Free Republic

Rick Santorum’s Catholic faith is an obvious centerpiece of his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination, and it is rare for him to speak without referencing his religious beliefs. It is also rare, however, to hear him speak about his particular church, St. Catherine of Siena, which he and his family have belonged to for at least a decade. Even his 2005 manifesto on his personal faith and politics, It Takes a Family, did not mention the church. I was curious to learn more about it, so last Friday morning, I attended a 9 a.m. Mass there. St. Catherine is...

57% of Republicans are Protestant and 23% are Catholic, if I read the data at Pew Research correctly. Today, after church (Presbyterian, but thinking about joining an unaffilated church), a group of us older and more conservative men began discussing the lack of enthusiasm among the Republican base for any of the current candidates. One fellow said "I am not Catholic because I do not agree with the Catholic Church's teachings and I am not Mormon because I do not want to be a Mormon". Others generally agreed and said that the candidate's religion mattered a lot. Is the talk...

Former Democratic congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper, a Catholic from Erie, Pennsylvania, cast a crucial vote in favor of Obamacare in 2010. She lost her seat that November in part because of her controversial support of Obamacare. But Dahlkemper said recently that she would have never voted for the health care bill had she known that the Department of Health and Human Services would require all private insurers, including Catholic charities and hospitals, to provide free coverage of contraception, sterilization procedures, and the "week-after" pill "ella" that can induce early abortions.

Ann Coulter's criticism of Rick Santorum for being "more of a Catholic than a Conservative" makes me want to do even more to help people come to understand his positions. ...Coulter's comments help explain why Catholics like me consider ourselves to be 'reluctant Republicans." She was derisive of Rick Santorum's concern for the poor. She mocked his insistence upon the connection between moral, social and economic issues. She was condescending and dismissive of his integrated campaign message. ...Santorum understands that freedom is a good of the human person. Further that he sees that the market economy, as promising as it...

Game On! Rick Santorum Scores Big in the Iowa Caucus in a Stunning 8 Vote Spread By Keith A. Fournier In one of the closest and most dramatic Caucus votes in US history, Senator Rick Santorum shocked the political establishment - and captured the Nations attention - in a stunning come from behind near victory in the Iowa Caucus of 2012...Rick Santorum's speech after the Iowa victory AMES,IA (Catholic Online) - In one of the closest and most dramatic Caucus votes in US history, Senator Rick Santorum shocked the political establishment - and captured the Nations attention - in a...

Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley BALTIMORE, MD, August 17, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Edwin O’Brien, the archbishop of Baltimore, isn’t happy with the Catholic governor of Maryland’s decision to sponsor homosexual “marriage” legislation, but the governor has said that he has no intention of backing down. A July letter from Archbishop Edwin O’Brien to Governor Martin O’Malley, a Democrat, and an August 4 written response by the governor, were both posted on the governor’s blog last Tuesday. In his original letter Archbishop O’Brien challenged Governor O’Malley to act in line with his faith and not to support homosexual “marriage,” suggesting that the...

Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley has rejected an appeal from Baltimore’s Archbishop Edwin O’Brien, who urged him not to promote same-sex marriage out of “mere political expediency.” Responding to a personal letter from the archbishop, O’Malley—who is Catholic—said that he felt a moral obligation to change a law that produces an “unjust result.” Archbishop O’Brien wrote to O’Malley in July, warning him not to endorse a measure “that so deeply conflicts with your faith, not to mention the best interests of our society.” In his reply, the governor said that he has “a public obligation to try to change that injustice.”...

---- ROME, August 4, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Top officials at the Vatican are throwing their support behind pro-life Catholic leaders campaigning against dioceses allowing pro-abortion politicians receive Holy Communion, says one such leader. American Life League President Judie Brown spoke with LifeSiteNews yesterday about her recent trip to Rome, where she spoke with Vatican officials about Communion for pro-abortion politicians and the changing pro-life landscape in America.  Cardinal Raymond Burke told Brown to be “persistent” in her campaign to have Canon 915 enforced, she said. Canon 915 states: “Those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed...

  Home | Previous Page | Source URL: http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2007/jan/07012501.html LifeSiteNews.com Thursday January 25, 2007 First Things' Fr. Neuhaus Criticizes Archbishop Wuerl on Pro-Abortion Politicians Fiasco By John-Henry Westen WASHINGTON, DC, January 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The fallout from the decision of new Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl to remain silent in the face of Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's flagrant abuse of the Catholic Church continues.  On January 22, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette picked up on the LifeSiteNews.com story about statements by Human Life International Leader Fr. Tom Euteneuer and American Life League President Judie Brown criticizing Archbishop Wuerl for...

