Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Politics. Show all posts
Thursday, October 8, 2020
2020 Catholic Voting Principles

With only a month before election day in the United States, it's important to understand the importance of voting and the Church's teaching on how Catholics are to exercise their right to vote in democratic countries.

Here are some of the key points worth repeating on Catholics and voting:

• Catholics are obliged to participate in politics by voting.

• Legislators are elected to serve and protect the common good, human dignity, and rights of human persons.

• Voters should have a clear understanding of the principles of Catholic moral and social teaching.

• The life issues are dominant in the hierarchy of issues for the Catholic voter.

• Abortion is the dominant political issue.

• Being pro-abortion disqualifies a candidate from a Catholic vote.

• The ban against euthanasia and assisted suicide admits of no exception.

• Science must respect the inherent dignity of the human person.

• Unused and unwanted embryos must be treated with the respect afforded to other human beings.

• Ending human life cannot be justified in the name of therapeutic (i.e., medical) benefits to other persons.

• Marriage was instituted prior to the state and should be recognized by the state as something inviolate and necessary to the common good.

• Prudential judgments about law and public policy should always seek to strengthen marriage and families.

• So-called same-sex marriages cannot be recognized by the Catholic Church, and civil unions are likely to undermine marriage and damage its foundational role in society.

• Catholic health-care organizations must be free to perform their work with clear consciences.

• Abstinence and fidelity should be the foundation of sexually transmitted disease—education and prevention.

As a result, a Catholic must vote for the best candidate that will advance the common good. A Catholic may not vote for a candidate that advocates, supports, encourages, funds, promotes, or advances abortion, embryonic stem cell research, or euthanasia. 

US Presidential Race:

Where each candidate stands on the issues: https://2020election.procon.org/view.source-summary-chart.php 

President Donald Trump recently gave a talk last week to Catholics in New York. Listen to the 4-minute clip: https://www.facebook.com/1000078.../videos/2733288656941997P

President Trump's pro-life record: http://www.nrlc.org/uploads/records/trumprecord.pdf

Joe Biden, a Baptized Catholic himself, has pledged to make abortion enshrined in American law, even if Roe vs. Wade is overturned. He admitted it himself on Twitter: https://twitter.com/JoeBiden/status/1313283330486476801

Joe Biden's running mate is one of the most pro-abortion candidates to ever run: https://www.texasrighttolifepac.com/kamala-harris-pro-abortion-record/ 

The choice is clear for the US Presidential Race. A Catholic may not vote for Joe Biden without committing a grave sin. Fr. Altman has come to a similar conclusion in his recently released video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-7eoTN2vNM

Other Races:

Since there are many national, state, and local races on-going, consult a voting guide. Since abortion is the preeminent issue for Catholics - as affirmed by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops - referencing this guide from the National Right to Life is useful: https://www.nrlvictoryfund.org/endorsements/ 

Anyone for abortion being legal or funded by taxpayer dollars is disqualified from your vote.

As a final reminder, voting is a grave obligation. Do so for the good of souls. You do not have to like the personality or the person you are voting for. But to vote for someone that will advance evil against the human person or the Church is unworthy of a vote. And to vote for such a person would be mortally sinful.

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Thursday, July 30, 2020
The US Constitution Is Not The Supreme Law

In front of St. Cecilia's Cathedral in Omaha is a copy of the divine law

This past month American Catholics - and all of those fighting for the rights for the lives of the unborn - were dealt another setback from the Supreme Court with some of the alleged Catholic justices ruling in a way that will only allow more innocent lives to be murdered before they can be baptized. Justice Clarence Thomas, the most arguably faithful Catholic on the bench, wrote in his dissent to the decision: “Today a majority of the Court perpetuates its ill-founded abortion jurisprudence by enjoining a perfectly legitimate state law and doing so without jurisdiction.” He was joined by the recent Trump-appointed justices, though neither went as far as Justice Thomas in calling for an undoing of the legalization of abortion.

