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People and Politics by Patrick Roberts

Why Catholics should vote for Mitt Romney for president in 2012 - A vote for Mitt makes Catholicism more relevant than ever

Posted on Sunday, November 04, 2012 at 07:16 AM

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Mitt Romeny

How should Catholics vote this presidential election?

It depends on how you define your faith. If it is a matter of anti- abortion sentiment and adherence to church teaching then the choice is obvious.

Mitt Romney deserves your vote.

The abortion issue is very real. New technology shows that fetuses are sentient at 12 weeks now, can feel pain, are one third of the way to being human beings.

Aborting them has become less and less popular because of this new medical evidence. It is becoming less and less tolerable for fair-minded people to accept abortion.

If however, you believe in a lot of feelgood social justice issues, the rights of the government to interfere with your right to not pay for contraception as part of your health plan, then vote Barack Obama.

There has been a lot of criticism of the church this election period.
Sure, the Catholic Church is not a perfect vessel. It has more flaws than a cracked pitcher and more problems than a busy New York psychiatrist to deal with.

But it is still a magnificent vessel, and almost alone among contemporary religions, it is holding its own and even gaining in America.

The reason for it that is simple. It stands for something, for a value system thousands of years old that has retained its essential inner core irrespective of the ebb and flow of contemporary events.

There have been more splits in the church and schisms over the generation that we can count.

Yet despite all that Catholicism has continued to prosper and expand.

It is only a few generations back that Catholicism was the focus of the Know Nothings and Catholics, especially Irish ones, were considered the devil incarnate.

Now six of the Supreme Court are Catholic, as are the two vice presidential candidates.

If you want an example of Catholic power look no further than the Al Smith dinner a few weeks back in New York when Romney and Obama came together in a true moment of Christian charity to raise funds for needy causes, overseen by Cardinal Timothy Dolan,a true prince of the church

It was an inspirational moment and no other religion could have pulled it off.

So why at this high point of our influence should we turn our back on our church, our faith, the faith our fathers bore and passed on to us?

Romney recognizes and acknowledges that power and his responsibility to it far more than Obama does.

Which is why Catholics should vote for him.

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145 comments

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seanomelb | Nov 07, 2012, 06:05 PM EST

Catholics broke even in the election win of Obama I hope Patrick has not slit his wrists at the outcome.

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lokionline | Nov 06, 2012, 03:12 PM EST

There is a undeniable cultural fact that upsets Patrick's fond hope here that Irish Catholics will support Romney. That is the very real cultural "meme" that most Irish carry -- a distrust of authority and a tendency to do the exact opposite of what an authority figure suggests they should do. The most effective thing to do to get Irish Catholics to vote for Obama is for a bishop to tell them they ought to vote for Romney. Obama should be thanking the bishops for sending all those Irish authority skeptics his way.

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occassio | Nov 06, 2012, 01:21 PM EST

Mr. Roberts’ article may have some basis in fact. However, before you condemn President Obama’s stance on any of the previously mentioned issues, you should do thorough research into how the Mormon Church feels/felt about Catholicism ("The great whore of all the earth") and Catholics. Voting for a candidate with such a narrow perspective (religion only) hides the broader view (or lack thereof) of the man. This election is not about religion. It is about electing to office a sentient, thoughtful, reasoning leader who will represent all people. A vote for the Romney/Ryan ticket may not serve Catholics as well as Mr. Roberts contends.

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Los Leandros | Nov 06, 2012, 12:09 PM EST

By and large fair comment by Patrick Roberts. As a Catholic I would say that Barack Obama comes across fine, but when one examines his voting record in terms of issues like partial birth abortions & other horrors, it's difficult to comprehend how such an apparent decent person, can vote in this manner. That's the problem with the Democratic Party. If they mellowed their approach & possibly even allowed conscience votes on these life/death social issues, they would'nt alienate so many of the socially conservative voters. But at present they seem too much in awe of the extreme liberal/feminist elites.

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modochartaigh | Nov 06, 2012, 11:12 AM EST

Jesus made Christianity relevant for 2,000 years not because HE invited the moneychangers into the temple, but because HE threw them out, not because HE told the poor to take care of themselves, but because HE told us all to be our brother's keeper. If Romney wins it is another nail in the coffin for Catholicism and those who would make Catholicism into an evilgelical parody of Christianity.

