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Christianity Today, November (Web-only), 2008 |

Catholic Bishops Warn Obama Against Expanded Abortion Rights

Freedom of Choice Act would coerce Americans and limit freedoms, they warn.

Daniel Burke, Religion News Service | posted 11/13/2008 10:21AM

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"I think any bishop here would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow to bring about the end of abortion," Bishop Robert Hermann, interim leader of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, said during a floor debate on Tuesday. "We should be willing to spend the end of our lives dedicated to … bring(ing) about the end to this genocide."

Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton, Pa., the hometown of Vice President-elect Joe Biden, sought support for enforcing church penalties on Catholic politicians who, like Biden, support some abortion rights.

But George's statement does not address that matter, and a quiet minority of bishops advocated for a softer approach.

"As someone who has spent most of my life in diplomacy, I would say we have to make clear what we believe, but work with those who don't share our views in a persuasive manner," said Archbishop Timothy Broglio, a former Vatican ambassador who now heads the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA.

Bishop Donald Trautman of Erie, Pa., said George's statement generally captures both camps of bishops.

"It sends the right tone to the incoming administration that they have our prayers and support but at the same time we, as bishops, have an abiding commitment to defending life."

Related Elsewhere:

The statement is posted at the website of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which also has more on the meeting.

See yesterday's related article, "Catholic Bishops Debate Pro-Life Statement 'With a Punch'."

John Allen Jr. of National Catholic Reporter has also been following the bishops' meeting and abortion debate, as are reporters from Our Sunday Visitor, Catholic News Service, The Boston Globe, and other news outlets.

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Patti

Posted: November 17, 2008 7:08 PM

Is this the same Catholic Church I was raised in?The same church that said if you were divorced you could'nt receive communion..the same church that still hides priest that had sex with children?The same church that keeps women in their place....now you are telling us who to vote for!What a deal!First I'd clean up my own house then tell others what to do! Patti from washington.....The Holy Spirit has shown me real Christain thinking....but you guys keep up the good work

Joe	Posted: November 14, 2008 9:01 AM

I think JD has the wrong focus. The problem today is not economic crisis, which is only the symptom. It is greed, and never-fulfilled materialistic desire. We cannot use this as an excuse for ignoring living out the conviction of our faith. Let us not use terms to demean the church, whether Catholic or Protestant. The Catholic Church is not tearing the country apart. They are speaking the truth of God, and are also protecting those unfairly suffering from the consequence of "abortion rights', namely, African-American women who have a much higher rate of abortion than Anglo women. Isn't it ironic that people voted for Mr. Obama because of economic reasons now see the financial market has declined much quicker since his election. Perhaps people who have money think otherwise. The lesson is never to make important life decisions based on money!

JD	Posted: November 14, 2008 4:48 AM

So these Catholic Bishops would rather see this country be torn apart than back down from their attempts to institutionalize and politicize Christian ethics. You know what it reminds me of? One of the two women who came before Solomon regarding the right to the baby, who called on him to cut the baby in half rather than relinquish it to the other woman (which is ironic given that this issue is about abortion). Now is NOT the time to be threatening this kind of divisiveness. WAKE UP, CHRISTIANS!! The economy is falling apart, our infrastructure is crumbling and our educational system is failing. Those are our priorities now. We have to chose our battles wisely. I oppose abortion as much as any other God-fearing person but our first priority must be to unite around the President-Elect to tackle these serious threats to the stability of our country. If we don't there won't be a public square left to have the abortion debate.

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