Washington D.C., Mar 27, 2010 / 07:28 am (CNA).- Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards has praised the Catholic religious sisters who endorsed the Senate health care bill, claiming they deserve gratitude for making “a critical demonstration of support” for a bill that significantly increased coverage of “reproductive health care.”
Writing for the Huffington Post Wednesday in her capacity as president of the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Richards claimed that it was Catholic nuns who “most importantly broke with the bishops and the Vatican to announce their support for health care reform.”
“This brave and important move, demonstrating that they cared as much about the health care of families in America as they did about church hierarchy, was a critical demonstration of support.”
The group NETWORK claimed in a March 17 letter to the House of Representatives that it represented 59,000 women religious across the U.S. It urged members of Congress to support the bill.
Their statement was uncritically reported by the Associated Press. White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and others working to pass the legislation invoked the sisters’ endorsement for support.
On March 18 U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) spokeswoman Sr. Mary Ann Walsh said NETWORK “grossly overstated” their numbers.
“The letter had 55 signatories, some individuals, some groups of three to five persons. One endorser signed twice,” she added. “There are 793 religious communities in the United States,” Sr. Walsh said.
Another group of women religious, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), issued a statement saying it represented 10,000 sisters and supported the U.S. bishops’ criticisms of the Senate health care bill.
In her Huffington Post essay, Richards said in the last days of the debate over the health care bill, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and the USCCB “threatened to bring down health care completely over their narrow demands.”
“Bart Stupak may not ask the nuns for advice, as he recently announced to the press, but maybe next time she should,” Richards jabbed.
She praised Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) for fighting against an “abortion ban” in the House Energy and Commerce Committee Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) gathered 41 signatures of members who pledged to vote against any final bill with the “Stupak ban.”
“These women stood in the way of plenty of men in Congress who were ready to cut a deal, whether with Bart Stupak or the National Conference of Catholic Bishops,” she continued.
Richards said Planned Parenthood was “committed” to changing the “egregious” Nelson language in the bill that President Obama signed into law on Tuesday. She claimed the bill unjustly treats abortion coverage differently than all other health care.
However, she also said the bill was a “huge victory for women’s reproductive health” because it significantly increased insurance coverage of “reproductive health care, including family planning.”
“Reproductive health care” and “women’s rights” are euphemisms common among abortion advocates.
Richards, the daughter of former Democratic Texas governor Ann Richards, noted that some in Congress opposed her agenda.
“The simple and discouraging truth is that we have an anti-choice House of Representatives,” she claimed.
She lamented that 64 Democrats voted in favor of the Stupak Amendment and that there are “too many” Republicans and Democrats in Congress opposed to “women’s rights.”
“We need more than health care; we need women and men elected to office who will stand up for our health and our rights, even when it's hard. So here's to the women leaders in Congress -- and to the nuns -- and to the women everywhere who were counting on them. They need our gratitude and our support,” Richards’ Huffington Post essay concluded.
This can be found at. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/planned_parenthood_head_thanks_religious_sisters_for_critical_support_of_health_care_bill/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicnewsagency%2Fdailynews+%28CNA+Daily+News%29
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Monday, March 22, 2010
We Stood with Stupak: He Didn't Stand for Life.
By Jennifer Hartline
3/22/2010
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Is there anyone who will simply stand for LIFE, period, no matter the cost, no matter the fallout, no matter the sweet deal they're offered? Is there anyone who will not compromise?
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - I have had some time to recover from what occurred on Sunday evening, but I still feel sick to my stomach. I always knew there was a chance that Bart Stupak would change his vote for some reason other than securing his amendment, but I honestly thought he would hold his ground and not waver in his defense of unborn children. Senator Nelson's betrayal last year was very upsetting, but this... this is just so painful.
The trouble is, we citizens have no choice but to believe in our politicians. We must risk trusting them to be true to their word, to their principles, to the promises they've made. You and I cannot walk down to the front of that Chamber and cast a vote, so we must rally behind our Reps and Senators and ask everyone who shares our values to do the same. "Stand with Stupak!" we cried. "Let him know we're with him and we appreciate all he's doing!" He's the only thing left standing between life and federally-funded death right now! And so, it seemed, he was.
