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Obama vs. Catholicism: divide and conquer tactics worry the faithful
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A pattern of subversive activity towards the Roman Catholic Church by President Obama’s
Photo Credit: Senorglory @ flickr.com
administration has been noticed by Catholic commentators during the past several months.
On May 17th, President Obama spoke at the commencement ceremony for Notre Dame University, despite protests and condemnation by several U.S. Bishops. The opposition to Obama’s speaking at a Catholic university was due to his promises to remove restrictions on abortion, a practice considered morally wrong by the Roman Catholic Church.
While it may be difficult for non-Catholics to understand the severity of refusing to accept Catholic teachings on abortion and contraception while claiming to be Catholic, it is a matter of obedience to a fundamental teaching on the sanctity of life. One cannot call themselves American and still support the actions of terrorists against America, for that is disobedience to a treasonous degree. Likewise, to support abortion - particularly while serving as a public official – and call oneself Catholic is to put oneself outside the communion (ex communio, the root of the term excommunicate) with other Catholics.
“[Obama] is a man of many talents, one of which is the concerted, nearly effortless goal of attacking the Catholic Church and her teaching,” said Judie Brown, president of American Life League in a recent blog post. “He has not done this by overt comments or threats or acts of intimidation; he has done it and is continuing to do it by shining a spotlight on Catholics who are anything but representative of the fundamental teachings of the Church.”
Among Obama’s nominations, there is certainly a consistent pattern of nominating pro-abortion dissident Catholics:
- Obama selected pro-abortion Catholic Joe Biden as his running mate during the presidential campaign.
- Kathleen Sebelius, an outspoken pro-abortion Catholic was named as the Secretary of Health and Human Services.
- Alexia Kelley was appointed to the post of Health and Human Services Department’s Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. Kelley is the co-founder of Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, a group which has justified the voting against Church teachings and drawn criticism from bishops. Kelley also supported the nomination of Kathleen Sebelius to her post as HHS Secretary.
- Kenneth Salazar, another Catholic but pro-abortion senator was nominated as the Secretary of the Interior.
- For Secretary of Agriculture, Obama picked Tom Vilsack, another pro-abortion Catholic.
- Regina Benjamin was nominated as Surgeon General, again a Catholic who strongly advocated abortion rights, and has received much praise from pro-abortion groups such as Catholics for a Free Choice.
- When it came time to nominate a Supreme Court justice, Obama tapped Sonia Sotomayor, yet another Catholic with a history of supporting Roe v. Wade.
- Miguel Diaz, a Catholic professor who defended the nomination of pro-abortion Catholic politicians, was named as Ambassador to the Vatican by Obama.
- Douglas Kmiec, a Catholic professor who tried to justify the position that Catholics could vote for Obama in spite of Church teachings, was named the U.S. Ambassador to Malta.
“It is no accident that Obama has made it his business to put the spotlight on as many dissenting Catholics as he can find,” said Brown. “The only criteria appears to be that they can prove that they were at least once known as Catholic, that they favor abortion and that, as a third criterion, they are somewhat fit to serve in the capacity for which they have been chosen.”
Obama himself has admitted to the motive of influencing the Catholic Church with his position.
“I think responses to my administration mirror tensions within the Church as a whole,” he said in a press conference on July 2. “I think that there have been times over the last decade or two where that more holistic tradition feels like it’s gotten buried under the abortion debate. Now, as a non-Catholic, it’s not up to me to try to resolve those tensions... All I can do is to affirm how that other tradition has made me, a non-Catholic, I think reflect on how I can be a better person and has had a powerful influence on my life. And that tells me that it might be a powerful way to move a broader set of values forward in American life generally.”
However, it is not just through nominations that pressure is being brought to bear between faithful and disobedient Catholics. Just this month, news surfaced that Belmont Abbey College, which has been investigated and cleared of discrimination earlier this year by the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in refusing to cover abortion and contraception in their employee benefits package, suddenly and inexplicably was charged with discrimination after Washington officials re-opened the case. Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic institution, did not offer the benefits as it conflicted with the Catholic teachings on the sanctity of human life.
“The U.S. Catholic Church is ripe for schism, and President Barack Obama knows if such a thing were to happen, it would only help clear the way to push his agenda through,” states a blogger posting under the pseudonym of “Catholic Knight.” “Nothing would serve the Obama administration better than a U.S. Catholic Church torn by infighting and reorganization.”
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