Catholic Democrats

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Catholic Democrats is a national not-for-profit organization of Catholics, based in Boston, USA. The Catholic Democrats have more than 20,000 members in all 50 American states and Puerto Rico. It claims no authorization from the Catholic Church, or any Catholic Bishop, Catholic diocese, candidate or candidate committee.[1]

The organization was founded in response to the 2004 presidential election, which, in the view of the group, had witnessed unprecedented attempts to bend Catholic Social Teaching to accommodate policies which are in conflict with the teaching and values of the Church. It characterizes its membership as people who share an aversion to the kind of abuses of U.S. military power that led to the Iraq War, along with "the exploitation of social issues to advance the economic interests of a few, and the misuse of our Catholic faith for political gain."[2]

The group was angered as well by what it perceived as manipulation of Church teaching to the advantage of conservative and Republican interests: "conservatives have increasingly used Catholic language and Catholic congregations to advance their economic agenda and political interests." particularly its insistence on “a consistent moral framework anchored in the scriptures and expressed in the teachings of the Church.” The group specifies the bishops' call[3] for a new commitment to advancing public policies that work in the interest of “the common good.”

Catholic Democrats emphasizes the central issues within Catholic social teaching ("war, poverty, unintended pregnancy, preventable illness, the death penalty, instability of the family, all forms of discrimination, and supporting the dialogue balancing medical advances and the dignity of the individual") which it feels that the Republican Party neglects in favor of others, notably abortion, euthanasia and homosexuality. The group's website features the week's gospel readings, news stories and commentary, papal encyclicals and resources for adoption.

Involvement with 2008 presidential election

During the 2008 presidential election, the organization launched the Catholics for Obama Web site,[4] which included a petition of endorsement for Catholics to sign in support of Democratic Party nominee Barack Obama's candidacy, the Catholic questions and answers on abortion,[5] and a welcome by Catholic actor Martin Sheen. Additionally, the Web site included the book, written by the president of Catholic Democrats with a preface by Victoria Reggie Kennedy, entitled The Catholic Case for Obama.[6] The group helped articulate a new approach to the abortion problem, also championed by the Obama Campaign, that focused on reduction strategies and emphasized finding common ground solutions.

President Obama and Catholics in America

In 2009 the group applauded efforts by the Obama Administration to reach out to Catholics, particularly in a major policy address President Obama made at Georgetown University on April 14, 2009, and in his commencement address on May 17, 2009 at the University of Notre Dame.[7] Catholic Democrats later launched a national Letter of Support for President Obama, Notre Dame, and Catholic higher education that was signed by thousands of Catholics across the country.[8] The group also launched the website, Catholics for Notre Dame,[9] which housed the statement of support, a video called Catholic in America,[10] and a tool for individuals to send letters to the editor. They helped organize a reunion for the Catholic priests and community organizers who hired President Obama to work in a Catholic church rectory on the South Side of Chicago in 1985.[11] They also worked with local Democratic officials in South Bend, Indiana the weekend of the Notre Dame Commencement to organize a welcome rally for President Obama and a food drive, in the spirit of national service struck at the Inauguration.

In the summer of 2009, Catholic Democrats launched the website, "Pope Greets Hope"[12] to celebrate President Obama's first meeting with Pope Benedict XVI on July 11, 2009. Dr. Patrick Whelan, president of Catholic Democrats, blogged from the Vatican during the meeting, which followed the release of the papal encyclical Caritas in Veritate and the G8 Economic Summit in L'Aquila, Italy, earlier in the week. In August 2009, the organization paid tribute to the late U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), who had been a great inspiration to the founders of the group.[13] The group has more recently paid tribute to Sargent Shriver, a founder of the Peace Corps, and Fr. Thomas Kaminski, a Chicago priest who was president of the community development organization that hired Barack Obama in 1985.

In September 2009, the leadership of Catholic Democrats met with the White House Domestic Policy Council in an effort to find creative and constructive solutions to decreasing the number of abortions in the United States.

Catholic Democrats and Health Care Reform

In 2010, Catholic Democrats president Dr. Patrick Whelan published a study that appeared in the New England Journal of Medicine and asserted that the number of abortions in Massachusetts decreased after the 2006 passage of universal health care there. Additionally, national director Steve Krueger wrote a policy paper on health care and abortion. Catholic Democrats also sent a letter to all Catholic members of the U.S. Congress asking them to give up divisive partisan rhetoric for Lent and to pass health care reform by Easter. Additionally, the organization asked Catholics to sign a petition that called on Congress to pass health care reform.

2010 Midterm Elections

For the 2010 midterm elections, Catholic Democrats issued A Catholic Pledge to America, which called on Catholic voters to support candidates whose policies reflect Catholic social justice. Additionally, the organization issued a voter's guide that contrasted the accomplishments of the Democratic Congress with the Republican Pledge to America. National director Steve Krueger and board member Kathleen Kennedy Townsend appeared on the PBS program Religion & Ethics Newsweekly.

References

  1. ↑
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ “The Challenge of Faithful Citizenship,”
  4. ↑ Catholics for Obama Web site
  5. ↑ Catholic questions and answers on abortion
  6. ↑ "The Catholic Case for Obama"
  7. ↑ Countdown to Sunday: Notre Dame made right decision to invite Obama, Chicago Tribune, May 15, 2009
  8. ↑
  9. ↑ Catholics For Notre Dame
  10. ↑ "Catholic in America"
  11. ↑ Priests come to Obama's defense, Chicago Sun-Times, May 15, 2009
  12. ↑ Pope and President
  13. ↑ Guided By His Faith, Baltimore Sun, by Patrick Whelan and Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, August 30, 2009

External links

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike; additional terms may apply for the media files.