On the agenda of this year's November meeting of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops was a statement in preparation for the 2008 election: Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: A Call to Political Responsibility from the Catholic Bishops of the United States. You can read it in its full or short form here. Here's the introduction to the shorter form:
Our nation faces political challenges that demand urgent moral choices. We are a nation at war, with all of its human costs; a country often divided by race and ethnicity; a nation of immigrants struggling with immigration. We are an affluent society where too many live in poverty; part of a global community confronting terrorism and facing urgent threats to our environment; a culture built on families, where some now question the value of marriage and family life. We pride ourselves on supporting human rights, but we fail even to protect the fundamental right to life, especially for unborn children. We bishops seek to help Catholics form their consciences in accordance with the truth, so they can make sound moral choices in addressing these challenges. We do not tell Catholics how to vote. The responsibility to make political choices rests with each person and his or her properly formed conscience.
A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility???
ReplyDeleteHow about a Bishop's call to moral responsibility?
I can hardly read this post, without thinking about your previous post on Bishop George.
How do you expect any of us to respect what the Bishops have to say, when this is the example they continue to set for all of us?
"How do I expect any of us to respect what the Bishops have to say, when this is the example they continue to set for all of us?"
ReplyDeleteI didn't intend to set up expectations here for the readers of my blog. However, if anyone finds wisdom or truth in what the bishops have written about political responsibility, I presume they would would follow what is true and wise - and not discount it on account of its source. That means, of course, that it's up to the reader to discern what is true and wise.
Personally, I am shaken by 85% of the bishops apparently ignoring what Cardinal George failed to do in the instance of the priest in Chicago. But I do not allow that to turn me off from what they have to say that may be true and wise. I know that I, in my sinfulness, write and preach true and wise things by the power of the Spirit and that somehow the Spirit, in spite of my weakness, uses me as an instrument.
I am more than shaken by the bishop's OVERWHELMING selection of Cardinal George. I am horrified. But, very sadly, I am not surprised.
ReplyDeleteTo me, the bishops have proven beyond a doubt that they are NOT a source of truth and wisdom. I do not look to them for guidance in these matters. They have lost their moral authority. They certainly have a right to speak. For me their words are hollow. Their actions do not follow their words.
I have eliminated the middle man and rely directly on the Spirit. The bishops do not have the market cornered on discernment. God speaks to each of us if we are open to hear him. I pray for the leaders of our church each day. So far, my prayers go unanswered.
Thank you Michael.
ReplyDelete