The decision leading to the striking down of a Louisiana law that would have led to fewer abortions reveals a key point that is often forgotten. We can not rely on secular institutions to do what can be done only by the Church. Our efforts as Catholics must be directed at converting souls, hearts, and minds to the Traditional Catholic Faith. Only then will life be protected. Secular laws enacted by governments that are not founded on Catholic principles will never do what evangelization alone can do. Secular laws are not a replacement for divine law. We must make abortion unthinkable in America not primarily by passing legal restrictions (although these are certainly good and meritorious since they help prevent the weak and pressured from murdering their children). Our focus must instead be anchored in Catholic doctrine.

By helping form another generation of true Traditional Catholics we can make abortion unthinkable. Abortion is a two-fold murder - first, it destroys sanctifying grace in the mother's soul who murders the child. It also destroys any grace in those who perform or help foster, encourage, fund, or support the murder of human life in any way. But it even more tragically sentences the child (a truly human life with an immortal soul) to an eternity away from God. Baptism is necessary for salvation. These aborted babies are not baptized. We are not aware of any way how aborted children can go to Heaven. While we trust in God's mercy that they will spend an eternity in Limbo away from the fires of Hell, they will ultimately never see the face of God in Heaven since they were deprived of Baptism.

This reality, which is hardly taught even by Catholic priests anymore who fear offending people, must be proclaimed even more loudly. How many souls have been deprived of Heaven because of secular governments divorced from God's laws and founded on the false principle of man's rights? The United States was founded on the notion that the government derives its ability to govern from the consent of the people - directly contrary to the Lord and His Church which affirms that all authority comes from God (cf. Romans 13:1) and governments traditionally obtained the ability to govern by divine right, leading to the consecration and coronation of the monarch.

The failures of America and the world as a whole including formerly Catholic nations like Ireland, Spain, and Italy to prevent divorce, artificial contraception, and abortion all stem from the rapid onset of modernism which continues to obscure the truths of life, government, and God. The errors of French Revolution the Enlightenment continue to pollute our minds, our schools, our institutions, and even our seminaries and priests.

There is only one supreme law and that is not the United States Constitution. It is not a document of the United States, the United Nations, or the EU. It is also not the Code of Canon Law. It is not a document published by the Vatican. The Supreme Law of the Church is the Salvation of Souls. And that law is what must be the cornerstone of all efforts or else they will fail. As King David reminds us, all our efforts if not based on the Lord's true law and true Church will fail: "Unless the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it. Unless the Lord keep the city, he watcheth in vain that keepeth it" (Psalms 126:1).

All Catholics must work for the salvation of souls with an ardent and generous spirit. This is not optional. This commitment must underscore our day to day lives. We must be missionaries to our families, our friends, and everyone we meet. Everyone must know that we are Catholics. And our efforts at converting others by our example, our charity, and our unwavering commitment to the Faith will be our tools to make abortion unthinkable. And in addition to this, let us support Catholic pro-life work which understands that we are above all fighting for the salvation of souls, not just for earthly lives.
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Friday, January 20, 2017
The Inauguration of President Trump

On this historic day, the Holy Father issued the following statement to our newest President:
Upon your inauguration as the forty-fifth President of the United States of America, I offer you my cordial good wishes and the assurance of my prayers that Almighty God will grant you wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high office. 

At a time when our human family is beset by grave humanitarian crises demanding farsighted and united political responses, I pray that your decisions will be guided by the rich spiritual and ethical values that have shaped the history of the American people and your nation's commitment to the advancement of human dignity and freedom worldwide.  
Under your leadership, may America's stature continue to be measured above all by its concern for the poor, the outcast and those in need who, like Lazarus, stand before our door. With these sentiments, I ask the Lord to grant you and your family, and all the beloved American people, his blessings of peace, concord and every material and spiritual prosperity.


Let us join in praying for President Trump to exercise the Office of the President of the United States to be a true instrument of God's will - ending an era of abortion on demand, oppression of workers, proliferation of injustice and debauchery.  Lord have mercy on our nation.


Image Source: Reuters
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Wednesday, November 16, 2016
Bishop John Carroll's Prayer for our Country

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.

