Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

A bishop’s unjust attack on Paul Ryan
Washington Post ^ | 04/23/2012 | Marc A. Thiessen

Posted on 04/24/2012 4:15:56 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

President Obama attacked Rep. Paul Ryan’s budget as “nothing but thinly veiled Social Darwinism.” That is not surprising. What is surprising is that the chairman of a major committee of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops launched a similar scathing attack against Ryan, a faithful Catholic who says his budget work is informed and guided by the social teaching of the Church.

Using Obama’s campaign rhetoric, Bishop Stephen Blaire, chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development, recently wrote to Congress declaring that Ryan’s budget “fails to meet [the Church’s] moral criteria” because it does not require “shared sacrifice,” which Blaire [like Obama] defines as tax increases and cuts to “unnecessary” defense spending. Some of the proposed spending cuts in Ryan’s budget, Blaire said, are “unjust and wrong.”

Blaire has it backward. What is “unjust and wrong” is this bishop’s attack on a good Catholic layman.

Put aside for a moment the fact that “shared sacrifice” appears nowhere in the catechism of the Catholic Church. It is a reelection slogan for the Democratic Party. Put aside, as well, the fact that the bishop of Stockton, Calif., has near-zero competence to judge what military spending is necessary or unnecessary. The fact is Ryan’s budget does not cut spending at all — it simply slows the growth of spending. As Ryan explained in an interview on the Catholic Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN), “our budget increases annual spending by 3 percent a year instead of the president’s proposal to go to 4 ½ percent a year.”

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Philosophy
KEYWORDS: bishop; budget; catholic; paulryan
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-26 last
To: SeekAndFind
“fails to meet [the Church’s] moral criteria” because it does not require “shared sacrifice,”

They are SOOOOOOOO leading this Church towards schism.

You can't embrace Socialism and then whine and stamp your feet when the Socialists inevitably decree that you must pay to put your people on the pill.

21 posted on 04/24/2012 6:32:04 AM PDT by Buckeye McFrog
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Machavelli
I agree.

IMO, the tacit ceding of welfare programs to gov’t by Religion, especially Christians, has seen a loss of religious influence in society, to our detriment.

Government is incapable of “fairness”, as it is amoral, at best. It blindly supports evil as well as good. Only the “church” has (had?) the tools & incentive to affect the poor in a positive, lasting way.

22 posted on 04/24/2012 6:35:44 AM PDT by Mister Da (The mark of a wise man is not what he knows, but what he knows he doesn't know!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: icwhatudo

How embarrassing for a committee chair to be covered as though he were a spokesman for the greater Church, when he is but another Catholic socialist picked to facilitate a committee, but with a microphone. Such a bias for socialism would never be approved by the USCCB as a signature statement.

I would expect fall out coming in time even though he made press time. Demoralizing for rank and file Catholics, but not entirely unexpected given the powers and principalities always at work in the Church.


23 posted on 04/24/2012 6:47:55 AM PDT by RitaOK (LET 'ER RIP, NEWT. Newt IS Galt. (& Always has been.) 1144 isn't hear, yet!!!!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 3 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind

Caesar=Caesar.....God=god!


24 posted on 04/24/2012 7:21:04 AM PDT by Don Corleone ("Oil the gun..eat the cannoli. Take it to the Mattress.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
“fails to meet [the Church’s] moral criteria”

Why do bishops rail against men like Paul Ryan, but say nothing about the "failure of moral criteria" by others like Pelosi, the Kennedys, Sebelius, etc., etc. who are clearly pro-abortion?

There are things about the Catholic Church that just grind my gears!

25 posted on 04/24/2012 7:25:23 AM PDT by FamiliarFace
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: SeekAndFind
Dear Bishop Stephen Blaire,

“Shared Sacrifice” is simply lipstick for the pig, that is Marxism.
Obama’s policies prove this, by the fact that they have only resulted in more poor people.
Stealing more from the job creators will only increase the rate of growth among the poor, as fewer jobs and opportunities will be available, and the governments ability to “help” the poor is abysmal!
Paul Ryan's plan SHARES the growth and prosperity, by motivating job creation and providing the poor and underemployed with a path to self sufficiency.
The world needs more “Shared Opportunity”, NOT more government handouts, aimed at maintaining a dependent class!

26 posted on 04/24/2012 10:22:09 AM PDT by G Larry (Criminals thrive on the indulgence of society's understanding)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-26 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
News/Activism
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson