Philadelphia Archbishop slams Pro-choice Democrats ‘embrace’ of abortion - VIDEO
Abortion requires ‘absolute adherence on the part of Catholics’ says Philadelphia archbishop
Published Friday, October 26, 2012, 7:28 AM
Updated Friday, October 26, 2012, 9:25 AM
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Archbishop Charles Chaput
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A prominent US Catholic leader has criticized Catholic Democrats who are pro-abortion.
Philadelphia archbishop Charles J. Chaput describes abortion as a “very serious issue that requires absolute adherence on the part of Catholics.”
Speaking to the Catholic News Service, the religious leader slammed pro-choice Catholic Democrats.
“We are Catholics before we are Democrat, we are Catholics before we are Republican, we are even Catholics before we are Americans,” Archbishop Chaput said, “because we know that God has a demand on us prior to any government demand on us.
“We just have to be insistent. Catholic identity takes precedence over everything.”
He continued: “And if we don’t stand united on this issue, we’re bound to failure — not only in the area of protecting unborn human life but in maintaining our religious freedom.”
Speaking about Democrats; ‘embrace’ of abortion, the Archbishop expressed regret that Catholics had not done more to stop the legalization of abortions.
Read more news on the topic of abortion here.
“Catholics have been historically part of the Democratic party in great numbers and I think could have really stopped that development and movement if they had tried. But they didn’t,” he said.
"You can't trust the Republicans to be pro-life 20 years from now," he said. "You can't let any party take your vote for granted. And that's unfortunately what's happened. I think many of the Democrats have (taken) Democrat Catholic votes for granted because they'll go with them no matter what the party position might be on abortion."
Both Catholics, the two vice presidential candidates Paul Ryan and Joe Biden are both pro-life.
Watch the interview, which begins with video footage of Paul Ryan and Joe Biden each explaining their approach to the issue of abortion:
46 Comments
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eiriamach | Oct 29, 2012, 01:45 PM EDT
Jacers, I've read over my last comment, and I stand by it. Read the New Testment. You will not find anywhere in it Jesus waging political battles, especially not against women or homosexuals. Chaput's simplistic and ignorant anti-choice pronouncements defy the known facts of medical science. He thereby teaches his followers not to take knowledge of the human reproductive system into account but mindlessly to vote for oppressive laws that unconscionably deprive women of moral autonomy and ownership of their own bodies. Such behavior is tyrannical and inhumane. It will save no souls but will result in loss of many lives and destruction of families. I do not challenge his right to preach anti-science together with silly pronouncements about what a "person" with a soul is, but as an American I must challenge his legal right to do that "from the pulpit" while claiming tax exemption for the institutions he controls as a religious leader.
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eiriamach | Oct 29, 2012, 01:27 PM EDT
Time after time, Gearoid and Irishamerica trot out the same tired, endlessly refuted arguments. It's tiresome, so I'll simply repeat my past comments. Two fallacies of relevance: (1) First you claim that it's unfair to focus on RCC child abuse when there are so many non-RC abusers ("Boy Scout leaders, football coaches, teachers, ministers, next door neighbors, family members"). If I'm the only drug dealer who gets caught dealing, it might FEEL unfair when they send me to prison and let the other 99 drug dealers continue their crimes, but it is NOT unfair. The evil I've done is too egregious to ignore out of some mistaken sense of fairness to all. The fact that others escape censure here for the same crimes is irrelevant to RCC abuses and cover-ups. (2) Then you mention that RCC does much good. Yes, agreed, but equally irrelevant! Do you expect the press to overlook a series of priests' and bishops' crimes against children because other priests do good? It will soon be Halloween. If I lace only one candy bar with arsenic and serve up 100 candy bars to the trick and treaters-- that's 99 good deeds vs. one act of random murder-- should I escape punishment for the one child who dies? The 99 treats I give away have just that much relevance to my crime as the fact that the RC does good as well as evil-- in other words, NO relevance. The abuse is indefensible-- trying to defend it shows only your mindless allegiance to religious "authority" in defiance of the law of the Only, and Ultimate, moral Authority!
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BigDaddy | Oct 28, 2012, 08:58 PM EDT
This bishop and his parish needs to pay taxes for his political endorsements....hollabackgurl, Amen and Amen!
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BigDaddy | Oct 28, 2012, 08:56 PM EDT
irishamerica, as a former altar boy and Secretary of the Holy Name Society in my local parish, I started having problems with the church in Philadelphia, Pa. after I could not reconcile what I saw happening around me with the teachings of Christ. The church I grew up in and served into my 30's IS my business. And if I have offended you in any way, why not be like Christ and forgive me?
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BigDaddy | Oct 28, 2012, 08:51 PM EDT
BigDaddy’s posts are crazy...Really? Would you say they are as crazy as someone talking to a burning bush or a God who tells someone to murder his son as a sacrifice and then stops him at the last minute? Am I as crazy as an alleged God who tells "his chosen people" to murder all the inhabitants of a land that they conveniently call "The Promised Land" now? Why did you kill everyone? MY God told me to do it. Do you ever stop to think about "your faith" or do you accept all you cannot explain as God's Will? Yeah, you're right I'M Crazy.
