More on the upcoming election

Fri nite on EWTN's The World Over there was some discussion about the upcoming election & what issues are the most important issues this election. I would like to share a couple of quotes from the Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted bishop of the Diocese of Phoenix, AZ. Bishop Olmstead has recently released a booklet Catholics in the Public Square.

The background of these quotes was the discussion of whether or not there are any non-negotiable issues. This has been an issue esp in the USA in recent elections. (The entire interview will be rerun Mon at 10 am & 11 pm EST & Tues at 1 pm EST. The audio is also archived on the EWTN website.)

"There are non-negotiable things like abortion."

"Without right to life all other things fall to the side."

The discussion also included a talk of Papa Benedetto's that talked about 3 non-negotiable issues. They are:

1. Protection of life from conception

2. Protecting the natural structure of the family

3. The right of parents to protect & educate their children.

The discussion also included a recently issued book titled Voting for the Common Good. In looking at what it said Bishop Olmsted expressed a concern about how it presented the iisues. He was concerned that it lumped them together & made it sound like no issues were more important, like abortion, than others.

A question was also raised about the Seamless Garment theory of life issues that was initiated by Cardinal Bernardin. Bishop Olmsted issued a caution (reflecting Cardinal Bernadin's own view) that this had to viewed at in a nuanced way. There are some issues like abortion that are more important & should come 1st.

(Note, I have checked out a bit about the booklet Voting for the Common Good & the group that puts it out Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. Bishop Olmsted's concerns have validity. The website tends to downplay the issue & an bulletin insert they have makes no mention of abortion at all. This ignoring what the Pope & others calls a non-negotiable issue tells me that they are, even though they would deny it, pro-choice. Even more, to follow their guidelines you will be mislead into believing that it is OK to vote for a pro-choice candidate over a pro-life one. Thus I will not link to their website. It also confirms concerns I have read elsewhere about the orginization & how they twist the term, the common good to mean something different that its authentic Catholic meaning as used by the Catholic Bishops & Pope John Paul.)