Politico
Abortion flared up as a last-minute obstacle to passage, as anti-abortion members pressed for – and won – a vote on an amendment barring insurance companies that participate in the exchange from covering abortions.
That prompted the letter of support from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“Passing this amendment allows the House to meet our criteria of preserving the existing protections against abortion funding in the new legislation,” the bishops wrote in a letter to individual members. “Most importantly, it will ensure that no government funds will be used for abortion or health plans which include abortion.”
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Suddenly the left has a deep respect for Christians and organized religion, at least until the church is no longer useful, then it’s back to the “those angry Bible thumpers!”
Bishop on November 7, 2009 at 11:44 AM
In the end of days – good will be considered evil and evil will be considered good.
*sigh*
gophergirl on November 7, 2009 at 11:44 AM
Sorry bishops, if you think the abortion thing won’t be in the final bill by some 3am amendment, you are wrong!
L
letget on November 7, 2009 at 11:45 AM
And there’s a reason the word “protest” is in “Protestantism”.
Orange Doorhinge on November 7, 2009 at 11:45 AM
Is someone supposed to care what a Religion thinks of a political bill passing???
I’m so confused.
bridgetown on November 7, 2009 at 11:48 AM
This is only a ruse. It’ll happen once they get the votes. Lucy and Charlie Brown with the football.
tru2tx on November 7, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Kind of screws with the whole “liberal = godless” meme, doesn’t it?
Sharke on November 7, 2009 at 11:49 AM
So, now “Christianist” is good?
notropis on November 7, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Catholics: speaking too soon?
Let’s see it pass.
BuckeyeSam on November 7, 2009 at 11:49 AM
Woo hoo, Catholics are on board with more government authority and regulation! What a strange departure from their regular viewpoint.
Living4Him5534 on November 7, 2009 at 11:50 AM
They lose constituents by abortion and gain them by illegal immigration…mhh? which will be the higher number? Some principles, convictions and faith they’ve got…the poor souls. What are the sheeple to do when their religious leaders are the same kind of whores than their political ones.
Sincere apologies to whores!
Schadenfreude on November 7, 2009 at 11:50 AM
i love how it has nothing to do with “separation of church and state” so long as the church is on their side…..
alexraye on November 7, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Yes there is. It means that the Confessors of Augsburg refused the emperor’s command to join him in participating in a Corpus Christi procession and mass. They bared their necks, that he might behead them, but reserved their souls from civil authority.
That’s a pretty important distinction. Princes may rule my flesh, but never my spirit, which knows no king but Jesus.
Scribbler on November 7, 2009 at 11:51 AM
Whenever some religious denominations’ beliefs coincide with the liberal agenda (death penalty, anti-war, affirmative action, for example) there is no “separation of church and state.”
Ever hear a liberal commentator say the Revrund Jackson and Revrund Sharpton should stay out of politics?
Wethal on November 7, 2009 at 11:52 AM
It’ll be out of the House bill and back in the Senate reconciliation bill.
Etch-a-Sketch politics – - give it another shake.
DarthBrooks on November 7, 2009 at 11:52 AM
The Bishops need to be careful and alert – the Democrats will wave their support letter even as the final bill pays for abortions, strips away conscience clauses and otherwise imposes the abortion mandate. The 3AM phone call is as relevant in cooking up legislation as it is in national security.
PKO Strany on November 7, 2009 at 11:58 AM
Separation of church and state?
(ducks)
Good Lt on November 7, 2009 at 11:58 AM
It is a shell game….we will pay for them
CWforFreedom on November 7, 2009 at 12:02 PM
That article way overstates the case; the bishops’ letter speaks only to the abortion coverage issue. They aren’t “signing off” on the bill.
It’s an endorsement of the Stupak-Pitts amendment, without which the bishops are prepared to ‘vigorously oppose’ (to use their language) the bill. Tomorrow morning, the bulletin inserts prepared by the bishops will be in church bulletins across the country, urging Catholics to pester Congress on the abortion funding measures in the healthcare bill.
My girlfriend works in for the USCCB’s Pro-Life Secretariat and was intimately involved in developing their ad campaign to get people to demand a floor vote of Stupak-Pitts. Politico overstates the case of the bishops’ support; they are commenting ONLY on the abortion-related provisions of the bill.
