So I love the Pope right now. I had some doubts because of
this, in which the Pope, while still a Cardinal in 2003, states,
"It is good, that you enlighten people about Harry Potter, because those are
subtle seductions, which act unnoticed and by this deeply distort Christianity
in the soul, before it can grow properly."
That is another story entirely, but, Harry Potter is amazing.
Anyway, Pope Benedict XVI recently met with Speaker of the House Nancy
Pelosi, or, she met with him at the Vatican. Both sides issued press statements. This was his:
"His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural
moral law and the Church's consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from
conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially
legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to
work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just
system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its
development."
Her statement:
“It is with great joy that my husband, Paul, and I met with his Holiness, Pope
B
enedict XVI today. In our conversation, I had the opportunity to praise the
Church's leadership in fighting poverty, hunger and global warming, as well
as the Holy Father's dedication to religious freedom and his upcoming trip
and message to Israel. I was proud to show his Holiness a photograph of my
family's Papal visit in the 1950s, as well as a recent picture of our
children and grandchildren.”
First of all, you go Papa! (he's called Papa in Italy). Nancy Pelosi misrepresented the views of the Catholic church back in 2008 when she claimed that
"As an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a
long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church
have not been able to make that definition...And Senator--St. Augustine said at
three months. We don't know."
One of the first things that swayed me over to the side of Pro-Life (I used to be Pro-Choice..that whole, "I don't believe in abortion, but what right do I have to tell someone what to do?") was the idea that when you believe something is wrong, it is wrong no matter what: murder, rape, war, etc. Standing by, and like Pelosi, actually endorsing legislation that helps make more abortions, that is like performing them herself. While you are elected to office to represent a constituency, hers being San Francisco (cough), you must also vote your conscience, and your morals. This makes her a Cafeteria Catholic--someone to be despised. You either believe what the church says, or you don't--and MURDER--that is a big thing to be vague about.
That whole Separation of Church and State thing isn't really valid here, because it didn't mean separate religion or morals from our laws, it meant don't force a religion to be nationalized, like in England. And now it generally means don't sponsor a religion with Government funds or programs.
"I support the doctrine of separation of church and state as traditionally
interpreted to prohibit the establishment of an official national religion. But
this does not mean that we should divorce government from any formal recognition
of God. To do so strikes a potentially fatal blow at the concept of the divine
origin of our rights, and unlocks the door for an easy entry of future tyranny.
If Americans should ever come to believe that their rights and freedoms are
instituted among men by politicians and bureaucrats, they will no longer carry
the proud inheritance of their forefathers, but will grovel before their masters
seeking favors and dispensations -- a throwback to the feudal system of the Dark
Ages." (Ezra Taft Benson, "Freedom Is Our Heritage," 10 Nov. 1970)
I laugh at Pelosi when she calls herself an ardent, practicing Catholic, and yet believes that the government, which takes Catholic, taxpayers' money, should pay for abortions and contraceptives for not only our citizens or illegal persons living here, but also individuals in foreign countries! One of the first things Obama did when he came into office: signed an executive order lifting the ban on government funding for abortions. Another scary thing I found in my research about the Freedom of Choice Act (which thankfully has not passed):
FOCA would over-turn almost all of the legislative successes pro-lifers have
realized over the past thirty-five years, including the federal ban on
partial-birth abortion and bans on public funding of abortion. FOCA has
been on the liberal wish list for years. President Obama has been a
co-sponsor of the legislation, and in 2007 he stated that signing FOCA would be
“the first thing I’d do as president.”
I can believe that if you are a reasonable Pro-Choice (cough Pro-Abortion, Pro-Murder) person, you can at least appreciate that a Pro-Life (not Anti-Choice) individual does not want their money going toward abortions.
But honestly! The President that promised change and claimed he would be bi-partisan and unite our country chose to alienate almost half of the country by signing that executive order. It was, by the way, one of the first things that he did in office. What a keeper.
The fact that we have that president and that Speaker Pelosi terrifies me. Please Pope Benedict, won't you excommunicate her?
