5/31/2007

The Roman Catholic Church should keep clear of telling people how to vote

The most Senior Catholic in Scotland, Cardinal Keith O'Brien is to tell voters in Scotland that they should reject politicians who support a woman's right to choose to have an abortion.

By what right does he make such statements ?

The Roman Catholic Church has in the past hidden paedophiles working with the church and actively colluded to mislead the police who have investigation allegations against Roman Catholic priests. Yet when it comes to talking about a woman's right to choose, a Roman Catholic Cardinal, forbidden by his own church's rules from even "being" with a woman believes that he has more understanding and can make judgement on politicians who feel that women should have the right to choose.

Religious beliefs are great when they give you a set of values that you can live your own life by, but when it comes to your religion lecturing about how other people are bad and starts wanting laws changed to remove freedoms on people then it is wrong.

In this case, the Roman Catholic Church should get their own house in order, stop the abuse of children, open up their files to the police and set an example before lecturing politicians on removing rights from women.

5 comments:

Bernard said...

"By what right does he make such statements?"

The same right that allows me, you, and the probably majority of Catholics to tell him to sling his hook.

Joe Otten said...

I'm still waiting for an interviewer to tell one of these clerics that many if not most catholics disagree with them, and perhaps they should consider that they might have got it wrong.

Anonymous said...

Actually, you may be surprised to find how many Catholics agree with him.

Think what you may and vote as you like, but let the pastor attempt to direct his flock. His appointment gives him the right.

Whatever the truth about the 'past hidden paedophiles', what relation has it to the current issue: abortion? Remember the woman's right to choose comes tied to the child's right to live.

As for the Church setting it's house in order, do you even know what you are talking about? A few paedophiles say nothing about several thousand other good clergymen.

Thanks for taking time to beat on the Church.

Nich Starling said...

Actually, I said that having a faith is a good thing. And to be fair, if the clergy can take the time to berate people like me who believe it is woman's right terminate a few cells then it is my right to reply. Big difference is that a priest does it and it gets reported to millions.

Anonymous said...

In principle, it's Catholic Church policy that priests do not get involved in politics. Of course we know that behind the scenes the Catholic Church is effectively a political corporation pursuing its ends. But when priest Steve Gilhooley became political in Scotland some years ago he was criticised by another priest in The Scotsman. The question arises as to whether it is a denial of freedom of speech to deny a priest the right to have his say. It only crosses the line, I suggest, when priests tell voters to vote in a certain way. As Gilhooley's conservative critic pointed out, this was dividing him from some of his people. It's also the case that were a priest to suggest parishioners vote a certain way from the pulpit it would compromise the charitable status of their church. The 'advancement of religion' as a form of charity excludes political advocacy. It's the 'price' they are supposed to pay for being tax exempt.

Pages