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That's the challenge President Obama laid down. What is the answer? Powerful speech of genuine substance and gracious delivery that put hecklers to shame. Who will take up his challenge? Will any bishops step forward? Or who? Thoughts?
What struck me was the unifing theme: Faith and Reason. Faith and Reason. The mantra of the day. And another Big Catholic's favorite slogan. That would be the Pope.
Other motif: The Fishermen. The civil rights commission--a precedent on abortion policy?
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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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ann, it's great to read such a sensible comment. May God bless your efforts.
Hell no.
"Common effort." In other words, let's concentrate on issues we can all agree on. Thus, Obama was trying to lessen the abortion issue by telling people to focus on other things.
From his point of view, he wouldn't want people talking about abortion because it's currently legal and he doesn't want that to change. It's the pro-life movement that has to talk, has to engage. Obama just said that he wants to focus on other things i.e. he wants no part in the abortion issue - it's case closed for him.
The pro-life movement would do well to read between the lines here. Now, more than ever, we need a strong movement for life!
Ann, it is not the beginning of life that the anti abortionists concentrate on. It is exactly the opposite. It is on the ending of life that we are concerned about.
Notwistanding the President's message for peace and unity, the fact remains that it was inappopriate to honor this man at a Catholic Institutiion.
"alforo", I
I believe the word "Catholic" means "universal" and it is universal in that we should be able to welcome all---regardless of faith, culture, politics, or race. It was MOST appropriate for a Catholic University, to move beyond the narrow rhetoric that some extremist bishops preach and to lay aside the very parochial ideas that some anti-abortionists blather about. It was appropriate to honor the President---to honor someone willing to talk without using threats as a goad.
NO Church is going to force the entire nation to reverse Roe vs Wade. The sooner the church authorities get this into their brains, the better. What church leaders must do is find the common ground to working to reduce abortions. That is what the President said---and those arch/bishops who were listening to his speech---were probably nodding their heads in the affirmative. And more than that---the President displayed the fact that he doesn't run from divergent ideas---different, but just as committed as his beliefs. But the Bishops? They are afraid of discussion, they are the ones who cannot handle questions, who believe that there is only one way of arriving at the truth----theirs.
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