost his brother and sister-in-law, David Angell and his wife, on the American Airlines Flight out of Boston on 9-11-2001.
David was Bishop Angell's younger brother, and a very successful (and extraordinarily generous) Hollywood bigshot (writer for Cheers, creator of Wings and Frazier).
Bishop Angell was 17 and in the high school seminary when his brother was born, and his parents invited the bishop-to-be to choose his new brother's name, reasoning that as a priest he would never have children of his own. Bishop Angell chose "David" because it meant "Beloved of God."
It was very moving to hear Bishop Angell, post 9-11, in Burlington (a university town) calling for peace with and understanding toward the Muslim community. There was great credibility in his asking Catholics to forgive, since he himself, personally, had a great cross of immeasurable personal loss to embrace in making that call himself.
The Vatican is pathetic. Kerry is a clear heretic, and is not even married in the Church with the benefit of clergy, after having been divorced with no subsequent annulment. He takes communion and worships regularly in non-Catholic Churches.
How is he possibly a Catholic?
In all honesty, I have to say I just don't know about the
stance of the Pope and Europe. I remember the Pope DID make a statement some years back about forced abortions and planned families for the Chinese people.
I DO know that Chicagoans LOVE and respect Cardinal George. He's comparatively young, has all his faculties, and takes his duties most seriously. He kept the diocese informed at every turn during the "priest exposes," the bad news as well as the good. I have to agree with his statements re politicans who equivocate when "balancing" their faith with their practical inclinations. Kerry had said he believes in the sanctity of life....but he "can't impose his religion on another." If he can't take a stand against abortion which his faith demands, then he should step down as a politician. Politicians are in the BUSINESS of making decisions for the populace...not spieling out whatever is appropriate for the given audience.
Sorry, I know you are not arguing that.
Kerry is the one who brought his religion into the campaign, just as he brought his Viet Nam service into it.
No Republican ever cited Kerry's lack of religious fervor or called him an atheist. HE brought up the subject himself. Just as the SwiftBoatVets have spoken out on the Viet Nam topic, the Cardinal has taken a swat at Kerry for
his vacuous position on abortion.
being a Catholic
He's not.
Catholic Ping!
Thank you for posting this, I didn't know about Bishop Angell's brother.
Every Catholic, without exception, should remember that he or she is called by our Lord to proclaim His message. Some proclaim it by word, some by action and all by example. But every believer shares responsibility for the Gospel. Every Catholic is a missionary of the Good News of human dignity redeemed through the cross. While our personal vocation may determine the form and style of our witness, Jesus calls each of us to be a leaven in society, and we will be judged by our actions. No one, least of all someone who exercises leadership in society, can rightfully claim to share fully and practically the Catholic faith and yet act publicly in a way contrary to that faith.
God is always ready to answer our prayers for help with the virtues we need to do His will. First and foremost we need the courage and the honesty to speak the truth about human life, no matter how high the cost to ourselves. The great lie of our age is that we are powerless in the face of the compromises, structures and temptations of mass culture. But we are not powerless. We can make a difference. We belong to the Lord, in Him is our strength, and through His grace, we can change the world. We also need the humility to listen well to both friend and opponent on the abortion issue, learning from each and forgetting ourselves. We need the perseverance to continue the struggle for the protection of human life, no matter what the setbacks, trusting in God and in the ultimate fruitfulness of the task He has called us to. We need the prudence to know when and how to act in the public arena -- and also to recognize and dismiss that fear of acting which postures as prudence itself. And finally we need the great foundation of every apostolic life: faith, hope and charity. Faith not in moral or political abstractions, but in the personal presence of God; hope not in our own ingenuity, but in His goodness and mercy; and love for others, including those who oppose us, rooted in the love God showers down on us.
Scripture calls us to "be doers of the word and not hearers only . . . [for] faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead" (Jas 1:22, 2:17). Jesus Himself directs us to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you . . ." (Mt 28:19-20). Life in Christ is a life of active witness. It demands moral leadership. Each and every person baptized in the truth of the Catholic faith is a member of the "people of life" sent by God to evangelize the world.
No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on innocent human life.
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness"
The words of the Declaration of Independence illuminate the founding principles of the American Republic, principles explicitly grounded in unchanging truths about the human person.
One of those truths is our own essential creatureliness. Virtual reality and genetic science may give us the illusion of power, but we are not gods. We are not our own, or anyone else's, creator. Nor, for our own safety, should we ever seek to be. Even parents, entrusted with a special guardianship over new life, do not "own" their children any more than one adult can own another. And therein lies our only security. No one but the Creator is the sovereign of basic human rights -- beginning with the right to life. We are daughters and sons of the one God who, outside and above us all, grants us the freedom, dignity and rights of personhood which no one else can take away. Only in this context, the context of a Creator who authors our human dignity, do words like "truths" and "self-evident" find their ultimate meaning. Without the assumption that a Creator exists who has ordained certain irrevocable truths about the human person, no rights are "unalienable," and nothing about human dignity is axiomatic.
Finally, democracy is not served by silence. Most Americans would recognize the contradiction in the statement, "While I am personally opposed to slavery or racism or sexism I cannot force my personal view on the rest of society." Real pluralism depends on people of conviction struggling vigorously to advance their beliefs by every ethical and legal means at their disposal.
Scripture calls us to "be doers of the word and not hearers only . . . [for] faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead" (Jas 1:22, 2:17). Jesus Himself directs us to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations . . . teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you . . ." (Mt 28:19-20). Life in Christ is a life of active witness. It demands moral leadership. Each and every person baptized in the truth of the Catholic faith is a member of the "people of life" sent by God to evangelize the world.
No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on innocent human life.
The Gospel of Life must be proclaimed, and human life defended, in all places and all times.
We encourage all citizens, particularly Catholics, to embrace their citizenship not merely as a duty and privilege, but as an opportunity meaningfully to participate in building the culture of life. Every voice matters in the public forum. Every vote counts. Every act of responsible citizenship is an exercise of significant individual power. We must exercise that power in ways that defend human life, especially those of God's children who are unborn, disabled or otherwise vulnerable. We get the public officials we deserve. Their virtue -- or lack thereof -- is a judgment not only on them, but on us. Because of this, we urge our fellow citizens to see beyond party politics, to analyze campaign rhetoric critically, and to choose their political leaders according to principle, not party affiliation or mere self-interest.
Mary, patroness of America, renew in us a love for the beauty and sanctity of the human person from conception to natural death; and as your Son gave His life for us, help us to live our lives serving others. Mother of the Church, Mother of our Savior, open our hearts to the Gospel of life, protect our nation, and make us witnesses to the truth.
Bump
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