Cardinal Warnings

Here are excerpts from 3 articles about statements from 3 Cardinals, Vatican Cardinal James Stafford, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago & Cardinal George Pll of Sydney.

1st what Cardinal Pell had to say on 6 March 2009 at Oxford:

Christians Falling under Global Campaign of "Bullying and Intimidation": Cardinal at Oxford

"'Secularist intolerance for Christianity," the archbishop of Sydney said, "seeks to drive it not only from the public square but even from the provision of education, health care, and welfare services to the wider community.' And it is through anti-discrimination legislation that this goal has been widely achieved."

"The cardinal pointed to the apparent irony in the way in which some of the most morally permissive groups, such as the homosexualist and feminist political movements that endorse limitless 'pan-sexuality' as well as abortion on demand, have become politically repressive of opposition, despite the rhetoric of 'diversity and tolerance.'"

"In the inaugural lecture, the cardinal cited a long and growing list of instances where "anti-discrimination" laws are being used to shut down the Christian viewpoint."

"He pointed to the possible passage in the US of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) and to the recently passed legislation in Victoria, Australia that forces health care workers to participate in abortions, laws that make 'a mockery of conscientious objection.'"

"The human rights industry ran dead on the freedom of conscience issues which the legislation raised."

"He related what he called a campaign of "organised intimidation" against those citizens in California who supported Proposition 8, "

"Calling it a "legal process straight out of Kafka," the cardinal also cited the use of human rights and hate-speech legislation to silence Christians"

"Cardinal Pell concluded his lecture by calling on Christians to 'recover their genius' for presenting the Christian vision of society. 'They also have to recover their self-confidence and courage.'"

Now on to Cardinal James Stafford:

The Coming "War" Between the Obama Administration and the Catholic Church

The article starts with talking about a TIME article: "The possible signing of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) by President-Elect Barack Obama would be 'the equivalent of a war' an unnamed senior Vatican official recently told TIME magazine."

Followed by this: "The startling comments make the second time this week that a Vatican official has forthrightly and in the strongest language condemned Obama's extreme policies on abortion. . . . . Vatican Cardinal James Stafford labeled Obama's anti-life policies as 'aggressive, disruptive, and apocalyptic,' also noting that, 'On November 4, 2008, America suffered a cultural earthquake'"

Finally, Cardinal George:

Head of USCCB Meets with Obama: Also Releases Video Saying Decision on Conscience Protection a Move Towards "Despotism"

"Cardinal George, the president of the USCCB, taped the video released today after the Obama Administration announced in early March that it was rescinding the regulations which guarantee that health workers cannot be forced to provide services that violate their consciences, including abortions.

'As Catholic bishops and American citizens, we are deeply concerned that such an action on the government's part would be the first step in moving our country from democracy to despotism,' says the Cardinal in the video.

'Respect for personal conscience and freedom of religion as such ensures our basic freedom from government oppression. No government should come between an individual person and God - that's what America is supposed to be about. This is the true common ground for us as Americans. We therefore need legal protection for freedom of conscience and of religion-including freedom for religious health care institutions to be true to themselves.'

The Cardinal observed that the country respects conscientious objection in the case of those who object to war, 'even though it's good to defend your country,' and for physicians who do not want to participate in the death penalty.

'Why shouldn't our government and our legal system permit conscientious objection to a morally bad action, the killing of babies in their mother's womb?' he asks. 'People understand what really happens in an abortion and in related procedures - a living member of the human family is killed - that's what it's all about - and no one should be forced by the government to act as though he or she were blind to this reality.'

The Cardinal concluded by urging concerned citizens to contact the government and tell them to retain the conscience protection regulations: 'I ask you please to let the government know that you want conscience protections to remain strongly in place. In particular, let the Department of Health and Human Services in Washington know that you stand for the protection of conscience, especially now for those who provide the health care services so necessary for a good society.' "