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Cry of the Poor |
"How can it be that even today there are still people dying of hunger? Condemned to illiteracy? Lacking the most basic medical care? Without a roof over their heads? . . .
"Christians must learn to make their act of faith in Christ by discerning His voice in the cry for help that rises from this world of poverty."
Pope John Paul II
Novo Millennio Ineunte, no. 50
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Why register? |
All Christians and people of all faiths are welcome here!
If you want to post in forums without moderator approval, or submit blog entries, you will need to CREATE AN ACCOUNT BELOW by simply entering a username and email address.
Trouble registering? We'll help: info[at]catholicsfordemocracy.org
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WilliamSB's Blog |
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Website:
Description: Catholics for Democracy is an organization inspired by Howard Dean's directness and hope for change in this country (though gravely disapproving of his position on abortion). We want to apply a similar directness and hope in proclaiming the whole of Catholic teaching related to all political issues, from abortion to war to health care. We will promote awareness of Catholic teaching and support candidates with Catholic positions across the board.
Last update: 56 min 23 sec ago
74 reads |
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 Well, now, I'm impressed! |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Tue 27 Jul 2004 - 12:00 h |
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It seems like the voice of the Catholic faithful are catching up with the entrenched right-wingers on web presence supporting a valued alternative to the tired marketing of George W. Bush. New Catholic websites supporting John Kerry appear on the internet every day.
The latest installment, www.catholicsforkerry04.org, is a visually-attractive website. It is apparent, from first review, that the originators of that site did their homework; because it is very informative on campaign-related issues important to us as Catholics. All the while, they remain faithful to Catholic tradition. And, from the looks of it, there is plenty more to come.
I look forward to watching that site develop. |
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Divided America... Divided Church |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Thu 22 Jul 2004 - 13:44 h |
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Over the course of the last several months I have been involved with Catholics for Dean, founded by Tim Hugerich; then its successor group, Catholics for Democracy. The mission of Catholics for Dean was fairly clear. Overall, Howard Dean's platform resonated with those social concerns so important to us as Catholics. We, as Catholics, came together to promote Howard Dean's Presidential candidacy.
The mission of Catholics for Democracy, though, has not been as easy to define; and has changed course a few times already. While our Catholic faith and our authentic committment to Constitutional Democracy and populist political involvement remains as solid as it was when we first got behind Howard Dean, our understanding -- certainly my understanding -- of how politics plays itself out at the grassroots level has evolved and matured. In many ways, that is a good thing. Every opportunity to learn -- especially when that learning involves interacting with others to produce good -- is an opportunity worth pursuing.
On the other hand, I have become very concerned about some of the things I learned in this process. The contention and division in politics, this year, are considerably more dramatic than I ever recall in political elections. Some have argued that we are engaged in a social clash. I think it is more than that. This clash is about fundamentally defining what kind of nation we are. Are we a nation built on the rule of law; or are we a nation built on personalities? Do the people, through the political process, decide how public officials govern; or do public officials, through soundbite marketing, manipulate the will of the people? Are we an American community where everyone is our neighbor for whom we care; or is it every man for himself?
Most disturbing to me, however, is what I see happening in the Catholic community. This election seems to be re-defining the public face of the Catholic community in America as much as it seems to be redefining America itself. We, in the American Catholic community, are devoting so much energy to having the upper hand in ideological debates. More than ever before, every American Catholic imagines himself to be an apologist (Whatever happened to our teachings about the sins of pride and presumption?). |
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The Church of Bush -- What liberal infidels will never understand about the president |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Wed 21 Jul 2004 - 08:13 h |
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Village Voice, July 20, by Rick Perlstein -- Here are some things that Christopher Nunneley, a conservative activist in Birmingham, Alabama, believes. That some time in June, apparently unnoticed by the world media, George Bush negotiated an end to the civil war in Sudan. That Bill Clinton is "lazy" and Teresa Heinz Kerry is an "African colonialist." That "we don't do torture," and that the School of the Americas manuals showing we do were "just ancient U.S. disinformation designed to make the Soviets think that we didn't know how to do real interrogations."
