Kerry in Pope Confusion

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Catholic : One Thread

Mr. Kerry became combative when told that some conservatives were criticizing him for being a Roman Catholic who supported policies, like abortion rights and same-sex unions, that are at odds with Catholic teaching.

"Who are they?" he demanded of his questioner. "Name them. Are they the same legislators who vote for the death penalty, which is in contravention of Catholic teaching?"

He added: "I'm not a church spokesman. I'm a legislator running for president. My oath is to uphold the Constitution of the United States in my public life. My oath privately between me and God was defined in the Catholic church by Pius XXIII and Pope Paul VI in the Vatican II, which allows for freedom of conscience for Catholics with respect to these choices, and that is exactly where I am. And it is separate. Our constitution separates church and state, and they should be reminded of that."

Mr. Kerry apparently meant John XXIII, as there is no Pius XXIII.

see the article.

I don't think Mr. Kerry has given this much thought.



-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45-nospam@hotmail.com), April 06, 2004

Answers

bump

-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45-nospam@hotmail.com), April 06, 2004.

I didn't think the Deat Penalty was actually in opposition to Catholci teachings.

Likewise, I do know that even the Pope current ( John Paul 2) said that one shoudl nt vote pro-choice.

Is Kerry aware that freedom of Coencience only extends to certain behaviours undertaken in provate, and not to mortal sin?

-- ZAROVE (ZAROFF3@JUNO.COM), April 06, 2004.


Typical arrogant and clueless Liberal.... he claims that Vatican II gave him the right to have an autonomous "conscience" which allows him to freely hold political positions (like abortion and gaymarriage) that contravene 2000 of Catholic teaching...but notice that while he demands names from the questioner, he doesn't name the document from Vatican II which he cites to back his ideology up.

The reason of course is that there is NO DOCUMENT in Vatican II that gives people a pass to believe whatever they want and still be considered "Catholics" faithful to their oaths of allegiance to God.

These guys are so full of themselves and their bluster...they always presume to know what they're talking about when in fact they can't prove any of their assertions.

He talks of "equivalent of nuclear war" in reference to advertisements on TV?! Obviously he has no clue what nuclear attacks would be like!

He mentions Capital punishment...while being in favor of abortion. Notice the obvious dilemna: he believes proven criminals shouldn't be executed by the state but that a mother has the right to kill a totally innocent human being at whim, for no particular reason!

Clueless.

-- Joe (joestong@yahoo.com), April 06, 2004.


-some inteeresting reading on the topic:

Kerry's Catholic Conundrum

-- Daniel Hawkenberry (dlm@catholic.org), April 06, 2004.


Here is what the Catholic League has to say on the subject.



-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45-nospam@hotmail.com), April 07, 2004.



From Cardinal Dulles

The Catholic magisterium does not, and never has, advocated unqualified abolition of the death penalty. I know of no official statement from popes or bishops, whether in the past or in the present, that denies the right of the State to execute offenders at least in certain extreme cases. The United States bishops, in their majority statement on capital punishment, conceded that “Catholic teaching has accepted the principle that the State has the right to take the life of a person guilty of an extremely serious crime.”
...
[I]t seems safe to conclude that the death penalty is not in itself a violation of the right to life. The real issue for Catholics is to determine the circumstances under which that penalty ought to be applied. It is appropriate, I contend, when it is necessary to achieve the purposes of punishment and when it does not have disproportionate evil effects. I say “necessary” because I am of the opinion that killing should be avoided if the purposes of punishment can be obtained by bloodless means.

Catholicism & Capital Punishment -- By: Avery Cardinal Dulles



-- Bill Nelson (bnelson45-nospam@hotmail.com), April 07, 2004.


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