Posted by
Board Certified M.D. on Friday, October 03, 2008 8:40:35 AM
This is no joke the day before the debate Cardinal Egan and the New York State Catholic Conference released this statement yesterday. (see Life News)
Our Cherished Right, Our Solemn Duty
"We Catholics are called to look at politics as we are called to look at everything – through the lens of our faith,"
- It is the rare candidate who will agree with the Church on every issue. But as the U.S. Bishops’ recent document Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship makes clear, not every issue is of equal moral gravity.
- The inalienable right to life of every innocent human person outweighs other concerns where Catholics may use prudential judgment, such as how best to meet the needs of the poor or to increase access to health care for all.
- The right to life is the right through which all others flow. To the extent candidates reject this fundamental right by supporting an objective evil, such as legal abortion, euthanasia or embryonic stem cell research, Catholics should consider them less acceptable for public office. As Faithful Citizenship teaches, “Those who knowingly, willingly, and directly support public policies or legislation that undermine fundamental moral principles cooperate with evil.”
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The very first "important questions for political candidates" posed by the NY bishops:
There is somewhere between 70 and 80 million Catholics in America. If McCain/Palin gets the Majority of the Catholic vote that will nullify the African American 0bama Vote with a population of ~33million. This is good Strategy by the Catholic Church which is somewhat hamstung by their IRS Non-Profit status so please get the word out.