Rep. Jim Moran, Democrat of Virginia, is angry at Catholic League president Bill Donohue for protesting the anti-Christian video that was removed from the Smithsonian Institution; it was part of a larger art exhibit. What he said about Donohue, as quoted in the Washington Post, went beyond mere criticism. Moran said Donohue "implicitly condoned all the pedophilia that was going on in the church." Donohue responds today: Congressman Moran has been accused of being an anti-Semite by his own Jewish colleagues in the House of Representatives, and he has a track record of bashing the Catholic Church. So it is...

Praying for Miss O’Donnell by Joe HargraveAs I have indicated, I will be happy when dozens of Democrats are swept out of office on Tuesday, and happier still to have played some small part with my vote. Of all the Tea Party challengers, there is one in particular for whom I am praying for victory, and that is Christine O’Donnell. The victory of this outspoken woman who has made no secret of her Christian faith would be icing on the cake as far as I’m concerned. This is all the more true in light of the “Gawker” scandal that has erupted...

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says she believes she must pursue public policies "in keeping with the values" of Jesus Christ, "The Word made Flesh." Pelosi, who is a Catholic and who favors legalized abortion, voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion that was enacted into law in 2003.

Pelosi Says She Has a Duty to Pursue Policies in Keeping With The Values of Jesus, 'The Word Made Flesh' Tuesday, June 01, 2010 By Nicholas Ballasy, Video Reporter (CNSNews.com) -- House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) says she believes she must pursue public policies "in keeping with the values" of Jesus Christ, "The Word made Flesh." Pelosi, who is a Catholic and who favors legalized abortion, voted against the ban on partial-birth abortion that was enacted into law in 2003. At a May 6 Catholic Community Conference on Capitol Hill, the speaker said: “They ask me all the time, ‘What...

Palm Sunday Demonstration at Wash. DC Cathedral Calling on Archbishop Wuerl to Excommunicate Nancy Pelosi 27.03.2010 | Author: PR Newswire | Posted in Legislation, Religion | Press Release Tags: Diana Roccograndi, Team Leader, Insurrecta Nex, District of Columbia PR Newswire WASHINGTON, March 27 Street theater will include Nancy Pelosi impersonator stabbing baby dolls (abortion) and a man dressed up like Archbishop Wuerl serving her communion while her hands are covered with stage blood. Randall Terry Pleads: "D.C. Archbishop Wuerl, please end this scandal; enforce Church Law, and excommunicate Pelosi" WASHINGTON, March 27 // — The following was released today by...

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...

Snips: ....The Vanguard of St. Catherine of Siena,called for the ex-communication of Nancy Pelosi in a demonstration just outside the Vatican. They are also asking Archbishop Wuerl of the Archdiocese of Washington, DC to enforce the Pope´s position on the distribution of Communion to pro-abortion politicians which was communicated in a 2004 letter, "Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion," which he wrote when he was Cardinal Ratzinger. Terry stated, "Nancy Pelosi has betrayed the Catholic faith, fought to shed innocent blood, and repeatedly voted to take money from Americans to pay for the murder of innocent babies......"Meanwhile, Washington DC Archbishop Donald Wuerl,...

CHICAGO - Congressman Bart Stupak's invitation to deliver the keynote speech at next month's Illinois Catholic Prayer Breakfast has been withdrawn. The event's president, Michael Sullivan, says he and other Illinois Catholics felt betrayed when the Michigan Democrat set aside abortion concerns to vote for President Barack Obama's healthcare bill.

By now everyone in San Diego has surely heard of Joe Biden's well-publicized remark to President Obama after the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 3962, The Affordable Health Care for America Act, when Biden turned to embrace Barack and said "This is a big (expletive) deal!" Joe Biden, known for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, is also known as a practicing Catholic - recently seen with a smudge of ash on his forehead from Ash Wednesday. So far Joe Biden, the cussing Catholic, has yet to apologize to the American people, or, as far as we...

"When 94 percent of Catholic House Democrats vote to kill children with your tax dollars .. then something has gone horribly wrong" --Michael Voris.

Same goes for Harry Reid and the President of the LDS, etc. Should we start a petition or what? How can Speaker Nancy Pelosi claim to be a Catholic in good standing? Your suggestions and input would be welcomed.

