NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > News > More Catholic bishops urge parishioners to vote for Mitt Romney

More Catholic bishops urge parishioners to vote for Mitt Romney

Move causing firestorm of controversy in both the press and the pews

ANTOINETTE KELLY,

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Saturday, November 3, 2012, 8:31 AM

Updated Saturday, November 3, 2012, 11:09 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

84 Comments

A number of Catholic bishops are making blunt appeals to mass-goers to vote for Mitt Romney and the Republican Party on Election Day over President Obama.

Photo by Google Images

In a move that has caused a firestorm of controversy in both the press and the pews, a number of Catholic bishops are making blunt appeals to mass-goers to vote for Mitt Romney and the Republican Party on Election Day over President Obama.

Illinois Bishop Daniel Jenky has ordered all the priests in his diocese to read a strongly worded letter he wrote accusing the Obama administration of an unprecedented 'assault upon our religious freedom' and implying that Catholics who support Democrats who support abortion rights are like those who condemned Jesus to death.

'Since the foundation of the American Republic and the adoption of the Bill of Rights, I do not think there has ever been a time more threatening to our religious liberty than the present,' Jenky wrote in the five alarm letter, which he has ordered priests in his Peoria diocese to read at all Masses this Sunday, November 4.

On Thursday, the bishops of Pennsylvania — a key battleground state where most Catholics are currently supporting Obama — released an unmistakably partisan letter to local voters declaring that the White House's policies on contraception, abortion and gay rights meant the nation was 'losing its soul by little steps.'

Legal equality for gays, the letter implied, would defy God, and contraception and abortion should not be contemplated under any circumstances.

In Wisconsin, Bishop David Ricken wrote a letter to parishioners saying that the Democratic platform was evil. The party's support for abortion rights and same-sex marriage and other 'intrinsic evils' made it impossible for Catholics to support the party without putting their souls at risk. Vote for Mitt Romney and the Republican Party or burn in hell, Bishop Ricken suggested.

In Alaska, Bishop Edward J. Burns wrote a column in the local newspaper on October 27 comparing Vice President Joe Biden’s support for abortion rights to supporting slave owners in the antebellum South, and he reportedly questioned both Biden's character and his Catholic faith.

Meanwhile bishops from Newark, New Jersy to Springfield, Illinois to Colorado Springs have made similar party political appeals. Although they stress they are not endorsing any particular party or candidate they usually start with their opposition to abortion and marriage equality and other policies that Republicans support and Democrats generally oppose.

The flocks standing as Catholics and their eternal salvation are always in peril if they make the wrong choice, the bishops declare.

Although the Catholic hierarchy’s growing support for Republicans has been plainly obvious to church-watchers for years now, their blunt statements in the 2012 campaign still stand out.

'Yes, the bishops, some of them anyway, are more active this year. The tone — again, of some — is more stark,' Russell Shaw, a former spokesman for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, told the Washington Post.

1 2 Next page >

Nster.com

E-mail

84 Comments

15 - 84 | See all comments

eiriamach | Nov 09, 2012, 07:31 AM EST

With this political campaign, the bishops have abandoned their role in the "one holy catholic and apostolic Church." "Apostolic" means descended in an unbroken line from the first apostles. More importantly, it means defending the faith and confirming believers, in the spirit of the first apostles. It does NOT mean protecting the Church's money. Nor does it mean demanding obedience in secular matters like voting, nor asserting political authority over the faithful! Bishops have a duty to correct even the pope himself when he seeks secular power. St Paul recorded his own quarrel with the bishop of Rome in Galations 2:11: "But when [Peter] came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he had clearly done wrong." Caring for the poor, providing sacraments, teaching and defending the rights of conscience are bishops' duties. Can he expect the protection of the Holy Spirit when he steps outside these roles and demands obedience to a political agenda? The Spirit cannot enter an authoritarian mind.

