Bishops Share The Blame
Well, it is done. The Government takeover of health-care is now the law of the land complete with the federal funding of abortion.
At this horrific moment we must make an honest assessment of how we arrived at this point. The responsibility for this terrible moment in history is spread far and wide. The Democrat party, committed to the Siamese causes of increasing government control of lives and desire to have less lives, is the obvious culprit but far from the only one.
A truly honest assessment of the situation should hold the Republican party to account. Truth be told, the Republican party has acquitted themselves well in the past year. They managed to hold off this bill as long as they could facing an opposition with a huge majority. But why did the Democrats have such a huge majority? Because when the reigns of government were entrusted to Republicans, they woefully failed in their duty. They failed to live up to their own creed in both a fiscal and moral sense. No need to go into detail here, everyone knows their failings. Those failings opened the door to a virulently pro-death Democrat Congress and a virulently pro-death Democrat president.
Had the Republicans been good stewards of the authority entrusted them, we would likely not be in this situation now.
There is another group that should also take a hard look at their stewardship and and acknowledge their failures, the US Bishops...Continue reading at the National Catholic Register>>>
28 comments:
Perfect!
True, however, the first group on this list should be the average Catholic voter.
Shame on Catholics for our, how do I put this, moronocy, our lack of evangelizing our neighbor, our failure to educate ourselves, our failure to keep our schools in check, our failure to speak up and out years ago, for voting uncharitably (thinking of how it might affect self and not the common good), for falling the way of the culture time and time again...etc.
That's what it comes down to, indivual hearts in true conversion and union with the Church. From there it's so clear unless you are attached to sin, like oh say contraception, etc.
Unfortunately, we got what we deserve.
Heavenly Father, please do not give us what we deserve but instead have mercy on us.
Well said.
Amen Carol!
And Patrick, not to add my own conspiracy here, but the US Bishops, it seems to me, have been in silent protest against the Vatican for Humane Vitae, and willfully refuse to take part in the culture of life, until all Catholics are allowed to contracept. Just my two cents, but I believe there's weight in it. In the meantime they need to do something for the "common good" and its so easy to help the poor and the outcast, and to ignore the unborn whom they never wanted conceived into existence in the first place...
The Catholics that do not contracept are the future Church. God will have His Way.
The problem I have with the Register's assessment is that while many bishops may not have saw the danger at the time, they certainly stood strong during this Health Care debate. I was never in any doubt that the USCCB opposed the Senate Bill from the time it was originally created, so I disagree with the "11th hour" claim.
What this all seems to me is Scapegoating. People want someone to blame. If so, perhaps we can begin with ourselves. Did we do our best to oppose the bill, or did we decide to let Stupak do it for us, failing to consider he might be turned?
We cannot control what others do of course. We can control what we do. We can only make our voice be heard and pray.
The USCCB did make their voice known through the proceedings, urging changes and once it became clear that the final senate bill was set, shifted to outright opposition.
Let's avoid pointless recriminations however. We have this to deal with now, and we need to face it united as Christians, not infighting among ourselves.
Amen, too, Carol!
This may be a bit off topic, but can someone explain to me why, if we've been giving Planned Parenthood tax money for years, there is now an upset that abortion will be taxpayer funded?!
Also, a good point, I just heard on Teresa Tomeo's program, "If abortion was never in the healthcare bill, why was it necessary to have an Executive Order promising not to fund them?!
The FatMan
I agree with you, Patrick, but am not nearly as gloomy. God has a way of working things out. As a matter of fact, many countries with this kind of wonderful system are in the midst of dismantling it.
Arnobius, I do think the Bishops share a large part of the blame. They have supported universal coverage rather than focusing on universal medical care. Who cares if somebody has insurance as long as they get the care they need? That has been the problem all along and the Bishops as a whole seem clueless about that, still the Democrat Party at prayer. We have to be faithful Catholic Christians while showing charity. I heard plenty of folks at my parish moaning about the economy and justifying votes for the Dems, saying abortion was less important. That's what we get. We need to pray and believe. Things may get really tough.
