Vote with the Pope or die!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071114/ap_on_re_us/catholic_bishops

We bash the Baptist church in the U.S., but telling parishioners how they should vote is pretty deplorable. Way to go Catholicisim!

I know that the church has been doing this since the 1970s, but still.




BALTIMORE - Roman Catholics voting in the 2008 elections must heed church teaching when deciding which candidates and policies to support, U.S. bishops said Wednesday.

And while the church recognizes the importance of a wide range of issues — from war to immigration to poverty — fighting abortion should be a priority, the bishops said.

"The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life is always wrong and is not just one issue among many," the bishops said.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly adopted the statement, "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," as they ended the public sessions of their fall meeting.

The document does not recommend specific laws or candidates, and it emphasizes that "principled debate" is needed to decide which policies best promote the common good.

But "that does not make (moral issues) optional concerns or permit Catholics to dismiss or ignore church teaching," the bishops said.

American bishops have been releasing similar recommendations for Catholics before every presidential election since 1976. However, in recent years, some independent Catholics groups have been distributing their own voter booklets.

Among them are Priests for Life and California-based Catholic Answers, which distributed material on five "nonnegotiable" issues: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning and same-sex marriage. Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, which formed last year, issued a guide emphasizing church teachings on war, poverty and social justice.

But the bishops urged Catholics to only use voter resources approved by the church.

The document makes clear the broad concerns in Catholic teaching that make it difficult for parishioners to feel fully comfortable with either the Democrats or Republicans.

The bishops say helping the poor should be a top priority in government, providing health care, taking in refugees and protecting the rights of workers, and the bishops highlight the need for environmental protection.

However, they also oppose same-sex marriage, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research, in addition to their staunch anti-abortion position.

The prelates say torture is "always wrong" and they express "serious moral concerns" about "preventive use of military force." But at the last minute Wednesday, they added a sentence acknowledging "the continuing threat of fanatical extremism and global terror."

 

If Catholics took their cue from the church on how to vote, we'd be talking about President Kerry right about now.

 

Well, now we know what the P stood for.....

 

Let's see.......what's the church's position on grown men sexually molesting young boys?

Thanks much, padre, but I'll make my own decisions when it comes to voting.

 

Bingo, until they put an end to that problem, they have no credibility whatsoever to talk to anybody about anything.

 

Really? Wasn't it the Catholics that said they wouldn't give Kerry communion?

The Catholic church really has a lot of problems. I just hope for the day someone looks at them for their constant intrusion in politics and just takes away their tax exempt status.

 

This is nothing Catholic bishops haven't been saying since the dawn of time, it really isn't news to anyone except those who are looking to make an issue out of it. Catholic teaching has always been absolutist, whether people who consider themselves Catholic agree with it or not.

Also, the Catholic church is not the only religious organization that has problems and scandals. Yes, the priest abuse scandals are horrible things, but lets not pretend it is isolated to one faith, or that it clouds every ordained or lay Catholic.

 

Except, well, they spent millions of dollars to cover up the sexual abuse of minors. Then they spent millions to protect child molesters.

They have no moral authority.

 

Seeing as how Benedict has basically said all other Christians aren't getting in on the other side because their faiths are incorrect, I'd toss this clip in the garbage and move on. Who's the catholic in the race? Other than that, forgetaboutit.

 

This Pope will end up blowing up much of what John Paul II did and did well. Building bridges. Making peace. It's amazing that those who voted him in looked the other way on his Hitler Youth, but not that amazing since many have looked the other way when their colleagues got a glow in their eye as the altar boy strolled by.

 

Yes, other churches have their scandals, but you don't see the sexual molestation of children generally, and certainly not to the degree that has gone on in the Catholic Church. And why? Well, for one, a lot of other religions allow their clergy to marry and have sexual relations, which means they don't have to try and repress their natural sexual urges in an inhuman way. Which, no doubt, is a major contributing factor behind the horrible acts these priests have committed.

To me, sexually molesting a child is probably the worst crime one can commit, save murder. Worse, perhaps, when done from a position of authority.

The Catholic Church could have prevented this. But, so many of the church policies remain stuck in say, the 14th or 15th century, where they may have been appropriate, and have not been adjusted to reflect modern day life.

They can't seem to make wise decisions regarding their own policies; why in the hell would I take their advice on public policy.

Oh, and I am a Catholic, btw.

 

Sigh, just more reasons I'm only nominally Catholic.