A friend of mine went to a meeting to help Catholics vote

[Annette]

The vicar general all but said vote for Kerry. That there are many more issues than just the abortion issue. That also at issue is the quality and dignity of human life. He also said that all the killing in Iraq was unjustified and senseless. So Catholics can vote for Kerry and are being encouraged to.

[high density]

1. I'm glad to hear it

Because the only folks in the Catholic church that seem to make the news are those telling Catholics that they should be a single issue voter revolving around abortion. The fact that the Church is for helping the poor and achieving world peace always seems to be ignored so that the abortion issue can be pressed.

[davidjhorrell]

2. Conservative Catholics...

I know are being pressurised to vote */Cheney. Watch this for an example of the "not direct endorsement (but vote Bush)" tactics dreamt up by Rove et al.:

http://www.catholic.com/mm/video_vg1.asp

[FARAFIELD]

17. CATHOLIC.COM

As a Catholic i can tell you that the website is just a shill for the Republican Party and more specifically the "zealots" on the right. The POPE's secretary just last week told voters that they shouldnt be single issue voters among other things. Catholic.COM is pathetic

[ninainsf]

3. Where was this? n/t

[Annette]

14. Kansas City, MO n/t

[txindy]

4. We sure can vote for Kerry and are going to do just that!

:toast: Catholics for Kerry! :toast:

[Barney Rocks]

5. It is kind of

funny, I have some Catholics in my family and they are all the most liberal people in my family (and some of the most liberal people I have ever known). I think most Catholics are quite liberal--they do not just follow the pope on everything (at least here in America).

[FARAFIELD]

18. I ALWASY LAUGH

Why is it when every major "zealot" church says the Death Penalty is wrong and that we shouldnt have gone to war it becomes OK for "zealots" to break from the church. but when a Catholic votes for a Pro-Choice candidate we are breaking from the Church. The christian right in the country is so hypocritical that i cant stand it. The only thing i dont agree with the POPE on are Birth Control and a womans right to choose. Id say thats a drop in a very large Bucket

[Pirate Smile]

6. It cracks me up around here when people start talking about Catholics

like they are RW fundys.

The big thing I learned going to Catholic schools was social justice.

I do not understand the RW "Christians" who are for tax cuts for the rich, pro-war, no concern about poverty, etc.

I know some people have horror stories but I never heard anything about abortion or homosexuality or any of that stuff (while I was in school or during mass - although I'm not a regular anymore). It was the Golden Rule and looking out for each other.

[bobbieinok]

7. excuse my ignorance-is vicar general a Vatican position or is there

one in every diocese????

[Annette]

15. From an online Catholic Encyclopedia

"The highest official of a diocese after the ordinary. He is a cleric legitimately deputed to exercise generally the episcopal jurisdiction in the name of the bishop, so that his acts are reputed the acts of the bishop himself."

[acmavm]

8. I certainly don't know about all Catholics, but since I went to Catholic

schools, including a girls boarding school, and since I know a lot of Catholics, I understand why we are quite liberal. The Catholic experience is such that it's history is totally out of sync in regard to what they teach. I first read about the Crusades when I was 9, and I was absolutely flabbergasted. I could not understand how that squared with 'thou shalt not kill'.

Then as I got older I began to see the hypocrisy in their obscession in the matters of sex vs. how little they cared about people's welfare. Tow the line, never have an abortion, but don't frigging expect the church to care about the quality of life (or lack of) of the babies born to girls who were raped, who were extremely poor and couldn't take care of a kid, who really were not wanted. Just keep popping out those kids folks. And the funny thing is personally I am anti-abortion. But I understand that I can't stand in everybody's shoes and make that decision for them. That's up to an individual woman, or couple. Not me.

Then as an adult, I was secretary of the Home and School thingy at my kids school. The politics and crap that went on behind the scenes would almost make a raging pagan out of a guy. We had one of the most offensive (it came out later) child molesters in the area in our church. And they Pastor knew what was going on. People had been complaining about it. It wasn't until a drunken episode in a public restaurant that he was cut loose to go to another school where he was busted for molesting boys. Eventually they had to have a SWAT Team surround the church because Father ****** went whacko and was barricaded in there with a gun. They got him out all right, but that situation was so uncalled for. For years we had told the Archdiocese that they guy was a nut case. It took a Swat Team to prove it.

My point? You see so much as a Catholic that just doesn't square with humanity, decency, and caring for your fellow man that you sort of separate yourself from the teachings of the church.

And being female, I have always had a problem with the Church. It's nothing more than a good ol' boys club. Read the teachings of Aquinas sometime. Look up the 'Maleus Malefacarum' (I know I spelled that wrong). This is why a lot of Catholics, the ones with any brains, are liberals.

[flordehinojos]

9. Today as I heard the priest in Mass pray "for all life, especially the

unborn" ... I thought to myself "especially the unborn? Why not those who are needlessly dying in Iraq? Why not victims of war and prejudice, which could include the unborn, why not ...why especially a life who is going to come into such much misery in this world? Why not just a prayer, "FOR ALL LIFE"? and leave it there?" anyhow, i am glad to read that a vicar general somewhere is endorsing Kerry.

[mzmolly]

11. Wow, post 666.

:scared: ;)

I don't get why the "unborn" are more important then the "born" who know life and fear death?

