Hudson & Fournier: Catholic Countdown to Election 2012, Day 9. 'Catholics United' and the Code Language of Catholic Politics

By Deal W Hudson and Keith A Fournier
10/28/2012
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

This is all being done to confuse and intimidate Catholics and other values voters.

When the Catholic Bishops called for a nationwide protest against the HHS mandate they fundamentally changed the topography of Catholic outreach in 2012. The battle over the Catholic vote was moved closer to the parish, not just its parking lots, but the pulpit itself.

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WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - When the Catholic Bishops called for a nationwide protest against the HHS mandate they fundamentally changed the topography of Catholic outreach in 2012. The battle over the Catholic vote was moved closer to the parish, not just its parking lots, but the pulpit itself.

In the last three presidential elections, bishops, priests and deacons were accused of partisanship when they spoke on opposition to abortion or the defense of true marriage and opposition to the counterfeit notion of "same-sex marriage". Archbishop Chaput, for example, while in Denver had to pay $45,000 to defend himself against an accusation made to the IRS by a 'Catholic' group supporting abortion.

With their highly visible stand for religious liberty, against the HHS mandate, the US Catholic Bishops made it much easier for clergy and concerned lay Catholics to state their opposition. For the Catholics supporting Obama, such speech is just another example of what they call partisanship. When a Catholic priest or deacon preaches on religious liberty, "it is code for 'Vote Republican,'" claims Chris Pumpelly, communications director for Catholics United, "Everybody knows what it means."

Sadly, the real "code language" comes from those partisans like Catholics United who dance the "two step" of these new censors who actually seek to silence the Church from speaking to the great moral issues of our age. The dance is very deceptive. It begins by equating all moral issues with "political" issues. Then, it promotes a misguided and legally errant view of the separation of church and state which tries to lock us behind closed Church doors.

Now, they want to censor our clergy? This is nothing less than an attempt to stop the Church from speaking to the great moral issues of our age in the public square. That is because they do not agree with what we have to say. In truth, they now want to censor our clergy even in their our own pulpits. Perhaps the saddest aspect of all of this dance of deception is that some of the very people dancing bear the name "catholic" in their group affiliation.

We have four retorts for Pumpelly and his crowd:

1. It's clear from the way that some Catholics actually vote that not all of them know 'what it means,' but we ardently wish they did, in the proper sense. These great moral issues transcend political party. However, they have intensely important implications on how we inform our political participation.

2. If preaching the truth of Catholic social teaching influences Catholics to vote for Republicans then its the fault of Democrats and, especially, the Catholics like you and your organization who ignore those teachings, even attack them.

3. If the goose has 'code language,' so does the gander: Catholics United, like other dissenting Catholic groups, sometimes have code language that works in precisely the same way. For example, 'care for the poor,' an important obligation of Catholic Social Doctrine which must be accepted as part of our obligation in solidarity, can be applied differently, depending upon the principle of subsidiarity. However, these groups want to equate it with federalized solutions.

4) They use loaded code language in an attempt to intimidate us. For example, phrases such as as 'divisive social issues,' and 'divisive culture wars' are used to refer to our absolutely appropriate efforts to defend life and marriage. We are simply exercising faithful citizenship and being morally coherent. In truth, when we insist upon defending the fundamental human right to life of our first neighbors in the womb, we defend a right revealed by the Natural Law and enshrined in our founding documents. Yet, we are lambasted as somehow forcing our "religion" on others.

This is all being done to confuse and intimidate Catholics and other values voters. It will not stand!

Fortunately for our culture and our Church, most Catholics don't understand the code language of Obama's Catholic supporters any better than than the supposed code language of authentic Catholic social teaching.

Catholics United, however, has taken an unusual step to suppress freedom of speech and religious liberty of Catholics and their clergy (and, of course, raise some money for themselves at the same time!). Here is Catholics United's Keep Politics Out of Our Pulpits Pledge -- By the way, the CU's pledge is aimed directly at clergy, not at the lay faithful.

"In an effort to protect the sacredness of our sanctuaries, I pledge to keep my house of worship free from partisan activity. As Christians, we have a moral obligation to engage in our nation's public debate. But our public witness must not involve using Church assets to expressly support or oppose candidates for elective office. We demean our church when we allow it to be used for partisan purposes. I pledge to do everything in my power to prevent this from taking place."

