The Washington Post reported yesterday that “48 House Catholics Warn Bishops’ Stance Could Spark Bigotry.”
Forty-eight Roman Catholic members of Congress have warned in a letter to Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick of Washington that U.S. bishops will revive anti-Catholic bigotry and severely harm the church if they deny Communion to politicians who support abortion rights.
If 48 Catholic bishops sent a letter to Catholic representatives telling them to vote against some abortion measure, that would properly be regarded as an offensively intrusive crossing of the line separating church from state (in a way that their merely issuing a public statement opposing abortion would, or at least should, not). But when 48 Congressmen, acting collectively as representatives, tell a bishop how to apply church doctrine, that arouses little response.
Perhaps Democrats who don’t want religious organizations dictating public policy should consider practicing what they preach and refrain from interfering in internal chuch policies and practices.
You’re missing an important distinction, John.
When church leaders, acting in their capacity as religious leaders, say or do anything which affronts leftist sensibilities, it is an assault on the First Amendment and the principles which make our country great. Catholic leaders opposing abortion and urging legislation against it are thus hammering away at the wall between church and state.
However, this doesn’t apply to the Religious Coalition for Abortion Rights, whose leaders–speaking in their capacity as religious leaders–are merely exercising constitutional rights. Nor is the wall of separation threatened by Catholic bishops pronouncing on nuclear disarmament.
And while the ACLU sees Jerry Falwell or Pat Robertson making political statements as a threat to all we hold dear, right here in Detroit black church leaders are key political players but this passes without comment from the ACLU and other zealous protectors of secularism.
I’m sure you see the difference. It’s because…well…um…
Alex – I think you’re quite right. There is a double standard here, as in so many other areas. For my own part, I do think there is a significant distinction between religious leaders speaking out on public affairs — opposing slavery, nuclear weapons, abortion, whatever — on the one hand, and formally attempting to instruct their co-religionists in Congress how to vote, on the other. Similarly, members of Congress should be free to give their opinions on religious as well as secular topics, but I find something troubling about a group of Congressmen, as Congressmen, sending a letter to a bishop warning of dire consequences that might result from the determination that church doctrine requires some internal church policy disliked by the Congressmen. At the very least, people who send or support such letters should not be heard from in the future complaining about separation of church and state when some facially neutral policy (say, school vouchers) benefits religious organizations along with others.
Funny, you don’t see anybody telling Protestant or Jewish or atheistic legislators that they need to respect the consciences of their Catholic constituents concerning abortion. Heck, how could any legislator possibly vote on ANYTHING without troubling the consciences of at least some of his constituents? I am very disturbed by the intellectual dishonesty being employed by pro-abortion “Catholics” and their defenders.
As a Catholic myself, I am digusted by the entire argument made by the left concerning this matter. This has nothinig to do with the separation of church and state.
What “Catholics” like John Kerry don’t get is that Church doctrine does not imply that the Church controls the government because John Kerry freely chooses to be Catholic. With that choice, you would think that he would abide by Church teachings. As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, abortion is MURDER, so all of John Kerry’s statements about “not imposing his beliefs on others” are moot when your belief should be that abortion is the same thing as homicide.What makes matter worse is that the Catholic Church is unique compared to many other Christian denominations in that its members are supposed to believe that the directives of the clergy come from God Himself.
Therefore, it is either the case that John Kerry is a member of a religion that he does not believe in, or he is disobeying the orders of God. Either way, just another reason not to vote for him.
I started my voting history, as a Democrat, but I cannot understand the philosopy of their party anymore. It is not the party of the people.
They have chosen a candidate who calls himself Catholic, but is not conforming to the Church’s beliefs. Murder is murder whether before or after birth. Do you think that stem cell research will stop with adult stem cells ?
At risk of being a “right wing nutcake”, I wish that there would be a backlash in voting this November from those of us who try to abide by our church’s beliefs, who are not rich enough to ignore them, and feel insulted by this opportunistic politician, and the others of like disposition, who supposedly can pick and choose Catholic practices and rules, to fit their needs, especially their need to stay in office.
Is there one set of beliefs for Catholic legislators, and another for us ? I treasure my right to vote, but I treasure my faith more. Where are our Catholic leaders ? At least George Bush tries to follow his moral beliefs.
We don’t need this people pleaser as our president. Is nothing sacred to him, or will he say whatever he wishes to achieve his goal ? What are his moral guides to conscience ?
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