[flordehinojos]

27. You are right. I don't... it seems a prayer for ALL LIFE those who are to

be born, and those who are already born, that ALL LIFE may be touched by LOVE and PEACE is most fitting.:)

Life is a continuum. The way I heard the priest ... it seemed, as you put it that the "unborn" were more important than the "born" who know life and sometimes fear death.

[mzmolly]

10. The Kennedy's are Catholic.

My Mom was raised "Irish Catholic" and they're generally Dems. :shrug:

[eriffle]

12. Part of the problem is...

People hear the term pro-life or say they are pro-life but what they really mean is that they are anti-abortion. The government does not play a role in an abortion, it is something between a woman and her doctor. However, when we as a state or a country execute something, it is something that we all have a part in. So, people like Sean Hannity who say they are pro-life, aren't because they support the death penality, something which the Catholic church is extremely opposed to. You don't however seen a priest threatening to refuse to give Hannity communion though.

[BayouWoman]

13. Conservative Catholics

I think location has a lot to do with it. I think that rural Catholics are more conservative that big city Catholics. I was raised Catholic, but have been an atheist for 20 years. But most of my family are VERY conservative, as are most Catholics in the rural areas of South Louisiana. I don't think Catholics in New Orleans, Lafayette and Baton Rouge are as conservative as those in rural areas. And of course since you're talking about the South, racism is also part of it.

[juajen]

16. Hi, BayouWoman

Actually, though this certainly is not definitive, most of the Catholics around me are for Kerry. Lafayette is not considered a town, but it is a small city.

[BayouWoman]

22. Lafayette

juajen

Lafayette isn't as big as N.O. and Baton Rouge of course, but I always think of it with the other two because it seems to be more like the larger cities in So. La. than smaller cities and towns.

I love Lafayette. I lived there for 2 years during graduate school, and wanted to relocate there, but couldn't find a job, so I came back home--about an hour south of N.O.

I'm not sure how conservative Catholics are in and around Lafayette, but I know that Catholics in the rural areas around New Orleans are very conservative. And there are a lot of conservative Protestant and evangelical churches also. In 2000, our parish(government not church) went 75% Bush. :( It may not be as high this time because of the war, but I'm sure it will still go Bush this time.

[newyawker99]

26. Hi BayouWoman!!

Welcome to DU!! :toast:

[FARAFIELD]

19. MOST PEOPLE ARE PRO CHOICE ANYWAY

I got into an arguement with a person at work who said he was pro life then told him he was only nominally pro life anyway. When he asked what i meant and i said. Would you before an abortion for your wife or daughter if she was raped, he said "yes", would you before an abortion if someone molested his own daughter "yes" he said, finally I asked him that would he be for it if was for the life of his wife or daughter and he said "yes". By this time everyone had gathered around. ANd i ended with the best question, "if abortion was outlawed in this state and a woman went elsewhere would you put her in jail"? he said "no" partly because over half the people listening at that point were women. Thus i told him. "You are Pro Choice, your FOR aborition in some cases AND your not willing to back up the law by throwing the women in the slammer" so your only nominally pro life. My favorite GET of the YEAR, he's a right wing nut job that knows so little

[IronLionZion]

24. exactly, Catholic Tom Ridge executed many prisoners

He even signed TWO death warrants for Mumia despite his incompetant and disbarred attorney.

but did the church say anything to him? NOOOOO!

The american Catholic church is more Republican than pro-life. That's why they support pro-death Republicans.

[nostalgicaboutmyfutr]

20. right now Catholics

are split down the middle literally...abortion is only one issue, and catholics have been instructed that they don't have to vote for bush because of abortion...that we need to look at all issues among those mentioned of an unjust war and dignity of man....

i agree with the first post, and have seen as such in my church and others,...

[liberal_in_GA]

28. I wish more Catholics

knew how Bush and his RW fundy ilk actually view Catholics and Catholicism--we practice a "pagan religion" and pray to "idols." They think we're all going to hell, but hey, vote Bush*! :crazy:

[nostalgicaboutmyfutr]

21. www.votingcatholic.org

take a look at the site that compares your views to Kerry, Bush and the US Catholic Bishops...abortion and stem cells are the only commonality....

[IronLionZion]

23. Bush is vehemently ANTI-life

obviously after the child is born but even before the child is born.

I'm from an extremely Republican Catholic community. I ask these morons why they think Bush is pro-life when he has publicly stated that he will not try to overturn Roe v. Wade nor appoint any judge who will. Then I tell them to go Google George W. Bush Robin Lowman to see what turns up. (Bush forced and paid for his girfriend to have an abortion before it was legal) When they say it's bullshit, I ask them why they support the very pro-choice Arlen Specter instead of Patric Toomey. And Tom Ridge too. These assholes actually hated pro-life Democrat Bob Casey because he was a Democrat!

Then I ask them why throughout this fine country, most Catholics are Democrats!

[IronLionZion]

25. Many pro-lifers are actually pro-money

and they need an excuse to vote Republican. Their attitude is that it's not so bad that they are screwing the less fortunate as long as they pretend to be pro-life.


I don't know what kind of Catholic would support cutting people off of health and welfare programs or supporting war and execution. Probably the hypocritical kind. and they call ME a "cafeteria Catholic"!