This story from LifesiteNews was originally published on Thursday 3/18, but it's worth reading.
Architect of Betrayal?: WH Exposes Obama as Provocateur of Catholic Dissension
White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs revealed to reporters today that President Barack Obama actively promoted the Catholic Health Association's public break with the American Catholic bishops to support his health care legislation.If you have time, read the entire article. And rather than serve up a poor analysis of the article, I recommend you check out Fr Z's blog for a proper and precise fisking.Gibbs also suggested that the CHA and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious' (LCWR) break with the U.S. Bishops has provided legitimate political cover for pro-life Democrats to switch their votes from "no" to "yes."
"I think over the past twenty four hours we have seen strong indications from those in the Catholic Church that support our belief that the legislation is about health care reform, and that it shouldn't and doesn't change the existing federal law [on abortion]. The Catholic Health Association and the order of nun's support is very important," Gibbs told reporters on the White House lawn for Thursday's press conference.
CHA president Sr. Carol Keehan and LCWR sparked an uproar this week after they came out definitively in favor of the Senate health care bill, which top pro-life organizations such as the National Right to Life Committee and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, in addition to countless others, have strongly condemned as unacceptable for its abortion funding provisions. Since then, in their quest to woo the final pro-life Democrat holdouts among House lawmakers, party leaders have attempted to paint CHA's support for the bill as a bona fide endorsement from the Catholic community.
Erin at And Sometimes Tea provides great analysis as well.
Obama's actions help prove one thing - a much clearer picture has evolved as to what authentic Catholic identity looks like. As events have unfolded and continue to develop, bishops have been bolder in their pronouncements on Church teachings in matters of faith and morals. At the same time, groups and individuals opposed to Church teaching have ventured farther out of the shadows, believing that an administration favorable to their dissenting viewpoints provides safety and protection from the "big bad hierarchical Church". Heh
What they fail to realize - or ignore at their own peril - is that Obama doesn't really care what the Church position is on anything, whether it be abortion, conscience-protection clauses in health care or same-sex marriage. He's using the dissenters as a means to an end - which is to weaken the Church's credibility and dismantle any meaningful opposition. Should he accomplish that goal, then he would have no practical use for the dissenters, and would promptly crush them beneath the wheels of Hope and Change, should he find it expedient to do so.
In the meantime, it's becoming more and more obvious just who is Catholic and who is not. As last week's episode with the CHA and the LCWR has shown, just because a group has the word 'Catholic' in its name, it doesn't mean anything if the group fails to uphold, defend or believe in Church teaching. Nor does it give the group license to define for itself what it means to be Catholic, or even to declare that they're 'faithful Catholics'. None of us has the authority to determine what it means to be Catholic, any more than we have the authority to determine what it means to be human. Our actions and beliefs provide the basis by which we can judge whether we fall within the defined limits (and yes, there are limits!).
So - if you believe the Church's teaching on artificial contraception is wrong, and you actively seek to undermine it, or encourage other Catholics to ignore the Church - then you aren't Catholic.
If you believe the Church's teaching on an all-male priesthood is wrong, and that the Church ought to ordain women - then you aren't Catholic.
If you believe the Church's teaching on marriage being exclusively between one man and one woman is wrong, and that it's wrong to prohibit gays from marrying - then you aren't Catholic.
If you believe the Church's teaching on sex being reserved between a husband and wife within the bonds of sacred Marriage is wrong, and that homosexual activity is 'affirming and good', - then you aren't Catholic.
If you believe the Church's hierarchical structure is immoral and irrelevant, and that its governance ought to be more democratic in nature - then you aren't Catholic.
If you believe you can vote for pro-abortion candidates and actively campaign for the Culture of Death - then you aren't Catholic.
If you believe that alternative spirituality and practices, such as reiki and labyrinths, are compatible with the Catholic faith, then you aren't Catholic.
Being Catholic means something, not anything we want it to mean, to assuage our personal attitudes and fascinations. And the only authority competent enough to define that something is the Church. Today's current political climate is helping to clarify who stands on which side of the divide, a divide that is widening.
To which I say - good. It's taken a long time for the US bishops - at least some of them - to stand for Catholic identity and expose these posers. It is important for the bishops, and the Church, to set forth the definition and control the language, not the other way round. The purpose is not to condemn - but to illustrate the difference between authentic faithful Catholicism, and the thin, lifeless charlatans that claim the title 'Catholic', yet lack the honesty to assume the responsibilities that such a title confers. In fact, they have no intention whatsoever of being Catholic. They are usurpers. They are interlopers and infiltrators, fakes and frauds. They need to be confronted and defeated.
Know thine enemies.
