CATHOLIC “VOTERFLECTIONS”

A recent story carried in the Catholic Miscellany touted the number of Catholic politicians elected to Congress and the US Senate. The story would be more meaningful if it identified practicing Catholics who support the Church’s positions on Life issues and those who merely call themselves Catholic but are lapsed or inactive. CINOS (Catholics in name only) will not positively affect our culture for they go along to get elected, always challenging the church positions on life and marriage, instead of opposing those who promote secularism.

In the recent elections when the American people chose candidates who supported the death culture we found that 54% of all Catholics were in that number. What is harder to explain is the 45% of Catholics who do attend weekly mass also voted for the candidate of death for the unborn? How many brother knights were in that number? Let’s face it most American Catholics are inactive or do not know what Catholicism is about. What does this say of our knowledge of our faith, our leadership, our solidarity or our charity for the almost born?

We now face an enemy of life that controls all three branches of our government led by a man who promised to sign a “Freedom of Choice” act designed to legislate the killing of the unborn. Furthermore The Prevention First Act if passed will use out taxes to promote the killing of our unborn future and make abortion a way of life.

The Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus has steered a straight course leading us in the Catholic way. They look to the Pope and the Vatican for direction. We must learn from them and follow their leadership.

DIGNITY OF THE PERSON

What a wonderful gift from the Holy Father. In today's world there are so many complex challenges to the dignity of man. This document will serve as an ethical reference fro many years.


DIGNITAS PERSONAE, VATICAN INSTRUCTION ON BIOETHICS, WELCOMED FOR GUIDANCE ON ISSUES OF PROCREATION AND MEDICAL RESEARCH

Dignitas Personae (The Dignity of a Person), an Instruction from the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) on ethical issues arising from biomedical research, provides guidance on how to respect human life and human procreation in our heavily scientific age, said Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"We welcome the Instruction as theologians, medical personnel, researchers and married couples consider new scientific and medical procedures that have profound ethical implications bearing upon the procreation of children and the integrity of marriage," Cardinal George said in a December 12 statement. "We applaud developments which advance medical progress with respect for the sanctity of human life from the moment of conception," he said. "We oppose discarding or manipulating innocent lives to benefit future generations, or promoting the creation of new human life in depersonalized ways that substitute for the loving union between a husband and wife."