The Obama camp’s National Director of Religious Affairs, Joshua DuBois (pictured), has just contacted God-o-Meter with a response to the Catholic League’s attack on its National Catholic Advisory Committee:
Throughout his career, Senator Obama has reached out to people of faith to talk about how we can lift up the ‘least of these’ in our nation and our world. We hope that [Catholic League president] Mr. [Bill] Donahue will focus on what we can accomplish as people of faith and as a nation by coming working together to address the challenges we face rather than making political attacks that divide us further.
It’s also worth noting that the Catholic League’s Donohue seems to be the only prominent Catholic activist who’s gone so far as to publicly attack Obama’s Catholic team as being insufficiently Catholic. Conservative Catholic activist Deal Hudson, former Catholic outreach chair for the Republican National Committee (and guest blogger this week on Casting Stones, Beliefnet’s group political blog) has offered qualified praise for Obama’s Catholic team on his site Inside Catholic:
Whatever kind of advice Obama receives, however, his campaign has put together a list of respected Catholic lay and religious leaders. These are people who collectively encompass the entire network of middle-to- left Catholic institutions and their leadership. They can give the Obama Catholic outreach tremendous heft and credibility in the eyes of elites, especially the media. These are individuals who, regardless of their politics and theology, can make inroads into the Catholic vote….
Several members have strong and recent ties to centers of power in the Catholic Church. Sharon Daly has been described as one of the highest-ranking lay women leaders in the Church, and was for many years vice-president for social policy at Catholic Charities USA. Ron Cruz, listed now as a consultant, was, only last year, director of the USCCB’s Secretariat of Hispanic Affairs.
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posted May 2, 2008 at 4:01 pm
[Sets aside atheism] Apparently, all religions have their crosses to bear. “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” -Matthew 7:1-5 [Picks up atheism and resumes normal operation]
posted May 2, 2008 at 11:03 pm
Catholics don’t even know who these folks are? Respected by who? This list is just another elitist list of dreamers for Obama. We all know who real and faithful Catholics are voting for.
posted May 2, 2008 at 11:09 pm
Oh yeah – why is the Catholic Leagues release labeled an attack? It is the truth. These people dissent from Catholic Teaching. Facts are facts.
Is this a a biased Obama forum?
posted May 3, 2008 at 7:20 pm
I always thought that the Catholic league was a Republican PAC just as Pat Robinson’s group is. Take what ever they say as partisan, bias and very Right Wing. I have yet to meet any Catholics that claim to be a part of this radical group. Most of my Catholic friends happen to be Democrats. Maybe I happen to live in different circles than Bill Donahue.
Clinton and Obama still rate high in my moral standards, McClain still give me doubts. I may not agree with the Democtratic leaders, but at least they are honest about their faith.
posted May 4, 2008 at 7:51 am
Anderson: Define “real Catholic”. Name 3.
posted May 4, 2008 at 12:45 pm
Anderson writes of Obama’s National Catholic Advisory Committee:
Gotta disagree. Catholics don’t know who Pennsylvania Sen. Bob Casey Jr. is? Or Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius? Governor Tim Kaine of Virginia? Are you serious?
So far as respect, even former George W. Bush Catholic outreach advisor Deal Hudson is impressed with the stature of Obama’s Catholic outreach team:
posted May 5, 2008 at 12:27 am
Yes, grassroots Catholics who vote in states other than were those dissenters are, would not know them. Who cares? A list does not make one a good Catholic or one who speaks to Catholics. It is a lame attempt at outreach. Period. Clinton wins Catholics because she speaks to them. She does not have a list. She just talks about the issues important to them. Obama is simply pandering with his list of pompous academics and dissenters.
If they are so impressive, why does Obama continue to lose Catholics right and left?
Please explain. Please don’t play the race card. That is tired and lame.
posted May 9, 2008 at 10:41 am
It’s surprising to think that the murder of unborn babies (a/k/a aborion)should be ignored as a political issue. Catholics who are familiar with the teachings of the Church on this issue should not and must not vote for a candidate who surrounds himself with “Catholics” who are willing to ignore this basic moral teaching.
Many well-known important Protestant leaders and millions of Protesdtant laymen are in complete agreement of the immorality of abortion. Inteerested readers are urged to take a look at Priests For Life.com.