Excuse us while we wipe a tear from our eyes -- we are so deeply touched by the sincere piety of this effort to protect Catholics from the code language that defends innocent life, authentic marriage, and religious liberty.

If Catholics United had the guts to be honest, to lay their cards on the table, their proposed pledge would be entitled, "Eliminate Any Church Teaching That Might Help a Pro-life, Pro-Marriage Candidate."

Again, honesty would require that Catholics United change their three examples of partisan activity, as well:

"Attacks on one candidate over another" would become "Don't let Catholics know that both President Obama and Vice President Biden support abortion, same-sex marriage, and the HHS mandate."

"Allowing partisan literature to be disseminated in the bulletin or on church grounds, including the parking lot" would become "Limit information about and discussion of political participation to the Peace and Justice coordinator of the parish - if he or she agrees with our political positions.'

"Making critical or supportive political statements about a candidate for elected office during worship services" would become "Make no mention of the Church's teaching on the sanctity of life, marriage and the family, the dignity of the human person, or the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution."

That's the pledge that Catholics United really has in mind -- if you strip their 'code language' away.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Catholic Vote, Catholics United, Code Language, campaign 2012, faithful citizenship, moral coherence, obama, Bide, Romney, Ryan, Deal W Hudson, Keith A Fournier

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1 - 10 of 10 Comments

Cindy
6 months ago
I have heard Catholics United has no tiews with The Roman Catholic Church! There is another organization (in Ohio) has in commpon Catholics United ; goes further to express support for the true Faith!
John
6 months ago
It is time for a christian decision. We cannot be Cafeteria catholics (Christians). " Who is not with me is against me, who does not gather with me, scatters." (Jesus Christ)
Starzec
6 months ago
Tom McGuire rightfully suggests that there is little debate on the subject of Catholic Politics. Moreover, he rightly states that this article is less than non-partisan.
More often than not, here at CO or other conservative Catholic sites, those who offer a different point of view and interpretation are shouted down. The great irony of those doing the shouting are the very same folks who run and hide behind the freedom religion clause found in the same First Amendment. You cannot simultaneously seek the protection of one clause and deny others protection from another.
With that said, the idea of Catholic subsidiarity (must make the differentiation here) is that assistance should come from the smallest entity. Simply meaning charity begins at home. The problem becomes what happens when the home cannot subsist. Well, the concept of subsidiarity says that the next level up, the neighborhood (parish??) should be responsible. And when the neighborhood cannot help, the local government, then the county then the state and then federal government, then?? The welfare state rose from the inability of the neighborhood, city, county and state to provide assistance.
What many are clamouring for now is a return to neighborhood level of assistance. To what end? What will be gained? A restoration of the Church as it once existed?? ----
What does subsidiarity say about the moral responsibility of a business owner who closes the local shop, lays off employees and moves the business to a third world country? The result of which is causes local poverty, overwhelming the family, neighborhood, city, county and state leaving the last safety net the federal government. Who's responsible? I grew up in a town where this happened, my generation was largely able to escape but what about those who lost their pensions as a result? Is it really their fault for, what, not seeking a degree in something else or learning another trade?
The problem is subsidiarity is nice and noble concept, but it does not work in the modern economy and as far as I can tell, it like socialism or capitalism has never worked or if it did it did not last long.
Michael F
6 months ago
Abby, Maybe everytime we point out facts about "Catholics United" we should start using your term "Catholics United against Christ". That might just have some of them take a second look. Anyone with leader skills, both honest and dishonest, can make sheep follow.
abey
6 months ago
The day that Pride entered America to its woes was the day Law was used to define separation of state & religion, manifested today to cornering religious expression of the word of God to the four walls of the Churches even to intimidating the pulpits, into the understanding that the law which is from God is leavened to go against the word of God itself, thus making the law into god to which is said off God will be judged, to the law becoming cursed, that which is Biblically stated, to the great Error of America coming under Obama & the Democrats in the fall. For even terms like "Catholics United" tend to become Catholics united against Christ by their works & to such Catholics is not the Christian faith in their hearts. Not knowing the truth but blinded in the errors is but to the Biblical words of the manner "they loved not the truth & for this reason God send a strong Delusion so that they may believe the Lie". Like the lie of Obama & his democrats who by their convention make a big show of "Adopting god" , when in the truth it is God who Adopts man, thus revealing their mockery for the so called god they adapt are nothing but the strange gods of the pagans in the deceit, wound round gay agendas & abortions in the human sacrifices
Joe
6 months ago
Priests need to tell their people they must decide, either vote for life or you can vote for death.
I am still waiting for our priest to say one word. Sorry Bishops, the word is not geting out.
I pray you contact your priests and stress the importance, Our Church is at risk.
Tom McGuire
6 months ago
The problem I have is that some would narrow the Catholic position on social issues to three, with no serious commentary on other issues. It seems to me that what many Catholics consider the moral issues of life at birth the only issue, once born, you are on your own. This is a radical individualism that in no way represents Catholic Social Doctrine.