Report abuse

eiriamach | Nov 06, 2012, 08:49 AM EST

Smyrnian ignores a crucial difference --> between "advocating" a particular political view and "campaigning" for or against a particular candidate. Again, IRS rules are clear: "The Conference of Catholic Bishops, as a 501(c)(3) group, is prohibited from campaigning for any candidate." Smyrnian blindly insists that threatening church members with hellfire for not voting as directed is merely "advocacy." Most Catholics, however, recognize the tactic and are voting their God-given freedom of conscience rather than their bishops' financial interest. This is clear common sense: If the bishops had convincing arguments to offer, they could persuade the majority of Catholic voters and others. That's how democracy works! Unable to present either reasons or scriptural mandate, however, they assert their *moral authority* over Catholics with warnings about "putting their souls at risk" and voting to "defy God." James Salt makes two vital points about this tactic: That young people abandon the churches when church officials try to intimidate them and that Americans associate Catholics with a political agenda like Falwell's and Robertson's (wouldn't Catholics rather be associated with the Gospel?). Reading the comments here, I'd add that, having traded their moral authority for protecting pedophiles, the bishops also sound like hypocrites. That's a surefire way to empty church pews.

Report abuse

Smyrnian | Nov 06, 2012, 07:12 AM EST

TomDem - Thanks for the feedback but I know my history (Irish and American) quite well. The constitution forbids the establishment of a state religion. There is no law against advocacy which we see from all religious and sectarian sources. I am not for silencing voices or advocacy whether I agree with them or not.

Report abuse

eiriamach | Nov 06, 2012, 06:38 AM EST

Correction: That Gallup poll I wrote about at 8:55 on 11/5 has Romney at 45 percent among Catholics, not 47 percent. Gallup also has Romney in a narrow lead nationally at 49% to Obama's 48%. Voting for "Other" is 1 percent, and "undecideds" are 3 percent. The Pew poll completed 11/3, however, has Obama in the lead with 48 percent to Romney's 45 percent, with women favoring Obama by a 13-point margin (53% to 40%). And a critical 4 percent say they're voting for someone "other" than Obama or Romney.

Report abuse

EphraimKibbey | Nov 06, 2012, 01:22 AM EST

I just saw an interesting caveat about the current polling. It has mostly been done with just 2 choices. When the Libratarian and Green parties are included as choices, as they will be on the ballots the numbers change a bit. The Libratarian candidate seems to be pulling between 3 and 6 percent from Romney and the Green candidate seems to be pulling 1 or 2% from Obama. This could widen the Obama/Romney gap by 2 to 4 percent over the current poll numbers. I also heard a rumor that there is a "stealth" women's vote. Women who have told their husbands (and pollsters) that they will vote for Romney but will vote for Obama once in the voting booth. As my wife always says, don't make a woman angry, we NEVER forget and we ALWAYS get even!

Report abuse

eiriamach | Nov 05, 2012, 08:55 PM EST

How is Bishop Jenky's campaign working out? The final Gallup polling gives Obama/ Biden 52 percent of Catholics' votes and Romney/ Ryan 47 percent of Catholics' votes. That result contrasts with Protestants/ Other Christians voting only 41 percent for Obama and 56 percent for Romney. But the biggest difference exists among those with no religious preference (no longer a small group): 67 percent for Obama and 26 percent for Romney. Women are voting for Obama by 52 percent and men for Obama 43 percent. A big gap exists between young and old: 18-29 year olds are 57 percent for Obama and 38 percent for Romney; 30-49 year olds are about evenly split; 50 to 64 year olds are 46 percent for Obama and 50 percent for Romney; 65 and older are 42 percent for Obama and 55 percent for Romney. Tracking for this poll closed 11/4; 33 percent of respondents had already voted. It may be a very close election, but it reveals significant differences in values between women and men, young and old, church-identified and unaffiliated, and between the bishops and laity as well. Bishops like Jenky are making polarization more visible.

Report abuse

jdm492 | Nov 05, 2012, 08:14 PM EST

If anyone knows anything about the Affordable Care Act is that it has a fund that supports those who didn't have an abortion and helps them offset the costs of having a child. Also repealing the Affordable Care Act allows health insurance companies to deny people who have pre-existing conditions.