Does this make us fools now? Well, it sure makes me feel a little foolish, but I realize this morning that I did what I had to do, and what I will do again when there's a candidate who says he will stand up for the unborn. We have no choice but to take the chance, knowing there's always the possibility that we will be betrayed. Again, you and I cannot cast a legislative vote. Our votes come later.
What happened Sunday night sure felt like betrayal. Not with a kiss, but with a slap across the face and a knife to the heart. I never expected Stupak to do what he did, especially not at the very.last.minute. It makes absolutely no sense to me that he would put his faith in an order that almost everyone else agrees isn't worth the paper it's printed on (particularly given the man who signed it.) Executive Orders cannot trump statutory law. Surely Stupak knows this. Surely he understands how easily the order can be rescinded and challenged in court. He must understand all that because every one of his colleagues does.
So, what gives? I wondered if it went something like this: Stupak began to realize that Pelosi would have the votes she needed without him and his group and the bill would pass for sure. He scrambled to find some way of mitigating the damage, lessening the power of the Senate language, putting up some kind of sandbag against the tide. An Executive Order requiring Hyde be upheld... it was the last-ditch effort and he went for it. A somewhat noble scenario, I suppose, but I still would rather have had him just stick to voting NO.
Then I watched as the vote happened, and I saw that the final count was only 219. Stupak and his group made a difference, alright. In the wrong direction! The noble scenario I imagined went right out the window. The final blow came when I watched him on CSPAN as the Republicans put forth the Motion to Recommit. Stupak stood up and turned on his pro-life Republican colleagues in a way that left my jaw in my lap. He called the motion an attempt to politicize unborn life rather than protect it. He said it was Democrats who have stood up for the protection of unborn children, Democrats who have stood up for the principle of life, and he slammed his friends on the other side for attempting to derail the health care bill yet again.
He looked and sounded like a true party - line Democrat; no longer a champion of the voiceless and powerless and innocent. Just a politician who had made a deal. It was crushing to watch. Gone was the smiling, steady, principled man I've been watching all these months, and there instead was a man who seemed very defensive, angry, and defiant.
Once again, someone we trusted has let us down. And once again, cynicism and resentment grows where optimism and hope once lived. I wonder if there really is anyone left in Washington who has honor and will not relinquish it for the right deal. Is there anyone who will simply stand for LIFE, period, no matter the cost, no matter the fallout, no matter the sweet deal they're offered? When it's not politically expedient to do so, is there anyone who will not compromise?
It's good to remember that the only man who ever lived that way was our Savior. In Him, there is honor without compromise; in Him there is no risk of betrayal; in Him there is steadfast hope; in Him, there is LIFE.
In each of us, is the possibility of Judas. I know for certain I have betrayed Him over and over. I know for certain I have broken the trust of people who love me and believed in me. I know I have caused others to regret having supported me in some way.
It just seems like Judas is alive and well everywhere in Washington. It seems he shows himself every day, with every deal that's made. Sunday night, however, was a truly heartbreaking appearance, with devastating consequences. And we, the electorate have very significant choices to make in the future. When next we have the opportunity to vote, we must start voting more carefully and more bravely.
But we also must risk trusting again. We have to believe, again and again, that those we send to that awesome Chamber will find the courage to be true. We will surely be let down again. But cynicism will be a greater threat to our cause than Judas. We can be sorrowful and even rightfully angry, but we will have to take a chance again on someone who says, "I'll stand and fight with you." We'll have to rally ourselves again, lend our support again, then watch with guarded hope to see what happens.
And when our hopes are dashed once more, we have to simply start all over again. Dust off the cynicism and resentment, and remember that He who sits on the throne is still in control. "We trust in the name of the Lord our God." "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him."
I'm not sorry I stood with Stupak. I'm sorry he didn't stand for Life.
This can be found at. http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=35889&wf=rsscol
3/22/2010
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Is there anyone who will simply stand for LIFE, period, no matter the cost, no matter the fallout, no matter the sweet deal they're offered? Is there anyone who will not compromise?