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Smyrnian | Nov 06, 2012, 03:47 AM EST

The second sentence of this article sets up it's biased content/liberal agenda in typical IC style. I must admit it was nicely slipped in there. Just for the record, IC, Catholics are NOT at liberty to define their faith. It is already defined.

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MichaelMcGrath | Nov 06, 2012, 01:35 AM EST

As a neutral Irishman who actually likes Obama I think that Romney would be more capable for the economy, with Obama more experienced on International Affairs. So it depends on whether you want jobs and wages ( Romney) or to be more popular in the world ( Obama) . That's my take on it, so if I needed a job or better wages I'd vote for Romney today.

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

handsome68 - If your big concern is the debt, you are putting your vote on the wrong side. The Boehner/Obama deal that Paul Ryan and the Teabaggers scuttled in favor of the comission/sequestration would have reduced the debt by FOUR TRILLION dollars. The Ryan budget that has been passed TWICE by the house, cuts the rug out from under the poor and gives massive tax cuts to billionaires like 0% on capital gains, does not reduce the debt one penny until 2040. The Romney Plan does not touch the debt until 2035. The "great" (NOT!!!)republican statesman Dick Cheney once said, when told that his tax cuts would bankrupt the US, that deficits don't matter. The deficit is now only useful to the GOP as a club with which to attack Obama. Once elected (HEAVEN FORBID) it will no longer matter and they will continue their historic disregard for it. Clinton was the ONLY president to actually reduce it.

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handsome68 | Nov 05, 2012, 10:25 PM EST

The USA has a 16 trillion dollar deficit. Romney sounds like he is going to really do something about it, like pay it down. There are other reasons to vote for Romney/Ryan, but that is a major one.

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liam44 | Nov 05, 2012, 09:20 PM EST

Willard Mitt Romney, is actually a BISHOP of the Mormon Church,his Bishopric is located at 133 Brattle Street in Cambridge,Massachusetts,directly opposite the home of the poet Longfellow,.......why this fact has not been discussed in the Press, is beyond me !

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liam44 | Nov 05, 2012, 09:11 PM EST

This is FOOLISH...the Mormons are NOT even Christians...they acknowledge Jesus as simply a prophet, and disclaim any connection to Christianity. Mormons believe that Adam is god, and that he lives on KOLOB, a supposed planet, with his Prime Wife, Gonoraa, and the "other sister-wives". Mormons believe the sons of god,Nephites,visit Earth often, to have sex with Mormon women,and they believe that Humanoids occupy the Moon and the SUN, they grow to 10' tall,live to be 1000 and dress like Quakers.... Further, Mormons believe i is OK to lie,so long as YOU believe that your lie will benefit Adam,er..I mean god...so, a lie or 203 lies are ok in certain circumstances,...ok...

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seanomelb | Nov 05, 2012, 08:58 PM EST

It's easy Mairead they protect life in the womb and then send them out to war to be killed.The Right love to send your children to war and school their own children to dodge the draft like Romney Bush Rumsfeld Cheney and the rest og the warmongers.

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AncientSeeker | Nov 05, 2012, 06:44 PM EST

This article is so ridiculous that even a third grader could spot the problem, Romney is a member of a cult, and american cult! That and the german pope and whoever is steering this paper are not recording the battles between Catholics here who are democratic and the their total resistance to dogma that threatens democracy that is spilling out of every dark hole from Rome, and now even Ireland? Never thought I would hear the Irish siding with the masters orders, wondering who is writing this bile for you Irish to read? None of my working relatioves that have Irish desendents vote with the oppressior class, whichis what all these gop types are, they are Tories here, traitors to the very principles of a secular democracy, by this paper backing the right you have alienated millions here, do you care? Supporting cults, very great leap, to far for Americanized Catholics to even consider.

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maireadinmelb | Nov 05, 2012, 05:52 PM EST

One of the reasons I do not go to church anymore is because of the hypocrisy of a man in a dress standing in front of a group of people telling them what is "right" for their bodies and their situation! And to Mitt - How can you be anti abortion (pro life) and allow people to carry guns??

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MarkMary73 | Nov 05, 2012, 05:02 PM EST

As Ted Kennedy said during the debate with Romney when Romney failed to take his Senate seat: "Everyone knows I'm p[or-choice, but you are multi-choice". Romney has had more flip-flops then a dying fish out-of-water. No one should believe a word he says--he obviously doesn't.

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