Posted on 01/20/2009 6:05:07 AM PST by NYer
From The Catholic Key, the text of a letter written last week by Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the USCCB, but not readily available until now:
I am writing today on a matter that could introduce significant negative and divisive factors into our national life, at a time when we need to come together to address the serious challenges facing our people. I expect that some want you to take executive action soon to reverse current policies against government-sponsored destruction of unborn human life. I urge you to consider that this could be a terrible mistake -- morally, politically, and in terms of advancing the solidarity and well-being of our nation's people.During the campaign, you promised as President to represent all the people and respect everyone's moral and religious viewpoints. You also made several statements about abortion. On one occasion, when asked at what point a baby has human rights, you answered in effect that you do not have a definite answer. And you spoke often about a need to reduce abortions.
The Catholic Church teaches that each human being, at every moment of biological development from conception to natural death, has an inherent and fundamental right to life. We are committed not only to reducing abortion, but to making it unthinkable as an answer to unintended pregnancy. At the same time, I think your remarks provide a basis for common ground. Uncertainty as to when human rights begin provides no basis for compelling others to violate their conviction that these rights exist from the beginning. After all, those people may be right. And if the goal is to reduce abortions, that will not be achieved by involving the government in expanding and promoting abortions.
Do read the entire letter, which addresses issues including the Mexico City Policy and embryonic stem cell research.
On a related note, The Tuscon Citizen has a piece about how some young Catholics are taking an open-minded approach to the new President and his potential policies regarding abortion, over against the uncompromising "black-and-white chatterboxes" (including their parents) who think abortion is bad, period:
Penned by a 20-something graduate theology student at Catholic University of America, the letter challenges Obama to live up to his statement in the third presidential debate that there is common ground on which people from both sides of the abortion issue could gather.
Well, thank goodness for the innate talent of youth to spot contradictory reasoning! Has anyone else noticed any disparity between candidate Obama's statements and politician Obama's positions? Anyone at all? (I mean to say, anyone other than "black-and-white chatterboxes," ahem.) Good grief. Well, I confess I'd not been aware that youth had an innate talent for spotting contradictory reasoning, perhaps because I, sadly, didn't have a lot of that talent when I was young. And now I'm worried: if that talent in innate in youth, and I'm no longer a youth, is there any hope for me?
The article concludes:
Yet, there is middle ground, and it is the place where, according to the latest polls, 54 percent of Americans would prefer to stand. It isn't a perfect place and is too gray for the black-and-white chatterboxes because the starting point is legal, but somewhat restricted, abortion rights.
The young man in Tucson and the millions more like him who supported Obama's candidacy think talking with the opposition instead of demonizing it might just point the way to that middle ground and change how our society deals with the tragedy of more than 1 million abortions annually.
Oh my, where to begin? Some quick questions:
And so forth...
Ping!
BUMP!!
There is no “middle ground” between life and death. I thought this was common knowledge. Apparently not.
Loyal practicing Catholics will be motivated when the bishops stop socializing with the “Catholic” politicians like Kerry, Biden, Kennedy, Leahy, Pelosi etc. etc.
A parishioner who wants to sneak in a Latin Mass will be excommunicated, but “Catholic” politicians who advocate and fund unrestricted abortions will be seen at St. Patricks Day and Al Smith dinners yukking it up with the bishops.
Hypocrisy.
This is one of the irony of the Catholic Bishops/Cardinals.
President Bush who was one of the most Pro Life Presidents has never got any recognition from the USCCB.
However, all of the Catholic Abortion Politicians are welcomed openly and enjoy greater access and support by the USCCB.
Just watch when Teddy Kennedy passes on from his BRAIN CANCER all of the CATHOLIC BISHOPS AND CARDINALS come forward to honor and praise this old abortionist Catholic Politician!!!!
Having been young myself, I conclude that they are repeating the crap fed them by TA’s not much older then them, or by priests whose own theology is flawed.
The church prays for every dead Catholic. This is one occasion that would call for charity.
Prayer is one thing. I think the poster was pointing out the probable adulation a public and influential Catholic is going to recieve even though he was WAY into baby butchery. I think the Church really messed up when it decided how it would treat those that think baby butchery is cool. They should have been treated like cannibals or satanists, folks who you just wouldn’t associate with lightly or with pleasure until they changed their odious ways. Treating a penchant for helping babies be slaughtered as one of many small foibles masks the true horror of baby butchery.
Freegards
I absolutely agree that the Church in America should have excommuinicated pro-abort politicians a long time ago. There are signs things are changing, and not a moment too soon.
Yeah, perhaps it’s getting better what with the new Pope. I think one of the biggest impediments to the bishops starting to use public discipline to teach what the Church believes about baby butchery is the precedent set so far. If the bishops do something different in how they treat pro-baby butchery Catholics, they will look very incompetent in that they should have been using discipline in this matter all along. I’m not sure that many bishops are willing to look incompetent.
Freegards
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