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BigDaddy | Oct 28, 2012, 08:20 PM EDT
Gearoid, as you ramble on about whether or not there are historical facts in the Bible, what does the Book say about the God you believe in? Whether or not Jesus lived does not prove he walked on water. Gospels written by those who walked with Him are thrown out in favor of stories written by people who never met the Man. (btw the God of the Old Testament had Joshua kill all the men, women and children in Jericho. You conveniently forgot to answer that question.) To continue, when you die you expect to go to heaven, I would expect. Do you think your God will allow such a thing if you only "break even" when it comes to your achievements? Yes God, it is true I am responsible for killing many, many people but I did feed some children, so don't I get credit for that? Suffer the little children to come unto who? Sorry, I don't believe I ever heard that before? What's that God? Feeding them doesn't count much if you rape them, also? Well, look at all the "good" things I have done why don't you? No one can be good all the time Lord! Yeah, Gear, I believe your "religion" has served you well. Here's a suggestion; try to be less a follower of Chaput and more a disciple of Christ. But that's a personal choice. I'm sure you will make the decisaion that you are most comfortable with.
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jacersagain | Oct 28, 2012, 06:29 PM EDT
Jeeze eiriamach - would you please read over yr last comment?? Jeeze!
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eiriamach | Oct 28, 2012, 05:34 PM EDT
But Jacers, the A/B is NOT following Christ's instruction to “Go, tell everyone…” Instead, he's waging political war on women and LGBTs. In doing so, he's lying about Christ's Gospel because Christ would never deprive any child of God of her or his soul, or moral autonomy, and human dignity and respect, as Chaput is asking his flock to vote to do. The Archbishop is breeding bigots among his parishioners, and in the process, he's carrying on a 'get-out-the-[Republican]-vote campaign that is blatantly political, on the taxpayer's money! It's thoroughly un-American, ah but, he says, he''s a Catholic before he's an American. Fine, let him and his institution pay American taxes, or let him become a Vatican citizen. But then, he couldn't take even half his parishioners with him because there are no female citizens of the Vatican. You're wrong to think that I'd ever consider censoring anyone. He may speak all he likes with no interference from me, AND he and his churches may pay taxes to the feds and the state. Political organizations, unlike churches, are not tax exempt! Have you lost touch so completely with the message of the Gospels that you actually think the Gospel is what Chaput is spreading? His ultra-right-wing politics subverts the Gospel!
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hollabackgurl | Oct 28, 2012, 05:07 PM EDT
If the Church wants to campaign politically then they should pay taxes like every other Political Action Committee. This bishop and his parish needs to pay taxes for his political endorsements.
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irishamerica46 | Oct 28, 2012, 04:25 PM EDT
All I ever hear are these rants against the Catholic Church. Yes pedophiles were kept from being prosecuted for years. But what about the Boy Scout leaders, football coaches, teachers, ministers,next door neighbors, family members etc. that have hurt children? The Church does a lot of good work all over the world. Why do most of you ignore that fact.You don't want to be Catholic, good for you. We don't need you so MYOB.FYI it was Republicans who fought slavery and democrats who wanted it to continue.
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jacersagain | Oct 28, 2012, 03:52 PM EDT
BigDaddy’s posts are crazy, completely ignorant of the goodness of the Catholic Church despite its human faults. Is that craziness that what happens to one’s mind when you become a great-grandfather BigDaddy? If so, God help me and all other men in the future...
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jacersagain | Oct 28, 2012, 03:40 PM EDT
Only back online again – to see another truth-twarting post by eiriamach at 09.14am yesterday. I know well that America is not a theocracy, so why she should bring that into discussion on the Archbishop’s right to lead and advise his flock, is way off track. Our Christ instructed his disciples, including all Bishops to “Go, tell everyone…” I’ve admired the A/Bishop for doing that; eiriamach has not. In fact she screams the A/B was wrong to even open his mouth. How much more censorship and rubbishings-down is she going to place on RCC ministers of Christian faith and on its millions of adherents, in America or elsewhere? While there is much in our Christian Bible for us to learn from and live by, it must equally be said that there are evil influences out there in our world, led by Satan. Please - don’t anybody be a follower of Satan or allow themselves to be spokespersons for his wicked agenda under the aegis of freedom. Shame on eiriamach... I expect better of her.
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Gearoid4 | Oct 28, 2012, 01:11 PM EDT
So BigDaddy you dismiss the Bible, the most influential work of all time and translated into more languages than any other comparable book, as merely a work of the "bronze age". Many of the historical figures and events in scriptures have been archaeologically proven e.g. King Herod and the location of his palace. Jesus was undoubtedly an historical figure and is referred to by sources of the time, such as the Jewish historian Josephus and Roman historian Tacticus.
You ask what is being done about starving children in the shade of the great cathedrals. The biggest provider of social and medical care outside the Federal government agencies, i.e the Catholic Church, on a daily basis, tends to the needs of the poor, hungry, sick and disenfranchised without raising a hullabaloo about it.
The sexual abuse scandal was and remains a terrible stain on the reputation of the Catholic Church and the current Pontiff, pope Benedict XV1 has acknowledged this innumerable times and is cleaning house to remove this plague from Church ranks. But you keep coming back to it, and prefer to use it as a stick to beat the Church with, rather than engage with the points that Archbishop Chaput has made in his very wise homily.
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BigDaddy | Oct 28, 2012, 12:53 PM EDT
Poor Wounded Knee, you are as bad as Gearoid. Stop dealing in generalities you dolt. Are all priests pedophiles? Are all Muslims terrorists? Are all Irishmen drunks? (maybe that's a bad example.) The world is more complex than stupid people think it is and, yes, you can believe in certain ideals and still care about others. I do not run the Republican party, I am not responsible for the atrocities that members of the party and the MIC have wreaked upon society and I certainly do not condone the stupid people that vote Republican today. As a professed Catholic, how many young boys have you raped lately you asshat?
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