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Wishy-Washy Statements by Catholic Bishops on Abortion and Voting Leading to Scandal

TORONTO, June 23, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Over the past few months at least several individual US and Canadian Catholic Bishops have given clear, strong direction on the primary importance of life and family issues when making voting decisions. However, statements by US and Canadian Bishops Conferences have left many Catholics in the dark as to the pre-eminent importance of the direct life issues such as abortion and euthanasia. These statements have often lumped non-negotiable items such as abortion and same-sex marriage in with issues which can be approached in different ways such as poverty, health care, unemployment and similar issues.

The result has often been scandalous to many Catholics. A Catholic candidate for a pro-abortion party, who is a chair of a Catholic school council, has written LifeSiteNews.com to explain her position is in favour of 'choice' on abortion. In her email she says: "I am devoting my life to helping the less fortunate by building a Canada that looks after the poor, elderly and sick. In fact the Canadian Council (sic) of Bishops gave out a letter at mass on sunday (sic) saying that Anti abortion and Gay Marriage should have equal weight with preserving public medicare and helping the world's poor."

Prominent U.S. politician Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), described as "U.S. Roman Catholicism's most distinguished laymen" has also noted with dismay the disastrous effects of the repeated failure of the hierarchy to remain strong on the abortion issue when dealing with politicians. Hyde, the first person to win a victory for the pro-life cause since Roe vs. Wade, with his Hyde Amendment in 1976 banning public spending on abortions, told the Chicago Sun Times recently, "I am greatly disappointed with the failure of much of the church hierarchy to take an unequivocal stand on abortion." Speaking of the tendency to equate issues such as poverty and healthcare and abortion, Hyde said it provides, "'people like Ted Kennedy, Dick Durbin and John Kerry the cover they seek to maintain their Catholic affiliation and at the same time pander to Planned Parenthood."

Hyde's message to the Catholic hierarchy - "Don't go wobbly on us."

See the Sun Times coverage:
http://www.suntimes.com/output/roeser/cst-edt-roes12.html

See LifeSite's
The Moral Obligations of Voters, Politicians and Religious Leaders
with many relevant quotes by religious leaders
http://campaignlifecoalition.com/elections/federal/2004/moralobligations.html

See also
Dominant-Issue Voters - Deal Hudson
http://www.catholicity.com/commentary/hudson/dominant-issue.html

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