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Posted on 03/26/2010 4:08:54 PM PDT by wagglebee
MADISON, Wisconsin, March 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Neither Catholic nuns nor Nancy Pelosi speaks for the Catholic Church, says the Catholic Bishop of Madison, who had choice words in his latest column for the Catholic Health Association for spreading confusion about the Church’s position on health care reform and right to life issues.
“I cannot pass over the actions of the Catholic Health Association and an organization called Network, a lobby of American religious Sisters, who said, quite publicly, that what the bishops have taught is false,” said Bishop Robert Morlino in a Thursday column for the Madison Diocese’s Catholic Herald.
“They said that the legislation does provide an adequate framework for a Catholic to follow his or her conscience about abortion. So, we had a trade organization — the Catholic Health Association — which calls itself ‘Catholic’ and we had religious Sisters who call themselves Catholic, saying, ‘Sorry, bishops, you got it wrong, here is the teaching of the Church.’”
But the bishops, Morlino said, were “clear” that the Senate healthcare bill passed by the House – even with the Executive Order – failed both Catholics and those who adhere to the natural law. He explained that God only tasked bishops – not female religious or even priests – with the responsibility to “teach, sanctify, and govern” the Church.
He mentioned that in addition to the right-to-life violations in the Senate bill, the bishops had a serious problem with its lack of stringent conscience protections, and its restrictions on immigrants seeking to buy health insurance. The law mandates that legal immigrants wait five years before they can purchase insurance, and also forbids illegal immigrants from purchasing insurance even with their own money – a situation the bishops said was profoundly unjust.
“In so many cases, in this legislation, individual freedom goes right down the tubes,” said the Wisconsin prelate. “The legislation is very inadequate with regard to abortion, it is very inadequate with regard to conscience protection, and it’s very inadequate with regard to care for immigrants. That is why Catholic legislators and others of good will, who understood this bill, were bound to oppose it.”
“The bishops were very clear on this and it seemed that there were some Catholics, including some Catholic Democrats who were going to stand up — even in the face of almost unbearable pressure — for the Truth, for the protection of every human being. Clearly, that did not turn out to be the case,” wrote Morlino.
He added that at this critical juncture an attempt was made to confuse by “some Catholics and some people who seemed to be of good will,” but whom he said were confused in thinking that the Executive Order from President Obama would actually protect the right to life. He also added ominously, however, that these same groups may have been “hoping that the fog of confusion would conceal their real intent.”
“And, of course, people like Speaker Pelosi could not do enough to wave the letter from the Catholic Health Association and the letter from Network to provide cover for Democratic legislators who wanted to waffle in protecting innocent human life,” said Morlino.
“Speaker Pelosi is not called by Jesus Christ to lead the Catholic faithful, any more than the religious Sisters in Network are, any more than the leadership of the Catholic Health Association is,” Morlino declared.
The open defiance of Catholic groups against the teaching authority of the US bishops, Morlino added, did “very serious harm” to the Church, because such groups made people wonder who actually has the authority to speak for Christ’s Church, and made the bishops’ teaching role seem like just like another opinion.
“If we go down this road, the teaching authority of the bishops will be further eroded and with it, the authority of Christ’s Church.”
Read Bishop Robert C. Morlino’s column in full here.
Read related coverage by LifeSiteNews.com:
WH Spokesman Admits Abortion Exec. Order Merely "Reiterates" Law
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10032506.html
Stupak Slams Pro-Lifers, Defends Planned Parenthood
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10032410.html
Planned Parenthood Dismisses 'Symbolic' Executive Order, Declares Health Care Victory
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10032311.html
List: Bishops, Nuns, Organizations Supporting/Opposing Senate Health Care Bill
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2010/mar/10032317.html
The Bishop nailed it here!
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It seems that the task of being “soldiers of Christ” has finally become more of an issue to many of us.
This is very good news.
The first time Nancy Pelosi is refused the Eucharist at a Roman Catholic Church will be a newsworthy event.
Thanks, Bishop Morlino.
Should have said “Just another dufus who thinks it is OK to rob from the productive and give to those who do not deserve it via legalized thievery. “
Are you talking about Pelosi or Bishop Morlino?
How is is socialist to say that people should be allowed to buy insurance with their own money?
There probably will be, but that's not what the Bishop said.
Furthermore, why should an Illegal Alien be allowed to purchase health care in the US?
I would rather have them purchase insurance than be treated for free. Hospitals are barred from turning ANYONE away in an emergency.
Shouldn't they be deported?
Yes. However, the dirty little secret is that we have killed over 50 million Americans in the last 37 years and that created a NEED for immigrant workers. This need has diminished in the past two years and so has the invasion of illegal aliens, but they will return as the economy recovers. End the abortion holocaust and the market for illegal aliens will end in a generation.
