Catholics in the Public Square

The members of the group blog Catholic? Kerry Watch with the advent of the election results are now being refocused into another group blog called Catholics in the Public Square. This blog will focus on both the positive and negative actions of public Catholics and will be directed more generally. Christopher Blosser started out with an introductory post:

• The election may be over, but the debate over "CINO" politicians — Catholics who openly proclaim themselves "pro-choice" and endorse legislation at moral odds with the teachings of their church — continues.

  This November, we will be waiting for the results of Cardinal McCarrick’s long-overdue "committee report" on the subject of how Catholic bishops ought to deal with the scandal created by politicians in a state of obstinate sin who openly receive communion. It was the Catholic debate over this subject which prompted the creation of CatholicKerryWatch in April 2004, and we will be addressing this issue in the months to come.

• With the election of President Bush and a majority in the house and the senate, it is important to broaden our perspective to focus on the key issues and figures in the Church’s struggle to establish a culture of life.

• On the horizon is the prospect of several Supreme Court appointments, and with it the absolute necessity of appointing a strong appointee with a clear moral vision that aligns with the Church. Catholics must gird for a major fight in the media over the appointment of that candidate.

• In the wake of the election Democrats have insisted on the need for "unity" and "reconciliation." While the editors of this blog agree on the need to maintain a civil dialogue between parties, we must refuse any demand for Catholics to relinquish their moral principles and forsake the demands of their faith. To John Kerry and his fellow Democrats, we insist that there can be no "unity" where one side recognizes the value of human life from conception until death, and the other side insists upon a "constitutional right" to murder an unborn child.

• Likewise, we will offer critical commentary on the Gov. Pataki’s and Schwarchenegger’s who are trying to subvert the GOP, to "broaden the tent" at the cost of jettisoning the pro-life values of the Republican Party. At the same time, we offer our support to organizations like Democrats for Life engaged in a battle for the soul and moral renewal of their own party.

My fellow editors are:

Earl E. Appleby (Times Against Humanity)
Oswald Sobrino (Catholic Analysis)
David Schrader (Catholics for Bush)
Christopher Blosser (Against The Grain)

I would also like to thank those readers that sent me and the other editors of CKW links to articles and suggestions for topics to post about.