Archbishop Chaput weighs in against "Obama Catholics"--and for...?
Tuesday May 20, 2008
Denver's Archbishop Charles Chaput combines an intellectual's depth with the doughty persona of a politicker, which is what he used to be--he worked for the RFK campaign and later, even as a priest, was a campaign volunteer for Jimmy Carter....
Filed Under: casting stones
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About Benedictions: The Pope in America
The last update to the Benedictions blog was in April 2008. We welcome your comments about the Pope and Catholicism in general in our http://community.beliefnet.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=140”>Catholic forums.
David Gibson is an award-winning religion writer who specializes in writing about the Catholic Church, which he joined as a convert at the age of 30. He is the author The Rule of Benedict: Pope Benedict XVI and His Battle with the Modern World. He also wrote The Coming Catholic Church: How the Faithful are Shaping a New American Catholicism. He has written about Catholicism for leading newspapers and magazines, including the New York Times, Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, New York magazine, Boston magazine, Fortune, Commonweal, and America. Gibson worked in Rome for Vatican Radio for several years and traveled frequently with Pope John Paul II. He later covered religion for The Star-Ledger of New Jersey. He has co-written several recent documentaries on Christianity for CNN. For further information check out his website at dgibson.com.
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I don't agree with, "One more thing: The archbishop is pretty well saying you can't be Catholic and support Obama (although he carefully qualifies that at the end)." Doug Kmiec and other Catholic Obama supporters have reached the conclusion that they can, in good conscience, explain their actions. Maybe the archbishop does not think he could...that's fine, although I wonder whether he can, in good conscience, say he supported the actions of the Bush administration for the past 8 years. Was torture a faith-based initiative? Can an unjustifiable war be supported in good conscience? Those and a host of other issues must also be faced.
I would go one step farther, and say that no practicing Catholic can vote for any Democrat because of the anti-life, amoral platform of the Party. Gme2 is a victim of the Democrat propaganda wars. Attacks against terrorists on their home ground that prevent attacks on our nation is justifiable. Suicide is neither a good conscience nor a moral option. Interrogation that saves the lives of our military personnel against an enemy with no conscience is justifiable. The terrorists are engaged in perpetual warfare – not our President. If Democrats do not have the will to exert the necessary force to prevail against terrorists, they surely deserve to be slaves. Those willing to do what is necessary to prevail deserve the freedoms they preserve. Negotiation, appeasement, and treason are synonyms.
I believe that your vote is your own. But he hs a point, you have to look yourself in mirror in the morning. You have to be able to justify your opinion and your vote. I don't believe in torture, but there as not been any attacks against us in this countrysince 9-11. As to the war being unjustifiable I do believe that the chemical weapons use a the villages in the northern Iraq could be WMD. They kill alot of poeple don't they? Or do we not remember the photos by the AP? But to get to the point all I think he's saying is to your own self be true.
God's truth is perfect. Human conscience is too easily rationalized.
I don't think that the issue of political partisanship is necessarily clerical or lay partisanship. It's fully appropriate for a clergyman or a layperson to publish opinion articles in a Catholic publication. Yet I'm very much against mixing politics and the pulpit. It's appropriate to present Church teaching and let a layperson exercise her own reason and conscience. Exhortations and apologetics do not require political examples for effectiveness. Evaluating politicians, even indirectly, only insults the intelligence and reason of laypersons. Also, consistent political activism might divide parishes into "conservative churches", "liberal churches" etc. All Catholics should be comfortable worshiping in any form of liturgy or any parish without feeling pressured by activism of any sort.
In a two party system, criticism of one presidential candidate will inevitably favor his opponent, however, that should not curb the free speech rights of the Archbishop. Archbishop Chaput has a longstanding reputation for clear, unabashed moral leadership, so if he should remain silent while the single most pro-abortion candidate ever to seek the Presidency, Barack Obama is running, his silence might be construed as consent.
Barack Obama was THE ONLY senator who voted "present" when the "Born Alive Infant Protection" act was passed 99 to 1. Even NARAL darling, Hillary Clinton voted to let late term viable infants born during abortions live. When a similar bill was in the Illinois Senate, Obama killed it in committee. This firmly puts Barack Obama firmly on the side of the Culture of Death.
THE only issue which is non-negotiable for Catholics is abortion, which is NEVER justified. Thus, the Archbishop is merely reiterating Catholic doctrine when he reminds the faithful that they can't support Obama for president.
Those who wish to obfiscate the issue by bringing up the war in Iraq or the death penalty merely display their ignorance of Catholic teaching.
So they wont give communion to an Obama supporter but they will give it to pedophiles in their own mist?
Are not all religions bassed on faith???
Is not faith a guarantee of absolutely nothing to absolutely no one,akin to wishful thinking,and hope???