my care2
make a difference

community & fun

shares

share your passions, stories, inspirations, and more

Aug 24, 2008

Reflections on Catholic Politicians and Abortion

As a national association whose mission is to strengthen the clergy in their preaching and teaching about abortion, we feel obliged in this election season, in which abortion continues to be a hotly debated issue, to echo the recent teaching of our bishops on the relationship between the Church's mission and public policy on this topic.

The Church speaks, and will continue to speak, on the issue of abortion and clearly call for public policies that limit and eventually eradicate this practice. This message is not simply the result of religious beliefs, but of American ideals. As the United States bishops wrote in November of 1998,

"As Americans, as Catholics and as pastors of our people, we write therefore today to call our fellow citizens back to our country's founding principles, and most especially to renew our national respect for the rights of those who are unborn, weak, disabled and terminally ill. Real freedom rests on the inviolability of every person as a child of God. The inherent value of human life, at every stage and in every circumstance, is not a sectarian issue any more than the Declaration of Independence is a sectarian creed" (Living the Gospel of Life, #6).

Furthermore, we as Catholic priests refuse to be intimidated when, in carrying out our duty to proclaim the Gospel, we are charged with "meddling in politics." We do not endorse candidates or political parties. We do, however, challenge all in political life to reject the violence of abortion. Politics is not an arena which can absolve itself of responsibility to moral laws; nor can the Church absolve herself of the responsibility to teach those laws.

A further concern arises when those holding or seeking elected office take a "pro-choice" position and also proclaim themselves to be Catholics.

No law says you have to be Catholic. But if you publicly declare that you are, don't be surprised if someone criticizes inconsistencies between your public positions and the teachings of the Church.

We repeat the words of the United States bishops:

"We urge those Catholic officials who choose to depart from Church teaching on the inviolability of human life in their public life to consider the consequences for their own spiritual well being, as well as the scandal they risk by leading others into serious sin. We call on them to reflect on the grave contradiction of assuming public roles and presenting themselves as credible Catholics when their actions on fundamental issues of human life are not in agreement with Church teaching. No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on innocent human life" (Living the Gospel of Life, #32).

Priests for Life will continue to echo this teaching, particularly in the months ahead, and will continue to be a resource for the clergy to address the abortion issue with vigor, clarity, and confidence.

Fr. Frank Pavone

National Director

Priests for Life

 

 

Priests for Life

Priests for Life
PO Box 141172
Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. 888-PFL-3448, (718) 980-4400
Fax 718-980-6515
Email mail@priestsforlife.org

Subscribe to Fr. Frank's bi-weekly prolife column (free): subscribe@priestsforlife.org 

Click here to See What Abortion Looks Like!

Home
Search  || Crisis Pregnancy Help || About Us ll Support our Work
Latest News  || Guestbook || About Other Groups ll Online Store

This site is updated daily!

 

Visibility: Everyone
Tags: , , , ,
Posted: Aug 24, 2008 5:38pm

 

 
 
Content and comments expressed here are the opinions of Care2 users and not necessarily that of Care2.com or its affiliates.

Author

Frank H.
male, age 66, divorced, 2 children
Bonita Springs, FL, USA
Shares by Type:
All (294) | Blog (235) | Alert (42) | Top 10 List (5) | Poll (3) | Message (9)

Showing shares tagged with: priests [show all]
SHARES FROM FRANK'S NETWORK
Dec
16
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Put Animal Rights into the Canadian Constitution! - The Petition Site Source: www.thepetitionsite.com It is about time Canada amends the constitution and steps up and provides national protection for all... (325 signatures on petition) Â&nb...
by Lyn Z.
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Well = Lost all my Friends AGAIN = Second time within 1 year = If you were on my friends list = HELP = Find me again!?!?!?!  & nbsp; HELP *hug* *thanks* LynZ *peace*
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Encouraging News from IHOP : The Humane Society of the United States Source: www.humanesociety.org IHOP agreed to begin testing the use of cage-free eggs
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Rescuing Orphaned Wildlife Source: www.youtube.com This video shows several of our patients who were orphaned or injured wildlife. They were all successfully rehabilitated and released back into the wild, getting a second chance at a normal life. ...
by Mark D.
(0 comments  |  discussions )
     Humpty DumptyI have some friends who could listen to music all day and with all the ipods and mp3’s around today it is easy enough to do. I often feel a little envy at that, this importance of music and their deep appeti...
Dec
15
by Road L.
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Please note Care2 news story by clicking on link below.. Thanks! Overlooked 150 Year Old Household Cleaner a Remedy for Swine Flu Health & Wellness  (tags : healthcare, h ealth, illness,swine flu, prevention,&nb. ..
(0 comments  |  discussions )
Edward Janus | Disability Advocate and Activist (Disabled myself). Doing Daily Internet Activism for Supporting Causes of Change. Signing Letters, Petitions, and Sharing News. Founder: www.EdwardJanus.net | Disability Network Connections. Please Sign...
(0 comments  |  discussions )
15th Annual Critics Choice Awards | Tune-In January 15th, 2010 | VH1.com Source: www.vh1.com Watch The Critics Choice Awards Show on VH1. Vote for your favorite nominees, check out photos, video and more.    ; &A...
Dec
14
(0 comments  |  discussions )
ml PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC -html4
Dec
13
(0 comments  |  0 discussions )
Risso's Dolphin | Cetacean Fact Sheet | American Cetacean Society Source: www.acsonline.org Rissos Dolphin fact sheet - concise, scientifically reviewed basic information on the Risso's dolphin, including physical description, prey, range, and status...

Copyright © 2009 Care2.com, inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved