As tens of millions of Americans prepare to face a bleak
future with no health insurance, the nation's Catholic Bishops will speak out
in opposition, bemoaning the pain and suffering to come.
Crocodile tears.
No group is more responsible for the unfolding moral disaster than these bishops.
America’s Catholic bishops have consistently valued the unborn over the living. And they’ve consistently ignored the deeply immoral character of the political party that supports their crusade against abortion.
The inevitability of moral priorities doesn’t mean that there can’t be multiple things out in front. The Church could say, strongly and firmly, that opposing abortion doesn’t provide a free pass to ignore basic morality. It could, but it doesn’t.
The bishops are wishy washy on basic human rights, vague on murder (capital punishment), and more. They only speak with ferocity when the issue is abortion.
They sanction Catholic politicians who support choice, but say nothing at all about Republican Catholics who speak out strongly in favor of the death penalty and actively seek to deprive the poor of health and dignity.
Every once in a while, a Bishop will get the courage to
argue against one of those Republican budgets that savages the poor in order to
provide tax cuts for the richest. When that happens, the Speaker of the House
or some such leader will respond that this isn’t the Church’s business, this is
politics not morality.
And every time the Republicans push back, the Bishop’s voice
immediately disappears. The Republicans can do this, Bishop, because they own
you.
Bottom line -- don’t tell us that supporting Republicans
gives you influence in their decisions. Been there, tried that, didn’t happen
and isn’t going to.
America’s bishops even ignore the Pope in their haste to
pander to the GOP.
The core of the current Republican Party is comprised of Southern white evangelicals who actively rationalize slavery and segregation and who openly glorify treason. The bishops are OK with that. I mean, these folks agree that an egg is a person, so we can’t quibble about small stuff, can we?
The current President is a patently obvious pretend-Christian whose life history makes a mockery of the values taught in the Bible. He’s a man who brags about his immorality because….well he brags about everything. The Bishops don’t mind. After all, he’s going to appoint pro-life judges.
And don't claim that your message is balanced and that it's the flock's fault if they don't get that. Ask a conservative Catholic about efforts to protect basic human rights and you get a "you can't do everything" shrug. Talk to the superstitious faithful about health care and you get frosted eyes and closed ears. They only pay attention to one thing, bishops, and they get that from you.
I wonder, do the Bishops remember their impact on the poor when they confess their sins? Do they really argue that collecting some cans and boxes of dry goods makes up for the lack of a safe home, a drug-free neighborhood, a body stunted by malnutrition, and a mind left undeveloped by lack of parental nurturing?
When things go very wrong for the world, as they are about
to do, it won’t be the devil who’s responsible, Bishop. This one, this rolling
juggernaut of moral and material disaster, this one’s on you.
