Catholics Against Joe Biden

By now, you probably heard the big news about how the Democratic Presidential candidate Barack Obama has selected Senator Joe Biden as his Vice President candidate. Joe Biden is a "Catholic" in support of intrinsic evils such as abortion and embryonic stem cell research and thus goes against his faith in such matters.

A new blog has been established to provide ongoing analysis and commentary on the positions of Senator Biden at variance with clear and authoritative Catholic moral teaching. It is hoped that as a community, we will move Senator Biden and other "pro-choice Catholics" of all political parties to self-examination and greater obedience to the teachings of Christ and His Church.

The following information from the Catholics Against Joe Biden blog provides the foundation for our concern:

Why should Catholics oppose Senator Joe Biden?

Catholic Teaching on Abortion and the Obligation of Catholics in Public Life

In his encyclical Evangelium Vitae ("The Gospel of Life"), Pope John Paul II stated that

Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime."

Regarding laws which seek to legitimize abortion, the Pope asserted that Catholics have a "grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection."

Speaking on the topic of Catholics in Political Life, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops affirm an "unequivocal commitment to the legal protection of human life from the moment of conception until natural death," stated that "the killing of an unborn child is always intrinsically evil and can never be justified," and emphasize the duty of Catholic legislators:

To make such intrinsically evil actions legal is itself wrong. This is the point most recently highlighted in official Catholic teaching. The legal system as such can be said to cooperate in evil when it fails to protect the lives of those who have no protection except the law. In the United States of America, abortion on demand has been made a constitutional right by a decision of the Supreme Court. Failing to protect the lives of innocent and defenseless members of the human race is to sin against justice. Those who formulate law therefore have an obligation in conscience to work toward correcting morally defective laws, lest they be guilty of cooperating in evil and in sinning against the common good.

Senator Joe Biden: At Odds with the Church

On August 23, 2008, it was announced that Illinois Senator Barack Obama -- a Christian politician with his own lamentable record on the "life issues" -- had selected DE Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate in the 2008 U.S. Presidential elections.

As with Senator John Kerry in 2004, Biden's prominent role as a Catholic in public service, together with his deplorable record on abortion and embryonic stem cell research (in addition to other issues), has placed the matter of the responsibilities of Catholic legislators and the reception of the Eucharist by those unworthy before the public eye.

According to the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, Biden "strongly support[s] Roe v. Wade":

He said he is "prepared to accept" the Catholic Church's teaching that life begins at conception but said Roe v. Wade "is as close to we're going to be able to get as a society" to incorporating diverging religious views on the issue. Although he voted in favor of the bill to ban late-term abortions, Biden said the Supreme Court's April 2007 decision to uphold the ban was "intellectually dishonest," saying its language undermined Roe v. Wade.

Biden voted in favor of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2005, which was vetoed by President Bush. The bill would have allowed federal funding for research on stem cell lines obtained from discarded human embryos originally created for fertility treatments.

A summary of Joe Biden's recognizably mixed record on abortion and Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR) can be obtained from OnTheIssues.org; a list has also been provided by the Family Research Council.

On a positive note, Biden opposes public funding of abortion, stating on Meet The Press in 2007 that "It goes to the question of whether or not you're going to impose a view to support something that is not a guaranteed right but an affirmative action to promote."

Voted for the Partial Birth Abortion Ban: S. 1692, Partial Birth Abortion Ban, Roll Call 99-340, October 21, 1999 -- but, as the FRC points out, "He did not vote on the one that became law in the 108th Congress."

That said, Biden's general support of Roe v. Wade and a number of his specific votes on abortion and life-related issues merit the concern of Catholics:

• He voted against a ban on transporting minors across state lines for an abortion (S.403, Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, Roll Call 06-216, July 25, 2006.


• He voted against parental notification of minors who get out-of-state abortions: S.403, Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act, Roll Call 06-216, July 25, 2006.


