Monday, April 28, 2008

Jesuit Says Obama Touches the Catholic Soul

A "CATHOLIC' BARACK?

Raymond A. Schroth, SJ
April 25, 2008

During the last two weeks three significant political events took place, two of which gobbled up our eyes.

The Pope came to Washington and New York, Hillary Clinton won the Pennsylvania primary; and the committee of Catholics for Obama took shape.
Of course they overlapped: Somehow "white working class Catholics" went for Hillary in Pa.

The Pope, in his address to the bishops, did criticize those Catholics who give scandal when they promote "an alleged right to abortion." But his was far from a one-note Catholcism. He spoke with equal fervor against the violations of human rights, the gap betweeen the rich and poor. He also demanded respect for the UN Charter and called for international protection of the environment -- positions which the current administration does not embrace.

Meanwhile a number of Democraic political leaders who have voted for legalized abortion received communion at the Pope's Mass[at the Vatican's invitation]. And meanwhile, a very diverse group of 50 Catholic politicians and intellectuals formed a national advisory Council to back Obama.

They include governors, senators, and congressmen, religious women, and professors from Harvard, Boston College, Holy Cross, and Notre Dame. Though not on the committee, the most remarkable Catholic "convert" to Obama is the well-known conservative Doug Kmiec, former dean of both Notre Dame and Catholic University Law Schools, and counselor to Presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush.

Leading the charge in Pennsylvania was Senator Bob Casey, who, though he knew Obama was not destined to win the primary, decided that, in spite of his "pro-abortion" voting record, his long range policies were more in tune with the Catholic Church's position on a vast array of social justice issues than either Clinton's or McCain's.
Indeed, the Democratic social agenda, which deals with the social and economic context which seems to make abortion necessary, in the long run will do more to reduce abortions than legislation to ban it by constitutional amendment or throwing abortionists in jail -- laws which would never gain public support.

The Kmiec decision rocked the conservative Catholic establishment. One of his Notre Dame colleagues says in the extreme right wing (but always intresting) Catholic weekly newspaper, The Wanderer (April 3), his decision "confounds, puzzles, baffles, bewilders, dazes, and stuns me." Kmiec answers by explaining that he became convinced that Obama was a man of faith.

"In his speeches, it's not surprising to see references to Lincoln and Martin Luther King and Frederick Douglass, but Senator Obama regularly touches the Catholic soul as well by showing a genuine knowledge of the work of Dorothy Day. In this the Senator tells his audiences that it is an 'absurdity' to insist that morality be kept separate from public policy." Kmiec also hopes that Obama would come out strongly for policies that would reduce the number of abortions -- support for adoption, pregnant women, abstinence education, and the responsible promotion of birth control.

As a friend wrote to me: the Republicans and Democrats have taken different positions on abortion. The Democrats support spending money to encourage childirth and support women. Republicans "have focused rhetorically and legislatively on punitive measures." Which works? He says the abortion rate fell more during the Clinton than during the Bush administration.

Now, if only the Democratic candidates and spokespersons would make these arguments publicly, rather than simply fall back on the so-called "right to choose."

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

"As a friend wrote to me: the Republicans and Democrats have taken different positions on abortion. The Democrats support spending money to encourage childirth and support women. Republicans "have focused rhetorically and legislatively on punitive measures." Which works? He says the abortion rate fell more during the Clinton than during the Bush administration"

What a ridiculous LIE! 1,500,000 dead per year and Obama and HRC are arguing about which is more "Pro-choice!" also, how can the continued Democratic promotion of pro-contraceptive and pro-death Planned Parenthood be considered to "encourage childirth and support women".

"One note Catholicism" --"equal fervor on human rights issues"...are you KIDDING me????

1.5 million dead per year. You could care less. Your vote will encourage more abortions. I go to the clinic every week to pray. No signs, no yelling. DO you know who comes to these clinics Katherine???? Usually it is a young man and a young woman driving a late-model car or truck.....so don't feed me this crap about the oppresive Republican economic policies that create an environment ripe for abortion.

Katherine, why don't you wake up and smell the coffee! You are playing with fire!

Katherine said...

Dear stike --

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. May God give you special joy at the Feast of Pentecost.

Leticia said...

Where is that money to 'support women' going? Seems an awful lot of it is going to Planned Parenthood, the biggest abortion business in the world.
The abortion rate fell during the Clinton administration because of state laws which were passed restricting abortions for minors, allowing women to see sonograms of their unborn children, waiting peridods, etc.
Bill Clinton has NEVER done anything to make abortion rare, as he promised, and niether will Hillary. Catholics should not vote for either of the Democratic candidates.

Anonymous said...

My fellow Americana's,my fellow Democrates!!
we need to do the right thing,we need to do what we wished the republicans would have done 4 years ago. we need to make sure with our votes that a bad,bad horrid man does not take the highest office in our land.
8 years ago the republicans voted for bush and we democrates were very sad,than 4 years ago we figured no way would we let that happen again,but alas bush won again. 8 years of pure hell for all to share.
but this time its not the republicans that have the horrible candidate! its us the democrates that have the horrid man that will destroy America.its is us the democrates that must do the right thing and vote for the best person running and that man is McCain.
the dnc has done everything it can to make sure we have no choice of a president.
we have never been huge Hillary supporters but she is better than obama,we would vote for her,barack we will never vote for.
do we like john McCain??? no not really!!!
do we respect john McCain??? yes we do!! he is a good man.
do we want john McCain as president?? no,but he is better than obama!!!
we are a small group of democrates called keepers that just do not think barack obama cares about our united states of America.
we keepers will vote in this election and if our choice is barack obama or john McCain,we will have no choice but to vote for john McCain.
barack obama will destory and divide our United States of America!!! We the people must stand united and stop him or divided we fall!!!

Rustler45 said...

Stike, are you surprised by Katherine's hypocritical answer?

She didn't answer because she can't.

We all know the racism of Planned Parenthood. I suspect Katherine is a racist as well.