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Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > U.S. Catholic Bishops have major choice to make between Romney/Ryan and Obama/Biden -- Problems with both parties makes their choice far more complicated this election

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

U.S. Catholic Bishops have major choice to make between Romney/Ryan and Obama/Biden -- Problems with both parties makes their choice far more complicated this election

Posted on Sunday, August 19, 2012 at 08:20 AM

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Barack Obama and Mitt Romney

U.S. Catholic Bishops have major choice to make between Romney/Ryan and Obama/Biden -- Problems with both parties makes their choice far more complicated this election

The Catholic Conference of Bishops is between a rock and a hard place in this election.

They are on record as castigating both parties. They slammed Obama for his health insurance clause that the bishops claimed meant they had to subsidize birth control for their employees.

But the Republican ticket has felt the lash as well. Paul Ryan’s budget was roundly slammed by the bishops for its cuts on programs to the poor.

So the presidential election sets up an interesting dilemma for them. There are two Irish Catholics on the tickets, making it certain that a Catholic voice will be prominent in the White House whatever happens.

But which one would they prefer?

I have no doubt they would prefer a Romney/Ryan ticket to succeed.

The church is now heavily dependent on Hispanics for renewal and have staked out a position on immigration far closer to the Democrats. That is a huge issue in this election.

But I still feel the bishops, or the vast majority of them, will side with Romney/Ryan.

The tiebreaker of course, is abortion which both Romney and Ryan oppose and Obama and Biden support.

In addition, social justice issues have slipped down the scale in favor of adhering to the conservative orthodoxies espoused by this pope.

The Catholic vote is critical and the Bishop’s role is powerful, yet it is clear that cultural Catholics, those raised in the faith who no longer practice it weekly, are not influenced by their bishops any more.

Those who are tend to be regular mass goers who hear the weekly sermons.

The Catholic Church has come a long way since President Kennedy faced extraordinary suspicion over his Catholic roots.

Nowadays swing Catholics in key states are the most sought after voting block.

The Bishops have a major hand to play. It will be interesting to see how they deal their cards.

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GregShox | Aug 19, 2012, 03:24 PM EDT

The bishops should support whatever side gives them the best deal on child abuse.

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RichardP | Aug 19, 2012, 03:23 PM EDT

Catholic Bishops should stick to what they know best - covering up child abuse

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McNamara31 | Aug 19, 2012, 03:04 PM EDT

Lucia826 ….What happens when you have a political party totally beholding to corporate greed that has caused insurmountable pain to the poor, children and the elderly with their cuts to social programs; the same party who lied us into war with Iraq and who has no ethics when it comes to protecting God’s creation “the environment”, yet they hide behind the banners of pro life (for votes) while their policies do only the opposite for the living?

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miamicanes | Aug 19, 2012, 02:45 PM EDT

The bishops fear no one because they think they have the only key to upstairs. Tell me my dear friends, how many years has it been since the catholic church changed it's preaching about the jews killing christ. Couple of thousand, maybe?

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BrianO | Aug 19, 2012, 02:40 PM EDT

One man one vote, opinions are opinions, unless community activists get involved, acorn anyone.

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Eschetic | Aug 19, 2012, 02:35 PM EDT

O'Dowd has a point on the two main issues American Catholic Bishops have taken a position on - but he ignores a third serious point that they do also consider: what happens to "leaders" whose troops refuse to follow? It is essential that they build the shrinking base of their congregations of the "faithful" but polls have consistently shown that 70% or more of American Catholics do NOT believe them on modern birth control and abortion (especially since science has demonstrated that their OLD position on life beginning at the "quickening" - when the ganglia of the brain start to come together and the fetus becomes a baby who kicks - which, coincidentally, is the end of the first trimester when current LAW ends the right to abortion - was the most realistic one) but they DO follow them on their accurate analysis of right wing attacks on social programs and unbalanced schemes to balance budgets. A hard decision, of course, but ultimately one which, except for the most blinded by their own biases, will help lead to the re-election of the best, most reasonably MODERATE President since Eisenhower. The Bishops, like most Americans, rightly fear extremists.

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Lucia826 | Aug 19, 2012, 02:31 PM EDT

Sorry, my dear Irish friends: There truly is NO difficulty in the "choices" to be made. Those who are pro-abortion are O-U-T; and those who are pro-life should be endorsed. Those bishops and hierarchy who are misled may, in their social justice confusion, think they have "hard choices" to make. All those men have to do is go back to what the Catholic Church teaches...and we in the pews must remind them that there is no cafeteria line in our faith...

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McNamara31 | Aug 19, 2012, 02:27 PM EDT

slainte9 |Its as kscorletta has stated in her post in New York and on Long Island. Cardinal Dolan has also had meetings to denounce Obama at events held at local high schools.

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slainte9 | Aug 19, 2012, 02:19 PM EDT

Malarky. The bishops don't endorse candidates. Sermons never mention candidates. Sometimes the diocese in Phoenix prints a voter guide in their newspaper with candidates responses to Catholic issues. As often as not, it's the devout Republicans who don't respond.

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miamicanes | Aug 19, 2012, 02:17 PM EDT

"Until 1978, the LDS church banned men of African descent from its priesthood, a position open to nearly all Mormon males and the gateway to sacramental and leadership roles. The church had also barred black men and women from temple ceremonies that promised access in the afterlife to the highest heaven." And the chickens come home to roost>

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miamicanes | Aug 19, 2012, 02:14 PM EDT

How many remember the Morons used to say about the blacks. Not too long ago! Do believe they have one black bishop in al l their ranks.

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kscorletta | Aug 19, 2012, 02:09 PM EDT

The cards have already been dealt, played and the orders have gone out. The Bishops had already asked for active denunciation of Obama care through votes for the "other side". In my own parish on a day sacred to our country a sermon after the gospel warned of the threat to our religious freedom from our present government. By the way, the sermon was delivered by a deacon rather than the pastor. I was horrified to see the gospel pulpit used for such campaigning. After all, no one has yet told me to have an abortion and/or advised or prohibited the use of birth control in my life. Caitann

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Nicomax | Aug 19, 2012, 02:02 PM EDT

Firstly, the bishops better keep their yap shut when they preach to their flocks, unless they are not worried about losing their tax-exempt status. Secondly, The real 'national socialists' running may be the GOP team since they were only too happy to waste tax payer dollars on two non-funded wars, while cutting taxes primarily for the rich, and then providing seniors with a drug program also without funding.

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McNamara31 | Aug 19, 2012, 01:43 PM EDT

jamthecat great post

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porkheaven | Aug 19, 2012, 01:40 PM EDT

In this case the Bishops are 100% right. Other faiths have been excepted from the birth control and I think it is wrong to force the catholic church to subsidize birth control which is against our teachings and other problems are going to rise wide open sex and increase diseases. I will go with Romney/Ryan because I do not believe in abortion. They also believe in fiscal restraint where as the current administration does not. we cannot afford a another 4 years of Barack & Biden.

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