Left-Leaning Catholics Stir Debate

I would hope that Bishop Joseph Martino also would have the statement say that voting for politicians who support war, especially a war that they do not have a plan for ending, is the same as open-ended homicide.

In war not only do soldiers die but civilians as well. There needs to be a plan for ending the war.

The American Catholic Bishops lost the moral high ground long ago.

The American bishops countenanced pedophile priests. They enabled these same priest to continune their crimes by transferring them from parish to parish.

The American bishops were on the wrong side of equality for women.

The American bishops failed to denounced corruption of human rights in Latin America, and were in league with dictators throughout the globe. In return for favors, the Church remained silent and condoned torture and the trampling of human rights.

Most American Catholics now realize that the American Catholic bishops are corrupt, old men who are more worried about their own positioni of power than following the true words of Christ.

Most American Catholics now see thehypocritical words of the American Catholic bishops for exactly what they are. . . . vain, corrupt, iattempts to hide their own sins.

Thankfully, the bishops set their priorities independently of Stockboy and continuum -- who, by the way, have no authority to speak for anyone but themselves. The unborn remain the most utterly defenseless -- no one can justify the brutality done to them. Suggesting that those withchild have a duty of care to that child until birth is strangely offensive to those who would give priorty to defending the evils of the Saddam regime against the aggression of America and its allies. The bishops have chosen to speak with clarity about love for the unborn, and have instructed Catholics to give that matter priority.

I'm all for protecting unborn children, but I'm not for granting special protections for zygotes, nor am I amused by the ever pervasive influence of superstition and ignorance on modern culture. Everyone is pro-life, many (including myself) are pro-choice, and almost none are pro-abortion. I say more power to the left-leaning catholics.

Mark30339.... uh.... my comment was towards the evil of war without end (and no plan to end that war by certain politicians) and that war killing innocent civilian lives....

In reading your comment you appear to believe that I'm pro-abortion. I said no such thing.

I believe that if one wants to make a statement about politicians who endorse policies which kill innocents, it is necessary to include politicians who support war without end which also kills innocent civilians.

Many people do not believe that innocent civilians should be protected in a war, yet those same people believe that abortion (that taking of innocent life) is wrong. My Catholic school taught me taking any life, whether it was abortion or war, was morally wrong. That's the problem with America today.... many people think war is right, even on a country that didn't threaten us.

I hope you are wrong Mark30339 and that bishops do value all life equally, not just the unborn.

I would also hope that those bishops oppose war and take the same positions towards politicians who believe in war and do not have any plan for ending a war.

A necessary war to protect our country is one thing. A war with a plan to ending it is essential. A war on a country that posed no threat to the US, with no plan to end it, and which kills tens of thousands of innocent civilians is unconscionable.

Jesus taught about love for all, not just the unborn.

Good catch Stockboy. Mark's comment about protecting life only until birth was very disturbing to me as well.
I can say, after going through Catholic instruction for adults that the Church's position is that the weakest deserve the most protection and the unborn are weaker than the born (even a newborn has more strength and thus is deserving of less protection). I understand the idea of protecting the weakest, yet, I find this desire to have unintended consequences that can lead to real cruelty.
For example, what if a widow with a toddler and a baby is raped. It results in a pregnancy that is life threatening. The Church says tough, the mother must be sacrificed and the small children must be orphaned. Even though I am Catholic, this is something I just can't swallow.
Making abortion illegal while cutting back on insurance and education options for mothers bearing unplanned children, and not doing anything to encourage fathers to take responsibility for their actions doesn't not promote a culture of life. It only results in back room abortions and abandoned and neglected children.

They're okay as long as they don't dabble in the scumbag "liberation theology" of several years ago or engage in blatant left-wing politics as some did with the US-and-Western-disarmament "nuclear freeze" movement in the 1980s and with the "sanctuary" movement, for which they deserved to be put in prison for years.

"Many people do not believe that innocent civilians should be protected in a war"

Can you prove that? I've lived and traveled throughout this country and never seen widespread sentiment as you describe it. That's despite defense of the Allied city bombing in World War II (which was no different than what other nations did and we were on morally higher ground than our enemies ever were, I won't hesitate to add).

Sadly, misbehavior Eighties-style is still with us, unfortunately. I remember this from Upstate.

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