CNN's Roland Martin Misstates Catholic Teaching in Defending Obama

RenewAmerica ^ | April 1, 2009 | Michael M. Bates

[Titanites]

CNN's Roland Martin is hosting Campbell Brown: No Bias, No Bull for the next eight weeks. On Monday's program, Martin clearly demonstrated he's going to have trouble living up to the program's title.

The subject was the Notre Dame-Barack Obama controversy. Martin argued with the Catholic League's William Donohue that inviting the adamantly pro-abortion Obama to the school and awarding him an honorary degree is no different from Notre Dame's 2001 treatment of former President George W. Bush, who supports capital punishment:

And one of the critical issues when it came to Bush speaking in 2001, death penalty. I have heard Pope Benedict, as well as Pope John Paul II talk about the death penalty, and they rank it just right up there with abortion.

Minutes later, Martin said:

Well, again, though, I like how you talk about the abortion piece. But, again, Catholics are just as vigilant when it comes to the death penalty.



And so all I'm saying is, if it's good for one, it should be good for the other.

Are abortion and capital punishment morally equivalent in the eyes of the Catholic Church? Paragraph 2267 of the Church's Catechism begins:

The traditional teaching of the Church does not exclude, presupposing full ascertainment of the identity and responsibility of the offender, recourse to the death penalty, when this is the only practicable way to defend the lives of human beings effectively against the aggressor.

Paragraph 2271 discusses abortion and says in pertinent part:

Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion.



This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable.



Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law. . .

Martin claims he's "heard Pope Benedict, as well as Pope John Paul II talk about the death penalty, and they rank it just right up there with abortion."

Not according to Pope Benedict XVI. As Cardinal Ratzinger, he wrote:

Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities. . . to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible. . . to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about. . . applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.

In defending Notre Dame's invitation and awarding of an honorary degree to Obama, Roland Martin distorted the Church's teachings.

Martin started the program by saying:

But, look, I'm not going to bother with the silly notion of who's a liberal or a conservative on this show. I voted for Obama and also for George H.W. Bush, Republicans and Democrats. On some issues, I might be called a liberal, on others, a conservative.



I judge people based on the issues and refuse to be pigeonholed and wedded to the ridiculous notion of ideology. Our goal on this show is very simple. That is to speak the truth to the power, no matter the party or the person.

Wow, he actually voted for the first President Bush. But that was over 20 years ago. If Roland is, as he claims, conservative on some issues, he's gone out of his way not to show it.

My experience is that public personalities who eschew what they disdainfully call labels are invariably liberals. Conservatives don't have a problem admitting their perspective. For them, ideology is hardly "a ridiculous notion."

Roland Martin's hosting of the program may require amending the show's title. How does All Bias, All Bull sound?

© Michael M. Bates

[murron]

I am so tired of abortion being equated with the death penalty by the left. What makes me angrier is our side constantly playing defense in this regard. When a pro-lifer is asked what their opinion of the death penalty is, we should not answer and try to explain the difference. We should turn the tables and ask an anti-death penalty person why do they favor abortion, and how can they justify their position of wanting a murderer to live, but not the innocent baby in the womb to die? Let them play defense for once.

[HighlyOpinionated]

I used to think Roland Martin had some sense. Now I see that he’s ‘cents less’ and I’ll be avoiding his screed.

[Lib-Lickers 2]

he’s come a long way since guiding on the Santee Cooper.. oh wait...

[Titanites]

Transcript of the discussion:

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(MUSIC)

R. MARTIN: Familiar song, huh? That's Notre Dame's fight song, a huge part of a school steeped in tradition, especially Catholic tradition.

Tonight, we ask, does President Barack Obama have a Catholic problem? The new president is booked as Notre Dame's commencement speaker this May, but he's not wanted by some. The issue, should the nation's preeminent Catholic university welcome a president whose record on abortion and stem cell research conflicts with church teaching?

Joining me now is William Donahue, president of the Catholic League, and the Reverend Jim Martin, a Jesuit priest who is culture editor of "America" magazine, a weekly Catholic publication.

Now, Bill, look, exit polls show that the Notre Dame community voted overwhelmingly for Barack Obama. We also saw that Catholics nationwide by a 10-point margin voted for Obama. So, who's out of step here? Is it some Catholics or is it Notre Dame recognizing Catholics are supporting this president?

WILLIAM DONAHUE, PRESIDENT, CATHOLIC LEAGUE: Well, Bush actually won the practicing Catholic vote. And it was about a five-point split on the others -- 80 percent who voted for it on the economy.

(CROSSTALK)

DONAHUE: But, look, the bishops put out a statement in 2004 saying any person who's going to get an award or get a platform at a Catholic institution shouldn't be in contrary to some of its major teachings.

Now, abortion, like racism, is intrinsically evil. Liberal Catholics would be against a racist getting an award. They're not against giving an award to somebody who is pro-abortion. And that's a shame on them.

R. MARTIN: Jim, I think he's talking to you. He's talking about liberal Catholics.

(CROSSTALK)

REV. JIM MARTIN, CULTURE EDITOR, "AMERICA": Yes.

I want to say I'm pro-life, like a lot of liberal Catholics. But I think that they're clearly not honoring Barack Obama for his positions on abortion. They're honoring for being the president of the United States. And I think it's very appropriate to honor the president of the United States.

