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Nuns Face Consequences of Supporting Healthcare Reform Bill
During the tail end of the healthcare reform fight, several supposedly Catholic orders of nuns weighed in for the bill, even though it funded abortion and didn’t protect the conscience rights of healthcare professionals. They signed a letter that went to President Obama on March 17th in support of the bill, which was in direct opposition to the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
Some of those nuns, specifically the Sisters of St. Joseph, are now facing the consequences for publicly supporting the atrocious legislation – they are being barred from recruiting new nuns in a diocese in Pennsylvania, right outside of Pittsburgh. The nuns are launching a recruiting drive through ads and community events and Bishop Lawrence Brandt has refused to allow them to add to their members when they so blatantly opposed the Church by publicly supporting the healthcare legislation and the Church’s teachings regarding the sanctity of life.
Brandt “has a right to disapprove a request from a religious community that wants to host a recruitment event when that community has taken a public stance in opposition to the church’s teaching on human life,” the diocese said in a statement dated April 15.
“Furthermore,” the statement continued, “an environment of dissent from and public opposition to the positions of the U.S. Catholic bishops does not provide an appropriate seedbed for vocations.”
Bishop Brandt isn’t alone. In Providence, R.I., the bishop there ordered a “diocesan-sponsored health care system to withdraw from the Catholic Health Association, which also supported the health care bill.”
We are glad to see the bishops exercising their roles as teachers of the faith and taking actions to uphold the Church’s teachings and reprimand those who publicly oppose and encourage dissent from the teachings of the Church.
Bart Stupak’s Betrayal
For the Editors of St Michael Society, the shock over Bart Stupak’s betrayal this weekend has begun to turn into anger and grief. Its one thing to cave to pressures and intimidation but Stupak’s speech on the House floor sheds new light on the man. This was not a man who changed his vote because he was worn down by attacks. Bart Stupak’s speech on the House floor revealed a man, who in the end, decided to put the Democratic Party ahead the life of the unborn, the lives of women who will suffer from abortion, obedience to the bishops and sadly his faith. We need to pray for him and we must work to undo the damage he has done.
Here are the writings of respected voices on the topic:
Unfortunately, if Bart Stupak truly wanted to ensure that human dignity was respected in this legislation, he wouldn’t have surrendered. But surrender he did — and then some, declaring the Democratic party the protectors of the unborn on the House floor last night.
The Democratic party is nothing of the sort — which is another reason no one who wanted to defeat the taxpayer funding of abortion in Obamacare should have expected a Stupak-led victory in this Washington environment. It’s the party that will never offend the abortion industry. It’s the party that owns partial-birth abortion.
By caving at the last hour, he discredited all who stood with him. (What does it say about Ohio’s Marcy Kaptur and Pennsylvania’s Chris Carney that they had already agreed to vote yes even before the fig leaf of the executive order had come through?) In addition to undermining an encouraging partnership with pro-lifers across the congressional aisle, Mr. Stupak signaled that, in the end, you can’t count on pro-life Democrats.
Let me be clear: any representative, including Rep. Stupak, who votes for this healthcare bill can no longer call themselves ‘pro-life.’ The Susan B. Anthony List Candidate Fund will not endorse, or support in any capacity, any Member of Congress who votes for this bill in any future election. Now through Election Day 2010, these representatives will learn that votes have consequences. The SBA List Candidate Fund will work tirelessly to help defeat Members who support this legislation and make sure their constituents know exactly how they voted.
…in the 11th hour, he caved. He succumbed to the pressures of the most pro-abortion Administration in history just because they said they would write on a piece of paper that the federal government won’t fund abortion. It’s not even a law the President wrote. It’s not worth the Post-It note he wrote it on.
Shame on you Bart Stupak. Shame on all the other Members who walked the plank with you. You all sold out and scorned millions of voters who trusted you and believed in you.
Catholic or Lobbyist First
You have undoubtly heard the sad news of so called Catholic organizations supporting the current healthcare bill that funds abortions. Kansas City, Kansas Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann has done great work the expose the true motives of these organizations. He is also urging his flock to contact key members of Congress this week asking them to vote ‘no’ on the pro-abortion Senate Health Care Reform bill. His advice is sound for all of us.
You can read the Archbishop’s letter here. Here are the key contact numbers for interested Catholics:
From the Breviary – 3/15/10
Yesterday, those of us in the Diocese of Arlington were asked to keep a day of prayer and fasting by Bishop Loverde to ask God’s protection and guidance for those who are crafting health care legislation. I imagine that it is no accident that the petitions for Evening Prayer in the Divine Office for yesterday started off with these:
Glory to God the Father, who has promised through his Son to grant what is asked by those who pray together. With confidence in this promise, let us pray:
– Lord, save the people you have redeemed.
Lord, you gave the Law to Moses on Mount Sinai, and brought it to perfection in your Anointed One,
may all recognize the Law written in their hearts, and keep it faithfully as a covenant.
– Lord, save the people you have redeemed.
Give those in authority a true concern for their brothers and sisters entrusted to their care,
and inspire the hearts of the people to support their leaders.
– Lord, save the people you have redeemed.
It may be a good idea to keep these petitions close to you in the coming days and pray them everyday as we grow closer to a vote on this legislation. We cannot know what God will allow to happen, but we do know that it is our job to pray for the best.
Culture of Death Knocks on Congress’ Door, Catholics Called to Action – Day of Prayer and Fast
Last week was a crazy and confusing week given the latest twists and turns emanating from the final days of the health care battle. Pro-government run health care forces are doing all they can to play parliamentary games to try and pass pro-abortion, pro-euthanasia, government imposed health care on the American people, despite the peoples’ fairly obvious objection — over and over again.
