Thursday, October 28, 2004

Does "Faithful Citizenship" confuse priorities of magisterial teaching?

Pope John Paul II, and the Bishops who teach in union with the Pope, [1] speak loud and clear what the church's priorities are for voting as a Catholic. They teach that one may not consider other human conditions without giving first predominant consideration of the five most important conditions of the right to life: abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, cloning and same-sex marriage.

In contrast, many 'faithful' Catholics [demographers call them 'church-attending Catholics'] as well as many 'devout' Catholics [those who attend daily Mass] are saying they will be voting for pro-abortion John Kerry. In addition, the usual suspects — the 'unchurched' lukewarm Catholics — can be relied on to support Kerry's abortion stance.

The Church has never taught, nor does it teach now, that 'global solidarity' and 'social justice' are the same equivalent as the right to life of the unborn, the infirmed, and the elderly. The Church has always clearly condemned abortion, sodomy, euthanasia, cloning, and embryonic stem cell research in all instances. Without the 'right to life,' no other rights are possible.

The Church's social teachings are important human concerns, but, as the Pope often and adamantly speaks, no other human rights are as significant or crucial as the 'right to life' of the unborn, the infirmed, and the elderly:
Complete article here.

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