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) - I have had some time to recover from what occurred on Sunday evening, but I still feel sick to my stomach. I always knew there was a chance that Bart Stupak would change his vote for some reason other than securing his amendment, but I honestly thought he would hold his ground and not waver in his defense of unborn children. Senator Nelson's betrayal last year was very upsetting, but this... this is just so painful.
The trouble is, we citizens have no choice but to believe in our politicians. We must risk trusting them to be true to their word, to their principles, to the promises they've made. You and I cannot walk down to the front of that Chamber and cast a vote, so we must rally behind our Reps and Senators and ask everyone who shares our values to do the same. "Stand with Stupak!" we cried. "Let him know we're with him and we appreciate all he's doing!" He's the only thing left standing between life and federally-funded death right now! And so, it seemed, he was.
Does this make us fools now? Well, it sure makes me feel a little foolish, but I realize this morning that I did what I had to do, and what I will do again when there's a candidate who says he will stand up for the unborn. We have no choice but to take the chance, knowing there's always the possibility that we will be betrayed. Again, you and I cannot cast a legislative vote. Our votes come later.
What happened Sunday night sure felt like betrayal. Not with a kiss, but with a slap across the face and a knife to the heart. I never expected Stupak to do what he did, especially not at the very.last.minute. It makes absolutely no sense to me that he would put his faith in an order that almost everyone else agrees isn't worth the paper it's printed on (particularly given the man who signed it.) Executive Orders cannot trump statutory law. Surely Stupak knows this. Surely he understands how easily the order can be rescinded and challenged in court. He must understand all that because every one of his colleagues does.
So, what gives? I wondered if it went something like this: Stupak began to realize that Pelosi would have the votes she needed without him and his group and the bill would pass for sure. He scrambled to find some way of mitigating the damage, lessening the power of the Senate language, putting up some kind of sandbag against the tide. An Executive Order requiring Hyde be upheld... it was the last-ditch effort and he went for it. A somewhat noble scenario, I suppose, but I still would rather have had him just stick to voting NO.
Then I watched as the vote happened, and I saw that the final count was only 219. Stupak and his group made a difference, alright. In the wrong direction! The noble scenario I imagined went right out the window. The final blow came when I watched him on CSPAN as the Republicans put forth the Motion to Recommit. Stupak stood up and turned on his pro-life Republican colleagues in a way that left my jaw in my lap. He called the motion an attempt to politicize unborn life rather than protect it. He said it was Democrats who have stood up for the protection of unborn children, Democrats who have stood up for the principle of life, and he slammed his friends on the other side for attempting to derail the health care bill yet again.
He looked and sounded like a true party - line Democrat; no longer a champion of the voiceless and powerless and innocent. Just a politician who had made a deal. It was crushing to watch. Gone was the smiling, steady, principled man I've been watching all these months, and there instead was a man who seemed very defensive, angry, and defiant.
Once again, someone we trusted has let us down. And once again, cynicism and resentment grows where optimism and hope once lived. I wonder if there really is anyone left in Washington who has honor and will not relinquish it for the right deal. Is there anyone who will simply stand for LIFE, period, no matter the cost, no matter the fallout, no matter the sweet deal they're offered? When it's not politically expedient to do so, is there anyone who will not compromise?
It's good to remember that the only man who ever lived that way was our Savior. In Him, there is honor without compromise; in Him there is no risk of betrayal; in Him there is steadfast hope; in Him, there is LIFE.
In each of us, is the possibility of Judas. I know for certain I have betrayed Him over and over. I know for certain I have broken the trust of people who love me and believed in me. I know I have caused others to regret having supported me in some way.
It just seems like Judas is alive and well everywhere in Washington. It seems he shows himself every day, with every deal that's made. Sunday night, however, was a truly heartbreaking appearance, with devastating consequences. And we, the electorate have very significant choices to make in the future. When next we have the opportunity to vote, we must start voting more carefully and more bravely.
