Real Catholic Blog

An update, from Brian Burch, on CatholicVote.org’s activities as the crucial mid-term election draws near. In short, it is doing a lot, targeting several races, trying to bring a pro-life majority to Congress. 

Dear Catholic Voter:

Our radio ads are running everywhere.

In Nevada, Michigan, Virginia, Wisconsin and Illinois . . . voters are hearing from you.

In the race to replace retiring Rep. Bart Stupak with pro-life doctor Dan Benishek, Michigan voters are hearing from us.

In the hotly contested Nevada Senate race to defeat Harry Reid, voters are hearing from CatholicVote.org;

In Virginia, where pro-life candidate Robert Hurt is running to defeat the founder of the left-wing group Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good — voters are hearing from us;

In Illinois and Wisconsin, we are running more ads to help elect pro-life candidates Sean Duffy (WI) and Bobby Schilling (IL) in two of the most watched races in the country.

Together we made the decision to get involved in supporting specific candidates. Helping educate our fellow Catholics is important, but we chose to go further. We want to elect the candidates best positioned to help us renew our country and our culture.

That’s why we’re on the air all week urging voters to make the difference on Election Day.

Click here to see the rest of the update. An observation: CatholicVote.org’s endorsement page (see here) doesn’t mention Robert Hurt, even though the Virginian rated a mention in Mr. Burch’s letter. However, it does endorse another Virginian, Keith Fimian, in Virginia’s 11th Congressional district. Perhaps CV runs ads against pro-abortion incumbents while running ads in favor of candidates it endorses?

In any event, CatholicVote.org is working hard to “uphold the rightful duty and responsibility as Catholic laity to apply the teachings of the Church in public life.” One way it does this is producing widely acclaimed videos. The following posts will feature two of its latest. Catholic voters have a duty to exercise their citizenship responsibility (see John Mallon at CV’s blog). According to a new New York Times/CBS poll, they are, indeed, beginning to do exactly that (see Joshua Mercer at CV’s blog and Thomas Peters at American Papist).

I recently received a letter from former U.S. Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania. Written on behalf of the Cardinal Newman Society, his letter serves as an update — and a frightening alarm — on the assault by the governing Washington, D.C., secularists on Catholic teaching. More appalling is their willing accomplices — so-called Catholics, Catholics In Name Only (CINOs) — who scandalously give these progressives cover not only to devalue and debase the teachings of the Faith, but also redefine traditional American family values as well.

The letter below is a very important read. It was shortened for length, but you will get the picture. More like a horror film. Now, more than ever, it is important for all of us to engage civicly and do our part to restore the proper promulgation of the Faith in the public square and work to keep our institutions intact.  

As someone who treasures our Catholic Faith, I write with great concern.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo recently said that Catholics who lobbied for the health care reform law — ignoring the Bishops’ warnings about abortion funding and weak conscience protections — had caused “confusion and a wound to Catholic unity.”

And to make matters worse, among those working against the Church on pro-life health care were educators at our Catholic colleges.

And then there is this: President Obama’s latest addition to the powerful Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is a same-sex marriage advocate whose concept of “sexual liberty” would trump our religious liberty.

And what were the credentials by which she was selected for this honor? Since 1991, she has been a celebrated professor at Georgetown Law Center — at a Jesuit Catholic university.

When Catholic colleges help advance the secular assault on morality and religious liberty, faithful Catholics need to stand up in defense of the Faith!

We cannot ignore the fact that certain Catholic colleges are employing and honoring dissenters who actively undermine the Church on abortion, marriage, healthcare and conscience protections. …

Chai Feldblum, the recent Georgetown law professor who is now at the EEOC, helped author the “Employment Non-Discrimination Act ” (ENDA) which is before Congress. This bill could cripple Catholic schools, hospitals and other charities by forcing them to provide benefits to same-sex couples.

Feldblum joins the EEOC just as it considers an appeal by Belmont Abbey College, a faithful Catholic college in North Carolina which has been charged with discrimination for refusing to cover birth control pills in its employee health plan.

If the appeal is rejected, Belmont Abbey and other faithful Catholic colleges could be forced to close their doors rather than compromise their Catholic identity! …

But the irony here is that the celebrated professor of a Catholic university is now a threat to faithful Catholic colleges! …

Consider the damage that liberal Catholics caused during the last days of the healthcare debate, when they undermined the Bishops’ demands for pro-life and conscience provisions.

For instance, an influential group of 25 leading “theologians” — 11 of them citing Catholic college credentials — lobbied Congress to reject concerns about the bill. That gave legislators cover to vote for the bill with a “clear conscience.”

And according to the Associated Press, the University of Notre Dame’s president emeritus Father Theodore Hesburgh helped House Speaker Nancy Pelosi convince a pro-life congressman to switch his vote in support of the health care bill.

