Bishops Behaving Badly: Catholic Prelates Preach Partisan Politics
Bishops Behaving Badly: Catholic Prelates Preach Partisan Politics
Let’s say someone told you that voting for a certain candidate would be an “evil” act and that by casting your ballot for this candidate, you would in fact be furthering the cause of evil.
You would probably get the impression that the person who made these remarks was telling you not to vote for that candidate, right?
Meet Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, Ill. He doesn’t think you should vote for President Barack Obama. He keeps saying it’s not his job to tell you how to vote — but he’s quick to add that a vote for Obama (and indeed any Democrat) furthers “intrinsic evils.”
Paprocki discourses on this issue at length in the diocesan newspaper Catholic Times. He notes that the Democrats support many “evils” - mainly legal abortion and same-sex marriage. He points out that there are some positive items in the Democratic platform but quickly adds that other planks “explicitly endorse intrinsic evils.”
What about the Republicans? Good news! Paprocki has examined their platform, and concludes, “[T]here is nothing in it that supports or promotes an intrinsic evil or a serious sin.”
Wait a minute. The GOP supports the death penalty, which the church has historically opposed. Isn’t that a problem? Nope, says Paprocki. It turns out the church doesn’t really oppose it in all cases.
But what about the Republicans’ stand on aid to the poor and those in need? You might recall that some nuns chartered a bus and took it across the county to highlight Catholic teaching in this area.
Well, those nuns are all wet, according to Paprocki. The GOP just has “different methods” for assisting those in need. There’s nothing evil about those methods, so it’s no biggie.
In case anyone fails to get the message, Paprocki concludes by pointing out that if you vote for candidates who promote evil, there’s a good chance you’ll go straight to hell.