We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope N., the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, N., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state, for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance.

To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Prayer was composed by Bishop  John Carroll, the first Bishop in the United States. He convened the first diocesan Synod 14 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, where 22 American priests met under their new bishop in 1791.  Download a PDF copy by clicking here.
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Friday, November 11, 2016
Petition: President-Elect Trump: The Unborn need you to keep your Pro-life Promises!

 
To: Donald J. Trump

Congratulations on winning the presidency! After eight years of the most pro-abortion presidency in U.S. history, I am thrilled that the highest office of the land will now be used to defend the right to life of all U.S. citizens - including the innocent unborn. As such, I encourage you to follow through on the pro-life promises that you made during the campaign without delay. I also want you to know that you will my have full my support for any and all pro-life initiatives that you take as president, particularly when the going gets tough and you face opposition.

In particular, I encourage you to sign the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, to defund Planned Parenthood, and - if and when the opportunity arises - to nominate staunchly pro-life Supreme Court justices.

I would also strongly encourage you to follow through on your pro-life convictions by: re-enacting the Mexico City Policy, thereby banning U.S. funding from paying for or supporting abortions overseas; repealing the oppressive HHS mandate; attending in person the annual March for Life in Washington D.C.; banning government funding of destructive research on human embryos; ensuring that judicial appointments at all levels of the court system are pro-life; and re-evaluating your personal support for abortion in the cases of rape and incest.

In addition, I will stand with you as you to take steps to defend religious freedom, which has been under continuous assault these past 8 years, by repealing the Johnson Amendment, and protecting the conscience rights of civil servants, teachers, businesses, and all others.

Finally, I pledge to pray for you, that you may be given the strength, conviction, and courage to fight for the right to life of the unborn and for religious freedom despite the strenuous opposition that you are likely to face in the coming months and years.

Click here to Sign
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Thursday, October 27, 2016
To The U.S. Catholic Bishops


Guest Post by David Martin


To The U.S. Catholic Bishops:


As you may recall, fifty-five percent of America's Catholics voted for Barack Obama in 2012, knowing full well that he was radically pro-abortion. This happened because very few Catholics were admonished that a vote for Obama would make them complicit in the murder of the unborn and would place their immortal souls in jeopardy. A unanimous pro-life vote from the Church would have more than swung the vote away from Obama, but fears of progressivist ridicule and the prospect of losing tax-exempt status prevented the Church from being an effective voice in the election.

This time around circumstances make it much easier for the Church to witness for life, because there is no question as to who the pro-life and pro-death candidates are. And too, one candidate is a woman, so it makes it easy to identify the candidates without mentioning their names.

We urge you to mandate that all priests remind their parishioners at the Sunday Masses before elections that they cannot vote for the pro-abortion candidate and be Catholic at the same time. Remind them that they have it within their power to halt the pro-death bureaucracy in D.C. if they will simply act with one mind to dissuade support for the candidate who aims to make "reproductive rights" the focus of her administration.

May we recommend that priests read the attached letter to their congregation if you are not able to provide them with a statement of your own. The bottom line is that the Church in America has an obligation to witness for life at this time, without which we could cease to exist as a free nation. Christ's injunction to "let your light shine before men" applies now more than ever. More than ever the Church must make its influence felt, for we stand at a historic crossroads, and without faith and charity guiding our actions on November 8, the religious liberty we have enjoyed since 1776 will likely become a thing of the past.

May the Church Militant live up to its title by giving it its best shot for life! We beseech you, spur the troops!



Sincerely in Christ and His Holy Mother,



David Martin
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Tuesday, August 25, 2015
Reparation for Insults to the Blessed Virgin Mary

For the Feast of the Assumption of our Lady into Heaven, Texas Governor Greg Abbott posted on Facebook an image of the Virgin Mary with this comment:  “The Virgin Mary is exalted above the choirs of angels. Blessed is the Lord who has raised her up.”

His page was subsequently attacked by vile heretics who attacked him and blasphemed the most immaculate Virgin Mary. 