• He voted against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act, which made it a criminal offense to harm or kill a fetus during the commission of a violent crime. S.1019/H.R. 1997, Unborn Victims of Violence Act, Roll Call 04-63, March 25, 2004.


• He voted for increasing taxpayer funding for destructive embryonic stem cell experimentation: S.5/H.R. 3, Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act, Roll Call 07-127, April 11, 2007.


• He voted for increasing funding to Planned Parenthood and similar clinics by $100 million: S.Amdt. 244 to S.Con.Res 18, Appropriation to expand access to preventive health care services, Roll Call 05-75, March 17, 2005.


• Voted against a ban on abortions on military bases: S. 2549, Roll Call 00-134, June 20, 2000.


• Voted against a ban on human cloning: Motion to proceed for S. 1601, Roll Call 98-10, February 11, 1998.

The FRC also points out that Senator Biden co-sponsored the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) in the 102nd and 103rd Congresses but -- in fairness -- has not done so since. FOCA would overturn hundreds of state laws on the books that limit abortion.

In an interview with the Christian Science Monitor, Senator Biden disputed the notion that disobedience to Catholic moral teaching placed one at odds with the Church:

"My views are totally consistent with Catholic social doctrine ... There are elements within the church who say that if you are at odds with any of the teachings of the church, you are at odds with the church. I think the church is bigger than that."

In 2007, he boasted on MSNBC: "I strongly support Roe v. Wade... That's why I led the fight to defeat Bork, Roberts Alito, and Thomas."


On the Profanation of the Eucharist by "Pro-Choice" Catholic Politicians

On the matter of dispensing communion to admittedly "pro-choice" Catholics, one can appeal to no greater an authority than Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. In a 2004 memorandum -- Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles -- sent to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick and Bishop Wilton Gregory:

5. Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.

6. When "these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible," and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, "the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it" (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration "Holy Communion and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics" [2002], nos. 3-4). This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgment on the person’s subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person’s public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin.

The issue was explored at greater length by Archbishop Raymond Burke, who in 2007 published an article in the prestigious canon law journal Periodica de re Canonica, entitled: The Discipline Regarding the Denial of Holy Communion to Those Obstinately Persevering in Manifest Grave Sin.

In June 2008, Archbishop Burke was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI to the office of Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura (the highest tribunal of the Vatican). In a recent interview, Archbishop Burke reiterated his position that Catholics, especially politicians who publicly defend abortion, should not receive Communion:

“Receiving the Body and Blood of Christ unworthily is a sacrilege,” he warned. “If it is done deliberately in mortal sin it is a sacrilege.”

To illustrate his point, he referred to “public officials who, with knowledge and consent, uphold actions that are against the Divine and Eternal moral law. For example, if they support abortion, which entails the taking of innocent and defenseless human lives. A person who commits sin in this way should be publicly admonished in such a way as to not receive Communion until he or she has reformed his life,” the archbishop said.

“If a person who has been admonished persists in public mortal sin and attempts to receive Communion, the minister of the Eucharist has the obligation to deny it to him. Why? Above all, for the salvation of that person, preventing him from committing a sacrilege,” he added.(Source: Catholics who support abortion should not receive Communion, says Archbishop Burke Catholic News Agency. August 19, 2008).

The Catholic advocacy group Fidelis points out, Biden's former bishop, Michael Saltarelli of Wilmington has said that the issues pertaining to the sanctity of human life are the "great civil rights issues of this generation" and warned against the profanation of the Eucharist by unworthy reception:

Bishop Saltarelli denounced the notion that politicians can 'personally oppose' abortion, but refuse to pass laws protecting the unborn.

"No one today would accept this statement from any public servant: 'I am personally opposed to human slavery and racism but will not impose my personal conviction in the legislative arena.' Likewise, none of us should accept this statement from any public servant: "I am personally opposed to abortion but will not impose my personal conviction in the legislative arena,” said Bishop Saltarelli.

In fact, Bishop Saltarelli made clear that pro-abortion Catholic politicians should refrain from receiving the Eucharist.