Soon after the health care law was signed, Georgetown welcomed “special guest” Nancy Pelosi to a university celebration despite her firm opposition to any pro-life compromise in the law. …

Several leading Catholic colleges and universities have long been a source of disunity in the Church by employing dissident theologians, honoring pro-abortion politicians and hosting performances of the obscene play, The Vagina Monologues. …

The federal takeover of student loans — so that money is loaned directly from the U.S. government — is raising new concerns about protecting Catholic colleges from government intrusion. …

And the EEOC is expected to rule on Belmont Abbey College, potentially setting up a court battle that could have devastating consequences for the religious freedom of Catholics! …

If we want to restore a Culture of Life to America . . . if we want to protect the institution of marriage . . . if we want to hand on the Faith to future generations . . . then we must ensure faithful Catholic education, and we must oppose dissent and disunity.

We have all had enough of scandal. …

And may God bless you for all that will be accomplished with your support!

Rick Santorum

Sorry for the inactivity — first a cold, now a horrible back pain. But I’m not suffering compared to the country now, nor what the unborn are going through, nor the Church for that matter. Sorry for the brevity, but as I recover — and for the time being — I give it to our favorite straight shooter, Michael Voris of RealCatholicTV.com.

The fact is, according to Voris and many others, tax-payer funded abortion is now a reality and the policy of the United States government. But is the real sin that Catholics were instrumental in bringing this about? This episode of The Vortex spells it out.

Taxpayer funded abortion is now a fact after the health care takeover by the Congress and President Obama. But what role did Catholics, unfortunately and sadly, play in this abomination?

Here is a message from Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests For Life, from last week. It’s succinct, but powerful. We cannot let the soon to be hectic time of year distract us from the importance of the health care legislation pending in Congress, for it most assuredly will undermine the sanctity of the unborn.

Advent is upon us when we celebrate the birth of the Christ child, the miracle of the Word made flesh. How can we celebrate that birth but forget the destruction of millions of unborn children each year, each a miracle itself, miracles denied by abortion? Please pray vigilantly for the end of abortion.

Dear Friends,

Sunday (was) the Feast of Christ the King and the last Sunday of the liturgical year. The following week, Advent begins and the Church focuses on the coming of Christ, both at Christmas and at the end of time.

Christ is truly king over heaven and earth. How important it is for us to remember that in this battle for health care reform to protect the unborn. This battle is ultimately about who rules over us; it is about who our King is. Our worship of Christ as King of Kings and Lord of Lords impels us to communicate with our elected representatives and urge them to do what is right.

God bless you.

- Fr. Frank Pavone

This letter from Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of the Diocese of Providence, R.I., to U.S. Representative Patrick Kennedy, speaks for itself. Although it may appear unfortunate that a bishop and a prominent member of his flock are publicly feuding, and that it may be interpreted as a shame upon the Church, it is more important that the prominent member, who is bringing scandal upon the Church for his constant and intentional misrepresentations of Church teaching (and grave matters at that) is brought to light, not only for his benefit, but for the benefit of Catholics everywhere so that they may better understand Church teaching.

Furthermore, other Catholic politicians who do as Representative Kennedy does, must hear the truth publicly from the Church because they have not shown any willingness to listen to other exhortations to revisit their incorrect understanding of the Faith in the public square. In fact, the letter, released earlier this week and published below, is a good reflection for all of us.

Dear Congressman Kennedy:

Since our recent correspondence has been rather public, I hope you don’t mind if I share a few reflections about your practice of the faith in this public forum. I usually wouldn’t do that – that is speak about someone’s faith in a public setting — but in our well-documented exchange of letters about health care and abortion, it has emerged as an issue. I also share these words publicly with the thought that they might be instructive to other Catholics, including those in prominent positions of leadership.

For the moment I’d like to set aside the discussion of health care reform, as important and relevant as it is, and focus on one statement contained in your letter of October 29, 2009, in which you write, “The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.”

That sentence certainly caught my attention and deserves a public response, lest it go unchallenged and lead others to believe it’s true. And it raises an important question: What does it mean to be a Catholic?

“The fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.”

Well, in fact, Congressman, in a way it does. Although I wouldn’t choose those particular words, when someone rejects the teachings of the Church, especially on a grave matter, a life-and-death issue like abortion, it certainly does diminish their ecclesial communion, their unity with the Church. This principle is based on the Sacred Scripture and Tradition of the Church and is made more explicit in recent documents.

