Posted on 03/15/2010 10:35:24 AM PDT by julieee
Catholic Bishops Urge No Vote on Senate Health Care Bill Over Abortion Funding
Washington, DC -- In an updated action alert millions of Catholics received this weekend, the nations Catholic bishops restated their opposition to the Senate health care bill over abortion. With the House considering the bill this week and procedural maneuvers to approve it, their opposition could become a deciding factor.
http://www.LifeNews.com/nat6118.html
(Excerpt) Read more at LifeNews.com ...
the most mealy-mouthed and unclear statement the Church has yet written.
And it should have been done more weeks ago, not last Wednesday. Hardly any parishes from coast-to-coast included this in their bulletins.
Inexcusable incompetence for an organization that seeks to protect the most innocent of life.
I am a Roman Catholic.
Arlington diocese, Bishop Paul Loverde, declared today a day of prayer and fasting for the prolife position to prevail in the healthcare legislation. We heard it from several different church pulpits this past weekend. Washington CATHOLIC IN NAME ONLY pols in suburban VA pews will have heard it as well.
I don’t think the Church should speak on any specific bill. This just plays into our enemies hands.
Many days late and millions of dollars short.
Not one word of this in my Church bulletin or from our pulpit yesterday.
If the vote comes before next Sunday most Catholics will never hear this objection in time.
Sounds fair enough to me (and I don’t go to an RC church) to point out morally unacceptable provisions of law.
One of the announcements yesterday was that our Bishop (Loverde) requested that today be a day of prayer & fasting to stop this.
So if Congress takes out the abortion issue Catholic bishops, including mine, would be all for this. We constantly hear from our priests and bishop that we should recognize healthcare as a basic human right.
Certainly teach on morality - the sanctity of life in this case. But not take a position on a specific bill. Politicizing the Church is what the Left tries to accomplish.
I realize it is a fine line, but it's an important one IMHO.
So Nancy will do what they tell her?
Incorrect. Suggest you read the USCCB statement and revise your comment.
The stated beef is with a provision in the bill.
You have not sat in a pew with me. Each weak the priest or bishop prays for universal healthcare- a “basic human right.” These are exact words. Take out abortion and my bishop would be ecstatic.
Dear CatholicVote Subscriber,
This is it.
The 12-month debate over healthcare reform has reached the final days.
Over the last 48 hours, your CatholicVote team has been working tirelessly to block this pro-abortion legislation.
Make no mistake, we oppose this bill for many reasons, and have written on them in the past. But the issue of life has galvanized pro-life Democrats and likely will determine the ultimate fate of this legislation.
Meanwhile, groups like Catholics United and even the Catholic Health Association are publicly urging members of Congress to pass the pro-abortion legislation!
That’s right. The largest association of Catholic hospitals has released a letter telling undecided members of Congress to vote yes.
We have been in direct contact with Bishops across the United States and remain hopeful that the USCCB will make clear once again that the Church opposes this legislation if it is not fixed.
Denver’s Archbishop Chaput has released his own column saying today: “Groups, trade associations and publications describing themselves as “Catholic” or “pro-life” that endorse the Senate version – whatever their intentions – are doing a serious disservice to the nation and to the Church…”
His Excellency makes clear that the Catholic Bishops DO NOT support the pro-abortion Senate bill.
Finally, our efforts to preserve the pro-life coalition of Democrats led by Bart Stupak continues.
Our radio ad urging Rep. Kildee, a Catholic, not to support the Senate bill has been running non-stop for days. With your help, we will continue to run this ad urging him to hold the line.
And speaking of holding the line…
We produced a short video to make you smile, and inspire you to keep the pressure on those members who are wavering.
Check it out at www.StandWithStupak.com
And if you like it, please send it around to a few people. Tell them to take action by calling the phone numbers listed on the page.
Keep praying.
Brian
If a church is indeed a church in Christ they will speak on any and every bill with moral clarity to spiritually lead a people. If the Roman church spoke clearly on the matter it we would be much better nation ie - "...any and every congressman or senator who votes for any bill funding, requiring or abating the killing of the unborn will be publicly excommunicated and anathema to the church and that includes you madam chairman Pelozi."
With time they could even state for the record - "Socialism is an abhorrent form of forced theft and forbidden by the 8th commandment(or 9th depending upon enumeration scheme) of God. The ten commandments are eternally in force and applicable to the civil magistrates and well as the individual. "
It is the shaming of Christians into silence that has already played into the enemy's hands.
It's not the Roman church. And I disagree on politicizing the Church. It helps those who wish to split it apart.
No big deal when you can join or quit a church whose members vote the same; we can't - it's one Church.
Posted on Monday, March 15, 2010 12:02:09 PM by topher
WASHINGTON — A group representing Catholic hospitals Saturday rallied behind President Barack Obama's health care bill ahead of a House vote in which anti-abortion lawmakers could play a decisive role.
The chief executive of the Catholic Health Association, Carol Keehan, wrote on the group's Web site that although the legislation isn't perfect, it represents a "major first step" toward covering all Americans and would make "great improvements" for millions of people. The more than 600 Catholic hospitals across the country do not provide abortions as a matter of conscience.
Tell me that the Catholic Church is not totally un-united about this bill. They cannot seem to get together and put out ONE MESSAGE - that any legislation that allows/supports/condones abortion is a piece of legislation to be stopped. That is the stand they should take, but there are so many weak leaders in the church and its affiliates.
So the Bishops disapprove of the current HC bill, and put out a very weak statement...and then the Catholic Health Assoc. approves the bill, etc. It is so confusing for the Catholics in this country why these clergy and administration cannot just follow the true Catholic beliefs and take a strong stand against the bill until it does not include permitted/govt. subsidized abortion. I guess they are afraid of losing govt. funding at the hospitals.
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