"The promotion of abortion by any Catholic is a grave and serious matter. Objectively, according to the constant teaching of the Scriptures and the Church, it would be more spiritually beneficial for such a person to refrain from receiving the Body and Blood of Christ. I ask Catholics in this position to have the integrity to respect the Eucharist, Catholic teaching and the Catholic faithful.”

Bishop Saltarelli reached the age of retirement on January 17, 2008. The Diocese of Wilmington’s new bishop, W. Francis Malooly, will be installed September 8th.


Further Reading

Vote for Real Hope and Change, by Charles J. Chaput. First Things' "On The Square" August 19, 2008. Excerpt:

"Obviously, we have other important issues facing us this fall: the economy, the war in Iraq, immigration justice. But we can’t build a healthy society while ignoring the routine and very profitable legalized homicide that goes on every day against America’s unborn children. The right to life is foundational. Every other right depends on it. Efforts to reduce abortions, or to create alternatives to abortion, or to foster an environment where more women will choose to keep their unborn child, can have great merit—but not if they serve to cover over or distract from the brutality and fundamental injustice of abortion itself. We should remember that one of the crucial things that set early Christians apart from the pagan culture around them was their rejection of abortion and infanticide. Yet for thirty-five years I’ve watched prominent “pro-choice” Catholics justify themselves with the kind of moral and verbal gymnastics that should qualify as an Olympic event. All they’ve really done is capitulate to Roe v. Wade."

Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Click on the image for a full-sized view.

Today is the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast has a double object: (1) the happy departure of Mary from this life; (2) the assumption of her body into heaven. It is the principal feast of the Blessed Virgin.

If you haven't already done so, go to Mass. Today is a Holy Day of Obligation. We took the whole family earlier today... Gabriel's first visit to Mass post-birth.

New from Planned Parethood - "Take Care Down There"

New, new, new from Planned Parenthood! From the organization that distributes contraception devices, advocates chemical abortifacients, and provides unlimited (and often illegal and racist) abortion on demand, comes a brand new website campaign aimed towards helping your children "Take Care Down There". That's correct, Planned Parenthood wants to teach your kids "the ins and outs of the ins and outs".

I'm not making this up! This subject is FAR from funny. In fact, what you are about to learn is quite serious and downright NASTY! While the website isn't necessarily visually "graphic", the gross implications and subject content is intentionally candy-coated to be appealing to teenagers by using teenage actors/actresses, images of flowers and hearts, a 1970's-ish color scheme, and even a "theme song". Of course, this being Planned Parenthood, "parents" are not mentioned in any of the website content, therefore suggesting that kids should share nothing with their parents regarding their risky sexual behavior.

For example, the website contains a series of video clips, each more revolting than the last. In one clip, a girl tells her friends that she's staying home from a party to masturbate. When her gal-pals look shocked, she says, "What? I like me. I like spending time with me. Tonight I think I'm going to go all the way with me". On another video, a creepy guy interrupts an act of homosexual oral sex between two teenage boys to ask them where their condoms are. Other videos are titled "Horse P*nis Virus", "Threesome", "Bring Your Sister" and their theme song about genitalia nicknames that reaches an absurd level of vulgarity. I can't even think of a venue that would even be appropriate for a song like this. It's clearly not appropriate for adults nor for our youth!

Take my advice and don't expose yourself to this material. I'm not even going to provide a link to the website. I also hope you won't give Planned Parenthood the recognition they seek by hitting their website on your own. If you're curious at all, keep your exposure limited to what you can see in this video clip from the American Life League.

Unfortunately, many parents are unaware that this highly inappropriate content is being thrown at their children. Even worse, many are unaware that our hard-earned tax dollars pay for this garbage! Each year, over $300 million of our tax dollars goes towards this "non-profit organization" (non-profit in quotes because they have enormous annual profits) which also is not required to pay taxes. I can think of far better ways of using that tax money, and I'm sure you can too!

