July 12 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Observers were stunned yesterday as The United States House of Representatives voted almost unanimously to denounce the campaign of the pro-abortion lobby to oust the Catholic Church from the United Nations. At the same time, the House endorsed the status of the Vatican at the UN.
The deceptively named UN NGO (non-governmental organization), Catholics For a Free Choice, spear-headed a campaign to have the Vatican’s Permanent Observer status at the UN downgraded in order to weaken its influence in international treaty negotiations. Despite the abortion-related basis for the protest and the large number of abortion advocates in the US House, only one representative voted against denouncing the campaign.
The abortion lobby’s hostility to the Holy See is based on the Vatican’s success along with a coalition of states at stopping pro-abortion forces from naming abortion as a universally recognized human right. On the other hand, the House resolution, which was introduced in March by Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), “commends the Holy See for its strong commitment to fundamental human rights, including the protection of innocent human life both before and after birth.” A similar resolution in the Senate is being stalled by Senator Barbara Boxer of California.
Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute (C-Fam), a pro-family NGO at the UN, attributes the overwhelming vote in part to politicians “deciding not to cross Catholics voters in a tight election year.” They would like all pro-family Americans to call the following Congressmen to thank them for their support of the Holy See: Representative Dennis Hastert (202-225-2976) Representative Dick Armey (202-225-4000) Representative Christopher Smith (202-225-3765)