It is beyond ironic that a Mormon, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, and a Catholic, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, are in charge of passing ObamaCare. If passed, the legislation will federally fund elective abortions in every state. Reid's and Pelosi's respective religions, both of which (at least according to the churches' official doctrines) ardently oppose abortion, are letting them get away with it. Apparently, in this day and age, the powerful are exempt from following God's laws. While having been formed centuries apart and on different continents, the Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter...

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on remarks made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today:Last year, when Nancy Pelosi went to see the pope, she was denied the opportunity to exploit him: photographers were not invited into the room for the typical photo session. Instead, Pope Benedict XVI reminded her of the duties expected of public Catholics. But her determination to play the Catholic card—oh, so selectively—rebounded again when she informed the media that today is the feast of St. Joseph, a special day of prayer for workers, and especially Italians. She apparently stopped short of blessing herself, though she...

Could the Catholic Church Kill Healthcare Reform? Pelosi, a Catholic, Deems The Bill Toward Passage March 16, 2010 They were a major power when the healthcare bill first came up on the House floor, forcing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to allow Michigan Democrat Bart Stupak's amendment explicitly banning use of public funds for abortions, a move that provoked real anger from her liberal base. Now, Catholic bishops are working to torpedo the healthcare reform effort, providing the tipping point against historic reform, with all the implications that has for President Obama's presidency and Democrats' chances of holding the House. Archbishop...

After Bishop Tobin ex-communicated Congressman Patrick Kennedy, the Congressman decided NOT to seek re-election. Perhaps Congressman Kennedy wanted to focus on matters of faith in his personal life, and leave public office. It is unclear if there was direct correlation between the ex-communication of Congressman Patrick Kennedy and his decision NOT to seek re-election. Maybe a new term should be coined to honor Bishop Tobin and the courage he showed in dealing with Congressman Kennedy. Maybe when a Catholic politican is ex-communicated, that politican could be considered to be Tobin-ed in honor of the good Bishop of Providence, Rhode Island....

NEW YORK, February 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Following a period of relative silence since his installation last year, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan eagerly took an opportunity to set forth Church teaching on controversial points, including the forbidding of public honors for pro-abortion politicians, in a recent interview with NY1.  The bishop also asserted that his outspokenness on such issues was simply part of his job as shepherd and teacher of the faith.When NY1 News reporter Roma Torre asked whether a pro-abortion Catholic should be invited to a "Catholic event" such as the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Dolan's...

February 17, 2010 Biden's Forehead Shows Ash Wednesday Mark [Pic in URL] Posted by Brian Montopoli (AP)Vice President Joe Biden appeared at an event marking the one-year anniversary of the economic stimulus package today with a noticeable black smidge on his forehead. For many the mark was immediately recognizable as the ashes given to Catholics on Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. Biden, America's first Catholic vice president, also received ashes, which are meant to symbolize repentance and serve as a reminder of human mortality, last year. On Wednesday morning, President Obama issued a statement commemorating Ash Wednesday, saying...

Fox News analyst Bob Beckel today criticized Vice President Joe Biden for wearing ashes on TV; today is Ash Wednesday and Biden is Catholic. In the middle of a discussion on President Obama’s stimulus plan, Beckel gratuitously said, “Sorry about laughing, but I looked at Joe Biden’s forehead, and I know it is Ash Wednesday, but I’m not sure I would wear that ash on the air. Anyway….” Catholic League president Bill Donohue wasn’t amused: Bob Beckel’s admonishing remark, “I’m not sure I would wear that ash on the air,” makes us wonder whether it is the public display of...

a toast for Bishop Tobin    By Phil Lawler | February 12, 2010 2:13 PM Bishop Thomas Tobin, please stand up and acknowledge a hearty round of applause. For three generations, Catholic bishops had coddled the Kennedy family, shrinking away from any confrontation as the nation's most prominent Catholic political dynasty moved steadily away from Church teachings on a host of critical public issues. Finally last year Bishop Tobin took a firm stand-- and then refused to back down in the face of criticism. His clear pastoral leadership was the single best story of 2009: the most conspicuous of many displays...

Governor of New Jersey Chris Christie Newark, N.J., Jan 19, 2010 / 06:12 pm (CNA).- The morning of his inauguration as governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie (R-N.J.) attended Mass in Newark, New Jersey, “looking at it as an opportunity to begin the day in prayer.”Spokesman for the Archdiocese of Newark Jim Goodness told CNA that there were “close to a thousand people” in the Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart, and that the atmosphere was filled with “reverence” and “happiness.” This is the first inauguration Mass that has taken place at the Cathedral Basilica in Newark.Entering the sanctuary...