The greatest concern, however, is not about tax money. Granted their motivations are due to their greed, the bottom line is that the profits from their abortion business market would drop off dramatically if abstinence programs were promoted. Hence, that is why PP is so vehemently against any such programs. They know they need websites and other content like this to encourage teens (and adults) to go around "experimenting" with each other so that when the unsuspecting girls find themselves expecting, PP will be there to "help" them kill their babies.

So sad, yet so true.

Call AND write your elected officials and demand that our tax money be cut from Planned Parenthood altogether. Furthermore, call the White House switchboard today at 202-456-1414 and ask President Bush to take action before more children are caught up in Planned Parenthood's trap. The production of sewage like this and the buildup of their abortion business needs to come to an end.

Some Protestants find spiritual appeal in natural family planning

Here is the start of an interesting article from the Austin-American Statesman regarding how Natural Family Planning, often seen as being a "Catholic" method of birth control, is actually a viable option for Protestant Christians.

While I applaud the writer's approach to find some common ground between Catholics and Protestants regarding Natural Family Planning, especially the point that there are great benefits to utilizing the NFP method, not all facts in the article are correct.

Let me quickly state that the use of NFP, if done correctly, is more effective than any other method of birth control. When Mother Theresa was teaching the NFP method to Muslims and Hindus in Calcutta, they had a pregnancy rate of 0.004%. You can't get better results from any other method, but you can get all the undesirable and harmful side-effects of those other methods.

Secondly, one of the women interviewed (Tietz, a Baptist who lives in Oklahoma) stated that she did not believe that the pill causes abortions. I wish the writer had carried the balanced point that there is plenty of evidence to indicate that "the pill" kills.

Lastly, Sam and Bethany Torode spoke of the "dark side" of NFP being the extended periods of abstinence that they felt was more harmful to their marriage than good. I don't know for certain, but I'm almost willing to bet that they were sexually active before getting married. I say this because their statement implies that the welfare of their relationship rests on their ability to have sex whenever they desire. They fail to see that periods of abstinence are opportunities to build upon other aspects of their relationship together.

For those that would suggest that I'm full of hot air on this point, that being married means having the ability to have sex whenever they want, I'd like to point out that any couple that refrained from having sexual relations prior to marriage is also capable of refraining from sexual relations inside of marriage. For those that refrained prior to marriage, their relationship was apparently strong enough and built upon many other common ties that led them to the altar for marriage. I have a hard time believing that their relationship would be somehow weaker inside of marriage that they couldn't still rely on those other relational aspects. And even in those relationships where pre-marital sex and sex-on-demand have been a part of their relationship, NFP provides a wonderful opportunity to explore those other relational aspects in greater depth.

My wife adds that having the ability to abstain from sex during those fertile periods is also an excellent exercise at controling sexual urges. Why is this important? Well, if you can abstain from sex within marriage, you can also resist sexual urges that may come from a person that tempts you to have an affair.

After reading this article, I invite you to review the resources in my earlier post on this topic to learn more about Natural Family Planning. Be sure to also learn more about the relationship-building benefits of NFP, not just the fertility aspects of NFP.

Taking a page from Catholic doctrine, Protestants are avoiding artificial contraception for religious reasons

By Eileen E. Flynn
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Sunday, August 10, 2008

Phaedra Taylor abstained from sex until marriage. But she began researching birth control methods before she was even engaged, and by the time she married David Taylor, she was already charting her fertility.

Taylor, a fresh-faced 28-year-old who would blend in easily with South Austin bohemians, ruled out taking birth control pills after reading a book that claimed the pill could, in some cases, make the uterus uninhabitable after conception occurred. She viewed that as abortion, which she opposes.

"I just wasn't willing to risk it," she said.

Taylor wanted her faith to guide her sexual and reproductive decisions after marriage. Natural family planning felt like the best way to honor God, she said.

The Taylors are one of several couples at Hope Chapel — a nondenominational church where David Taylor, 36, was the arts minister for 12 years — who practice natural family planning. Christian scholars say they may reflect a growing trend among non-Catholic Christians who are increasingly seeking out natural alternatives to artificial contraception.

