By Dave Andrusko
Writing in his September 23 column for the Catholic Times diocesan paper, Bishop Thomas J. Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, counseled Catholics to “think and pray very carefully” about their votes in the upcoming election.
“My job is not to tell you for whom you should vote. But I do have a duty to speak out on moral issues,” Bishop Paprocki wrote. “I would be abdicating this duty if I remained silent out of fear of sounding ‘political’ and didn’t say anything about the morality of these issues.” (See http://ct.dio.org/bishops-column/59-think-and-pray-about-your-vote-in-upcoming-election/text.html)
He began his column by discussing the controversy over the mention of “God” in the platform of the Democratic National Committee. (It was deliberately omitted and then added back in only when the convention chair pretended to have the 2/3rds vote needed to amend the platform.)
“Even more troubling is that this whole discussion about God in the platform is a distraction from more disturbing matters that have been included in the platform, “Bishop Paprocki wrote.
“In 1992 Presidential candidate Bill Clinton famously said that abortion should be ‘safe, legal and rare.’ That was the party’s official position until 2008. Apparently ‘rare’ is so last century that it had to be dropped, because now the Democratic Party Platform says that abortion should be ‘safe and legal.’ Moreover the Democratic Party Platform supports the right to abortion ‘regardless of the ability to pay.’ Well, there are only three ways for that to happen: either taxpayers will be required to fund abortion, or insurance companies will be required to pay for them (as they are now required to pay for contraception), or hospitals will be forced to perform them for free…. I know that the Democratic Party’s official ‘unequivocal’ support for abortion is deeply troubling to pro-life Democrats”
Bishop Paprocki then asks, “So what about the Republicans?” He wrote, “I have read the Republican Party Platform and there is nothing in it that supports or promotes an intrinsic evil or a serious sin.”
He concluded his column by reiterating, “Again, I am not telling you which party or which candidates to vote for or against.” However Bishop Paprocki reminded Catholics that a “vote for a candidate who promotes actions or behaviors that are intrinsically evil and gravely sinful” makes them “morally complicit.”
“I pray that God will give you the wisdom and guidance to make the morally right choices.”
Your feedback is very important to improving National Right to Life News Today. Please send your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha
