ANTI-CATHOLIC

There's a new twist concerning the Democrats unconscionable blocking of Federal Judicial nominees. Lately, a concerted effort has been made to portray the Democrats as being anti-Catholic, particularly in the case of Judge William Pryor. Judge Pryor has a fairly flawless judicial record, but he is a strong Catholic and VERY anti-abortion. Because of Judge Pryor's views on abortion, ilk like Senator Charles Schumer (just saying that leaves a bad taste in my mouth) have waged an all out war of the nomination, calling him extreme and ultra-right wing and incapable of not being biased. Just a quick aside on that charge. Senator Schumer (yuck!), just because you don't have intelligence to follow the law despite your personal beliefs, that doesn't mean everyone else is as stupid and weak as you.

Anyway, getting back to the anti-Catholic charge, it probably isn't true in the strict sense, they aren't against Pryor because he's Catholic, it' because he's pro-life. That being said, it is true in action. True, practicing Catholics are anti-abortion, therefore, in the Schumer-ites views, not fit for bench.

So, the charge is somewhat unfair, but de-facto correct. The funny thing is to see the Democrats who claim to be Catholics show the world what little they know of their own religion, revealing that they are not really Catholics. Check out this quote:

Senator Richard J. Durbin, who is Catholic, said he reached his limit at a committee meeting on Wednesday when Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama (and a Methodist), began explaining Mr. Pryor's positions as "what a good Catholic believes."

Mr. Durbin, an Illinois Democrat who personally opposes abortion but backs abortion rights, added, "I understand the painful process I have to go through with the elders of the church on many of these issues, explaining my position. But it is galling, to say the least, when my colleagues in the Senate, of another religion, start speaking ex cathedra."

We Catholics have something called the Catechism. It's basically a rulebook of beliefs for Catholics. So, if Senator Durbin were a real Catholic, he would know that anybody, Catholic or Methodist, with a Catechism could say "what a good Catholic believes." Of course, it's at least likely that Senator Durbin DOES know this, but chose to lie about it because it makes good press. So, which is it Durbin, are you ignorant of your professed faith or a liar?

Then there's this one:

Many Catholic elected officials are, perhaps, particularly sensitive to the line between religious faith and public responsibilities. It was a line drawn most vividly by President John F. Kennedy, the first Catholic president, who had to deal with widespread fears that a Roman Catholic president would serve both Rome and the American people.

Kennedy responded by declaring, "I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president, should he be a Catholic, how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote." In recent years, Gov. Mario M. Cuomo reasserted that line, particularly regarding abortion.

John Kennedy is technically correct when he says "where no Catholic prelate would tell the president, should he be a Catholic, how to act". The Pope or Bishop or priest cannot tells us what to have for breakfast, but there are certain beliefs that must be held to call oneself a Catholic, so your faith will tell you how to act. As for the Cuomo line, he did try to spin the Kennedy obfuscation into cover for his pro-abortion beliefs. What the Times didn't mention was the Church didn't let him. In 1990 Cuomo was banned from speaking on Church property because of his abortion stance by John Cardinal O'Connor, God bless his holy soul. Also that year, Bishop Austin Vaughan, said Cuomo "was risking the fires of Hell for his support of the killing of unborn children".

I love to see liberals squirm and to see the "Catholics" among them try to reconcile the truth about their religion and what they say is sweet justice.