From The Hill.
Well, I think I'd rather go fishing with Sarah Palin than hunting with Dick Cheney.
But seriously, I have no problem with McCain's choice, and all yous guys out there better not either or ya better go see the eye doctor.
Source.
August 26, 2008
Dear Fathers, Deacons, Diocesan Staff, Catholic Charities Staff and Seminarians,
As many of you are aware the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, made comments this past Sunday on "Meet the Press." Her comments on the subject of abortion and Catholic teaching were misinformed. By her statement in a public manner she has created confusion in regard to Catholic teaching. People of good will who have studied the present day Catholic teaching as given in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, John Paul II's Encyclical, The Gospel of Life, and have read the fathers of the Church, can easily recognize the flaws in her remarks on the teaching of the Church concerning when human life begins. The right to life from conception is the pre-eminent social justice and human rights issue of our time. As your bishop, I have the responsibility to present to you the authentic teaching of the Church, to correct the misinformation she has given, and finally to warn you that those who oppose the true teaching are not in good standing with the Church.
Archbishop Chaput, and his auxiliary, Bishop Conley, of Denver, issued a statement yesterday concerning the matter. I fully support their statement. Rather than crafting my own statement when an excellent one exists, I want you to read carefully the attached statement. It speaks the truth about the teaching of the Church on when human life begins. The Christian teaching on abortion throughout history is unchanged. Human life from the moment of conception is to always be respected, treated with dignity, and protected. Catholics who support so called abortion rights support a false right, promote a culture of death, and are guided by the “father of lies” rather than by the light and truth of Jesus Christ. Out of respect for the teaching of Jesus Christ and the Church, any Catholic who supports abortion rights has placed himself or herself outside of visible unity with the Church and thus should refrain from receiving Holy Communion. Catholics have a responsibility to study the teaching of the Church on human life and when life begins. This teaching is affirmed by revelation and is a basic truth of natural reason. I ask all of you in your presentations, teaching, or preaching to state the truth of this teaching in an unequivocal manner.
I pray that each one of us may continue to build a culture of life and that our nation may return to the truth that our forefathers recognized. A truth enshrined in the Declaration of Independence is that there are certain rights which are self-evident, bestowed by the Creator, and are inalienable. Those rights are “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Unless the right to life is guaranteed, the pursuit of liberty and happiness is severely frustrated.
May our Lord fill you with His peace.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Samuel J. Aquila
Bishop of Fargo, North Dakota
H/T to Thoughts and faith to share
The word "Didache" is Greek and it kind of sounds like the word mitigate, as in the sentence "Listening to the Catholic Bishops can help mitigate your ignorance of the Catholic faith regarding issues like, for example, abortion."
The following statement is from Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl, in which he references the Didache, or the "Teaching of the Twelve Apostles". (Source)
On Meet the Press this past Sunday, August 23, 2008, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi made statements regarding the teaching of the Catholic Church, human life and abortion that were incorrect.
Speaker Pelosi responded to a question on when life begins by mentioning she was Catholic. She went on to say, “And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the Church have not been able to make that definition...” After Mr. Tom Brokaw, the interviewer, pointed out that the Catholic Church feels strongly that life begins at conception, she replied, “I understand. And this is like maybe 50 years or something like that. So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy.”
We respect the right of elected officials such as Speaker Pelosi to address matters of public policy that are before them, but the interpretation of Catholic faith has rightfully been entrusted to the Catholic bishops. Given this responsibility to teach, it is important to make this correction for the record.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear: the current teaching of the Catholic Church on human life and abortion is the same teaching as it was 2,000 years ago. The Catechism reads:
“Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception…Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law.” (Catechism, 2270-2271)
The Catechism goes on to quote the Didache, a treatise that dates to the first century: “’You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.’”
From the beginning, the Catholic Church has respected the dignity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death.
Hat tip to Public Square for this one commenting on the Catholic Senator's promise to commit an act of torture when he stated "the next Republican that tells me I'm not religious I'm going to shove my rosary beads down their throat."
Threatening to shove one's rosary beads down others' throats is not the sort of thing one says when one has the benefit of the many graces that are promised to those who daily pray the rosary. So it makes me wonder. On the off chance that Senator Biden is not keeping up with his daily praying of the rosary, I would encourage him to have an aide get it onto his daily schedule, and never miss it. It will only strengthen him for the many trials that face him each day.
Still, I'll admit that most days I'm carrying three rosaries on my person, and that doesn't in itself make me religious. I'm pretty sure that attacking someone with a rosary wouldn't make me religious either. Still, I'm not too worried, because I honestly don't believe that the Senator carries a rosary with him every day. Not that that in itself makes him irreligious. But it does undercut his threat.
Must read: Catholics in the Public Square: Joe Biden's "Pro-Choice Catholicism" - A Liability for Obama and a Scandal to the Church.
My reaction to Biden on abortion? He simply has the craziest excuse yet by saying that Roe v. Wade "is as close to we're going to be able to get as a society" to incorporating diverging religious views on the issue. Whaaaaaa? He stated recently that he is a "long-standing supporter of Roe v. Wade and a woman's right to choose," but on the other hand he claims to accept the Catholic Church's view that life begins at conception. These views seem too diverging for one person to hold both, but leave it to a Catholic "souper" politician to figure out how.
And just to set the record straight, a lot of liberal sites are pointing out that NARAL gave Biden a 36% grade in 2003. That's true, but in the next 3 years Biden scored 100% each year. So my guess is that the selectivity is just part of the shell game to get more Catholics to drink the Kmiec Koolaid.