Chris Nunneley also believes something crazy: that George W. Bush is a nice guy.
It's a rather different conclusion than many liberals would make. When we think of Bush's character, we're likely to focus on the administration's proposed budget cuts for veterans, the children indefinitely detained at Abu Ghraib, maybe the story of how the young lad Bush loaded up live frogs with firecrackers in order to watch them explode.
Read Full Article
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The Democratic Platform For America 2004 |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Mon 19 Jul 2004 - 12:11 h |
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Culpable Ignorance |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Mon 5 Jul 2004 - 11:00 h |
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Kathleen Norris wrote about culpable ignorance -- a variation of negligence -- in her best-selling reflections, The Cloister Walk. In her book, she discussed culpable ignorance in relation to religious, especially clergy, who choose to remain ignorant about human sexuality. Every human person, of course, is a sexual person. In coosing to feign ignorance on the matter, religious fail to develop their own spirituality properly or equip themselves to provide sound spiritual counsel to the faithful who come to them for guidance. Except for the sin of pride, culpable ignorance is probably the most common sin among many older religious and clergy. |
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What do they have against Saint Hillary? |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Sun 4 Jul 2004 - 13:46 h |
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I've been following a discussion in the Catholics for Bush Yahoo! group. I only half-attentively followed it, though, because some of the arguments followed that labyrinth of logic Busholics are so keen on using.
It seems that the San Francisco Gate reported, on June 28, that Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has a soft spot for the common good. Hillary was quoted as saying, during a fundraising dinner, "Many of you are well enough off... that the tax cuts have helped you. We're saying that for America to get back on track, we're probably going to have to cut that short and not give it to you. We're going to take things away from you on behalf of the common good." |
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A New Word |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Sat 3 Jul 2004 - 15:14 h |
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In the middle of a conversation with a friend, today, I coined a new word for Catholics who confuse Bush soundbites for Catholic theology: Busholic. That's the new word, ladies and gentleman: Busholic. Keep posted, I will soon develop a test you can use in the privacy of your own home to find out whether you, too, are a Busholic. |
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Finally, a Republican I Can Agree With |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Sat 3 Jul 2004 - 13:36 h |
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This was also originally published in the discussion forums; but moved here into my personal blog.
Many in the media and on Catholic blogs/discussion groups are getting mileage out of Michael Bloomberg's very public slap in the face to Representative Bob Ney, R-OH, and other Republicans trying to capatilize on NYC for their own personal gains, while dissing New Yorkers.
Just to catch those up who were not paying attention... Bob Ney, at one time, had gone to bat for New York City, fighting to get funding to support New York's security measures against terrorism. Mayor Bloomberg and Representative Ney became close friends after that. |
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Shame on the Catholic League |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Sat 3 Jul 2004 - 13:36 h |
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I originally posted this in the discussion forums in order to allow me freedom to express my opinion without making an official CfD statement. Now that we have restructured the website in order to better facilitate cross-ideological dialogue, I can move it into my blog.
The Catholic League has, for some time now, been an embarassment to me as a Catholic. They do too much childish huffing-and-puffing over very stupid and petty things. Because of their well-orchestrated marketing, though, they have positioned themselves as the voice of the American Catholic Church when it comes to threatening people who hurt our feelings with frivolous lawsuits and petty boycotts. Sad to say, I once donated money to that group thinking they were a serious group organized to protect legitimate interests of Catholics against those who would descriminate against us. Who would've thought that "Catholic League for Religious and Civil Liberties" was just a front for radical, right-wing blow hards leveraging their self-identity as Catholics to strong-arm their private agenda into government policy.
Now they've gone and meddled with John Kerry's campaign. On June 14, the CL put out a News Release to discredit John Kerry's campaign staff-member, Mara Vanderslice. The CL should have ended their news release somewhere before the line, "Hereâs what we know about John Kerryâs religious outreach person. Mara Vanderslice...." What Vanderslice's background is holds no importance to us as voters. She is not running for public office. Nor does she hold any government position; much less one that could effect our rights as citizens.
