Faith & Reason: March 2010 Archives

Yesterday, Network: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, released a letter in support of Obama's bill (HR 3590) to overhaul US healthcare. Obama proposal and the bill put forward is morally flawed.

The signatories claim that they represent 59,000 --an overstated number-- religious sisters while they join the Catholic Health Association which has 1200 healthcare related organizations and the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) directly oppose the Catholic teaching. The letter advocating the passing of the healthcare bill is being delivered to each member of Congress today. The text of the letter can be read here.

The Council of major Superiors of Women Religious rejects the position of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) and all other groups who stand against the Church and her bishops.

This is not about mere differing views on a hot topic. It is about faith AND reason, doing justice in an effort to safeguard the dignity of each person, from conception to natural death. No healthcare bill can be supported with provisions for abortion or any other medical procedure that offends life. We have a right to good healthcare but not at the expense of the unborn and morally unsound principles. This is a matter concerning the well-being of those who are vulnerable, poor and everyone else because they have a right to life and a right healthcare. What the Church wants most of all is a healthcare bill that protects life, dignity and freedom of conscience of each person with an ethically sound judgment on healthcare.

The letter the sisters are giving today to Congress is an act of disobedience toward the leadership of the US Bishops and against solid, verifiable Catholic teaching. The sisters neither represent the Church nor are they charged with the salvation of souls as ordained bishops are and therefore are purposely misleading the faithful and any other person of good will. Do not be fooled into thinking that the congregations of sisters think with the Church for the good of salvation. These religious orders of sisters have set themselves against communion with the Catholic Church and against the US bishops position for a comprehensive, wholistic healthcare package that is affordable.

The US Catholic Conference statement on the healthcare bill under consideration
Family Life & Respect Life Office of the Archdiocese of New York has a good plan of action.

Seminary and Sex

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Creation of Eve Michelangelo.jpgSexuality is a beautiful part of being human and it is a gift from God that needs to be known, understood, appreciated and embraced (no pun intended). Sexuality is a holy part of being a man or a woman. Unfortunately, that's not the message we receive in secular society and it is infrequently heard from the pulpit in Catholic churches and very likely not in other Christian communities. Unheard of from the pulpit, that is, until Pope John Paul II introduced his monumental work, Theology of the Body. But that's a topic for another time. Sexuality is not just a religious issue, it is a human issue and everything human is of our interest.

Religion & Ethics Newsweekly ran an interesting story on sexuality. I will say it makes some good points BUT there are some views that are inconsistent with Catholicism. OK, but that's a not a good reason not to watch the story! Familiarize yourself with the issues --watch the video and read something on the Theology of the Body. AND don't be scared.

At places like St Joseph's Seminary there's a course on human sexuality taught by Father John Bonnici, a priest of the Archdiocese of New York. Father Bonnici deals with the physiological, psychological, relational, spiritual and theological aspects of human sexuality viz. priestly ministry. AND I am glad to have the class. It is a forum for us to intelligently speak about human sexuality matters while considering the pastoral issues at hand that we will encounter in the parish setting. Learning on the job is not an adequate response any longer... sorry....
Cardinal Francis E. George, OMI, Archbishop of Chicago and President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, spoke to more than 12,000 people at BYU in Salt Lake City on February 23, 2010. His full address, "Catholics and Latter-Day Saints: Partners in the Defense of Religious Freedom," is found here: Cardinal George to BYU 2010.pdf.

About the author

Paul A. Zalonski is from New Haven, CT. He is a member of the Fraternity of Communion and Liberation, a Catholic ecclesial movement and an Oblate of Saint Benedict. Contact Paul at paulzalonski[at]yahoo.com.

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This page is a archive of entries in the Faith & Reason category from March 2010.

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