Brooklyn bishop rues failure to teach the faith, says Catholic vote for Obama ‘stretches the imagination’
October 30, 2012
In the latest in a series of diocesan newspaper columns on the upcoming election, Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn lamented the Obama-Biden campaign’s emphasis on abortion and contraception.
“The reality is that we as a Church have failed to teach the truths of the faith in a clear and convincing manner to the Catholic faithful,” he wrote. “However, the issue is not what we as a Church believe but whether or not we ought to be obligated to act in a manner contrary to our own belief.”
Bishop DiMarzio added:
It is inconceivable to me how Catholics could support such policies. Indeed, Roman Catholics who support abortion rights and vote for a candidate because of those policies, place him/herself outside of the life of the Church. In so doing, they also place themselves in moral danger.
Is it possible to vote for somebody despite their support for these policies? To my mind, it stretches the imagination, especially when there is another option. The dignity and sanctity of human life are the foundational values upon which all other policies are built. Concern for the poor, the stranger in our midst, they are all predicated upon our belief in the dignity and sanctity of human life.
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Further information:
- What Constitutes a Woman’s Issue? (The Tablet)
- Biden Misspoke About Assault on Church (The Tablet)
- Previous columns (The Tablet)
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Posted by: impossible -
Oct. 30, 2012 7:57 PM ET USA
When will our good bishops like Bishop DiMarzio take effective action at the USCCB meetings to put a stop to false teachings about voting/social justice issues instead of having to belatedly fight for truth individually at election times? An apt definition of justice is that each person deserves that which is due him. The right to live tops the list without regard to one’s age, size, location or disability. Without “life” nothing else matters. Blessed Pope John Paul II made that clear.
