Phil Lawler at Catholic Culture said it quite well. On May 4th he congratulated the bishops for taking a strong stand regarding the HHS mandate. However he rightly points out that the bishops since then have diluted their message by issuing similar statements on matters about which good Catholics can disagree, e.g., the federal budget, immigration, etc.
We know that when the bishops treat issues of intrinsic morality as just a few among a whole laundry list of "issues" that are, morally speaking, of less import, that dissident politicians can glom onto those latter issues to make themselves appear to be faithful. Such is the case with the rabidly pro-abortion Vice President Joe Biden. Because Rep Paul Ryan's budget proposal calls for social program cuts (along the lines of the principle of subsidiarity), many of the progressive-leaning bishops frown upon it. Biden has decided to jump on that bandwagon, scolding Ryan for "violating Catholic social teaching". Stop laughing! Bishop Biden is very, very serious - don't you understand? He says to Ryan that the budget is "contrary to the social doctrine my church teaches". Quick! Where's the ACLU when you need them to screech about "separation of church and state"? Nah - I don't hear them, either!
"The social doctrine which his church teaches" states that the murder of babies is always intrinsically wrong. No one can call himself a faithful Catholic who lends support to that evil, as Biden continues to do, to this day. On the other hand, good Catholics can disagree as to how best to aid the poor. The so-called "safety net" that the government offers is one of fatal entanglement.
Paul Ryan, whose voting record is pro-life, is stating his case quite plainly that his budget proposal is sound and moral. Town Hall has a piece detailing that Ryan is not taking these insults sitting down; he is challenging his opponents to stop measuring compassion by how much we spend. Read it and watch the video of Ryan. If you cannot see the embedded video, click here.
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