A wonderful letter to be read at Mass in the Diocese of Peoria.<\/p>\n
Dear Catholic Believers,<\/p>\n
Since the foundation of the American Republic and the adoption of the Bill of Rights, I do not think there has ever been a time more threatening to our religious liberty than the present. Neither the president of the United States nor the current majority of the Federal Senate have been willing to even consider the Catholic community\u2019s grave objections to those HHS mandates that would require all Catholic institutions, exempting only our church buildings, to fund abortion, sterilization, and artificial contraception. This assault upon our religious freedom is simply without precedent in the American political and legal system. Contrary to the guarantees embedded in the First Amendment, the HHS mandates attempt to now narrowly define and thereby drastically limit our traditional religious works. They grossly and intentionally intrude upon the deeply held moral convictions that have always guided our Catholic schools, hospitals, and other apostolic ministries.<\/p>\n
Nearly two thousand years ago, after our Savior had been bound, beaten, scourged, mocked, and crowned with thorns, a pagan Roman Procurator displayed Jesus to a hostile crowd by sarcastically declaring: \u201cBehold your King.\u201d The mob roared back: \u201cWe have no king but Caesar.\u201d Today, Catholic politicians, bureaucrats, and their electoral supporters who callously enable the destruction of innocent human life in the womb also thereby reject Jesus as their Lord. They are objectively guilty of grave sin. For those who hope for salvation, no political loyalty can ever take precedence over loyalty to the Lord Jesus Christ and to his Gospel of Life. God is not mocked, and as the Bible clearly teaches, after this passing instant of life on earth, God\u2019s great mercy in time will give way to God\u2019s perfect judgment in eternity.<\/p>\n
I therefore call upon every practicing Catholic in this Diocese to vote. Be faithful to Christ and to your Catholic Faith. May God guide and protect His Holy Church, and may God bless America.<\/p>\n
Most Reverend Daniel R. Jenky, CSC
\nCatholic Bishop of Peoria<\/p><\/blockquote>\nThis subject does remind me of something Archbishop Chaput said back in 2007.<\/p>\n
I<\/strong>\u00a0think there are legitimate reasons you could vote in favor of someone who wouldn\u2019t be where the church is on abortion, but it would have to be a reason that you could confidently explain to Jesus and the victims of abortion when you meet them at the Judgment…and we\u00a0will<\/em>\u00a0meet them. That\u2019s the only criterion. It can\u2019t be that we favor a particular party, or that we\u2019re hostile to the war, or so on.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n