Catholics didn't have trouble when people like Dick Cheney would speak at universities and other political figures. So, I do think that abortion is the preeminent sort of problem in the Catholic Church in terms of its issues, but I don't think it's the only issue that we should be looking at.

R. MARTIN: Well, here's the deal here, Bill. You have had Presidents Eisenhower, Carter, Reagan, Bush, both Bushes, the father and the son, all have spoken at Notre Dame.

And one of the critical issues when it came to Bush speaking in 2001, death penalty. I have heard Pope Benedict, as well as Pope John Paul II talk about the death penalty, and they rank it just right up there with abortion.

But you flew on Air Force One with the president. So, explain to me how you can sit here and criticize when it comes to Obama and abortion, but you were there on the death penalty when the Catholic Church is dead set against that.

DONAHUE: The Catholic Church doesn't regard the death penalty as intrinsically evil. It's presumptively opposed to it. It does leave the door open. It's not the exact same thing.

Obama not only is in favor of partial-birth abortion. He was critical of the Supreme Court on this issue. When he was in the Illinois State Senate, he said, a baby born alive as the result of a botched abortion, no health care for that kid. He found an exception to his universal health care.

This guy is off of the charts, 100 percent record with NARAL. Planned Parenthood loved this man. If this man doesn't disqualify himself at a Catholic institution, nobody does.

R. MARTIN: Jim, is Bill dancing around the issue? Because Obama, when he was in the state senate, he voted to get rid of the death penalty, supported Governor Jim Ryan then?

So, what about this whole notion of, well, death penalty is little bit different than abortion?

J. MARTIN: Bill never dances around any issues. I think that's important to say.

No, I think death penalty is just as important a life issue. I think a lot of Catholics say that abortion is really the only issue. But, death penalty, let's face it, is a life issue, too.

So, I think it's inconsistent to say that you can have someone who's against abortion, but you cannot have someone who is against the death penalty. You really have to be consistent with these things.

R. MARTIN: Bill, don't you really think the Catholic Church, though, has a problem in terms of when its members have embraced this president in terms of at the polls, where all of a sudden, you're saying, hey, he should not come to Notre Dame?

DONAHUE: Look, I do think he belongs at Notre Dame to give a speech, to be on a symposium, to be a panelist, to be a discussant. I'm all in favor of that.

They're giving him the commencement address, which is divisive to the Catholic community. The ultimate losers are the kids, the parents, and the grandparents on their special day. And not only that. They're giving him an award. So, this is kind of an in-your- face situation.

President Jenkins, I'm sure, is a good man. He made a lousy decision on this.

R. MARTIN: Who is driving this? You think students there or do you think outside forces are driving this whole conversation for the president and Notre Dame?

J. MARTIN: Who's driving the conversation? I think outside forces.

I think Notre Dame, it's traditional, when you give a commencement address, that you get an honorary degree. I think that's part of tradition. And I think, as Father Ted Hesburgh said, the former president of Notre Dame, Barack may not change Notre Dame, but Notre Dame may change Barack. So, that's what I'm hoping.

(LAUGHTER)

(CROSSTALK)

DONAHUE: You have five bishops and one cardinal already against him, all right? There's nobody lining up the other way. You're not going to dialogue with Obama. He's already made up his mind. There's not an abortion he couldn't justify.

R. MARTIN: Well, again, though, I like how you talk about the abortion piece. But, again, Catholics are just as vigilant when it comes to the death penalty.

And so all I'm saying is, if it's good for one, it should be good for the other.

DONAHUE: It's not intrinsically evil, like racism. The liberal Catholics say, I don't want a racist and I don't want somebody who is pro-abortion. They will always say no to the racist getting an award. When it comes to being pro-abortion, they say, let's go with it, buddy.

(CROSSTALK)

R. MARTIN: But life is life.

Bill Donahue, I certainly appreciate it.

Jim Martin, thank you so very much.

Thank you very much for a great conversation.

[delacoert]

Bill Clinton pulled off the out and out lie looking America straight in the eye.

It is endemic to liberal morality -- lying for the cause is more morally correct than telling the truth.

[jaydubya2]

Roland Martin certanly is dense. He kept going back to the death penalty after the Catholic position was explained several times...

[Straight Vermonter]

I judge people based on the issues and refuse to be pigeonholed and wedded to the ridiculous notion of ideology.

I laugh every time I read a statement like this. These people actually think it is laudable to have no values.

[maryz]

lying for the cause is more morally correct than telling the truth

I've long been convinced that, for the Left, "truth" has no meaning -- it's just not an applicable category. I don't know whether it's because they think truth is unknowable or that there's no such thing, but their only relevant categories are "expedient" and "inexpedient" -- to the Leftist cause, that is!

[philly-d-kidder]

12000 have died from the Death penalty!
56 Million have died From Abortion excluding Contraception!

[vetvetdoug]

I thought Roland Martin was a Bass Pro.....

[newbie 10-21-00]

SOOOOOOOOON!! Must be 25 pounds

[fkabuckeyesrule]

Roland Martin is an idiot. I change the chennel immediately if he’s on. He’s just a Rev. Wright apostle. Pathetic.