But we also must risk trusting again. We have to believe, again and again, that those we send to that awesome Chamber will find the courage to be true. We will surely be let down again. But cynicism will be a greater threat to our cause than Judas. We can be sorrowful and even rightfully angry, but we will have to take a chance again on someone who says, "I'll stand and fight with you." We'll have to rally ourselves again, lend our support again, then watch with guarded hope to see what happens.
And when our hopes are dashed once more, we have to simply start all over again. Dust off the cynicism and resentment, and remember that He who sits on the throne is still in control. "We trust in the name of the Lord our God." "We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him."
I'm not sorry I stood with Stupak. I'm sorry he didn't stand for Life.
This can be found at. http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=35889&wf=rsscol
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Planned Parenthood distributes sexually explicit brochures at Girl Scout meeting
New York City, N.Y., Mar 14, 2010 / 05:47 pm (CNA).- Early this week, the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts hosted a panel in which Planned Parenthood was allowed to distribute brochures containing sexually explicit material to the young girls. The panel served as part of the annual U.N. Commission on the Status of Women (CSW).
According to the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), the brochures titled, “Happy, Healthy and Hot,” are aimed at young people with HIV and give graphic details on sex, encouraging a casual approach to sexual experimentation. The brightly colored pamphlets feature silhouettes of young people and state, “Many people think sex is just about vaginal or anal intercourse… But, there are lots of different ways to have sex and lots of different types of sex. There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself!”
The pamphlet continues by encouraging adolescents to “Improve your sex life by getting to know your own body. Play with yourself! Masturbation is a great way to find out more about your body and what you find sexually stimulating. Mix things up by using different kinds of touch from very soft to hard. Talk about or act out your fantasies. Talk dirty to (your sexual partner).”
C-FAM also reports that the CSW event also held a young women's caucus that was co-moderated by the Girl Scouts and the YMCA. Part of the caucus included an “Intergenerational conversation” that addressed “reproductive health” as well as a recent Girl Scout project aimed “at securing the right of women, men and adolescents aged between ten and twenty-five, to better reproductive and sexual health.”
Several leaders of U.N. organizations also released a joint statement at the CSW this week called the “U.N. Adolescent Girls Task Force” which encourages U.N. agencies to support initiatives “that empower … adolescent girls, particularly those aged 10 to 14 years.” One aspect of this “empowerment” is providing these young girls with “life-skills based sexuality education, HIV prevention, and sexual and reproductive health.”
According to C-FAM's Friday Fax, Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women of America argued that Planned Parenthood’s initiatives are motivated with the intent of increasing their revenue. “Governments and NGOs should be aware of Planned Parenthood’s insidious plan to work with U.N. agencies and girls’ organizations in order to profit from encouraging kids to be sexually active,” Wright stated.
This can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/planned_parenthood_distributes_sexually_explicit_brochures_at_girl_scout_meeting/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicnewsagency%2Fdailynews+%28CNA+Daily+News%29
According to the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute (C-FAM), the brochures titled, “Happy, Healthy and Hot,” are aimed at young people with HIV and give graphic details on sex, encouraging a casual approach to sexual experimentation. The brightly colored pamphlets feature silhouettes of young people and state, “Many people think sex is just about vaginal or anal intercourse… But, there are lots of different ways to have sex and lots of different types of sex. There is no right or wrong way to have sex. Just have fun, explore and be yourself!”
The pamphlet continues by encouraging adolescents to “Improve your sex life by getting to know your own body. Play with yourself! Masturbation is a great way to find out more about your body and what you find sexually stimulating. Mix things up by using different kinds of touch from very soft to hard. Talk about or act out your fantasies. Talk dirty to (your sexual partner).”
C-FAM also reports that the CSW event also held a young women's caucus that was co-moderated by the Girl Scouts and the YMCA. Part of the caucus included an “Intergenerational conversation” that addressed “reproductive health” as well as a recent Girl Scout project aimed “at securing the right of women, men and adolescents aged between ten and twenty-five, to better reproductive and sexual health.”
Several leaders of U.N. organizations also released a joint statement at the CSW this week called the “U.N. Adolescent Girls Task Force” which encourages U.N. agencies to support initiatives “that empower … adolescent girls, particularly those aged 10 to 14 years.” One aspect of this “empowerment” is providing these young girls with “life-skills based sexuality education, HIV prevention, and sexual and reproductive health.”