Fallen Sparrow on November 7, 2009 at 12:06 PM
Why would the church want the government to usurp what should be the responsibility of individuals, churches and private charity?
Barry has been captured by the bankstas, and the churches have been captured by the filthy government. They surrendered marriage and divorce to the State. Why not everything else?
“Render unto Caesar” all.
Rae on November 7, 2009 at 12:07 PM
Separation of church and state?
(ducks)
Good Lt on November 7, 2009 at 11:58 AM
You should duck, that is an idiotic statement. I can think of nothing prohibiting the Bishops from exercising their First Amendment rights.
However, the Bishops are equally idiotic for not realizing that they are being played for fools, and that publicly funded abortion isn’t squirreled away in the bill already, or right around the corner.
Not the brightest bulbs.
alexwest on November 7, 2009 at 12:07 PM
yep
Wade on November 7, 2009 at 12:12 PM
Thus ends any claim I have of being a Catholic. I can’t believe the Church thinks that a Federal mandate or else face fines or jail time is a good idea. Unreal.
gleep on November 7, 2009 at 12:13 PM
Yeah. Because that worked so well for the Olympics.
Guess it’s time for Catholic Bishops to learn how the Insurance industry feels when the Democrats reneg and screw them.
Strick on November 7, 2009 at 12:13 PM
And, also not too concerned about the government putting us into economic slavery or rationing health care.
a capella on November 7, 2009 at 12:13 PM
Politico is a leftist propaganda website. AllahPundit is an proselytizing atheist. If the bishops said “world peace is good,” HotAir’s headline would be Bishops say U.S. should surrender to the Taliban.
Ted Torgerson on November 7, 2009 at 12:14 PM
If Stupak gets the amendment added that blocks funding for Abortions, it’s going to be put back in in conference committee.
Anyone who believes otherwise is stupid.
Enoxo on November 7, 2009 at 12:16 PM
Yes — the bishops have no part in the government, but some of their adherents do. Their expression of their feelings is the free exercise of religion guaranteed by our Constitution, regardless of what the Catholic-bashers above have opined. We have many economic reasons to dislike the healthcare legislation, but the bishops think in terms of morality. Requiring government funding of abortion is immoral; requiring the government to offer or support other forms of healthcare is, no matter how foolish we think it to be, not immoral. The bishops have already gone on record as opposing health care rationing (death panels) and restriction of healthcare benefits (destruction of the private sector), so they are at least partway in our camp.
Here is their October letter, and their platform:
unclesmrgol on November 7, 2009 at 12:17 PM
Anyone got a link to the Bishops’ letter?
Dusty on November 7, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Thanks, Fallen Sparrow.
The media loves to distort anything coming from the Bishops and the Vatican to make it seem like they are supporting liberal causes. Sometimes they do, when it does not involve morality.
And most people believe them, just like the intelligent people here believed the report.
And don’t forget the bill has to
and other things before the Bishops would ever sign off on the whole bill.
Elisa on November 7, 2009 at 12:18 PM
The Conference of Bishops is a very liberal group. I listened to a member of the conference tell Raymond Arroyo on his EWTN program that God did not make borders.
Arroyo has hosted persons from both sides of the health care debate and on the liberal side the argument was it is better to have national healthcare (with abortion and euthanesia implied) than not to have national health care
Arroyo, who is a very good host, conservative in his faith, could not budge one guest from that position.
From what I see presented on EWTN discussions, many of the Conference have rationalized their faith a long time ago, reminding me of the marxist priests who joined the atheistic revolutionary groups in latin america. for the ‘good’ of the peasants
EWTN is a window into the battle within the Catholic church. The ‘ends justifies the means’ solution permeates the liberal wing of Catholic hierarchy. (as it does all Christian churches). I enjoy watching EWTN to get a view into the battle from the good soldiers of Mother Angelica
entagor on November 7, 2009 at 12:18 PM
Sorry, I quoted what I meant to bold.
Elisa on November 7, 2009 at 12:19 PM
[unclesmrgol on November 7, 2009 at 12:17 PM]
Thanks.
Dusty on November 7, 2009 at 12:20 PM
How can these “men of God” support Marxism? They fools themselves thinking they are consistent with God’s laws yet supporting the construct of a government god. Nothing less than idolatry.