The bishops sold their souls decades ago, a la Hyannisport and the Kennedys. having become the religious arm of the Party of Death and Eugenics is the only thing that the USCCB is interested in.Right now they are working with their fellow travellers at the DNC on amnesty- thanks for helping to destroy AMerica, USCCB!!!!
54% of "Catholics" voted for Obama, and how many Catholics vote Democrat in other (congressional) races as well? Put the blame where it truly lies - the voters. Nobody gets into power without our votes, and even when the Republican party "failed", somebody put the Democrats in their place.
While I agree the the USCCB acted too late, there would have been nothing to act on if voters cared more about innocent life than their own pocketbook.
Wo, did he just say Stupak-tards? And he's allowed to be posted here?
Mr. Archbold, I urge you to reflect on the comments that have been posted thus far. Sometimes, one might think, and rightly, that one is following the teachings of the Church more closely and more passionately than one's bishop. Sometimes, one might think, and rightly, that one is a "better Catholic" than one's bishop. However, such an attitude, while in itself harmless, can be extremely poisonous when it is expressed openly in a public forum. In effect, you have put both the grace of God and the entire Catholic Church into question, leaving it up to your readers to decide if they think they know better than their bishop. Are you not saying that the grace of God has failed? Are you not saying that questioning is better than obedience? How is this not the very attitude which Pelosi or Kennedy has, the very attitude which they too have expressed openly, in private and in their political career? Mr. Archbold, you have written here a most scandalous article, and I urge you to take this down, reflect on it, and post an apology to your readers as soon as you feel ready.
Patrick,
I've been a loyal reader of CMR for a long time now, but I have to say that I cannot disagree more with this column. In fact, I find the hostility towards and criticism of our bishops--our SHEPHERDS, given to us by the Holy Spirit--to be appalling and almost as scandalous as Pelosi's disregard for the teaching authority of the Church.
However upset we are by what has transpired, however much we feel betrayed by so-called 'Catholic' groups, we cannot fall into the utterly Protestant position of questioning the authority of our bishops and the motives by which they are guided.
In our passion for the pro-life movement it is all too easy to see the enemy everywhere, but in this column you have spread dissent and division within the Church herself. Look at the comments. Good Catholics are saying that they now know that they cannot trust their priest, their bishops. They are going to stop donating to the Church in order to "teach the bishops a lesson". You have aligned the bishops with the party of death--something which they NEVER did--so what else did you expect?
The evil behind this HCR stuff has done what evil always does--spread discord and chaos among people. It has caused good, faithful Catholics to forget that there is no one more Catholic than the bishop, and there is no way to BE Catholic while at once rejecting the authority of those who are the successors of the Apostles and share in their office.
In all of this have we forgotten that the USCCB is not a PAC? That the goal of each bishop is to shepherd his flock--UNTO HEAVEN? It's easy for us to sit back and say "Pelosi's bishop should have excommunicated her long ago--for that matter, Pope Benedict should have weighed in on the issue when he met her"--but our concern is more political in nature than for the salvation of her soul. It is not our place to judge how a bishop shepherds, for the Holy Spirit has not called US out as shepherds, but has called HIM.
Our hope is not in this world--that is clearer now than it ever has been in most of our lives. But God will provide, and Truth will prevail, even as we see the darkness closing in. Remember--the darkness WILL NOT overcome the light. But let's be sure not to help it claim any more Catholics by dividing them from the Church.
- Rachel
So, who shall call for the excommunications and/or the directives to refrain from receiving Holy Communion? Who shall retract the right for one to call themself by the name "Catholic"?
This is the responsibility of the Bishops. It is not to be taken lightly, neither in the form of excommunicating too readily, nor in the form of refusing the duty.
John Paul spoke of the special nature that America enjoyed as a place where Christian faith can flourish independant of the state. That is no longer the case.