According to C-FAM's Friday Fax, Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women of America argued that Planned Parenthood’s initiatives are motivated with the intent of increasing their revenue. “Governments and NGOs should be aware of Planned Parenthood’s insidious plan to work with U.N. agencies and girls’ organizations in order to profit from encouraging kids to be sexually active,” Wright stated.
This can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/planned_parenthood_distributes_sexually_explicit_brochures_at_girl_scout_meeting/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicnewsagency%2Fdailynews+%28CNA+Daily+News%29
Friday, March 12, 2010
What are Dems saying
in an article found at http://ow.ly/1irMs we see the following quote.
"What are Democratic leaders saying? “If you pass the Stupak amendment, more children will be born, and therefore it will cost us millions more. That’s one of the arguments I’ve been hearing,” Stupak says. “Money is their hang-up. Is this how we now value life in America? If money is the issue — come on, we can find room in the budget. This is life we’re talking about.”"
"What are Democratic leaders saying? “If you pass the Stupak amendment, more children will be born, and therefore it will cost us millions more. That’s one of the arguments I’ve been hearing,” Stupak says. “Money is their hang-up. Is this how we now value life in America? If money is the issue — come on, we can find room in the budget. This is life we’re talking about.”"
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Archbishop Chaput suggests ‘Dos and Don’ts’ for pro-life advocates
Cleveland, Ohio, Mar 9, 2010 / 10:24 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Calling pro-life advocates and all Christians to courage and virtue, Archbishop of Denver Charles J. Chaput provided a list of “dos and don’ts” for the pro-life movement on Tuesday evening. He urged an end to divisions and false oppositions, encouraging pro-lifers to be joyous and hopeful witnesses through public action and new technologies.
Delivering the keynote speech for Cleveland Right to Life's symposium "Bringing America Back to Life" on March 9, the archbishop said pro-life unity is a sign of God’s Spirit, while division is the sign of “Someone very different.”
“As a bishop, I've been baffled by the energy wasted on internal pro-life bickering. We can never allow our differences to become personal.”
“Don’t create or accept false oppositions,” he added, criticizing efforts to drop the legal fight to end abortion by seeking “common ground.”
In his view, Americans have not taken such gradualist approaches to reducing injustices such as racism or sexual assault.
“We make sexual assault illegal -- even though we know it will sometimes still tragically occur -- because it’s gravely evil. It’s an act of violence, and the law should proscribe it.”
If abortion is really an “intimate act of violence,” an end to it is necessary through law. Pro-lifers cannot be satisfied with “mere ‘reductions’ in the body count,” he continued, adding that a legal approach combined with support for pregnant women is needed.
“Don't hate the adversary,” Archbishop Chaput reminded his audience, saying that few supporters of abortion understand the “full gravity” of the act.
“Our enemy is the Evil One, not other human beings,” he explained. “We need to trust in the power of love; the true power of God.”
As positive advice, he urged his audience to become “martyrs,” that is, witnesses about human dignity in their daily actions.
“But public witness can be costly. We need to be ready to pay a price for our convictions. We may never be asked to bleed for what we believe. But we do see character assassination, contempt and calumny against good people every day in our public media. We need to prepare for that. Nothing, not even our good name, should stop us from doing what we know to be right.”
The Archbishop of Denver likened simplistic political slogans to viruses transmitted so quickly a person cannot respond to them intelligently.
He criticized a common complaint against those who “impose” their morals on others, explaining that all law is the public expression of moral conviction. The central question in public debate is which moral convictions of which people shall guide the laws.
“If you and I as citizens don’t do the shaping, then somebody else will,” he cautioned. “That’s the nature of a democracy.”
Citizens who fail to bring their moral beliefs into the public conversation and work for their advancement help ensure the defeat of those beliefs.
Efforts to wall off religious beliefs from political behavior are illogical and encourage self-deceit, the archbishop warned.