The critique in this article of Catholics United falls into the partisan category because it equates three things abortion, same sex marriage and birth control with the Catholic position. This is a political power play in the present election. The final results of the election will do little to change the status of these three issues in the culture of the United States.

What is left out of all the articles on this election is a fair critique of both political parties and their candidates. The preferential option for the poor is referred to but without commentary in terms of positons of the candidates or parties.

I find the statement "On Your Shoulders, A Call for Catholics to Protect the Common Good", signed by 100 Catholic theologians, informative about the preferential option for the poor in terms of Paul Ryan's record.

"The "preferential option for the poor" demands both individual and collective action, including the acts of the state. In the words of John Paul II, the preferential option for the poor affects "our daily life as well as our decisions in the political and economic fields;" placing demands upon individuals as well as "leaders of nations." The portrayal of the Last Judgment in the Gospel of Matthew is a judgment of the nations based on how they treat the "least of these." This was the "central moral measure" applied by the USCCB in its evaluation of the Ryan budget. "The needs of those who are hungry and homeless, without work or in poverty should come first." Ryan, like Rand, sees "dependency" as our most serious problem. Thus, he describes his understanding of preferential option as "don't keep people poor, don't make people dependent on government so that they stay stuck at their station in life." It should go without saying that poverty is not caused primarily by a too generous government safety net that becomes in Ryan's words, "a hammock that lulls able-bodied citizens into lives of complacency and dependency." It is much easier to cut government programs than to help people out of long-term poverty as the very mixed results of the 1996 Welfare Reform Act prove. Ryan's 2012 budget achieves 62% of its designated savings from cuts to programs for low-income families and individuals while cutting the top marginal tax rate and the corporate tax rate. It is impossible to justify this as a serious exercise of the preferential option for the poor."
Janusz
6 months ago
Amen, you have my vote....
mike robertson
6 months ago
A brave and accurate article. Thank you.

Try this one on the Catholic democrats: An avowed Jim Crow candidate is running against an avowed civil rights candidate. Catholic democrats (including Catholics United) would demand fiery speeches from the pulpit and daily denunciations from the Bishops demanding Catholics vote for the pro-civil rights candidate. There would be no phony excuses about crossing the separation of church and state line, or inappropriate political talk in church. Catholic democrats would flood the church parking lots and church bulletins with pamphlets demanding that Catholic voters defeat the Jim Crow candidate.

Now, in 2012, Catholic democrats support candidates favoring infanticide even after the baby survives the attempt to murder her in her mother's womb. They support candidates who equate sodomy with Holy Matrimony. And they support candidates who are pushing the Church to close institutions which serve the people (including the poor) and even threaten our bishops with prison.

And Catholic democrats demand that we be silent? What nerve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord, which means voting the opposite way as that promoted by Catholic democrats.
November
6 months ago
Thank you for a clear honest discussion on this issue! If moral teachings, or discussions aren't held in church then where will they be? At our children's school, no chance. By corrupt double talking politicians (& yes, sad to say, current democrats) spare me!
Individual's moral compasses must be calibrated somehow; the church is where they should be.
I'm late, I have to go to mass. Good Morning!

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