Report abuse

sparticusnorth | Nov 05, 2012, 07:55 PM EST

MONEY, POWER , greed , lust, the traits of the unbiblical bishops of rome, who have long set their sights on the high seat of the whitehouse, like many of the past puppet's the kennedys being one of many to control, here they at it again, their hypocritical morality is astouding in the light of the worldwide child rape and torture kabal system they control , which has nothing wahtsoever to do with the israelite godman the returning messiah.

Report abuse

AncientSeeker | Nov 05, 2012, 07:28 PM EST

It is my belief this Illinois Bishop Daniel Jenky who has ordered all the priests in his diocese to read a strongly worded letter he wrote accusing the Obama administration of an unprecedented 'assault upon our religious freedom' and implying that Catholics who support Democrats who support abortion rights are like those who condemned Jesus to death,what carp! This guy must be removed from his position inside the United states. This by a petition drive to raise enough signatories to force this jerk back to Russia through Rome or where ever he came from. He is an embarrassment to this American Irish Catholic who knows most Catholics are not usually stupid enough to listen to any popes dribble on democracy, which the Vaticans past actions show they know obviously nothing about. That and the ignorance shown about our separation of church and state, it is to keep the government with its armies out of making the religions do what they want. It is because of the deceptive tactics of these religions selecting persons for bishops fault, chosen by arbitrary means, behind closed doors, that's what and is running religions so unrealistically. And this with a kind of arrogance, while the religion and others have such a problem with pedophiles! It is because they’re so busy minding others businesses, that their own house is a wreak! Better to dump this kraut pope and put in a real person who has some background in the real world and democratic governments, and stop all legal rights for all religions to interfere with elections in all governments, especially when they have been given tax exemptions for staying out! That or the US tomorrow and others to hopefully follow, regardless the outcome of this election impose the highest corporate taxes, without tax breaks, on all religions that interfered with out elections, good intends be damned! Religion has nothing to contribute to a democracy but charity, anything else is meddling.

Report abuse

EphraimKibbey | Nov 05, 2012, 05:08 PM EST

There is a difference between preaching a moral code and shilling for a presidential candidate and it might just be ones' tax exempt status. Caveat Emptor if voting for Magical Mitt the Mendacious of the Many Positions!

Report abuse

McNamara31 | Nov 05, 2012, 04:49 PM EST

I think the "Nuns on the Bus" have more moral credibility than the Bishops who sat silent during the years of abuse. I'm voting tomorrow for Obama.

Report abuse

PhoenixZouave | Nov 05, 2012, 12:58 PM EST

It's good to be a cafeteria Catholic. Look at what the Vatican did to the Irish republican movement in the 19th century? Backed the English everytime. Who's stealing all the money from the Vatican bank....former SS officers?

Report abuse

The Commentator | Nov 05, 2012, 10:44 AM EST

Seanmor, The first Americans were illegal aliens. They massacred the native people and stole their land later they captured free people in other countries and made them slaves to make them rich. The fact that people in other countries come to the USA to work in many cases for low wages and no benefits is very sad. If Americans didn't have this cheap labor, commodities, especially food would be more expensive. The bottom line is that Obama is a compassionate human being with genuine concern about all Americans and is taking action to ensure the less fortunate are taken care of and citizens of all beliefs can make their own choices instead of being made a criminal by the government. Romney is a silver spoon rich bully who makes decisions for his own benefit, not for the good of the USA. The pedophile priests, bishops, and cardinals should stick to encouraging their flock to follow their faith not trying to force their religious beliefs on others. Hopefully their actions will be investigated and the Catholic churches be taxed for their interference in government. VOTE OBAMA

Report abuse

pilib04 | Nov 05, 2012, 10:03 AM EST

How many of these bishops have hidden pedophile priests? How many of them are pedophiles???

Report abuse

pilib04 | Nov 05, 2012, 10:02 AM EST

The Catholic Bishops of Ireland sold their country into continued slavery for 30 pieces of silver with their support of the Act of Union.

Report abuse