Some of the vile remarks included, “So you’re Catholic Mr. Abbott? So what? You worship idols; not something I’d be telling everyone,” whereas another seconded the comment, writing: “This is nothing more than idol worship.”

Such blasphemy and heresy must be countered with reparation.  Please join me in not only continuing to seek the conversion of all heretics to the True Catholic Faith but also, please join me in this prayer of reparation:

Words of the Prayer from Raccolta:

O Blessed Virgin, Mother of God, look down in mercy from Heaven, where thou art enthroned as Queen, upon me, a miserable sinner, thine unworthy servant. Although I know full well my own unworthiness, yet in order to atone for the offenses that are done to thee by impious and blasphemous tongues, from the depths of my heart I praise and extol thee as the purest, the fairest, the holiest creature of all God's handiwork. I bless thy Holy name, I praise thine exalted privilege of being truly Mother of God, ever Virgin, conceived without stain of sin, Co-Redemptrix of the human race. I bless the Eternal Father who chose thee in an especial way for His daughter; I bless the Word Incarnate who took upon Himself our nature in thy bosom and so made thee His Mother; I bless the Holy Spirit who took thee as His bride. All honor, praise and thanksgiving to the ever-blessed Trinity who predestined thee and loved thee so exceedingly from all eternity as to exalt thee above all creatures to the most sublime heights. O Virgin, holy and merciful, obtain for all who offend thee the grace of repentance, and graciously accept this poor act of homage from me thy servant, obtaining likewise for me from thy Divine Son the pardon and remission of all my sins. Amen.
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Sunday, November 2, 2014
Vote This Tuesday!

The elections this November will be essential to furthering the pro-life message! We really need to make sure we vote for those candidates that agree with the Church's teachings on the five non-negotiables, which are always wrong (abortion, embryonic stem cell research, gay marriage, euthanasia, and cloning). The Church never supports a candidate, but it supports views on issues.
So, please above all vote for the candidates that are pro-life. Pro-life of course also means being anti-poverty and caring for the less fortunate in society but opposition to abortion should be our #1 concern. The Church teaches that it is a mortal sin to vote for a politician that supports abortion if there is a candidate running who is against abortion (read more)

According to the exit polls from the 2012 Presidential election, 51% of Catholics voted in favor of the pro-abortion, anti-Catholic Obama while 49% voted in favor of the pro-life candidate.   Even more discouraging is the continued trend in which states that contain large number of Catholics - even the majority of the state’s population - have consistently voted for anti-Catholic Democrats (and anti-Catholic Republicans at times).  Why is it that New England is a Democratic stronghold even though 36.6% of Connecticut’s population is Catholic?  Why is 37.1% of New York is made up of Catholics when the state always elects abortion supporters?

Catholics - the country's largest religious group with one-quarter of the population - have supported the winner of the popular vote in every presidential election since 1972.

To see how your politicians have voted, please see the National Right to Life legislative scorecard. Democrats for Life also has a list of some pro-life candidates. Let us stand up for the right of every little unborn child; let us further the Kingdom of God. I advise all people to vote against the pro-abortion candidates NARAL has endorsed for Congress. Check out Priests for Life for a lot of endorsement information.
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Saturday, November 10, 2012
Why Catholics Failed in the 2012 Presidential Election

 Source: Associated Press

The Novus Ordo Catholic Church has failed. 

We have failed in our duty to Almighty God and to country.  We should be utterly ashamed of ourselves.  But then again, how could we expect anything else now that the Catholic Faith has been virtually eliminated from the face of the earth these past 50 years?  Catholics don't know their Faith and they don't care.  They don't revere our Lord and His Holy Name or His divinely instituted Sacraments?  They don't respect the priestly (and the newly ordained priests don't either!)

As many of you are aware (if you are a regular blog reader), the Latin Mass is truly universal and transcendent.  It is also the litmus test to determine if a person is truly a Catholic.  If someone were to claim to be Catholic and oppose a return to the Mass of the Ages and criticize it (despite it being the unbloody re-presentation of Christ's Sacrifice on the Cross) how could such a person truly be a Catholic?  The past two generations have entirely lost the meaning of what it is to be a Catholic since no one is any longer living a Catholic life!