In an interview with Newsweek's Eleanor Clift, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi criticized the Church for its position on abortion and gays rights and stated that her Bishop has "tried to change my mind" Pelosi responds to questions about abortion in the health-care bill and her insistence that the original pre-Stupak bill did not fund abortion and says of the Bishops "they are not willing to accept facts." It was reported that you were negotiating with the conference of bishops. I talked to one of the cardinals. I said to him that I believe that what we are doing...

Isn’t it ironic that the more the nation turns “pro-life” and an ever-increasing majority recognizes how bad the monstrous health care plan is the more certain ‘conservative’ or ‘pro-life’ Democrats are caving in on these very issues? These are times that try men’s souls apparently. What sort of moral foundation of principles have you built for yourself when you so loudly declare something about your core beliefs and then so easily betray them exactly when support is building among the people you serve?!? Such historic crossroads as we face now certainly provide a test of all that. Senator Nelson from...

Now put Biden in Nazi Germany. Biden believes Jews are human beings who should be permitted to breathe free air. However, since others in Germany believe that killing Jews is a proper move, he will not stand in their way. He will permit them their right to murder Jews because his ethic must remain private. That is the moral position for Biden to take when living in Germany during Hitler’s slaughterhouse rule.

Patrick Kennedy has a remarkable opportunity. The Democrat, a congressman from Rhode Island and the son of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, is currently embroiled in a scandal of his own making. I'd be delighted to be able to write a profile on his "courage" as it plays out. First of all, contrary to the game of telephone sometimes referred to as journalism, Patrick Kennedy's bishop did not seek to publicly reprimand Kennedy for his vociferous opinions on the Church, abortion and health care. Bishop Tobin of Providence was summoned by Kennedy's public scandal. Tobin has long sought to...

RICHMOND | The governors of Virginia and Maryland, both Catholics, said Tuesday that it would be wrong for the church to suspend or reduce social services in the nation's capital if the District approves gay marriage. Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine and Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley criticized the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington's response to the District's gay marriage proposal during a joint appearance on Washington radio station WTOP. The D.C. Council is expected to approve gay marriage next month. The archdiocese says that unless the proposal is amended to add a religious exemption, its Catholic Charities won't be able to continue...

EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A bitter dispute over abortion that prompted Rhode Island's Roman Catholic bishop to ask Rep. Patrick Kennedy not to receive Holy Communion has revealed the depth of the divide among Catholics over how politicians should reconcile their faith with their public duties.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rep. Patrick Kennedy says Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has barred him from receiving communion because of his support of abortion rights. The Providence Journal reports on its Web site Sunday that Kennedy said in an interview that Tobin issued the order during discussions with the Democratic lawmaker, further escalating a simmering ideological dispute between the two men. Under church rules, Tobin can prevent Kennedy from receiving communion within his diocese, which covers Rhode Island. It’s unclear whether bishops outside Rhode Island will take the same path.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has banned Rep. Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion, the central sacrament of the church, in Rhode Island because of the congressman's support for abortion rights, Kennedy said in a newspaper interview published Sunday.The decision by the outspoken prelate, reported on The Providence Journal's Web site, significantly escalates a bitter dispute between Tobin, an ultra orthodox bishop, and Kennedy, a son of the nation's most famous Roman Catholic family."The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion," Kennedy told the...

Congressman Patrick Kennedy has been barred from receiving Communion by his Bishop in Rhode Island. Bishop Thomas Tobin has barred Patrick, the son of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, because of his position on abortion rights.

...two Catholic candidates won elections this year to state-wide office without compromising their pro-life, pro-family principles. The world didn't end, and once they are in office, they won't conduct witch hunts against those who disagree with them on these issues - but they will use their office to promote these central values, which transcend any one religion or political party. Catholics aren't pro-life and pro-family, after all, only because the Church tells them to be so, but rather, they are encouraged to hold true to these commonsense principles because of the witness and encouragement of their Catholic faith. You read...

When the House narrowly passed its health care reform bill on Saturday night, it received 219 votes from Democrats and one from a Republican. I mentioned already that I was at the hospital with my daughter when it passed so I was passing time following reporters and pundits on Twitter. Many of them expressed shock — or at least surprise — that any Republican would support the bill. And when it was revealed that the lone vote came from Louisiana Rep. Joseph Cao, people referred to him mostly in that “oh yeah, he’s the guy who beat the corrupt William...

