Catholic Activists are Revolting!

Conservative Catholic activists are up in arms over President Obama's upcoming commencement address to the graduates of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Indiana.

George Neumayr, the editor of Catholic World Report, calls Barack Obama "the most anti-Catholic president in modern history."  Anti-choice activist Randall Terry, who converted to Catholicism in 2006, has actually moved to South Bend to organize protests against the school.  Another fresh-minted Catholic, the thrice-wed former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, is calling for nationwide prayer meetings during Obama's Notre Dame speech.  

Patrick Reilly, founder/president of the hysterical Cardinal Newman Society, loudly proclaims: "There’s tremendous outpouring of support for the students who are opposing this outrage at Notre Dame. Some of them have said they’ll have nothing to do with Notre Dame if this goes forward." 

New York Archbishop Timothy A. Dolan took time off from railing against Marriage Equality and Ron Howard's new movie Angels and Demons to rail against Obama's appearance at the school, citing the "intrinsic evil" of abortion.  (The Iraq War, and all horrors that resulted from that fiasco, are far less troubling to Dolan.  His Worshipful says that the war is "open to some discussion and not intrinsically evil.")

From the Washington Independent:  Within hours of the news that President Barack Obama would give the commencement address to this year’s graduates of Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind., angry opponents of the decision founded a new Website, NotreDameScandal.com, where they could register their complaints and sign a petition asking the school to “halt this travesty.”  “Notre Dame has chosen prestige over principles, popularity over morality,” reads the petition. “Whatever may be President Obama’s admirable qualities, this honor comes on the heels of some of the most anti-life actions of any American president, including expanding federal funding for abortions and inviting taxpayer-funded research on stem cells from human embryos.” Within days, tens of thousands of people had signed on...  The biggest problem for conservative Catholics has not been getting the Obama speech portrayed in the press as a scandal, but in distancing from some of the people trying to take ownership of the outrage.

I visited the NotreDameScandal website (so you wouldn't have to corrupt your browser with digital trash) and it's exactly what one would expect from people who want to exert control over women's bodies and take away their reproductive choices.  Essentially, you're invited to either adopt their extreme positions by signing their petition or, if you'd prefer, burn in hell.  Since I believe that President Obama has every right to speak at Notre Dame University, and I wouldn't dream of telling a woman what she can or cannot do with her own body, I suppose I'll spend eternity dancing with devils in a fiery lake.  Hey, it might not be so bad. At least I won't be sitting on a cloud with Randall Terry and the pontificating Dolan.  Some things simply cannot be endured.

Comments

[aWorldQuiteMad]

Funny that they invited G.W. Bush to speak and no one batted an eye. Never mind that he executed more people in the state of Texas than any other governor (until Perry came along and surpassed him). Catholics are opposed to the death penalty too, but that didn't seem to phase them. The outrage has nothing to do with religion. It's politically motivated, that much is clear.

[Tiger]

They've always been revolting, but now they're rebelling.

[Gaina]

If we a want to talk about all things 'intrinsically evil' let's talk about how THEY just excommunicated a good woman for helping her little girl get an abortion after being raped, shall we?

[Dudley Sharp]

You seem to misunderstand the teachings.

In Catholic teaching, abortion and the death penalty are very different moral issues
From Dudley Sharp, Justice Matters, contact info below.

Catholics in good standing can support the death penalty and even an increase in executions, if their own prudential judgement calls for it.

Abortion is always an intrinsic evil

What Ardent Practicing Catholics Do (1)
By Fr. John De Celles, 9/1/2008

"Abortion and euthanasia are thus crimes which no human law can claim to legitimize. There is … a grave and clear obligation to oppose them … [I]t is therefore never licit to … "take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or vote for it."

In other words: it is always a grave or mortal sin for a politician to support abortion.