Only a full return to the Tridentine Mass can restore Catholicity and unite Catholics (by driving from the ranks of so called Catholics who support grave evils).  And this should come as no surprise - the Tridentine Mass is Catholic at its core and is at its core opposed to the evils of the modern world (i.e. the six components of liberal Catholicism that are destroying our Church). 

Catholics - the country's largest religious group with one-quarter of the population - have supported the winner of the popular vote in every election since 1972. 

Reuters/Ipsos exit polling found that 51 percent of Catholics favored President Barack Obama, compared with 48 percent for Republican contender Mitt Romney. A report by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life had a similar finding, with 50 percent of Catholics for Obama and 48 percent for Romney, the same as the popular vote in the general population.

Hispanic Catholics were far more likely to favor Obama - by 76 percent to 23 percent - than white Catholics, who favored Romney by 56 percent to 43 percent, according to the Reuters poll. Black Protestants favored Obama by 97 percent to 3 percent, while white Protestants favored Romney by 69 percent compared to 29 percent for Obama.

Source: Reuters
According to the exit polls from the 2012 Presidential election, 51% of Catholics voted in favor of the pro-abortion, anti-Catholic Obama while 49% voted in favor of the pro-life candidate.   Even more discouraging is the continued trend in which states that contain large number of Catholics - even the majority of the states population - have consistently voted for anti-Catholic Democrats (and Republicans at times).  Why is it that New England is a Democratic stronghold even though 36.6% of Conneticut's population is Catholic or 37.1% of New York is Catholic?

 Source: USCCB News Release as of 2008 Official Catholic Directory

This is a betrayal!  This is a crime by these so-called Catholics.  So if you see one of these people in your life (e.g. in class, on the subway, at work) tell them they are not welcome to call themselves Catholics.  They are not welcome to have Catholic weddings or funerals or use their connection with the Holy Catholic Faith for their personal/financial growth.  They are no longer welcome at Mass.  They are not welcome in our lives. They are not Catholics and should be radically removed from Catholic circles.

The Church has been betrayed.  True Catholics can no longer be silent as apostles of Judas continue to betrayed our Lord.  We will not be silent any longer.
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Friday, May 4, 2007
Pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Clinton to Speak at Chicago Catholic Charity



I just received this news from LifeSiteNews.com. I wanted to pass it along and encourage my readers to contact the Archdiocese of Chicago and Mercy Home and politely ask them to not allow pro-abortion Clinton to speak at the fundraiser.

Sen. Hillary Clinton has been scheduled to appear as the keynote speaker at a Catholic charity event in Chicago, despite objections from pro-life groups over her vociferous support for abortion and homosexual activism.

The Mercy Home Graduates Luncheon is an annual fundraiser to support the Mercy Home Catholic children's charity. Mercy Home for Boys & Girls is a long-term residential home for young people ages 11 to 21, administered by Catholic priests. Fr. Scott Donahue is the current president of the organization.

According to the Pro-Life Action League, Fr. Donahue was apparently not aware Sen. Clinton had been asked to speak at the event until he was informed of her scheduled appearance by the League.

However, Mercy Home spokesman Mark Schmeltzer told LifeSiteNews.com that Fr. Donohue was approached by Chicago Cardinal Francis George about the upcoming Clinton fundraiser. "The Cardinal had some very understandable misgivings but he just wanted to be assured this was not a political stop," Schmeltzer told LifeSiteNews.com.

...

In 2004, the US Conference of Catholic Bishops issued a policy document calling on Catholic institutions not to have pro-abortion politicians put on a pedestal due to the scandal it would cause. In their document, Catholics in Political Life, the Bishops' Conference states: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honour those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honours or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."

Joseph Scheidler, national director of the Pro-Life Action League has organized a demonstration against Senator Clinton's appearance in Chicago. He told LifeSiteNews.com that her appearance would set a precedent for pro-abortion speakers at other Catholic events.

Source: LifeSiteNews

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