Natural family planning is frequently dismissed by Protestants as an outmoded Catholic practice that most Catholics don't even follow anymore. But 40 years after Pope Paul VI released Humanae Vitae, the document outlining the church's position on marital sex and procreation, the method and the theology behind it are earning respect among some young Protestants, according to Christian scholars.

The 1968 papal encyclical explains the church's interpretation of the moral and natural laws, which includes a prohibition against artificial contraception but allows couples who want to plan their children to "take advantage of the natural cycles immanent in the reproductive system and engage in marital intercourse ... during those times that are infertile."

This approach, for years known as the rhythm method because it relied on a calendar to track a woman's ovulation based on past cycles, underwent improvements over the years, becoming a more reliable system known as natural family planning.

The natural family planning movement among Protestants is difficult to quantify, but there appears to be growing interest, said the Rev. Amy Laura Hall, a Methodist minister and associate professor at Duke Divinity School.

READ MORE...

Once again, I invite you to review the resources in my earlier post on this topic to learn more about Natural Family Planning.

Death Wish - The Impending Suicide of a Once Great Nation

A message from Father John Corapi:

Death Wish

The Impending Suicide of a Once Great Nation

"A large number of endangered, unwanted, and unborn children held a town hall meeting on the 4th of July--alarmed at the brutal and untimely killing of millions of their brothers and sisters in recent years. That the murderous war waged on them had the full force and respectability of the law made their plight all the more terrifying.

Their complaint was humble and it was simple. They were not distressed by rising gas prices, or the deteriorating economy in general. They were not even frightened by the exponential increase of natural disasters. The threat of global warming or global terrorism did not greatly disturb them.

They had become an endangered species, and little had been done to answer their terrified and silent screams from the womb... "---An excerpt from Father Corapi's new article and video entitled "Death Wish" Click here to download the entire article in PDF format to print or electronically distribute as you like.

Knights of Columbus launch initiative - "Fathers For Good"

At their 126th Supreme Council Meeting, The Knights of Columbus launched a new initiative aimed towards strengthening men in their role as husbands and fathers. The website for this new initiative is called "Fathers For Good". “Fatherhood is a gift, a privilege and a responsibility,” Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson says in a special video message on the Web site. Here's another quote from the website:

Whether you are a seasoned dad, a new dad, a dad to be, or a single guy wanting to know more about fatherhood, this website is for you.

There is a role only a father can fill and gifts only a father can give. In a culture that often does not favor fatherhood or masculine virtue, we wish to highlight the unique contributions of men, husbands and fathers. The world would be lacking without them.

The website is well designed and information packed. Check it out!

Recently Discovered Letter From Vatican Sent to Bishops Asking For Teaching Support on Humanae Vitae

I've been spending a lot of time on this subject, I know, but I had to bring it up once again. As noted in my earlier post regarding Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI knew the release of the encyclical was going to be difficult for the people to accept. A recently discovered letter was sent out to all of the Bishops prior to the release of HV along with an advance-copy of the encyclical. Sadly, even with this approach, many of the bishops of the time still chose to defy our Holy Father. I have posted the letter below.

It's unfortunate that its intended effect did not appear to gain any ground. However, there's a positive note to include in this post -- CatholicNewsAgency.com is reporting that a former encyclical protester has signed the ‘Humanae Vitae Pledge’. Welcome aboard sir! Your testimony will help lead many others back to the truth.

From the Vatican, July 19, 1968 Segreteria di Stato di Sua Santita

To the Presidents of Episcopal Conferences To Local Ordinaries

Your Excellency,

When directing me to transmit to Your Excellency the enclosed document, publication of which is imminent, His Holiness strongly recommended that I draw your attention to its importance, and to the necessity of a concerted effort on the part of the entire Catholic Episcopate, in order that the doctrine it contains be explained with care in full to the Christian people, and in order that it be courageously put into practice by all as, thanks be to God, it already is by many.

