EMBRACE THE Year of Mercy

The Church has the Right to Defend Herself and Speak the Truth

We hear often that the Church should “stay out of Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, where politics,” especially at election time. But evidently Kaine has roots, felt a responsibility to take issue some think it’s just fine for politicians to infiltrate publicly with this absurd and scandalous separation and undermine the Church. of moral belief from political life; because it is anything but Catholic and can lead other At least that’s what is apparent from the recent members of the faithful astray. WikiLeaks email revelations. We learn that ’s campaign manager, John Podesta, wanted In a recent column, Archbishop Naumann noted to bring about a revolution in the Catholic Church. that Kaine seems to have no problem letting his He boasted that he had created two organizations political decisions be affected by other moral – Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, and beliefs, such as “the Church’s opposition to Catholics United – in order to stir up a “Catholic racism or our preferential option for the poor. Spring,” like the Arab Spring in which people rose [Kaine] appears not to be conflicted with our up against oppressive regimes in countries like public policies mirroring the Ten Commandments Tunisia and Syria. with regard to stealing, perjury, or forms of murder, other than .” You get the point – Podesta established two organizations to foster rebellion against the Catholic The Archbishop goes on to say that if Senator Kaine bishops and their “oppressive” teachings on knows the most basic biological facts about the abortion and other moral issues. child in the womb, with its own distinctive DNA, “why would he believe that anyone has the right When the Church is attacked in this way, she has the to authorize the killing of an unborn human being? right to defend herself and to speak the truth plainly. Our choices end where another individual’s more Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia did just fundamental rights begin.” that in a recent blog, recalling a visit paid to him by two representatives of Catholics United before But that’s not all. Archbishop Naumann notes the 2008 elections. He saw their manipulative that while Kaine rationalizes his “I-can’t-impose- tactics first-hand and wrote: “Thanks to their my-beliefs” voting record on abortion (100% rating work, and activists like them, American Catholics from ), he has no qualms about helped to elect an administration that has been the imposing on pro-life Americans an obligation to most stubbornly unfriendly to religious believers, pay for in violation of their moral beliefs, institutions, concerns and liberty in generations.” through overturning the Hyde Amendment, one of Hillary Clinton’s campaign promises. Take another example. Vice presidential candidate has repeatedly and proudly continued on back >> proclaimed that he is Catholic. As such, he says he is “personally opposed” to abortion, but cannot Diocese of La Crosse, WI “impose his beliefs” on others. Original Banner Grayscale Original with tinted shades 2-color 4/c

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C=0 M=91 Y=73 K=14 The Church has the Right to Defend Herself and Speak the Truth

One last reality that many Catholic (and Evangelical) decisions are being rendered not by our legislatures, leaders have focused on is that, while our choice for but by the courts. Think of the kinds of people they president essentially boils down to two candidates will appoint to the Cabinet, the Justice Department, who each have obvious and significant flaws, this Health and Human Services, and on and on. election is fundamentally about two political parties with very different visions of life and morality in As U.S. citizens, and more profoundly as disciples America. That tends to be true up and down the of Jesus Christ and his Bride the Church, we will ticket. Those radically different visions are spelled wake up to some version of America on November 9. out in the Democratic and Republican Party Which will it be? platforms. Voters should familiarize themselves Please don’t stay home November 8. with those platforms, because a careful 25-year As a Catholic American, make your vote count. study showed that elected officials have voted in conformity with them 82% of the time. You can find concise excerpts from the platforms, as well as links to the full documents (and other articles By Christopher Ruff and resources,) by visiting the diocesan website Director of the Office for at www.diolc.org/faithful-citizenship. Ministries and Social Concerns Consider carefully the moral and civic visions of the Democratic and Republican parties, especially on issues the Church teaches are non-negotiable: the sanctity of life from conception to natural death, marriage between one man and one woman, and religious freedom. Realize that whoever is elected president will likely appoint three or four Supreme Court justices, as well as many other federal judges. Study their criteria for the kind of judges they would appoint. Those appointments will likely be the most lasting legacy of the next president, because more and more