Joe Biden – Most Catholics do not care what bishops say about Joe Biden
To the editor: As a Catholic working to characterize the views of the vast majority of lay Catholics within the U.S. who help the rights of particular person conscience, I need to say that the US Convention of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) doesn’t converse for me.
By forming a working group to look at President-elect Joe Biden’s pro-choice stance, and in mild of the truth that it was fast to congratulate President Trump after his victory in 2016, the USCCB is actually calling into query the vast majority of the U.S. Catholic voters who each supported Biden and who, just like the president-elect, help protected, authorized entry to abortion.
Los Angeles Archbishop José Gomez, the pinnacle of the USCCB, claims that Biden’s place “creates confusion among the faithful.” This can be a condescending assertion, and it exhibits how woefully out of contact the hierarchy is with the Catholic laity, whose members are, actually, well-informed. They used their consciences in selecting to vote for Biden and to help reproductive healthcare.
The bishops would do nicely to recollect what the polling exhibits: Catholics overwhelmingly disagree with denying the sacraments for political causes, they usually don’t depend on their bishops’ suggestions when voting, utilizing contraception or making different ethical choices.
As a substitute, we hearken to our consciences, identical to the president-elect.
Jamie Manson, Washington
The author is president of Catholics for Selection.
..
To the editor: As appalling as Trump is on many counts, I’m much more dissatisfied with a lot of Randall Balmer’s commentary. He’s an Episcopal priest, but he voiced not one phrase of concern for the humanity of the unborn.
There isn’t any getting across the political nature of abortion. The act itself is the willful destruction of a human life at a most harmless and weak stage.
It saddens and shocks me that Balmer is so calloused to this actuality. As a substitute, he embraces Biden for standing on the rules of “constitutional values and the law of the land.” The Supreme Courtroom made slaveholder rights the regulation of the land for a season in our historical past, denying the total personhood of slaves.
The reward of life is a basic start line within the Catholic catechism. The bishops’ issues about Biden are utterly legitimate.
Lynelle Harrigan, Granada Hills
..
To the editor: In 2016, Catholic bishops welcomed Trump’s victory and now are withholding acceptance of Biden. Why? Due to abortion.
Hundreds of thousands of American Catholics and evangelical Christians gave their vote, with out regard to different essential points or poor character, to the candidate who instructed them what they needed to listen to on abortion.
If the Supreme Courtroom permits states to ban abortion, it is going to deprive tens of millions of single-issue voters this rationale. It might be an ethical and legislative step backward, however an enormous leap ahead in restoring election integrity.
We might get our nation again from demagogues.
Joel Athey, Valley Village
..
To the editor: As a Catholic I query the monks, bishops and cardinals who’ve sexually abused kids and adults, justifying protecting up their sins for the “good of the church.”
I query these bishops who’ve supported Trump, a person of women and men, whose lies relating to the coronavirus pandemic has prompted the diseases of tens of millions and the deaths of hundreds.
I query their myopic concern for the “unborn” whereas neglecting the struggling of the various dwelling kids who’re hungry or homeless whereas the wealth of the few will increase.
Doris Isolini Nelson, Los Angeles
..
To the editor: Balmer misses the mark by questioning the USCCB as to why it gave Trump a “pass” with respect to his indiscretions however is contemplating denying Biden entry to the sacrament of communion due to his pro-choice place on abortion.
The explanation for the disparate therapy may be very elementary: Not like Biden, Trump will not be a Catholic. Due to this fact, the bishops lack the authority to query his theological positions.
Balmer, a non-Catholic priest himself, ought to know higher.
Sam Chaidez, Mission Hills