“God sees that our duplicity is really a kind of cowardice; and that our lack of courage does a lot more damage than simply compromising our own integrity. It also undermines the courage of other good people who really do try to publicly witness to what they believe. And that compounds a sin of dishonesty with a sin of injustice.”
“We can’t build a just society, and at the same time legally sanctify the destruction of generations of unborn human life. The rights of the poor and the rights of the unborn child flow from exactly the same human dignity guaranteed by the God who created us.”
“Do keep hope alive,” he continued, explaining that joy is not self-deception but the acknowledgment that God truly is on the side of “human life and dignity.”
“Nothing is more inspiring than happy warriors,” Archbishop Chaput commented. “I've never in my life seen a joy-filled pro-abortion event. And I've always found that instructive.”
He also encouraged the use of the “best means” for the pro-life message, especially new technologies.
“Many of the traditional, mainline media are losing influence. But blogs, social networks, and YouTube channels are thriving. They offer huge pro-life opportunities.”
His final exhortation reiterated that cultural renewal, not grasping power, is the real goal.
“Culture can be changed in small but powerful ways. But achieving that change demands from each of us a lifelong commitment to education; to studying and really understanding the issues that face us in science, medicine, technology and law; to deepening the character formation of our children and ourselves; and ultimately, to personal action and personal witness in the public square. Nobody will do these things for us.”
No defense of the human person, no matter how small, is “unfruitful or forgotten,” he commented. God loves the “ordinary, simple, everyday people” who keep His Word and are faithful to His commandments in leavening the world with goodness.
“If you speak up for the unborn child in this life, someone will speak up for you in the next, when we meet God face to face.”
He closed his comments by quoting an “unofficial motto” of the Texas Rangers: “No man in the wrong can stand up against a fella that’s in the right, and keeps a-comin.”
“Courage and humility, justice and perseverance, do have power. Good does win. And the sanctity of human life will endure,” Archbishop Chaput said.
If people remember that God so loved the world that He gave His only son, he noted, “then the odds look pretty good, and it’s worth fighting for what’s right.”
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/archbishop_chaput_suggests_dos_and_donts_for_pro-life_advocates/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicnewsagency%2Fdailynews+%28CNA+Daily+News%29
Delivering the keynote speech for Cleveland Right to Life's symposium "Bringing America Back to Life" on March 9, the archbishop said pro-life unity is a sign of God’s Spirit, while division is the sign of “Someone very different.”
“As a bishop, I've been baffled by the energy wasted on internal pro-life bickering. We can never allow our differences to become personal.”
“Don’t create or accept false oppositions,” he added, criticizing efforts to drop the legal fight to end abortion by seeking “common ground.”
In his view, Americans have not taken such gradualist approaches to reducing injustices such as racism or sexual assault.
“We make sexual assault illegal -- even though we know it will sometimes still tragically occur -- because it’s gravely evil. It’s an act of violence, and the law should proscribe it.”
If abortion is really an “intimate act of violence,” an end to it is necessary through law. Pro-lifers cannot be satisfied with “mere ‘reductions’ in the body count,” he continued, adding that a legal approach combined with support for pregnant women is needed.
“Don't hate the adversary,” Archbishop Chaput reminded his audience, saying that few supporters of abortion understand the “full gravity” of the act.
“Our enemy is the Evil One, not other human beings,” he explained. “We need to trust in the power of love; the true power of God.”
As positive advice, he urged his audience to become “martyrs,” that is, witnesses about human dignity in their daily actions.
“But public witness can be costly. We need to be ready to pay a price for our convictions. We may never be asked to bleed for what we believe. But we do see character assassination, contempt and calumny against good people every day in our public media. We need to prepare for that. Nothing, not even our good name, should stop us from doing what we know to be right.”
The Archbishop of Denver likened simplistic political slogans to viruses transmitted so quickly a person cannot respond to them intelligently.
He criticized a common complaint against those who “impose” their morals on others, explaining that all law is the public expression of moral conviction. The central question in public debate is which moral convictions of which people shall guide the laws.
“If you and I as citizens don’t do the shaping, then somebody else will,” he cautioned. “That’s the nature of a democracy.”
