BALTIMORE – U.S. Roman Catholic bishops, meeting a week after the election, are re-examining how they explain church teaching after President-elect Obama, who supports abortion rights, won a majority of Catholic votes.
During the campaign, many bishops had spoken out on abortion more forcefully than they had in 2004, telling Catholic politicians and voters that abortion should be the most important consideration in setting policy and deciding which candidate to back.
Yet, according to exit polls, 54 percent of Catholics chose Obama, who is Protestant, and Vice President-elect Biden, who is Catholic. Biden also thinks abortion should be legal.
Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, of New York City, said that chairmen of the bishops' national committees met privately Monday morning to begin looking at the issue. A public discussion was set for Tuesday afternoon, the final open session of the bishops' fall meeting.
DiMarzio oversaw drafting of the bishops' presidential election-year guide, "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship." The statement explained Catholic views on poverty, health care and other social issues, but also said that fighting abortion should be paramount.
Bishops posted the document on Web sites and circulated it in parishes. Church staff produced "Faithful Citizenship" podcasts and, for the first time, leaders wrote special election-eve prayers that touched on abortion and other issues.
Still, many church leaders were angered to see several prominent Catholics back Obama, citing a Democratic commitment to reduce abortion. Obama supporters said that GOP leaders had failed to reduce abortion rates and overturn Roe v. Wade.
DiMarzio said many Catholics misinterpreted or misused "Faithful Citizenship."
"We spoke in very clear but difficult language about moral choices," said DiMarzio. He said just aiming to reduce abortion, instead of ending it, was morally unacceptable. "Would it be OK if we just tried to reduce slavery?" he said.
Church leaders have been struggling for decades to persuade an often uninvolved flock to incorporate Catholic teaching in their daily lives. This year, as the economy sank, the prelates faced an even greater challenge gaining voters' attention.
"People vote for lots of reasons. As we're hearing, the overriding issue is the economy," said Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington, D.C.
The bishops' frustration is compounded by their task ahead: working with other religious leaders to fight what they expect will be Obama's policies on some key issues.
John Podesta, Obama's transition chief, has said the president-elect is considering reversing President Bush's limit on federal spending for embryonic stem cell research.
Catholic leaders are among those who consider destroying embryos akin to killing a fetus. Obama, along with many moderate Republicans, has supported the research in an effort to find cures for diseases such as Alzheimer's.
Chicago Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, said expanding embryonic stem cell research would "alienate tens of millions of people, not just Catholics, and militates against the type of unity the administration hopes to achieve."
He said, "the common good can never be adequately incarnated in any society when those waiting to be born can be legally killed at choice."
While the bishops agree on the goal of ending abortion, they differ on how they should persuade lawmakers — of Catholic and other faiths — to agree.
A few bishops have said Biden should not receive Holy Communion.
But Bishop W. Francis Malooly of Wilmington, Del., Biden's home diocese, said the Democrat had called him in September, the night before Malooly was installed as bishop.
Malooly said the two agreed they would meet when scheduling allows to discuss Catholic teaching. The bishop said he did not advise Biden to refrain from Communion.
"I won't politicize the Eucharist," Malooly said. "I don't want to alienate people. I want to change their hearts and minds."
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The Catholic and Protestant Church both need to go through a spiritual reformation, this is not about politics but about upholding the truths of the bible dealing with life. The prophet Jeremiah was witnessed by God when he said to him that "before you came out of the womb, I had ordained you a prophet." God have a plan for all life even before coming out of the womb.
It may not have been God's will, but He does tell us the He causes all things for good!
The good may be that His children are waking up and remembering the importance of defending the gospel.
bucnanc
You have said....
"I have to remind myself that it was God's will"
Who said this was God's will? Because this happened it was God's will?
Is it God's will for us to sin?
God is not a dictator. We are granted a free will. We do make choices that are not in God's will.
But we also learn, especially when we are "asleep at the wheel" and too comfortable with our surroundings.
God is Gracious and Merciful if we turn to him and repent.
Tallguy1000-I too am bitterly disappointed in my fellow Catholics. I have been heartsick ever since the election. I have to remind myself that it was God's will, for whatever reason. As far as Vice-President Biden is concerned, he SHOULD NOT be allowed to take Communion.He is not a true Catholic. May God have Mercy on us.
This may be the classic example of those who go through the motions of attending church but their ears are far away.
Where the Holy Spirit is being quenched, the Word of God is not going to leap off the bible pages as it should.
No Spirit, no fire.
Really, the Prots aren't much better, when you factor in the liberal denoms. The dif is that RCs still identify as RCs even when they jump the theological rails, while the Prots split off. Thank God for those who still have a perspective on objective morality, but our numbers are too small.
I heard through Catholic.org that over 64% of Catholics who attend Mass weekly voted for McCain. The fact that the overall vote was over 50% for those who voted for Obama shows that our Bishops need to be more explicit and they need to have Priests at the local level who will actually preach what the Bishops want to be heard. Unfortunately, there is a disconnect because there are still many pockets of gay priests and liberal priest who just don't get it. They are moral and theological relativists, and I can tell you for certain that the Jesuit Order who once fought for orthodoxy is now Apostate in my opinion.
I'm dissapointed in my fellow Catholics! Slackers get right with Jesus! He warned you that if you are luke warm He'll spit you out. Warm up to Him, serve Him, become Christ like in everything you do.