Speak, Bishops, for your flock is heading for the cliff led by sheep gone-astray.
Rachel
You attribute things to me that I did not say and certainly did not intend. Please read what I wrote carefully. I never ever challenged the authority of the Bishops, in fact I wish that they would exercise it more.
What I am criticizing and hoping that the Bishops learn from are the prudential decisions made by the Bishops over the past decades in dealing with dissent. I think this is perfectly legitimate.
I never challenged their 'Catholicity' but their judgment in allowing obstinate dissent to go unchallenged and their too cozy relationship with the Democrat party, a party whose platform supports the destruction of life.
These are legitimate and constructive criticisms. I have no doubt that each and every bishop is holier than me. But that doesn't make them perfect.
Patrick - Bravo for a courageous post - I hope you don't mind that I reprinted it entirely at my own blog, fearing it would otherwise be taken down. Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention. We are so fortunate to have the good bishops we are getting these days. God bless you.
This is what comes from the seamless garment. Some want to suffocate in it, and others want to use it on others to stifle their speech (muzzle anyone?)
We had a situation in CT a while back where our Bishops allowed for Plan B Contraception in our Catholic Hospitals. Every Catholic who understood the gravity of this situation prayed and spoke out to our Bishops, but we were ignored. I do not claim leadership that the Bishops have due to their vocation, but I see this acceptance of blatant evil in our Catholic Hospitals as the allowance of sin and a promotion of public scandal. We, as Faithful Catholics, are called by our vocations to speak out against heresy and scandal wherever it occurs, tragically this includes in the Hierarchy of the Church. Would there have been a need for Martin Luther if more Catholics had been guiding their flocks faithfully? The world will never know. This is not scapegoating, it is the recognition of a truth that needs to be dispelled of. Too many Bishops have their roots in America's soil and don't want to put their hearts in the teachings of Rome.
Not a word spoken at Mass. The silence speaks volumes.
Great post Matthew. You were baptized and confirmed to be a priest, prophet and king. I am edified at the way that you are exercising your ministry. Keep up the good work. Someone has to speak the truth to power.
Patrick,
I appreciate your addendum to the post over on NCR, as well as deleting some of the more egregious comments.
I don't see where I attributed anything to you that you did not say. Most of my comment was a response to what you did say, and the only time I recapped your post was when I said "You have aligned the bishops with the party of death...". Which you did, verbatim, in your article: "The hard truth is that for years the Bishops have allied themselves with the pro-abort party..."
While it is fair for a Catholic to privately, perhaps, think about how they might make a bishop's "prudential decisions" differently, it is a far different matter to openly criticize in a fashion such as to invite the sorts of comments your post did. Though you might have intended your post to be "constructive criticism," it was not taken as such, either by myself or by many of the other commenters, who ran more with the "criticism" aspect than the "constructive" one.
The intent of your post clearly was to indict the bishops for their perceived inaction on this issue, and for not doing enough--in your opinion--to challenge Pelosi, et al, in the run-up to the passage of HCR. Perhaps more prudent, nuanced language should have been used, because it was read as an indictment and responded to in a like manner, by people who now are encouraging others to no longer donate to the Church, to be suspicious of their bishops' motives, and distrustful of the Church founded by Christ. That is an incredible shame, and as Thomas commented over on the NCR post: "If this unfortunate event has us doing no more than complaining about our shepherds’ inabilities instead of taking decisive action as Catholics, then the Adversary has accomplished his aims."
I understand your anger at this whole situation, but I sincerely feel it has been misplaced, with some unfortunate consequences.
- Rachel
(From http://www.rightsidenews.com/201003229187/editorial/the-bishops-not-stupak-are-the-problem.html?awesm=fbshare.me_AKGmb )
While commentators speculate as to whether Stupak was in favor of health care legislation all along and was always intending to vote for it, the real attention should be on the Bishops. They were playing the double-game, acting as if the legislation had to be toughened-up in order to be more pro-life, while insisting it be expanded to cover more immigrants. They were sounding conservative and liberal at the same time. All along they were active players because, in the end, they wanted to see national health care legislation passed.
