Bishop criticizes Democratic, Republican parties, calls upon Catholics to transform them
CWN – August 17, 2012
Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, writes that the political “parties’ retreat from the ideological center has left Catholics with the understandable, but unfortunate impression that their only political option is to choose a side and join in to win the culture war. The resulting toxic acrimony has long since seeped into the Church. Catholics must reverse this trend.”
“To their credit, Democrats have for at least a century recognized that government has a legitimate role in helping the poor and vulnerable,” he says. “But these days Democrats more often grab headlines through their efforts to redefine marriage or by trying to determine which Church activity is ‘religious’ or by attempting to force Catholic institutions to provide employee health coverage for sterilizations and contraceptives, including abortion-inducing drugs.”
“To their credit, Republicans for the last 50 years have opposed the abortion-approving Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and have espoused family values,” Bishop Pates adds. “But Republicans now make headlines by advocating the slashing of federal programs, including those for the poor, and proposing anti-immigrant legislation.”
He continues:
The idea is that Catholics should work within their parties to change them, creating a diverse and substantial group motivated not so much by ideology but by challenging cultural issues, large and small.
This is easier said than done. The bishops are asking Catholics to raise uncomfortable issues in sometimes exceedingly hostile environments. Many Democrats have worked strenuously since Roe v. Wade to purge dissenters on legalized abortion from party ranks. They have succeeded to the extent that pro-life Democrats find themselves in a no-man’s land, often reviled for their views and distrusted by pro-lifers because of their party affiliation. More recently, Republicans have sought to purify party ranks of even the slightest variations from party orthodoxy. Republican candidates and legislators espouse increasingly hard-line positions punitive to immigrants and cut disproportionately programs that help the poor.
“Latino Catholics provide some hope,” he adds. “With strong pro-life, pro-family sensibilities and pro-poor and pro-immigrant views, they defy easy classification. They could transform either party that welcomes them and their concerns–a model for other US Catholics.”
Additional sources for this story: Bishop Pates: In This Together: How Catholics Can Overcome Partisan Divisions (America Magazine) www.americamagazine.org/content/article.cfm?article_id=13529&comments=1
Democrats reject move to acknowledge pro-life stance within party
16-August-2012 — EWTNews
www.ewtnnews.com/catholic-news/US.php?id=5986#ixzz23ioRUstt
A Democratic committee has rejected efforts to broaden the party’s platform in order to acknowledge and welcome “differing positions” on the issue of abortion.
Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats For Life of America, told EWTN News on Aug. 15 that there is a lack of understanding about the extent of pro-life support within the Democratic Party.
She explained that it can be difficult for pro-life Democrats to speak up about their views, because they face attacks not only from their Republican opponents, but from pro-abortion groups such as NARAL Pro-Choice America as well.
According to Democrats for Life, nearly one-third of all Democrats self-identify as pro-life, and in the 2008 election, about one-fourth of Obama’s supporters considered themselves pro-life.
“These numbers are not trivial,” the group said, pointing to Gallup polling information from 2011 revealing that 61 percent of Democrats support “parental consent for minors seeking abortion.”
In addition, the polling data found that 60 percent of Democrats approved of a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion, and 84 percent of party members support informed consent requirements.
Furthermore, 49 percent of Democrats are in favor of ultrasound requirements before an abortion, while 59 percent support a ban on partial-birth abortions, the data indicated.
“We represent a large contingent and a diverse group of pro-life democrats who want to be represented in the Democratic Party,” said Janet Robert, who serves as president of Democrats For Life of America.
“As a big tent party that is open-minded and inclusive, we should be welcoming to those who are pro-life,” she explained.
“A stronger inclusive party allows us to focus on the issues that unite us such as providing economic opportunity for everyone.”
In an attempt to bring about change, Democrats for Life submitted written testimony proposing new platform language on July 20 and was permitted to subsequently provide oral testimony before the party’s drafting committee.
According to the group, it was the first time in more than 20 years that the committee had heard from a pro-life voice within the party.
The proposed platform language acknowledged that members of the Democratic Party “have deeply held and sometimes differing positions on issues of personal conscience, like abortion and the death penalty.”
“However, we can find common ground,” it added, emphasizing the party’s unity in supporting policies to aid those facing difficult pregnancies.
It also promoted “a breadth of options” for women facing pregnancies, including support and resources for adoption and parenthood, with access to education, healthcare and childcare.
“We envision a new day without financial or societal barriers to bringing a planned or unplanned pregnancy to term,” the proposed platform addition stated.
But despite the organization’s efforts, the request to broaden the party’s platform on abortion was rejected by the committee, Day said.
“We represent a large contingent and a diverse group of pro-life democrats who want to be represented in the Democratic Party,” said Janet Robert, who serves as president of Democrats For Life of America.
What a buffoon! Who is her Democratic Party nominating for reelection? Who is she going to vote for?
“Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops …”
‘Nuff said.
“But Republicans now make headlines by advocating the slashing of federal programs, including those for the poor, and proposing anti-immigrant legislation.”
Translation: Vote for Hussein.
“But Republicans now make headlines by advocating the slashing of federal programs, including those for the poor, and proposing anti-immigrant legislation.”
Correction, Bishop Pates: it’s “anti-illegal aliens” legislation. The U.S. has always been open to honest, law-abiding immigrants.
Good catch. That goes along with “slashing” programs, straight out of DNC talking points. By his choice of words, Bishop Pates should be regarded as duplicitous reprobate.
Bishops obviously don’t have enough work to do, especially Chairpersons of the Communities for Faster Internet Connections for the Differently Good-Looking.
I humbly suggest if they want to contribute to the well-being of the Church, they should pick up a broom & give the cathedral a good sweep-down.