Mr. Robert Clark says I was wrong to say that Barack Obama’s position on abortion disqualifies him as a viable candidate for Catholics. He cited a 2004 “quote” from Cardinal Ratzinger which he paraphrased as saying “that a voter was free to support a candidate who does not oppose abortion if the voter believes a candidate’s position on other issues outweighs his or her stand on abortion.”

I would like to see that quote in its fullness because I doubt that then Cardinal Ratzinger would be so equivocal on that issue.

In contrast to Mr. Clark’s 2004 quote, I offer the following from Cardinal Ratzinger’s 2003 “Doctrinal note on some questions regarding the participation of Catholics in political life:”

“When political activity comes up against moral principles that do not admit of exception, compromise or derogation, the Catholic commitment becomes more evident and laden with responsibility. ... This is the case with laws concerning abortion and euthanasia. ... Such laws must defend the basic right to life from conception to natural death. In the same way, it is necessary to recall the duty to respect and protect the rights of the human embryo.”

Obama is not only pro-choice, he is essentially pro-infanticide by his opposition to the bill outlawing the killing of babies born out of a failed abortion.

He is for the destruction of human embryos, even though adult stem cells have produced actual cures whereas embryonic stem cells have produced none. He is clearly in a position that should brook no compromise or exception by Catholics.

I addressed Obama’s positions on the war and the death penalty in my last letter, but let’s say you’re a Catholic who feels strongly about social justice. You feel that Obama and the Democrats in general are better on social justice because of their platform.

But advocating government programs to solve all social ills is not the only way to show concern or deal with those issues. In fact, one could easily argue that many government programs aimed at relieving poverty have made it worse. One can also argue that there are many non-governmental ways to help the poor and that those programs tend to work better because they are run by people who do so out of genuine compassion and charity.

But even if all of Obama’s programs to help people were to work, that doesn’t eliminate the fact that he will make concrete steps to preserve and even expand availability to abortion both here and abroad.

If you can ignore that and claim to be a Catholic in good standing, you’re about as convincing as Nancy Pelosi claiming to be an “ardent Catholic” even as she tried to sell the lie that the Church’s teaching on abortion as a matter for debate.

Trey Hoffman

Peachtree City, Ga.

login to post comments