FAVOR ASKED BELOW.
Supporters of the Obama Adminstration in a campaign of deceptive rhetoric are trying to tar the Church as being “political” whenever the bishops teach about matters of morals or raise their voices in the public square concerning any social issue. When the bishops raise their voices on social issues in the public square they do so not only on the basis and background of our faith, but rather of reason and the natural law. Liberals, the truly political left, however, paints what the Church holds by faith and reason as “policies”, implying that the Church’s pastors are being political when they teach on any issue which is also a social issue. They are also suggesting that political pressure must be brought against the Church so that the bishops will change their “policies” or shut up.
A case in point is found in the lies told in the liberal media about the Church and healthcare and women.
A nice antidote to comes from a concrete example in (President of the USCCB) His Eminence Timothy Card. Dolan’s blog (my emphases):
Religious Freedom and Protecting Healthcare for Women and Children
[…]
[I]f you want to see creative, daring, lifegiving healthcare for women and their children, look at what the Church is doing.
And now understand why Catholics rightly bristle when politicians and commentators characterize the Church as backwards and insensitive when it comes to women’s health. Yes, the PR experts advise them that this tactic is a proven ploy to take the attention off the current urgent issue of religious freedom. The marketers advise them that, if they can reduce the issue to one of contraception, stereotyping the Church as opposed to women’s rights, they have a chance of clouding the towering issue of the First Freedom.
But the Church should not be the ones on the defensive here. We’re on the offensive when it comes to women’s health, education, and welfare, here at home, and throughout the world. We hardly need lectures on this issue from senators.
We just want to be left alone to live out the imperatives of our faith to serve, teach, heal, feed, and care for others. We cherish this, our earthly home, America, for its enshrined freedom to do so. Those really concerned about women’s health would be better off defending the Church’s freedom to continue its work.
A couple of years ago I visited a woman’s prison. The warden asked me if I wanted to visit the expectant and new mothers’ healthcare center. It then dawned on me that, of course, some women would enter prison pregnant. I was so happy to see the expectant moms, getting good health care for themselves and their unborn babies, and to see the moms with babies under two getting classes in childrearing and parenting skills, with the babies receiving tender care right next to their moms. When I told the warden how grateful I was to see such excellent care for these women and children, he replied, “Thank yourself. Catholic Charities runs it.”
Case closed . . .
WDTPRS kudos to Card. Dolan. Do me a favor: Go spike Card. Dolan’s stats at his blog (CLICK HERE) and encourage him! Tell him Fr. Z sent you!
If half of you go and leave a nice note and promise of prayers, I’ll bet he would be very encouraged. He has a combox. It’ll take … what… 30 seconds?
Loading ...
Comment left on Cardinal Dolan’s blog, with promise of prayers for him and his brother bishops.
Fr. Z said, “Do me a favor: Go spike Card. Dolan’s stats at his blog (CLICK HERE) and encourage him! Tell him Fr. Z sent you!”
DONE!
Actually took me 2 minutes…;) But, in any case, consider it done.
Check. My comment went to moderation (I suspect they all do) but I did read the Cardinal’s message, which was excellent, and I mentioned in my supportive post that I first read about it here, at WDTPRS.com.
Thank you for bringing it to our attention, Father.
Done. I hope all here will pray for him and bless his site with a visit and a note of encouragement.
I had to switch to IE to post a comment, but it is done.
This is what the French government did in the Revolution and the Soviets did-pretend politics instead of morals….kudos and comment.
Done… along with an exhortation to never falter and assurance of continued daily prayer for his Eminence.
Done. It is heartening to read the overwhelmingly positive comments at His
Eminence’s blog.
However, I was astonished to read one negative comment from someone who
identified herself as a Catholic physician from the Chicago area (posted Mar. 17
@ 12:32). She said “(i)n order for the hierarchy’s conscience to be respected,
health insurance belongs outside of employer control”.
It’s that kind of cognitive dissonance the Church is up against in this country.
Clinton,
I’m not sure it’s cognitive dissonance. I’m not so sure about the “Catholic physician from Chicago”, but the supposed nurse Stephanie commits so many obvious medical blunders in her short post that I’m convinced she’s no more an RN than my cat. She’s simply lying about her qualifications to try to give her opinion more weight – “on the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.”
Comment left. Prayers offered.
AnAmericanMother, out of idle curiosity I googled the Catholic physician’s name,
Dr. Rosemary McHugh, and found her listed with several doctor referral/rating
sites for the Chicago area. Also found comments she had posted on other blogs–
pro-SNAP, anti-celibacy for priests, and of the opinion that things like abortion
and contraception were exclusively a matter for women and their doctors with the
mean ol’ Church needing to butt out. She opines on a lot of topics, but she will
consistently begin by mentioning that she is a Catholic physician.
I suppose it’s still possible that some creep has hijacked her ID and has been using
it as they posted comments on blogs for the last couple of years, but it’s more likely
it is indeed her. *Sigh*
Clinton,
Too bad. The constant self-identification a s Catholic indicates that (like others [ cough, cough – Sibelius – cough, cough ] ) she left the Church a long time ago. Far worse to lie about being Catholic than being an RN.
*sigh* indeed.
“We just want to be left alone …”
This is the one part I have a slight problem with – Jesus warns us repeatedly that we will be persecuted (He was persecuted). We need to be proactive, not with the attitude of being left alone, but that we are the ones going out to convert others and defending our faith when others try to convert us – which is what our government is doing now – trying to convert us to the “dark” side.
Frankly, we shouldn’t be surprised. If we had been out professing our FAITH for the past 50 years, the government wouldn’t think they could bully us now.
Done!