Some North Texas Catholics are upset with a letter written and distributed by their local bishops, saying it amounts to an endorsement of GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain.<\/p>\n
The letter by Bishop Kevin Farrell of the Diocese of Dallas and Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Fort Worth says in part: “To vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion or `abortion rights’ when there is morally acceptable alternative would be to cooperate in the evil – and, therefore, morally impermissible.”<\/p>\n
Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, supports abortion rights. Sen. McCain favors overturning Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that protects the right to an abortion.<\/p>\n
The bishops’ letter was distributed or read at parishes across the Diocese of Dallas this weekend. The Fort Worth diocese is distributing the letter through its newspaper, which is being mailed to all registered Catholic families in the diocese.<\/p>\n
Nicole LeBlanc said several people walked out of Dallas’ Holy Trinity Catholic Church during the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass, when the letter was read at the time usually reserved for a homily.<\/p>\n
Ms. LeBlanc, an Obama supporter, said she, too, was upset.<\/p>\n
“As a Catholic, we’re taught about being independent moral agents with free will,” she said. “That letter from the bishops is basically telling us that if we vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights, we are basically immoral and our souls are imperiled.” [article<\/a>]<\/p>\n Yes another Catholic that has no idea about the Church’s teaching on having an informed conscience, not a conscience independent from Church teaching. We should never be independent from the truth. It is not the Church’s fault that one candidate is so radically pro-abortion along with supporting other intrinsic evils. The bishops saying this is not telling people who to vote for, but by what grounds you would eliminate a candidate from consideration. Just because you can’t vote for Sen. Obama, doesn’t mean you are forced to vote for Sen. McCain. That is still the prudential decision of the voter who could chose a third party candidate. But Obama Catholics will overlook a lot to support their candidate. What is support of five intrinsic evils among friends. After all he will bring us socialized medicine. Though unfortunately for the unborn the first bit of health care they might receive from a doctor will be with a scalpel or other device trying to cut them up. I suspect Catholics who supported Hitler were also upset by Mit Brennender Sorge.<\/a>. It is long past time for Catholic Democrats to stop putting up with pro-abortion candidates and demand ones that will support a true culture of life. The Democratic Party has gotten away with this because a large block of Catholic Democrats allowed it to happen with hardly an outcry.<\/p>\n The Bishop’s letter was as clear as could be, for example:<\/p>\n To vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion or “abortion rights” where there is a morally acceptable alternative would be to cooperate in evil – and, therefore morally impermissible.<\/p>\n