Perhaps someone forgot to tell William Donohue that, in the Catholic Church, we consider it a sin to publicize, without just cause, information about someone that could be damaging to his/her reputation. Or perhaps Mr. Donohue hasn't quite figured out that Catholics exercizing their right and responsibility to engage in the political process does not mean that Catholics have to engage in the type of dirty politics that is counter to the spirit Catholicism. Or maybe Mr. Donohue can't figure out the difference between the background or personal opinions of a campaign staffer and that staffer's role in helping the candidate she works for get the word out about his background or position. |
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Obey Geneva Convention or... No Money |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Fri 2 Jul 2004 - 12:41 h |
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July 2,2004 (New York Times) -- In a recent late-evening session noted mostly for Republican grousing about Democratic senators who had attended a screening of "Fahrenheit 9/11," the Senate considered an amendment to the Pentagon budget bill that would require the president to abide by the Geneva Conventions. It was passed, with the support of five Republicans who resisted frantic arm-twisting from the administration. Now we'll see whether the House can muster the political courage to follow suit.
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Counter-Reformation in America! |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Fri 2 Jul 2004 - 12:41 h |
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Every election cycle, politicians from both major political parties come forward claiming they will move Washington -- and, consequently, the entire political landscape -- beyond politics as usual. A promise like that, of course, implies something and misses something. Implied is the assumption that the incumbant will keep politics as usual. Usually missing is what, exactly, it is about politics as usual the candidate intends to move beyond.
With all this moving, why does it seem like we are never quite getting anywhere? Politics in Washington is no less contentious -- is probably more so -- than it was the twenty or thirty years ago politicians started making that promise. The American public is still locked in debates over whose rights or needs trump whose. And special interest groups, of all stripes, continue to compete for a defining voice in public policy. |
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Neo-Cons: Contemporary Cafeteria Catholics |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Fri 2 Jul 2004 - 12:41 h |
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For a few years, now, I have been astonished and frustrated with how readily conservative Catholics will disregarard, or rationalize their way around, Catholic teaching when the teaching does not support their views; while, at the same time, waiving their banner as the faithful Catholics.
Now, as we approach this upcoming Presidential election, they are showing themseles willing to conveniently hide their faith in a labyrinth of absurd rationalizations in order to defend their favored candidate -- George W. Bush -- on issues contrary to Catholic faith. Of course, they seem to have learned their rhetorical style from their Master, himself: George W. Bush. |
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Make Up Your Mind! |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Fri 2 Jul 2004 - 12:41 h |
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Catholics for Bush links to a post on Jimmy Akin's Defensor Fidei blog attempting to justify why tolerating Bush's support of abortion, in some cases, is morally defensible on election day; whereas, tolerating Kerry's (and others') position is not.
Specifically, Akins says:
Some Catholics report that they feel unable to support President Bush in his re-election bid on the grounds that he would allow abortion in cases of rape, incest, or to save the mother's life. These positions are wrong and contrary to the Church's teaching, but do they from the Church's perspective place him in the same category as an ardent supporter of abortion like Clinton, Gore, or Kerry? Or does the fact that Bush opposes the vast majority of abortions make a difference and allow Catholics to form a different moral estimation of him? |
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Holy See Says End to Poverty Would Increase Social Cohesion |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Fri 2 Jul 2004 - 12:41 h |
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SAO PAULO, JUNE 22, 2004 (Zenit.org) - The Holy See called on the international community to make greater efforts to eliminate poverty as a means to increase social cohesion.
Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, representing the Holy See, made the appeal at the 11th session of the U.N. Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), held in Sao Paulo, Brazil, from June 13-18.
The Holy See's delegate emphasized that "the sole goal of development is not to make persons 'more productive' but rather to guarantee their dignity and improve their capacity to act freely." |
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Catholic Charities USA Urges Congressional Appropriators to Protect Vital Programs |
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Item submitted by Unregistered on Fri 2 Jul 2004 - 12:41 h |
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