Be careful dear Catholics who happen to be American. With the excitement building for another season of national political elections, a season that lasts too long, we will be inundated about who and what is right or wrong for the Catholic Church. When it comes to politics, clearly the Catholic Church is neither Democrat or Republican. Wow! How can that be. We have some high profile Catholic leaders all but telling us that one party is pro-Catholic or another is anti-Catholic. And they may be a little truth to all of the above.
Many Catholic leaders here in America have aligned themselves with one party over the issue of abortion. Now the rheteroic coming from the mouths of President Obama, Biden, Pelosi, Schultz, and many other national Democratic leaders indeed declares the party of the donkey as pro-choice. Of course for many, pro-choice equals pro abortion and nothing I or anyone else will ever say will change their mind. For many years now, the candidates at the national level of the Republican Party have been verbalizing that they are the pro-life party. And I have no doubt that many who say they are pro-life are indeed pro-life. But when it comes to the opportunities Republicans have had, legitimately, over the past 30 years to advance strong pro-life legislation, it never really happens.
While the Republican Party indeed has been much more closely aligned with the Catholic Church on most matters deemed pro-life, the policies relative to national debt, budget cuts, taxes, overall support for the poor and unemployed, not to mention other things like immigration and environmental laws do not align with Catholic doctrine or the Church's traditional social teaching.
But deacon, are you equating these things to the abortion debate? Of course, pro-life is a matter of utmost concern and we certainly need to fight in this arena, as well as that of euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, same-sex marriage and assisted suicide. These are most for sure intrinsic evils and the Church must reject them. For our political friends this requires that Democrats find a change of heart and Republicans put their money where their mouth is.
When a Republican leaning legislative body in a state like Alabama can make it a crime to pray with or give a cold cup of water to a human being, who may be an illegal immigrant, that certainly is not pro-life or Catholic. When the Republican majority in a state like Texas cheers and rah-rahs state execution this too does not fully align with pro-life or Catholic.
I hope you get my point because I know I run the risk of being sorely misunderstood here. For the record, as a Catholic permanent Deacon who is not usually able to even spell the word liberal, I am 100% whole-heartedly pro-life, from CONCEPTION to NATURAL DEATH. That means I abhor abortion and all the other anti-life things that we are willing to ignore; artificial birth control, ignoring the plight of poor and abandoned babies who indeed are born, the sanctity of marriage and the shameful widespread use of the death penalty.
So for all of us Catholics who happen to be Americans, yes proud Americans, we may individually belong to one of these two major parties, or any other for that matter or just be independent. But our church, Holy Mother Church is not and can never be either Democratic or Republican!!
And we all should remember put no trust in man, just follow Him who was sent to truly lead us(and save us).
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