A priest well-known for his pro-life activism has penned an open letter to U.S. bishops asking them to use their authority to allow clergy to publicly advocate for the political party in the upcoming 2020 election that is pro-life and pro-religious freedom. The priest asks for the right to name and discredit the opposing political party.
“The rights of the Church and the common good are under attack in unprecedented ways by the Democrat Party,” Father Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life, declared in a June 25 open letter to the U.S. bishops.
Pavone noted how current Church directives forbid clergy from engaging in partisan politics. He pointed out, however, that the current political situation is something that such directives do not take into account. The priest’s letter, written to coincide with Religious Freedom Week, points out that guidance from the hierarchy often frustrates and hinders the mission of clergy and lay people when it comes to articulating and applying the teachings of the Church to the political realm.
“When,” says Pavone, “the faithful are told not to ‘engage in any political activity which seeks to support or discredit any political party or candidate’ one wonders how the moral judgment in matters relating to politics is to be expressed.”
“When the Republican Party stands firmly for the principle that government cannot authorize the killing of babies, and the Democrat Party firmly rejects that principle by embracing unrestricted abortion, how is it possible for the Church ‘to proclaim its teaching’ without discrediting (implicitly if not explicitly) the political party that so obviously opposes that teaching?” Pavone asks the bishops.
“The approximately 100,000 political races that comprise ‘the 2020 Elections’ bring us to an unprecedented choice in America,” emphasized Pavone. “Never has the political divide been more substantial or consequential.”
“Never has the voice of the Church been more needed; everything we stand for and have fought for is on the line,” he added.
The above comes from a June 25 story on LifeSiteNews.
“When the Republican Party stands firmly for the principle that government cannot authorize the killing of babies”
What a joke! The Republicans have done nothing and will do nothing to stop abortion. They are just controlled opposition, marginally better than the Democrats. The same can be said of their inaction about all other issues in the culture war.
I go to church to worship Almighty God, not to get a thinly veiled — or worse — a direct political message.
What do we know? We know that the Democratic Party is very pro-choice, The Republican President was pro-choice until he realized it would lose him the Evangelical vote. The party has also been very successful in trying to limit abortions in many states, working with the state legislatures. So, the well know and well-respected priest, at least in some circles wants to be able to preach politics from the pulpit. I think not. I have no problem with a priest preaching the teaching of the church from the pulpit; that is his job. But the minute he says someone should vote for a specific party, they have overstepped the bounds. I have yet to hear this priest or any other for that matter define the difference in church teaching between being pro-life or anti-abortion. Most Catholics that I know are pro-life, not just anti-abortion. They look at the whole package.
No intelligent, mature person would vote for the Democrat Party today. Look around. Democrat policies are destroying the civilization.
Kevin, no intelligent, mature person would vote for the Republican Party today. Look around. Republican policies are destroying the civilization. What are we to do?
unfortunately, bedwere, i believe you are correct
i ain’t happy about it
but if that’s the truth, we better wake up to it
Bedwere – you are very perceptive. Conservative Catholics and Christians have been played by the Republican Party for a long time. Recently, I heard a republican official say that abortion should be kept legal so black women have access to it. After all, he said “blacks tend to grow up and vote for democrats.” I couldn’t believe my ears.
Sasha, who was the Republican who said that? Is he an elected official?
A local Party official?
Thanks.
Fr Pavone’s letter to the Bishops was no doubt dictated by a high ranking member of President Trump’s re-election committee.
A question: why can’t priests preach about the evil of abortion, the disastrous effects of the LBGTQ+ juggernaut, Marxist efforts to destroy Western culture, racism etc. without naming parties? Why can’t a priest stand up and say we stand at the crossroads of the American experiment, with stakes higher now than ever before? Then a clear-thinking person can make up their own mind — whether to agree with Kevin (12:19 p.m.) or Anonymous (2:02 p.m.) as to which candidate stands more for the very survival of America? Why the need to name parties? Rather, name principles.
Fair question: then, would Pope Pius XII be wrong for condemning the Nazi Party (even if not Hitler by name)?
Pray for the enlightenment of conscience for all who do not oppose abortion.
Does Fr. Pavone think that voters don’t already know the positions of the candidates and parties on the issue of abortion (and other social issues)? There really isn’t much need for the bishops to do what he asks. Some Catholics have been deliberately voting for pro-abortion politicians for a long time. They are not in the dark about it.
? question?
Did Bp.McElroy receive (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program money, or the diocese?
Go ahead, Father Pavone. Lead us.
It is a sure thing that these bishops are not leading and will not.