Vatican Offical Says No to Biden and Pelosi, But Not to Palin

Wat Abortion

Bas-relief at Angkor Wat, dated circa 1150, depicting a demon performing an abortion by pounding a mallet into a woman’s belly.

COGwriter

The Vatican, in the past couple of US presidential elections, has become more vocal about who it does not support. Basically, in the last election and the present election, Vatican officials have been less than pleased that, when the Democratic candidates for either president (John Kerry last election) or vice president (Joseph Biden this election) speak, the Democrats favor abortion.

Here is a fairly bold statement from a US Vatican official:

Vatican official attacks U.S. Democrats as “party of death”

Reuters – Oct 1, 2008

Vatican officials seldom single out political leaders who differ with the Church on issues like abortion rights or embryonic stem cell research. But now that the Vatican’s highest court is led by an American, the former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, we can expect things to get more explicit in Vatican City — at least when when it comes to U.S. politics.Burke, who was named prefect of the Vatican’s Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature in June, told the Italian Catholic newspaper Avvenire that the U.S. Democratic Party risked “transforming itself definitively into a party of death for its decisions on bioethical issues.” He then attacked two of the party’s most high profile Catholics — vice presidential candidate Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — for misrepresenting Church teaching on abortion.

Pelosi drew U.S. bishops’ scorn for saying in a television interview last month that the Church itself had long debated when human life begins. Biden is a practicing Catholic who also supports abortion rights and analysts have said he could help woo wavering Catholics into Obama’s fold...

Burke made headlines as archbishop of St. Louis for his public attacks on public figures who strayed from Catholic teaching. He suggested during the 2004 presidential campaign that Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry, a Catholic, should be denied communion because of his views on abortion. Several bishops said at the time they would not give him communion and the media staked out churches where he attended Mass to see if he received it.

“Lately, I’ve noticed that other bishops are coming to this position,” Burke told Avvenire, which is owned by the Italian bishops’ conference.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, wrote a letter in 2004 to American bishops restating the Church position that a priest must refuse to distribute communion to a Catholic politician who supported abortion rights. But Burke lamented that the letter was never distributed. http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/10/01/vatican-official-attacks-us-democrats-as-party-of-death/.

Of course, this is not the only time this year that Joseph Biden (at least indirectly, see Catholic Bishops Seem to Endorse McCain) and Nancy Pelosi (see CT Wrong, Nancy Pelosi Correct) have been condemned by any Catholic bishops.

But this has not seemed to change Joseph Biden.

In the vice-presidential debate last night, I specifically heard Joseph Biden speak in favor on the Roe v. Wade US Supreme Court decision that decided that US States could not prohibit abortion. Sarah Palin took the opposing view last night (although I only heard her state that it was bad decision as it violate States’ rights).

Sarah Palin, Vice Presidential Nominee

And while the Vatican does not quite come out and support the anti-abortion vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin, they certainly do not come out against her like they do Joseph Biden.

But since it is pretty much a sure thing that if the Democrats do not win the White House that the Republicans will, it appears that the direct slam against the Democratic leaders is a least a tacit endorsement of the Republican ticket of Sarah Palin and John McCain.

Perhaps I should add that although we in the Living Church of God are against abortion, the Church of Rome has allowed it throughout its history, beginning in the early portion of the third century.

Several articles of possibly related interest may include:

Which Is Faithful: The Roman Catholic Church or the Living Church of God? Do you know that both groups shared a lot of the earliest teachings? Do you know which church changed? Do you know which group is most faithful to the teachings of the apostolic church? Which group best represents true Christianity? This documented article answers those questions.
Abortion, the Bible, and a Woman’s Right to Choose Do you know what the Bible teaches on this?
Should a Christian Vote? This article gives some of the Biblical rationale on this subject. Would Jesus vote for president? Is voting in the Bible? This is a subject Christians need to understand.
There are Many COGs: Why Support the Living Church of God? This is an article for those who wish to easily sort out the different COGs. It really should be a MUST READ for current and former WCG members or any interested in supporting the faithful church. It also explains a lot of what the COGs are all about.