Among those Catholics in public life who openly defy the clear teaching of the Catholic Church concerning the inviolable dignity of every human life from conception to natural death is Representative Patrick Kennedy. The son of the late Senator Edward “Ted” Kennedy, he represents Rhode Island’s First Congressional District in the United States House of Representatives. We bring to our readers the full text of a letter which Congressman Kennedy received from his Bishop, Thomas J. Tobin. This letter was in response to Kennedy's public defiance against the truth revealed in the Natural Law, confirmed by science, affirmed in Scripture...

A Call to Catholics Don't let abortion politics stand in the way of affordable coverage for all. By Kathleen Kennedy Townsend | Newsweek Nov 6, 2009 Nearly 50 years ago, President Kennedy delivered his famous "Catholic" speech in which he stated, "Whatever issue may come before me as president—on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling, or any other subject—I will make my decision in accordance with these views, in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressure or dictates. And no power or threat of punishment could cause me to...

The Lesson of Bob McDonnellby Charlie SpieringA week before the election, Virginia candidate for governor Bob McDonnell was asked in a radio interview if he would veto state funding for Planned Parenthood.“We shouldn't be doing that (funding Planned Parenthood) in Virginia,” answered O’Donnell. “That's common sense I think, and that will be part of what we get done.”Pro-choice activists were furious and quick to condemn his remarks. To them it was one more reason why McDonnell was “out of step and out of touch with voters.” But McDonnell, with his common sense approach to politics, proved that you can still...

Emily's List spends millions of dollars supporting the campaigns of pro-abortion rights women. They advocate for complete and unrestricted access to abortion. EMILY's List boasts that they are the largest political action committee (PAC) with more than 100,000 members. Since its founding in 1985, EMILY's List has raised over $240 million and claims to have helped elect 80 pro-choice Democratic women to the U.S. House, 15 to the U.S. Senate, and nine women Governors to state houses. Pro-abortion women candidates benefit greatly when landing an endorsement from Emily's List. For the 2007-2008 election cycle, Emily's List raised $43 million to...

On Tuesday, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell appeared on the Laura Ingraham Radio Show and, to the delight of many pro-lifers, took a definitive stand on banning taxpayer funding of Planned Parenthood. For many, such as Virginians For Life, such a public stand from McDonnell was essential and urged him for some time to make a public pledge. Remember

Virginia Democrats are highlighting this video of GOP gubernatorial nominee Bob McDonnell from a rally-the-base speech earlier today at Jerry Falwell's Liberty University in Lynchburg. McDonnell's promise to be a champion for traditional marriage and anti-abortion stalwart comes on the morning following the final debate of the governor's race Tuesday night -- a debate where the Republican said that, if elected, his focus would be on issues such as jobs, transportation and energy. Pressed about his opposition to abortion at the debate, McDonnell was far less expansive than in front of the evangelical students at Liberty. And, it should be...

Archbishop Donald Wuerl talks with Chief Justice John Roberts after the Red Mass Washington D.C., Oct 5, 2009 / 10:40 am (CNA).- One day before the opening of the Supreme Court's next term, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, issued a plea for the rights of the unborn at the 56th Annual "Red Mass," celebrated yesterday at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle in Washington D.C. The Mass was attended by six Supreme Court justices.The Mass is an initiative of the John Carroll Society, a group of Catholic legal professionals, and has been held at the cathedral since...

Fronting the pews at this morning's Red Mass in DC's St Matthew's Cathedral: the nation's First Catholic -- Vice-President Joe Biden -- joined by six Supreme Court Justices, including the bench's Chief John Roberts and newest member Sonia Sotomayor, both likewise of the fold. While the fulltext has yet to emerge, the wire's running a snip from the day's visiting preacher: The specialized, formal knowledge of the law "frequently becomes semi-mechanical, even distancing," [Cardinal Daniel] DiNardo [of Galveston-Houston] told the congregation. "The law and lawyers are around because justice among human beings will always be an issue." "Even sophisticated,...

<p>The tug-of-war over Ted Kennedy's soul seems to be eternal.</p> <p>"It is not possible to be a practicing Catholic and to conduct oneself in this manner," said Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, whom the pope transferred to Rome in 2008 after Burke's often-stormy tenure as archbishop of St. Louis.</p>

According to this post at USA Today’s Faith & Reason blog, that could be the depressing reality following the interim appointment of Paul Kirk to fill the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, until a special election is held next January. Kirk was appointed yesterday by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and was sworn into the Senate today by Vice President Joe Biden.  But as USA Today notes, while Kirk is Catholic (in fact, he’s the grandnephew of Cardinal William O’Connell, who served as Archbishop of Boston from 1907-1944), Kirk also has a...