Archbishop Denver Criticizes Obama, Allied Catholics
The Archbishop of Denver, Charles Chaput, lashed out at Senator Barack Obama labeling him the ”most committed” anti-abortion candidate brought forth by either major party in 35 years. Chaput went on to criticize Catholics supporting Obama, telling them they were doing a great “disservice to the church.”
Chaput, who has a reputation of being one of the most politically outspoken members of Catholic clergy in the United States, made the remarks Friday evening, during a dinner of a Catholic women’s group.
“To suggest – as some Catholics do – that Senator Obama is this year’s ‘real’ pro-life candidate requires a peculiar kind of self-hypnosis, or moral confusion, or worse,” Chaput said.
AP Photo/Will Powers
He seemed especially agitated by Douglas Kmiec’s support for Obama recently. Kmiec is quite a high profile Catholic law professor and former legal counsel to President Ronald Reagan.
About Kmiech Chaput said: “I think his activism for Senator Barack Obama, and the work of Democratic-friendly groups like Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, have done a disservice to the church, confused the natural priorities of Catholic social teaching, undermined the progress pro-lifers have made, and provided an excuse for some Catholics to abandon the abortion issue instead of fighting within their parties and at the ballot box to protect the unborn.”
The Obama campaign responded immediately to the Archbishop’s criticism saying that “proud to have the support of so many committed Catholics who are hungry for real change after eight years of failed policies. He has offered Americans real solutions even on tough issues like abortion, where we can come together to teach our kids responsibility and self-respect, to prevent unintended pregnancies, and offer strong support to women.”
Chaput’s criticism of Obama and Kmiec stand in a reasonably long tradition of debate between more progressive and more conservative (or traditional) Catholics. Chaput obviously represents the latter, believing abortion to be a major issue.
Progressive Catholics, however, want their Church to focus on more issues than abortion alone, and are willing to compromise on this issue.
One organization of such Catholics is Chris Korzen, executive director of Washington-based Catholics United. He responded to Chaput’s feisty words by telling the Associated Press for its report about Chaput’s attack at Obama: “We are concerned that Archbishop Chaput’s comments – even those made in his personal capacity – will have a chilling effect on this dialogue.” By that Korzen meant the internal debate between Catholics about abortion and politics in general. “It is also profoundly unfortunate that Archbishop Chaput has chosen to make personal attacks on lay Catholics acting in good faith to promote Catholic values in the public square.”
Denver’s Archbishop Charles Chaput roundly condemns Senator Barack Obama as the “most committed abortion rights activist” in the last 35 plus years. How strange a comment this, coming as it does from a man who is a principal representative of a church where paedophilia among his fellow male clergy, at all levels of the church’s hierarchy has been and still is so utterly devastating for so many of its congregation, not only as victims but also as the relatives of the victims. A church that in the blaze of public outrage and the attendant condemnation of these odious and longstanding practices by priests that followed and were routinely covered up by the likes of Mr Chaput, was forced to pay billions of dollars in compensation to these ill-served and involuntary victims. What bloody-minded and rampant hypocrisy from someone who now wants to sequester the moral high ground that he and his Roman Catholic Church have no claim to. No intelligent person, least of all, Barack Obama views abortion lightly and Senator Obama has publicly said so. But to stupidly suggest as Mr Chaput is inferring that women shouldn’t have a choice when it comes to their reproductive process; that young girls and women who are the victims of rape and/or incest that become pregnant or who through ignorance become unwed mothers should be compelled, even after informed discussion with their doctors and family members, to have children they never wanted, don’t want, nor can care for should have them none the less because some idiot priest or religious fanatic says so, isn’t only offensive but lacks all sense of Christian charity and understanding. I’m fully aware that the congregations of Roman Catholic churches are falling dramatically – hardly surprising when morons such as Mr Chaput open their mouths on personal issues such as these – but could his lame and unconvincing insertion of himself in this political debate be a perverse attempt by Archbishop Caput to proselytise and even tout for a future pool of unwitting child-fodder to satisfy the carnal lusts and deviant behaviour of perverted and paedophile priests, bishops, archbishops, cardinals – current as well as recently elevated to the highest office in the Roman Catholic Church – lay preachers, other church officials and possibly himself, who happily prey on these hapless victims and stretch all the way up to the Vatican itself?
Professor Dr. Stanley Collymore
London England.
I wholeheartedly endorse everything that Professor Collymore has said. Moreover, this archbishop should be made aware that the consitution of the United States separates state and religion.
Monika Lindahl.