“Catholics United believes Senator Biden’s selection as vice presidential candidate is a positive development for Americans who respect leaders who have strong religious, family, and personal values. Senator Biden’s well-known commitment to his Catholic faith has inspired his advocacy on issues such as genocide, universal health care, education, workers’ rights, and violence against women. His faith has helped him to find solace during times of tragedy and crisis.”It's encouraging to hear that these folks don't want to see the Church and its teachings used as political weapons by the "far right", but they may have formed the barricades facing the wrong direction when it comes to Senator Biden, who made waves a while back by declaring:
“We are optimistic that Senator Biden’s history of seeking practical means of addressing abortion will help move our nation beyond the divisive, acrimonious, and unproductive debate that has come to surround the issue. Senator Biden accepts his church’s teachings on human life and can work to advance these teachings in ways that Americans of all political persuasions can support.”
“Catholics United is especially hopeful that operatives on the far right will refrain from using Senator Biden’s faith and the teachings of the Catholic Church as political weapons in the coming campaign. Faith and values should be used to unite Americans behind solutions to the key challenges of this age – war, poverty, lack of health care, and a looming climate crisis – and not as partisan wedges to divide voters.”
"If I'm the nominee, Republicans will be sorry," he said. "The next Republican that tells me I'm not religious I'm going to shove my rosary beads down their [sic] throat.So while I'd like to assure Catholics United that I have no intention of trying to break through a Secret Service perimeter to smack Senator Biden upside the head with a copy of the Catechism or the Summa or any other large work containing Catholic doctrine, they might want to sit the good senator down and explain to him what a rosary is for, so that next time he's seeking solace during times of tragedy and crisis he is able to murmur a few Aves and Pater Nosters rather than taking out his frustrations by assaulting someone with a sacramental.
"I am so sick and tired of this pontificating about us not being the party of faith," said Biden, a Roman Catholic who has served in the Senate since the Nixon administration.
Source
And once he's got up to speed, maybe he can try to explain a couple of the basic ideas encapsulated in the first joyful mystery to Senator Obama, in a way that he'll be able to understand at his "paygrade".
"Senator Biden accepts his church’s teachings on human life and can work to advance these teachings in ways that Americans of all political persuasions can support.”
ReplyDelete"Q: As president would you have a specific litmus test question on Roe v. Wade that you would ask of your nominees for the high court?
A: I strongly support Roe v. Wade. I wouldn't have a specific question but I would make sure that the people I sent to be nominated for the Supreme Court shared my values; and understood that there is a right to privacy in the United States Constitution. That's why I led the fight to defeat Bork, Roberts Alito, and Thomas.
Source: 2007 South Carolina Democratic primary debate, on MSNBC Apr 26, 2007"
Maybe next time the good Senator has a rosary in his hand, he can say a few prayers for all of the unborn children that have been massacred, many thanks to his own voting record.
ReplyDelete