We serve our fellow man best by serving God first. We honor our nation best by living our Catholic faith honestly and vigorously, and bringing it without apology into the public square and its debates. We're citizens of heaven first, Americans second and Democrats and Republicans a distant third. But just as God so loved the world that he sent his only son, so the glory and irony of the Christian life is this: The more faithfully we love God, the more truly we serve the world, our country and our party.
Those groups are misguided in their disregard or trivialization of the murder of millions of innocents for political expediency or a quid pro quo from an elected leader. All political leaders draw their authority from God. We owe no leader any submission or cooperation in the pursuit of grave evil.
In fact, we have the duty to oppose and change bad laws and resist grave evil in our public life, both by our words and our non-violent actions. The truest respect we can show to civil authority is the witness of our Catholic faith and our moral convictions, without excuses or apologies.
Sadly we didn’t get that from the Methodists.
Sounds good to me.
yeah but what took him sooooo long that’s my question he should have been on this from the very beginning
monday morning quarterbacking is no good
I was looking forward to a picture of Pelosi impaled on her gavel with huge nails.
I agree a d disagree with this letter. Yes, the Bishops have the teaching authority on matters of DOCTRINE. Health care for immigrants is not Catholic Doctrine. National Health care at all is not Catolic Doctrine. The Bishops got in bed with Cesar and now they are surprised that there is CONFUSION among Catholics? The should have NEVER abdicated the role of the CHURCH to take care of the poor and sick and homeless. The abdicated our role instituted by Christ and are trying to “teach” Catholics that these are the goverment’s job. They are wrong. The sisters are WAY wrong and nothing but sin, dead unborn, bankruptcy and chaos will be the result of their greed, pride and folly.
Terrific observation here. You are very close to recognizing an important distinction.
Catholic social teaching is outlined in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Be patient and let me split hairs with you for a minute. The issue of "doctrine" than you raise might be more appropriately called "dogma".
The Compendium outlines church teaching in terms of doctrine but not dogma. Think dogma is being the teaching concerning the Holy Trinity. There is not much room for argument there. However, in terms of social teaching, the "doctrine" is a series of stated goals consistent with Biblical teaching of Christ. HOW one accomplishes those goals may be argued. The methods is where we may come into disagreement. The same would not be true concerning the Holy Trinity.
Your observation is a very good one and, with this clarification, I suggest this is one of the reasons why there is confusion on church teaching in this regard.
Terrific observation here. You are very close to recognizing an important distinction.
Catholic social teaching is outlined in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
Be patient and let me split hairs with you for a minute. The issue of "doctrine" than you raise might be more appropriately called "dogma".
The Compendium outlines church teaching in terms of doctrine but not dogma. Think dogma is being the teaching concerning the Holy Trinity. There is not much room for argument there. However, in terms of social teaching, the "doctrine" is a series of stated goals consistent with Biblical teaching of Christ. HOW one accomplishes those goals may be argued. The methods is where we may come into disagreement. The same would not be true concerning the Holy Trinity.
Your observation is a very good one and, with this clarification, I suggest this is one of the reasons why there is confusion on church teaching in this regard.
Sorry for the double post. Either my ‘puter or FR is having a problem. I don’t know which.
Has even one bishop so much as hand-signaled the word subsidiarity, let alone explained what it means?
See my tagline.
That is so true...She really should be excommunicated...
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"It is the duty of every patriot to protect his country from its government"
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--George Washington
you are the dufus
It won't be eroded if the Bishops start acting serious about their pronouncements. When we see some continually defiant Catholic legislators being publicly excommunicated, then we'll KNOW the Bishops actually meant what they said.
btw, I’ve had at least one letter to the editor published at: www.madisoncatholicherald.org even though I’m from another state. The last one was about the health care bill.
Just mentioning it in case anyone else want to send a letter to the editor to them, as well as their own diocese newspapers. There are many Catholics, Protestants, et al, who are uninformed which is why I write letters to both secular and religious newspapers.
I am not a Catholic, but it seems to me that one chooses a faith one needs to understand the clear lines of authority in that church and its faith stands .
Right now I am more catholic than she is..
She needs to feel the sting of church discipline as do those that sought to speak for the church
The unwillingness of American Catholic bishops to hold apostate and heretical politicians accountable is a huge problem.
It is a problem in all the churches not just the Catholic ones
However, Catholic bishops have the authority to excommunicate apostates, Protestant churches typically do not.
The problem that you have with Bishop Morlino as to whether he supports Socialism or not should never be asked of the Church, in other words, we should never look to Christianity for a political experience. The Bible is very clear that Christians should support their government no matter what country they are from or happen to live. Bishop Morlino’s point is that this health care bill is very bad from a thelogical point of view in that it is harmful to a Catholic practicioners salvation over issues of conscience among other things.
Presbyterians and Baptists can and do remove membership .
From individual churches or from the denomination altogether?
I believe I’ve read that the PCA and OPC excommunicates. I know that there are some provisions for excommunication with Episcopalians and Lutherans, but I don’t think they actually do it, I have a feeling that the PCUSA falls into the same category. I am unfamiliar with the procedure with the SBC.
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