SMS has covered the health care debate ad nauseum. This is because of the tremendous life-altering impact health care “reform,” as proposed by pro-abortion/euthanasia forces in Washington, mainly President Obama and his allies in Congress, Speaker Pelosi and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, will have on the American people and our culture. Obama, Pelosi and Reid are trying to pull out every trick in the book to force the American public, the taxpayer, to fund elective abortion on demand and sign up for policies that lead to rationing of care, as well as force doctors to perform abortions and engage practices that ration care.
A new study out by the New England Journal of Medicine says that almost 1/3 of Doctors say they would leave the health profession if the Obama Democrats version of health care passes. Yet we see little of this in the national media.
The USCCB issued a Call to Action that will appeared in many bulletins on Sunday urging Catholics to call their Represenatives and Senators and once again make our voices heard in defense of the sanctity of life, from conception to natural death. It also declares that a conscience protections clause must be in the final bill, protecting the rights of doctors, nurses and other pro-life medical professionals who refuse to engage in life ending practices or counseling on abortion or euthanasia.
You can read the Call to Action and bulletin insert here.
Additionally, SMS is asking our supporters to pass the word in joining Bishop Paul Loverde, Bishop of the Diocese of Arlington, VA in his call for Monday, March 15th to be a national day of prayer and fast to protect the sanctity of life in any health care legislation that comes from Congress.
Learn more about the fast here.
Make no mistake, the health care bill that will be voted on this week will include taxpayer funding for abortion, will lead to rationing of health care and is devoid of sufficient protections for pro-life doctors, nurses and medical professionals. The culture of death is knocking on Congress’ door. Given that no life-protecting measures are in the bill to be voted on next week, SMS urges our supporters to call their Representatives and Senators and tell them to vote NO!
Call your Congressman at 202-225-3121
Call your Senator at 202-224-3121
Join Us in Taking Bishop Loverde’s Declaration to Fast & Pray National
As we near the end of the healthcare debate, the Most Rev. Paul Loverde, Bishop of the Arlington Diocese of Northern Virginia, has declared tomorrow Monday, March 15th a day of prayer and fasting for the intention of “protecting the life, dignity, health and conscience rights of every human person in any legislation that Congress considers.”
The St Michael Society applauds this initiative and, with your participation, can help make this a National Day of Fasting and Prayer.
Bishop Paul Loverde
Catholic teaching tells us that our support for the dignity of life includes access to affordable health care. This support, however, cannot come at the expense of the respect for life at all stages, from natural conception to natural death …
… Through our fasting and prayers, we ask the Lord to lead the hearts and minds of our nation’s leaders as they make crucial decisions concerning the protection of life.
Read his full letter here, and please pass this onto fellow Catholics to join us in solidarity for these crucial intentions.
You can also brush up on the power of “true” fasting here.
Women In Pants and The Law
In today’s reading from the book of Deuteronomy, Moses, when speaking about the law, says,
“However, take care and be earnestly on your guard not to forget the things which your own eyes have seen, nor let them slip from your memory as long as you live, but teach them to your children and to your children’s children.”
Then in Matthew we have the words of Jesus,
“Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.
I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.
Amen, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away,
not the smallest letter or the smallest part of a letter
will pass from the law,
until all things have taken place.
Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments
and teaches others to do so
will be called least in the Kingdom of heaven.
But whoever obeys and teaches these commandments
will be called greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Here is a reflection on the law by Father Chidi Osondu from the Diocese of Savannah presented by the USCCB,
Rep. Mike Pence: Harry Knox Termination Long-over Due
CNSNews is reporting that Rep. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) is calling on President Obama to fire Harry Knox from his position on the White House Advisory Council for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships.
“Harry Knox’s repeated, intolerant statements about the Catholic Church and Catholic teachings make it totally inappropriate for him to serve on President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships,” Pence told CNSNews.com in an interview Friday. ”Harry Knox’s termination from the president’s Faith-Based Advisory Council is long-over due. And we would renew our call for Harry Knox to be removed from that position by the president.”
Saint Michael Society has gathered more than 9,500 petition signatures asking Harry Knox to resign.
Representative Pence and Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) are reacting to a statement made by Harry Knox that Pope Benedict XVI ”is hurting people in the name of Jesus.” Karen Schuberg of CNSNews reports all the background information and here is a segment by Megyn Kelly with Laura Ingraham.
Sign the St Michael Society Petition:
PRO MULTIS – For Many or For All
The USCCB recently announced a series of workshops to prepare priests and diocesan leaders for implementation of the revised Roman Missal.
The seminars are sponsored by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Divine Worship and the Federation of Diocesan Liturgical Commissions as part of educational efforts for introducing the latest version of the Roman Missal, which incorporates the most significant changes in the Liturgy since 1974.
You don’t need to wait for the seminars. There is a great site that lists all the “changes,” which I would call improvements, here. You can start reviewing the changes now.
What changes do you like? Which do you find confusing? Do you wish some had been left untouched? What do you think they missed?
We’ll put some of the questions to a priest, and post his answers here.
My favorite – The consecration:
TAKE THIS, ALL OF YOU, AND DRINK FROM IT: FOR THIS IS THE CHALICE OF MY BLOOD, THE BLOOD OF THE NEW AND ETERNAL COVENANT; WHICH WILL BE POURED OUT FOR YOU AND FOR MANY FOR THE FORGIVENESS OF SINS. DO THIS IN MEMORY OF ME.
