Professors Defend Bishop's Ban on Pro-choice Pols
Anyone who has read TPRS for any length of time knows that I am not a big fan of the Catholic Church. No, I'm hardly anti-Catholic. What I do have are some very real philosophical differences with the Church. In addition, I have a difficult time understanding why the Church is so threatened by differing viewpoints. If you do not fully agree with Church dogma, does that make you a bad Catholic? In the eyes of the Church, it certainly does.
PRINCETON, New Jersey -- Two leading Catholic intellectuals came out in strong support of the decision by a Midwest bishop to ask pro-abortion Catholic politicians in his diocese to refrain from receiving Communion.
In an article published by National Review Online, professors Robert George and Gerard Bradley defended the actions of then La Crosse Bishop Raymond Burke (now archbishop of St. Louis).
The professors wrote: "Having made every effort to persuade pro-abortion Catholic legislators to fulfill their obligations in justice to the unborn, Bishop Burke articulated the obvious: Any Catholic who exercises political power to expose a disfavored class of human beings to unjust killing sets himself against the very faith he claims to share. The Church cannot permit such a person to pretend to share in the faith he publicly defies. By receiving Communion -- the sacrament of unity -- pro-abortion Catholics are pretending exactly that. The bishop has called a halt to the pretense."
I would submit that any politician's primary responsibility is to those who elected him (or her), NOT to his church. For the Catholic Church to demand primacy seems to me to be the height of arrogance. It's been said that the Church is run by fat, out-of-touch white men who see themselves as sitting at the center of the universe. Judging by Bishop Burke's pronouncement, one certainly could understand how one could come to that conclusion.
The Catholic Church has no place in politics, just as the Lutheran Church or any other church has no place in politics. The separation of Church and State are still a fundamental pillar of American political life. Blurring that line will in the end prove disastrous for Americans. I'm not saying that religious entities should not take an interest in politics, but when institutions such as the Catholic Church demand that Catholic politicians make policy decisions based on the teachings of the Vatican, something is horribly wrong.
