Catholic voters to be courted during GOP convention

By Matt Abbott
Op/Ed

Kudos to Catholic Answers!

The California-based Catholic apologetics organization will, on August 31, be taking out a full page ad in USA Today to tell Catholics "how to vote according to Catholic moral teachings on five key issues when they go to the polls," according to a news release.

Those five issues, which Catholics should never vote in favor of, are abortion, homosexual marriage, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, and euthanasia.

The ad will contain the text of the controversial but successful 'Voters' Guide for Serious Catholics,' the text of which can be seen on the organization's website, www.catholic.com.

Karl Keating, founder and president of Catholic Answers, says the five "non-negotiable" issues were selected because "they are major topics in American politics that the Church has forcefully stated no Catholic can support.

"The 'Voter's Guide for Serious Catholics' doesn't tell the reader which candidates to vote for but which to vote against--simply on principle. Candidates who are wrong on any of the five 'non-negotiables' should be eliminated from consideration."

Keating continues:

"On these five 'non-negotiables,' there is only one possible position for a conscientious Catholic to take: complete opposition. A Catholic is free to support or to oppose any politician or ballot measure on issues such as jobs, trade, taxes, or the war in Iraq.

"But with issues such as abortion, euthanasia, homosexual marriage, human cloning, and embryonic stem cell research, all Catholics are forbidden to endorse them or vote for them."

If only the Catholic bishops would agree with that assessment. But, sadly, the 'Voters' Guide' has "faced resistance and even disapproval from the legal staff of the USCCB," according to the Culture of Life Foundation (http://www.christianity.com/cultureoflife).

IRS concerns, you see.

And speaking of the IRS...

The law firm of Lively & Ackerman has "filed a formal complaint with the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Justice concerning alleged electioneering violations by [Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles], a tax exempt nonprofit organization. The complaint...was formally presented to the Department of Justice on August 25, 2004," according to a news release.

"The [Department of Justice] complaint seeks revocation of PPLA's tax-exempt status, interim penalties, or a formal opinion that indicates that all exempt charities may equally engage in the kind of political activity that PPLA is alleged to have engaged in during thus election cycle....

"According to the formal complaint, which has several key exhibits attached to it, PPLA employees were on stage at a political event for John Kerry, and engaged in conduct that was allegedly designed to directly promote Kerry's campaign. The complaint also presented sworn affidavits from PPLA employees, attesting to the fact that PPLA had displayed anti-Bush posters in its offices...."

For the full text of the news release, see the firm's website at www.livelyackerman.com.

I hope the complaint is successful, but I won't be holding my breath.

Contact

Matt Abbott
IL, US
Matt Abbott - Author,

Email

mattcabbott@hotmail.com

Keywords

Catholic, Abbott, politics

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