Brownback Accuses Other Catholic Lawmakers of Not Being True Catholics

[Emit]

Brownback Accuses Other Catholic Lawmakers of Not Being True Catholics
By Kyle | February 20, 2009 - 5:38pm
The National Catholic Register reports that a fund-raising letter on behalf of Catholic Advocate, a project of the Washington-based Morley Institute for Church and Culture, is being distributed "in an envelope that bears Brownback's signature in a manner similar to official Congressional correspondence." The letter questions the Catholic bona fides of several other members of Congress:

Kansas Republican Senator Sam Brownback, in a fundraising letter for a new Washington-based antiabortion group distributed under his signature, questioned whether six of his Democratic colleagues and the Speaker of the House are genuine Catholics.

"Real Catholics need a new voice — not the likes of Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi who have campaigned as Catholics while voting to undermine the values that we hold most dear," according to the undated Brownback letter.

NCR received the letter in the mail Feb. 17.

"The same can be said for the five 'Catholic' senators sponsoring the Freedom of Choice Act," continues the letter, which then specifically cites Sens. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.), John Kerry (D-Mass.), Barbara Mikulski (D-Md.), Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) as among those who "openly and unabashedly claim to be Catholic — every year at election time" but who then "once in office … willfully cast life-destroying votes at every turn."

The letter, carried in an envelope that bears Brownback's signature in a manner similar to official Congressional correspondence, was distributed on behalf of Catholic Advocate, a project of the Washington-based Morley Institute for Church and Culture, publisher of Inside Catholic, a conservative Catholic Web site.

Of course, Brownback's staff is now denying that they had anything to do with it:

But Brownback spokesman Brian Hart said, "Our chief of staff ... had never seen, heard of, or approved it." Hart said Brownback's Senate staff has "reached out to both the organization responsible and the mail house and directed them not to use Sam Brownback's name, signature, likeness or representation in any way moving forward and expressed that we are not pleased with the content of the letter."

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/brownback-accuses-other-catholic-lawmakers-not-being-true-catholics

[GarbagemanLB]

1. I can't help but wonder if supporting war is okay with the catholic church.

[kanrok]

7. Actually it's not

The "Just War Doctrine" is not met by the "war" in Iraq.

Here's the definition from the Catechism:

The most authoritative and up-to-date expression of just war doctrine is found in paragraph 2309 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It says:

The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:
the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
there must be serious prospects of success;
the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.
These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the "just war" doctrine. The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good.


Hope this helps.

Cheers.

[LeftishBrit]

10. The late Pope opposed the Iraq War, as did a number of Protestant leaders

[AnnieBW]

2. I guess the Pope Made Him The Boss

The Catholics are going all-out on this Freedom of Choice Act thing. What, has it even gotten out of committee yet? Sheesh, it's not like there's poor people out there, Catholics!

[SoxFan]

6. Brownback does not speak for Catholics

His own Catholic pedigree is a bit shaky, to say the least. He was raised Protestant and ostensibly converted to Catholicism in 2002, but he still attends a Baptist church in Topeka on a regular basis.

He also has a penchant for creepy, cult-like groups, being involved with both paleoconservative Catholic group Opus Dei and the somewhat flaky evangelical group The Fellowship (or The Family).

Brownback was steered towards Catholicism by Father John McCloskey. McCloskey serves as a spiritual advisor to a number of hard-right converts, including Robert Bork and Larry Kudlow.

Brownback's brand of Catholicism is a product of the fringe, and is not representative of mainstream Catholic thought in the United States.

[Submariner]

3. We need to see Brownback's god through his eyes

[Maru Kitteh]

4. Oh great. "I'm more Catholic-y than you are - Are not - Am too" wars.

Awesome.

[rug]

5. Just another attempt by republicans to hijack Catholics.

Deal Hudson is behind this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_W._Hudson

[Metta]

8. He's one of the least Christian people in politics. Happy karma, Sammy.

What a shmuck. Jesus would walk over him to get to a leper.

[LeftishBrit]

9. Good lord

He's supposed to be a Senator, not the Pope! Does he plan to excommunicate all his colleagues?