For example, the “Code of Canon Law” says, “Lay persons are bound by an obligation and possess the right to acquire a knowledge of Christian doctrine adapted to their capacity and condition so that they can live in accord with that doctrine.” (Canon 229, #1)

The “Catechism of the Catholic Church” says this: “Mindful of Christ’s words to his apostles, ‘He who hears you, hears me,’ the faithful receive with docility the teaching and directives that their pastors give them in different forms.” (#87)

Or consider this statement of the Church: “It would be a mistake to confuse the proper autonomy exercised by Catholics in political life with the claim of a principle that prescinds from the moral and social teaching of the Church.” (Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 2002)

There’s lots of canonical and theological verbiage there, Congressman, but what it means is that if you don’t accept the teachings of the Church your communion with the Church is flawed, or in your own words, makes you “less of a Catholic.”

But let’s get down to a more practical question; let’s approach it this way: What does it mean, really, to be a Catholic? After all, being a Catholic has to mean something, right?

Well, in simple terms — and here I refer only to those more visible, structural elements of Church membership — being a Catholic means that you’re part of a faith community that possesses a clearly defined authority and doctrine, obligations and expectations. It means that you believe and accept the teachings of the Church, especially on essential matters of faith and morals; that you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish; that you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly; that you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially.

Congressman, I’m not sure whether or not you fulfill the basic requirements of being a Catholic, so let me ask: Do you accept the teachings of the Church on essential matters of faith and morals, including our stance on abortion? Do you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish? Do you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly? Do you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially?

In your letter you say that you “embrace your faith.” Terrific. But if you don’t fulfill the basic requirements of membership, what is it exactly that makes you a Catholic? Your baptism as an infant? Your family ties? Your cultural heritage?

Your letter also says that your faith “acknowledges the existence of an imperfect humanity.” Absolutely true. But in confronting your rejection of the Church’s teaching, we’re not dealing just with “an imperfect humanity” — as we do when we wrestle with sins such as anger, pride, greed, impurity or dishonesty. We all struggle with those things, and often fail.

Your rejection of the Church’s teaching on abortion falls into a different category — it’s a deliberate and obstinate act of the will; a conscious decision that you’ve re-affirmed on many occasions. Sorry, you can’t chalk it up to an “imperfect humanity.” Your position is unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your communion with the Church.

Congressman Kennedy, I write these words not to embarrass you or to judge the state of your conscience or soul. That’s ultimately between you and God. But your description of your relationship with the Church is now a matter of public record, and it needs to be challenged. I invite you, as your bishop and brother in Christ, to enter into a sincere process of discernment, conversion and repentance.

It’s not too late for you to repair your relationship with the Church, redeem your public image, and emerge as an authentic “profile in courage,” especially by defending the sanctity of human life for all people, including unborn children. And if I can ever be of assistance as you travel the road of faith, I would be honored and happy to do so.

Sincerely yours,

Thomas J. Tobin, Bishop of Providence

It’s the hottest of topics in the realm of Catholics and public policy: What, on the surface, seems to be the only good thing about the health care bill barely passed by the U.S. House of Representatives Saturday night, was the Stupak Amendment, offered by Representative Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) It upholds the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funding of abortion, and explicitly denies any part of the health care bill from mandating insurance companies cover abortion services or compromises medical professionals conscience protections.

However, by passing the amendment and adding it to the bill, it made a horrible bill — which still violates Catholic teaching by eliminating health care to elderly and sickly people by rationing it and denying access to it — more palatable to certain members of the House, and was enough for them to vote in favor of the bill as a whole. Not only that, but certain radical feminists in Congress are not unhappy that the Stupak Amendment moved the bill forward to the Senate, where they are hopeful it will eventually get stripped out and eventually approved by the House after a conference report. So says U.S. Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the House’s chief deputy Democrat whip (see Life Site News).

On the other hand, as Matt Bowman of CatholicVote.org writes, passing the Stupak Amendment ultimately will make the bill distasteful for the abortion-on-demand crowd and force them to abandon ship.

So, a lot remains to be seen — and done. If you are concerned, and we all should be, it is not a time to relax under a false pretense, nor throw in the towel in frustration. Contact your senators and carry on the good fight.

Or are they temporarily disappointed? Hopefully, they’ve awakened, and wouldn’t it be sweetly ironic if it was Madam Speaker Pelosi who stirred the sleeping giant that a unified American Catholic Church can be in injecting morality into public policy. The fear is that the bishops, if health care “reform” with all pro-abortion provisions is defeated, will go back to cozying up to leftists in Congress for so-called “social justice” legislation.

Here’s the story: It appears the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops is ready to take massive action, including the mobilizing of every parish in the country, to fight the abortion-on-demand health care legislation in Congress. According to Priests For Life, the bishops are calling for bulletin inserts and other communications in every parish immediately to inform American Catholics of the dangers of the legislation.

Now, if we can get the excellencies to realize that we all agree on social justice, but that social justice does not mean socialism and disregard of established law, we’d really have something.