True_King on November 7, 2009 at 12:21 PM
Politico is most certainly left; I don’t know if I’d consider our beloved EeyorePundit ‘proselytizing’ in his atheism, but he certainly has his position on the matter that might conflict with showing the bishops in a good light.
That said, a frustration of mine, both with the bishops and with many of my co-religionists, is that in speaking out forcefully on abortion in the debate, while remaining silent on other aspects of the issue, the Church is placed in a position where it can be construed as ’supporting’ any particular piece of legislation (which it does not). The distinction is between not “vigorously opposing” (as the bishops are doing on life grounds) and “endorsing” (which they haven’t done).
Fallen Sparrow on November 7, 2009 at 12:24 PM
If we are put into economic slavery, it will be slavery to ourselves, given that this is a democracy.
As for rationing, they are against it.
They do have a dog in the hunt. The Catholic hospital system is the largest in the United States, and the bishops are certainly concerned that their system might be required by law to perform abortions, especially given the repeated repeal and defeat by Obama and the Democrats of consciousness provisions which would allow all members of the medical profession to opt out of the abortion industry.
unclesmrgol on November 7, 2009 at 12:25 PM
+1
Natch. They have the luxury of worrying about the saving of our souls over our bodies.
alexwest on November 7, 2009 at 12:26 PM
The Episcopal bishops are behind this monstrosity too. These gum drops were behind it when abortion payments were still in there. Truthfully, I’m tired of their meddling in politics in the name of some kind of mis-guided, poorly informed compassion. I’d bet they don’t even know what’s in this bill except for the abortion clause. Important as that may be, there is so much else in there that is just plain wrong–and they wonder why their relevancy has faded
jeanie on November 7, 2009 at 12:26 PM
Dusty, the link to the November 6 letter is here. The one I put up was the October letter. Nothing appears to have changed in their position, given a comparison of the texts of the two letters.
unclesmrgol on November 7, 2009 at 12:28 PM
Your information is needed in the blog. A thread is up there.
Loxodonta on November 7, 2009 at 12:30 PM
[unclesmrgol on November 7, 2009 at 12:28 PM]
Double thanks, then.
Dusty on November 7, 2009 at 2:05 PM
Anyone who believes that the USCCB speaks for the Catholic Church is badly mistaken. That corrupt mess of liberal jerks was hijacked years ago by a bunch of self-serving creeps quite literally referred to as the lavender mafia for good reason–and they don’t speak for Catholics who are obedient to the Pope.
They are forever issuing these misleading and outrageous statements that can be taken so many ways that they are not even slightly informative, let alone definitively Catholic.
/rant off
tcn on November 7, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Rest easy–the USCCB speaks for themselves and NOT for the Catholic Church.
tcn on November 7, 2009 at 2:15 PM
If your being catholic depends on what POLITICO says then good luck. Unfortunatelly POLITICO is missreporting what the letter says.
neuquenguy on November 7, 2009 at 2:21 PM
For all of you that are tarring The Catholic Church® so broadly, it is the U.S. Catholic Bishops that are sticking their nose where it does not belong.
If the Vatican had a spine, it would, and should, come down on these Bishops like a ton of bricks. The Clergy should stay the HELL out of Politics. However, the U.S. portion of the Catholic Church is infested with Liberals (Leftists) and has been for a long time. That is one of the many reasons I left the Church decades ago.
Now, on to other things. Get your squawking out of your system and prepare yourselves. The Left has been working to undermine our country for decades, one thin slice at a time, and, they have been very successful. While most of the electorate slumbered, these evil bastards have been busy. Some of us have been sounding the alarm for years, we were dismissed as the lunatic fringe, kooks, conspiracy theorists and such. Well, welcome to reality.
If you think you are going to halt, and begin to reverse decades of activity on the part of the Left in 2010/2012, well, you are delusional. The Left are not afraid of you or your whining. Our Congress for the most part is owned lock, stock and barrel by those that wish to enslave us. You, all of us are going to have to fight with everything we have. Words are not going to get it done. Neither are faxes and phone calls either. Most of the Kabuki Theater that has been taking place is a distraction. We have been owned.
Before we even get to the 2010 elections, Obama and crew will have made their move for the whole enchilada. There may not be any elections in 2010, this why they are so supremely smug and self confident. Lock and Load! Good Luck Citizens!
mrpeabody on November 7, 2009 at 2:55 PM