{"id":1339,"date":"2009-11-22T11:13:00","date_gmt":"2009-11-22T15:13:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/2009\/11\/22\/the-church-and-the-state\/"},"modified":"2009-11-22T11:13:00","modified_gmt":"2009-11-22T15:13:00","slug":"the-church-and-the-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.northcountrypublicradio.org\/inbox\/2009\/11\/22\/the-church-and-the-state\/","title":{"rendered":"The Church and the state"},"content":{"rendered":"

America’s Roman Catholic church has waded back into the forefront of national politics in recent weeks.<\/p>\n

Bishops intervened forcefully in the debate over healthcare, pushing amendments that — according to some critics — could add new limits to women’s access to insurance coverage for abortion procedures.<\/p>\n

(Advocates of the changes argue that the language merely continues an existing Federal ban on taxpayer funding for abortion services.)<\/p>\n

But the abortion-healthcare debate is only one front in the Church’s forward-leaning political activism.<\/p>\n

A bishop in Rhode Island<\/a> has banned Democratic Rep. Patrick Kennedy from taking communion, because he is pro-choice. <\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Church is threatening to cancel its social service programs<\/a> in Washington DC if the city’s civic leaders stand by a same-sex marriage law that many view as a civil rights issue.<\/p>\n

The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn’t change a proposed same-sex marriage law, a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people the church helps with adoption, homelessness and health care. <\/p><\/blockquote>\n

(The Church has also been a staunch opponent of same-sex marriage legislation here in New York state.)<\/p>\n

While the bishops weigh in on these political debates, they are also moving aggressively to cement their authority over a wide range of Catholic organizations that have operated semi- independently. <\/p>\n

At a meeting last week in Maryland, the bishops argued that these groups — many of them more liberal than the church hierarchy — are “less than fully Catholic.”<\/p>\n

Here’s the view articulated by Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

In particular, church leaders have begun discussing ways to “strengthen our relationships” with Catholic universities, media groups that claim “the right to be a voice in the church,” and other organizations that work under Catholic auspices, George said. <\/p>\n

“The faithful need the bishops in order to be Catholic, and the bishops need the faithful in order to be Catholic pastors,” said George, president of the bishops conference. <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Polls consistently show the Church leadership to be considerably more conservative on issues like abortion, same-sex marriage, homosexuality, birth control, divorce, married clergy, etc.<\/p>\n

What do you think? Is the Church providing a steady and valuable moral compass? Or is it crossing the line by helping to script legislation that will affect tens of millions of non-Catholics?<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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