Now, some will want to say that these bishops-and I- are crossing the line from Religion into to politics. But it was the Speaker of the House (Nancy Pelosi) who started this. The bishops, and I, are not crossing into politics; she, and other pro-abortion Catholic politicians, regularly cross over into teaching theology and doctrine, And it's our job to try clean up their mess.

But there's something more than that here. On Sunday, before the whole nation, she claimed to be an "ardent, practicing Catholic." Imagine if someone came in here and said "I'm a mafia hit man and I'm proud of it." Or "I deal drugs to little children." Or "I think black people are animals and it's okay to make them slaves, or at least keep them out of my children's school."

Are these "ardent practicing Catholics"? No, they are not."

And neither is a person who ardently supports and votes to fund killing 1 to 1.5 million unborn babies every single year. Especially if that person is in a position of great power trying to get others to follow her. Someone, for example, like a Catholic Speaker of the House, or a Catholic candidate for Vice President of the United States, or a Catholic senior Senator who is stands as the leading icon his political party. Like the proud and unrepentant murderer or drug dealer, they are not ardent Catholics. They are, in very plain terms, very bad Catholics."

But the reason I say all this is not because I want to embarrass them or even correct them — they’re not even here. It’s because of you. Because back in the 1850’s when Catholic bishops, priests, and politicians were either silent or on the wrong side of the slavery debate, they risked not only their souls, but the souls of every other Catholic they influenced. I cannot do that, and I won’t do that.

Some would say, well Father, what about those people who support the war in Iraq, or the death penalty, or oppose undocumented aliens? Aren’t those just as important, and aren’t Catholic politicians who support those “bad Catholics” too?

Simple answer: no. Not one of those issues, or any other similar issues, except for the attack on traditional marriage is a matter of absolute intrinsic evil in itself. Not all wars are unjust — and good Catholics can disagree on facts and judgments. Same thing with the other issues: facts are debatable, as are solutions to problems."
-----------
Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) "stated succinctly, emphatically and unambiguously as follows":

"Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia." (2)

(1) "What Ardent Practicing Catholics Do: Correcting Pelosi", National Review Online, 9/1/2008 6:00AM
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=NTY1MzAwOTc5MmViMzUyYzM5YmY3OWFkYzdkMzY0YzM=

(2) "More Concerned with 'Comfort' than Christ?", Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick: Catholic Online, 7/11/2004 http://www.catholic.org/featured/headline.php NOTE: Ratzinger was Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and delivered this with guidance to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

ALSO:

Cardinals, Bishops and Congressmen Slam Pelosi on Abortion
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082601.html

New York Cardinal - Pelosi Not Worthy of "Providing Leadership in a Civilized Democracy"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08082605.html

Dudley Sharp,

[Amanda]

Catholics have been on the wrong side of many historical issues. And they're wrong now. Yes it's nice that you no longer kill, torture and maim those who don't agreee with you... And it's nice that you've gotten a better handle on the church's pedophile priests. (We can only hope.) But you'll have to forgive me when I say that in MY OPINION The Catholic Church itself is the only REAL INTRINSIC EVIL in this world. You have no authority over my life, and you never will... You are a bunch of evil, evil men. That is all. And I can only wish bad things for you, to repay all the pain you've caused me... and others. That part of the ceremony in the mass, where you wash you fingers? I will alwasy see that as your unconscience attempt to clean the blood from your hands. But that blood won't ever come off. And you know what I say is true.

[Catherine]

Wow Amanda. You are one heck of a bitter person. I can only hope you someday get over this hatred you bear in your heart. It harms you more than anyone else. Please bear in mind that although the Catholic Church has men in it that do evil deeds the Church itself is still today and always will be a holy institution created by Jesus Christ. Evil deeds perpertrated by one or more of its members does not detract or change the essence and truth of the Church. I will pray that the hatred and bitterness you harbor leaves you so that you can get on with the life that God intended you to have prior to the sin committed against you.
May God Bless and save you.

[Bee Girl]

The Catholic Church has no moral authority. None.

[nwaocha ogechukwu]

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[nwaocha ogechukwu]

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