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CNN's Whitfield on Notre Dame Scandal: Have Catholics 'Evolved' on the Moral Issues?
NewsBusters.org ^ | 5/18/2009 | Matthew Balan

Posted on 05/18/2009 3:34:05 PM PDT by Pyro7480

Minutes after she praised President Obama for his “courageous” decision to accept the invitation to speak at Notre Dame, CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield played the role of liberal advocate for the president’s commencement address, grilling one Catholic guest who questioned the university’s decision, while going easy on her other guest who was happy to see Obama speak there. Just as MSNBC’s Norah O’Donnell had done on May 14, Whitfield equivocated between the issues of abortion and the death penalty, along with war, in her question to Raymond Arroyo of the Catholic television network EWTN: “So does the death penalty fall into that and also wars...does that fall into that as well?”

Later, when Arroyo brought up how the Catholic teaching on abortion wouldn’t change, even if most of the Notre Dame graduates agreed with the decision to bring the president to campus, the CNN anchor replied, “Well, might it suggest something else, that perhaps the Catholic majority has evolved in its opinion of certain things....Perhaps, it means that there’s a greater understanding in some of the areas that you say...once upon a time there wasn’t.” [Due to the large amount of transcript, the entire text of both segments of the two segments can be read here. Audio clips from both segments are available here.]

...When the EWTN news director answered that the controversy was largely over the awarding of the honorary law degree, Whitfield shot back, “But the university -- in fact, the president -- Reverend Jenkins said every president that’s been invited to -- to deliver the commencement speech always gets an honorary degree. This would be quite the slap or an aside if they were to invite the president....and not granted an honorary degree.”

(Excerpt) Read more at newsbusters.org ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; News/Current Events; US: Indiana
KEYWORDS: catholic; cnn; notredame; obama
Yeah, leftists must think that conservatives and faithful Catholics have yet to "evolve."
1 posted on 05/18/2009 3:34:06 PM PDT by Pyro7480
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To: Pyro7480
Now Catholics need to evolve into accepting the truth of The Da Vinci Code.
2 posted on 05/18/2009 3:40:15 PM PDT by windsorknot
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To: Pyro7480
Yeah, leftists must think that conservatives and faithful Catholics have yet to "evolve."

More likely its that Catholics haven't "devolved". Even wild animals know enough to protect their young.

Well that's it then. The higher level animals protect their young. The lower level animals (fishes and some reptiles) leave their young to fend for themselves.

So I would estimate that modern liberals have devolved to the approximate level of reptiles.

3 posted on 05/18/2009 3:44:49 PM PDT by oldbrowser (This is not an administration, it's a crime syndicate.)
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To: Pyro7480

They want nothing more than to believe that those who are pro-life don’t care about people after they are born. That is the only way leftists can paint themselves as the empathetic ones.


4 posted on 05/18/2009 3:44:52 PM PDT by Soothesayer (The United States of America Rest in Peace November 4 2008)
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To: oldbrowser

I wouldn’t insult reptiles in that way. Liberals are undead ghouls.


5 posted on 05/18/2009 3:45:49 PM PDT by Soothesayer (The United States of America Rest in Peace November 4 2008)
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To: Pyro7480

Catholics don’t evolve in that way they become heretics.


6 posted on 05/18/2009 3:47:42 PM PDT by Stentor (The Criminal Obama Administration.)
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To: Pyro7480

Martin is talking about dialogue with the aborts as a way to reach common ground. He’s pretty much mouthing Obama’s line.

There is not common ground. Abortion is not negotiable. We already work to provide counseling and adoption and support for mothers through various charities.

The BIG unspoken reason for the mass of abortions is that abortion is used for birth control. Remember, abortion proponents used the argument that abortions were necessary for instances of rape or incest.

As of the late 90’s, 45% of abortions were used for birth control and the rate of repeat abortions year over year to the same women increased.

How can we communicate the Church’s position that all life is sacred when abortion is used merely as a tool to fix a plumbing problem or a plug in the line?

There can be no meeting, no halfway since our position is abortion is evil.

If there is to be a discussion, why did Obama immediately rescind the order to unfund abortions worldwide, and to rescind the conscience clause.

The man is definitely speaking with a split tongue.


7 posted on 05/18/2009 3:49:23 PM PDT by OpusatFR (Those embryos are little humans in progress. Using them for profit is slavery.)
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To: Pyro7480
Whitfield equivocated between the issues of abortion and the death penalty, along with war, in her question to Raymond Arroyo of the Catholic television network EWTN: “So does the death penalty fall into that and also wars...does that fall into that as well?”


Maybe the Pope can answer the question for this ignorant CNN reporter. Here is what Cardinal Ratzinger he had to say in June 2004 just a little while before becoming Pope:


“Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion.

While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment.

There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.

8 posted on 05/18/2009 3:54:08 PM PDT by Chesterbelloc
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To: Chesterbelloc

It never ceases to amaze me that liberal moonbats can somehow find equivalence between an innocent babe in the womb and the likes of Charles Manson, Richard Allen Davis and Ramon Salcedo.


9 posted on 05/18/2009 3:58:08 PM PDT by Right Cal Gal (Abraham Lincoln would have let Berkeley leave the Union without a fight)
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To: Pyro7480

Ya, it’s time ‘progressive’ Catholics got that stupid God guy up to speed.


10 posted on 05/18/2009 4:04:04 PM PDT by Carl LaFong (Experts say experts should be ignored.)
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To: oldbrowser

I guess they haven’t “progressed” to accept the fact that killing human life isn’t murder. It’s, oh, i don’t know, getting rid of an inconvience. It’s probably also a “green” thing.


11 posted on 05/18/2009 4:13:06 PM PDT by CaptRon (Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead)
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To: Chesterbelloc
Maybe the Pope can answer the question for this ignorant CNN reporter. Here is what Cardinal Ratzinger he had to say in June 2004 just a little while before becoming Pope:
“Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion.

While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment.

There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.”
Awesome Pope you have there.
12 posted on 05/18/2009 6:07:26 PM PDT by sionnsar ((Iran Azadi | 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | "Also sprach Telethustra" - NonValueAdded)
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To: CaptRon
It’s probably also a “green” thing.

Not yet.

13 posted on 05/18/2009 6:09:15 PM PDT by sionnsar ((Iran Azadi | 5yst3m 0wn3d - it's N0t Y0ur5 (SONY) | "Also sprach Telethustra" - NonValueAdded)
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To: Pyro7480

Evolved? Away from our Divine Lord Jesus? Nope. Some pseudo-Catholics just devolved into filthy unfaithful loud-mouthed apostates.


14 posted on 05/18/2009 6:11:45 PM PDT by Enoughofthissocialism
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