by Frank — published on November 15th, 2007
The Washington Times has the details…
Roman Catholic voters and lawmakers must heed church teaching on abortion or risk losing their eternal salvation, U.S. bishops said yesterday.
“The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life is always wrong and is not just one issue among many,” the bishops stated. “It must always be opposed.”
The bishops didn’t recommend specific policies or candidates in the 2008 election and emphasized “principled debate” is needed to decide what best promotes the common good. But they warned Catholics that their votes for politicians and laws affect more than just civic life.
“Political choices faced by citizens have an impact on general peace and prosperity and also may affect individual salvation,” the bishops stated. “Similarly, the kinds of laws and policies supported by public officials affect their spiritual well-being.”
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops overwhelmingly adopted the statement, “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship,” as they ended the public session of their fall meeting.
As a devout Pro-Life Catholic myself, I want to support my church when it stands strongly for life - but the church’s stance on immigration has taught me that if the Bishops are going to be condemning followers based on the political positions they take, then there’s going to be a lot of good and honest Catholics who defy them. The open borders position of the church here in America harms citizens and illegal immigrants alike, and dismisses the notion that nations must control access - if only for health concerns like the spread of TB or AIDS. There is a reason why immigrants went through Ellis Island. When we talk about respect for life, we should all be talking about respect for life in and out of the womb…
Cross-posted at Political VindicationÂ
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November 16th, 2007 at 6:08 pm
As alifelong Catholic myself, I disagree with you that the RC Church has taken an “open borders position” in this country, and I think the characterization of it as such goes to show the disconnect by some involved in the immigration debate.
The position of the church is, to the best of my knowledge, that people who have come here out of desperation to find work to escape poverty should not be treated like common criminals for doing so. And they need to be treated with the same dignity and respect we afford anyone else. Far from an open borders position, it is more in kind with the Church’s pro-life stance.
Look, I want the borders closed more than anything, but I realize it’s a bigger problem than putting in a fence. The immigration debate of last summer was disingenuous from the start. Bush expended what little political capital he had left trying to deal with the most important issues involved, and I felt his plan was, overall, a responsible one.
But it was tarred and feathered from the start as “amnesty” by politicians who felt it better to take their all or nothing approach into the ‘08 elections, and probably ruined any chance that it will seriously be addressed again for another generation.
So we are left with no fence, no policy, and a broken system that will continue to fail people on both sides of the border for the forseeable future.
Living down here in Iowa, I have had the opportunity to hear all candidates pass out their immigration boilerplate for mass consumption, but I am left thinking that much like last summer, the “Fence ‘em out and ship ‘em out” caucus is going to lead the Republicans nowhere fast.