Citizens who fail to bring their moral beliefs into the public conversation and work for their advancement help ensure the defeat of those beliefs.
Efforts to wall off religious beliefs from political behavior are illogical and encourage self-deceit, the archbishop warned.
“God sees that our duplicity is really a kind of cowardice; and that our lack of courage does a lot more damage than simply compromising our own integrity. It also undermines the courage of other good people who really do try to publicly witness to what they believe. And that compounds a sin of dishonesty with a sin of injustice.”
“We can’t build a just society, and at the same time legally sanctify the destruction of generations of unborn human life. The rights of the poor and the rights of the unborn child flow from exactly the same human dignity guaranteed by the God who created us.”
“Do keep hope alive,” he continued, explaining that joy is not self-deception but the acknowledgment that God truly is on the side of “human life and dignity.”
“Nothing is more inspiring than happy warriors,” Archbishop Chaput commented. “I've never in my life seen a joy-filled pro-abortion event. And I've always found that instructive.”
He also encouraged the use of the “best means” for the pro-life message, especially new technologies.
“Many of the traditional, mainline media are losing influence. But blogs, social networks, and YouTube channels are thriving. They offer huge pro-life opportunities.”
His final exhortation reiterated that cultural renewal, not grasping power, is the real goal.
“Culture can be changed in small but powerful ways. But achieving that change demands from each of us a lifelong commitment to education; to studying and really understanding the issues that face us in science, medicine, technology and law; to deepening the character formation of our children and ourselves; and ultimately, to personal action and personal witness in the public square. Nobody will do these things for us.”
No defense of the human person, no matter how small, is “unfruitful or forgotten,” he commented. God loves the “ordinary, simple, everyday people” who keep His Word and are faithful to His commandments in leavening the world with goodness.
“If you speak up for the unborn child in this life, someone will speak up for you in the next, when we meet God face to face.”
He closed his comments by quoting an “unofficial motto” of the Texas Rangers: “No man in the wrong can stand up against a fella that’s in the right, and keeps a-comin.”
“Courage and humility, justice and perseverance, do have power. Good does win. And the sanctity of human life will endure,” Archbishop Chaput said.
If people remember that God so loved the world that He gave His only son, he noted, “then the odds look pretty good, and it’s worth fighting for what’s right.”
this can be found at: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/archbishop_chaput_suggests_dos_and_donts_for_pro-life_advocates/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+catholicnewsagency%2Fdailynews+%28CNA+Daily+News%29
Monday, March 1, 2010
We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend on material success; nor on sciences that cloud the intellect. Neither does
NEW YORK, NY (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 response was unequivocal.
"Actually, Roma, I don't think we should invite anybody that would take a stance [in favor of] abortion, because this is not a Catholic issue," he replied.
The archbishop later clarified that his answer pertained to giving public honors to such persons.
"In our mind, being opposed to abortion, is a civil rights issue, it's a natural law issue, it's not a Catholic issue," Dolan continued. "We'd be uncomfortable in anybody that would, say, promote a stand that would be for bigotry, or against civil rights, because that's contrary not only to the teaching of the Church but to what we would call civil rights and the natural law."
The archbishop said that a pro-abortion Catholic such as New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo would be "welcome" to a Catholic event - but "there's a difference between everybody being welcome, and providing somebody who is dramatically, radically, publically at odds with the Church on a particularly given issue to have a place of prominence and to receive an award."
When the University of Notre Dame announced last year that the pro-abortion President Obama would offer the commencement address and receive an honorary law degree at the school, the New York archbishop condemned the invitation as a "big mistake."
Dolan, who has earned a reputation for outspokenness promoting Catholic orthodoxy on life and family issues, explained that his goal is not to "look for headlines." It was because of his office as teacher, he said, that he "won't duck the tough issues."
"It's not like I sit down and say: How can I grab some headlines, how can I really cause a splash," Dolan said. "You just try to do your work, and sometimes things get attention. ...
"If people ask me, I feel obliged as a teacher, as the official teacher of the Archdiocese of New York, to try my best to give the Church's wisdom here."