As you are aware, this is one of the most delicate questions of Catholic morals; it has been the object of numerous studies and controversies in recent years; and a reply in this matter was eagerly expected from the Sovereign Pontiff.

During all the period of preparation of this document, the Holy Father unceasingly kept in mind the mute imploration He felt was raised to Him by so many of His children, charged with families, and also by so many men of good will, desirous of a conjugal life conformed to the divine will. He felt acutely and painfully the conditions of life, lodging and work experienced by so many married couples in our day, and the difficult problems which the transmission of life consequently poses for them.

Yet it seemed more and more clear to Him every day that the greatest service He could render in this domain to Christendom and to all mankind was to re-propose in all its purity, with due consideration for recent scientific discoveries and the social evolution of our era, and the increasing appeal for "responsible parenthood", the constant teaching of the Church, for, seeking only the true good of man and of the family, she gives the problem in question its only true and profound solution.

The Holy Father knows full well the bitterness that this reply may cause many married persons who were expecting a different solution for their difficulties. It is precisely the solicitude for those souls in anguish, and the ardent desire to bring them light and solace, which caused the great delay in giving this reply. Mindful of the grave consequences entailed by a decision of this nature, the Common Father wished to study the entire question for Himself and in detail. For a long time He reflected, with respectful consideration, upon the results of the studies and discussions of the Commission charged with examining the various aspects of the problem; for a long time, He prayed. He consulted numerous wise and learned members of the Episcopate, of the clergy, of the laity; and all of this took months and even years.

And now He turns to His Brothers, the Bishops of the Catholic world, asking them to stand beside Him more firmly than ever in this circumstance, and to help Him present this delicate point of the Church's teaching to the Christian people, to explain and justify its profound reasons. The Pope counts upon the attachment of His Brothers in the Episcopate to the Chair of Peter, upon their love for the Church, upon their concern for the true good of souls.

He knows, as they do, the ideas and the practices existing in modern society in this regard, and He is fully aware of the efforts which will be needed to secure an evolution of thought on this point. He knows what sacrifices - sometimes heroic sacrifices - are entailed by the application of Catholic principles in conjugal morals. His desire would be that the Bishops, priests, Christian homes engaged in the various Catholic movements and organizations, should become in joyful docility the apostles of the teaching of their Holy Mother the Church, and succeed in finding the persuasive accents to make it acceptable.

May they strive to present this teaching in its true light, that is, to show its positive and beneficent aspect. What the Church wishes above all is to help Christian husbands and wives to perfect one another, to purify their love, to taste the happiness of a married life lived in the sight of God and in complete respect for His law.

They must be helped to understand all the spiritual enrichment represented by the effort of renunciation which is asked of them; they must be shown what a precious element it is in conjugal and social life, especially in times like ours which are invaded by hedonism, that great obstacle in the fulfillment of the evangelical ideal.

They must then be persuaded that it is possible, with the help of God - Who never exposes man to trials superior to his strength, to progress in chastity just as in the other virtues; and that possible failings, even if repeated, must not lead them to be discouraged, but much rather stimulate them to a methodical and loving effort towards self-mastery, and to more assiduous and confident recourse to the Sacraments.

Finally, it is necessary that both in the confessional and in the pulpit, in the press and by other means of social communication, every necessary pastoral effort be made that no ambiguity exists among the faithful or in public opinion concerning the Church's position in this serious matter. Faithful to the mandate she received to teach all nations, she puts her trust in Him who guides her, Whose will she is humbly confident of interpreting faithfully. She has no doubt that future generations will appreciate fully the importance and benefit of the service she renders to married couples, to the family, to all society, by defending this point of her doctrine without weakness.

Thus fulfilling the mission with which the Sovereign Pontiff has charged me, I assure Your Excellency of my prayers for your pastoral ministry, and remain with sentiments of high regard

Devotedly yours in Christ,
A.G. Card. Cicognani (Amleto Giovanni Cardinal Cicognani)