On Friday, Richard Doerflinger, associate director of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, was part of a conference call in opposition to House passage of the Senate bill on pro-life grounds. He was asked about a group of Catholic nuns endorsing the bill and expressed his opinion that they were ignorant about how abortion would be funded on the federal level through the Senate bill. I asked why he or other Catholic Church lobbyists or the Bishops themselves hadn't educated them about the issue. He had no coherent explanation.
When I asked why the five Catholic lobbyists involved in passing the original Stupak language were not being sent to explain to the nuns why the legislation was deficient, he took issue with the number of church lobbyists that were reported to have been working on Capitol Hill. Whatever the number, the Bishops know how to lobby and make their views known. But they clearly permitted Catholic groups like NETWORK, "a national Catholic social justice lobby," to support the legislation, even without pro-life language.
-ripples
@Rachel: Should we support the USCCB's CCHD even if it donates to groups that support abortion?
If a bishop reassigns a pedophile priest and we know about it, should we be silent?
If a bishop decides to not apply a canon of the Church, should we simply be like sheep?
If a bishop allows liturgical abuses, should we defer to his judgment and go along with anything he does?
One critical issue, arising here as well as during the recent unpleasantness, is the error of clericalism, which has often been condemned by Holy Mother Church.
Of course, a bishop may embrace a private opinion on a political particular on which good and faithful Catholics can disagree. However, his private opinion has no more canonical authority than the opinion of the lowliest publican in the back pew. Those who disagree have every right to dispute his private opinion in the public square -- no matter how much ecclesiastical "authority" might adorn the bishop's private prudential judgment.
In this "Age of the Laity," we laity must make this principle clear, lest good Catholics be alienated from the church because they begin to perceive it to be little more than a left-wing sect. We must bear witness to the truth in all things.
Princeton Professor and Catholic Robbie George has elucidated this issue brilliantly in the article linked below.
Christopher Manion, Virginia
link:
http://www.winst.org/fellows/george/Moral_Witness_of_the_Catholic_Church.pdf
Great Article Christopher! Thank you for posting it! I love and respect all that Professor George does, says, and writes on!
If we are the sheep we need shepherds. If the shepherds are misleading us we must not follow them.
When I hear my bishop during the homily on pro-ife Sunday place abortion and euthanasia on the same level as immigration and the death penalty I am upset because he has subscribed to some leftist social justice nonsense that has nothing to do with Catholic teaching. A poster here called it the "seamless garment" approach - a concept developed by Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago...... please, do me a favor and follow the "Chicago trail" of Bernardin, Aulinsky, Obama.....
Then my bishop didn't even differentiate between legal and illegal immigration, nor did he recognize the right of every nation to maintain and defend her borders.
On top of it, the USCCB has no teaching power. The USCCB is not the right arm of the Magisterium in Rome. The USCCB as an entity is laughable.
So long as my bishop is nurturing and leading me in my Catholic Faith, I will listen to him - it is laudable, for instance, that he is working hard to move tabernacles front and center in our churces, that he is working hard to foster vocations, etc..... I can and will support that.
For other issues, if he deviates, I will look to Rome.
Jesus warned us that there will be wolves in sheep clothing. And now we are not allowed to call attention to them?
I absolutely blame our episcopate first. What do we have shepherds for? I am absolutely convinced that if our episcopate had taught us the Catholic Faith in complete obedience and loyalty to Rome we would not be in this mess. The sheep would be formed correctly and would then act correctly in society. It was the bishops first who allowed malformation, dissent, disobedience and disloyalty to enter the church. It was the bishops' conferences in various countries, Canada, Austria, Germany to name a few, who openly called for dissent and disobedience of Humanae Vitae and put it in writing.
NOT THE FAITHFUL. And now we have a mess.
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