Dolan noted that he was "grateful" that the New York legislature struck down a same-sex "marriage" bill last year. He also affirmed that the St. Patrick's Day Parade should continue disallowing a gay pride banner, which would conflict with the parade's "strong Christian identity."
But, he said, it would be a mistake to understand the Church's stance against such matters as mere naysaying.
Instead, he said: "the Church in a way is one big yes: one big yes to human life, one big yes to anything that advances, lifts up, enlightens, liberates legitimate human identity. We're in the 'yes' business, not the 'no' business.
"So I get frustrated sometimes, when that's interpreted as being 'anti-gay,' that's where we kinda cringe," he continued, "because believe it or not, we get attacked from the other extreme for defending the rights of gays and for the strong Church teaching that every single human being ... is a child of God, deserving of dignity and respect."
Dolan called the late John Cardinal O'Connor of New York, who was outspokenly pro-life, his "hero" - and acknowledged that his office calls for a "prophetic" voice, although he prefers using a persuasive tone when possible.
"There's always a little bit of tension between those two," said Dolan. "But occasions might call that I'll have to be prophetic. I'm sure there's gonna be times ... that I'm gonna have to be a bit of a pitbull. In general, I like to be an Irish Setter."
this can be found at: http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=35609&wf=rsscol
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 response was unequivocal.
"Actually, Roma, I don't think we should invite anybody that would take a stance [in favor of] abortion, because this is not a Catholic issue," he replied.
The archbishop later clarified that his answer pertained to giving public honors to such persons.
"In our mind, being opposed to abortion, is a civil rights issue, it's a natural law issue, it's not a Catholic issue," Dolan continued. "We'd be uncomfortable in anybody that would, say, promote a stand that would be for bigotry, or against civil rights, because that's contrary not only to the teaching of the Church but to what we would call civil rights and the natural law."
The archbishop said that a pro-abortion Catholic such as New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo would be "welcome" to a Catholic event - but "there's a difference between everybody being welcome, and providing somebody who is dramatically, radically, publically at odds with the Church on a particularly given issue to have a place of prominence and to receive an award."
When the University of Notre Dame announced last year that the pro-abortion President Obama would offer the commencement address and receive an honorary law degree at the school, the New York archbishop condemned the invitation as a "big mistake."
Dolan, who has earned a reputation for outspokenness promoting Catholic orthodoxy on life and family issues, explained that his goal is not to "look for headlines." It was because of his office as teacher, he said, that he "won't duck the tough issues."
"It's not like I sit down and say: How can I grab some headlines, how can I really cause a splash," Dolan said. "You just try to do your work, and sometimes things get attention. ...
"If people ask me, I feel obliged as a teacher, as the official teacher of the Archdiocese of New York, to try my best to give the Church's wisdom here."
Dolan noted that he was "grateful" that the New York legislature struck down a same-sex "marriage" bill last year. He also affirmed that the St. Patrick's Day Parade should continue disallowing a gay pride banner, which would conflict with the parade's "strong Christian identity."
But, he said, it would be a mistake to understand the Church's stance against such matters as mere naysaying.
Instead, he said: "the Church in a way is one big yes: one big yes to human life, one big yes to anything that advances, lifts up, enlightens, liberates legitimate human identity. We're in the 'yes' business, not the 'no' business.
"So I get frustrated sometimes, when that's interpreted as being 'anti-gay,' that's where we kinda cringe," he continued, "because believe it or not, we get attacked from the other extreme for defending the rights of gays and for the strong Church teaching that every single human being ... is a child of God, deserving of dignity and respect."
Dolan called the late John Cardinal O'Connor of New York, who was outspokenly pro-life, his "hero" - and acknowledged that his office calls for a "prophetic" voice, although he prefers using a persuasive tone when possible.
"There's always a little bit of tension between those two," said Dolan. "But occasions might call that I'll have to be prophetic. I'm sure there's gonna be times ... that I'm gonna have to be a bit of a pitbull. In general, I like to be an Irish Setter."
this can be found at: http://www.catholic.org/national/national_story.php?id=35609&wf=rsscol
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