The American Spectator

Scott| 4.9.09 @ 1:57PM

The following is a copy of comments I made on the original site of Daley's remarks (I don't know if the moderators will post them there, so I'm repeating them here):

A pathetic column by a pathetic thinker.

Obama giving a commencement address at Notre Dame is NOT a discusion; it is an honor. The university is not inviting him to engage in a public debate, it is the conferral of an award, so to argue that the cardinal wants to forbid Catholics from hearing differing views means Daley either doesn't understand what a commencement address is or he does, and is engaged in a purposeful campaign of misinformation. So is he a fool or a liar? Being a Daley, I'm inclined to think a bit of both.

Why the heck does Daley even bring up the separation of church and state? The First Amendment means government keeps its grubby mitts away from religion, not that religious viewpoints are not allowed in the public square. But, of course, that's a moot point. I know the Obama crew seems hell-bent on having the government have a finger in every pie, but Notre Dame is a private school and, as an institution purporting to reflect the Catholic Church, the cardinal and the other bishops have a vested interest in its actions. The fact that Daley can't distinguish between the leadership of a private organization being picky about the message conveyed by its subsidiary members and government threatening speech and debate shows that he's a LOT more confused than the cardinal.

And, finally, I must take note of Daley's mention that a majority of Catholics voted for Obama. The implication here is that Cardinal George should shut up in the face of majority opinion. I write this on Holy Thursday, the night that Peter denied Christ three times because he was afraid of the mob. The fact that Daley should choose to castigate Cardinal George for failing to emulate Peter is, to put it mildly, downright bizarre.

Tim| 4.9.09 @ 2:54PM

William M. Daley?
"I say to you, he has his reward."

Alan Brooks| 4.10.09 @ 12:39AM

theres nothing left but 'the Church',
like democracy it is the 'evil' that is better than the alternative-- today's creeping nihilism..

Alan Brooks| 4.10.09 @ 12:42AM

if we have to be, lets go down as the last of the pious, along with the Jews.

Martha Francois| 4.10.09 @ 1:34AM

The sad fact in all of this is that the Church in America has waited too long to make the Catholic position known -- there are some moral issues that cannot be compromised. Not only did a huge number of Catholics vote for Obama thinking either that it was a positive step in a new moral direction for the county (e.g., Douglas Kmiec) or that it was no big deal. (A cousin of mine who is a nun was surprised to learn from me that Obama was pro-abortion.) Many of the Catholics who either attend Notre Dame or send their children there or graduated from there, probably voted for Obama too and I imagine can't quite understand now what the fuss is all about.

A number of years ago, my son and his friends mounted a protest when the Jesuit (so-called) University of San Francisco invited pro-abortion Catholic politican Daniel Patrick Moynihan to deliver the commencement address -- he was probably also scheduled to received an honorary degree. They were not successful in either getting the invitation rescinded or even in arousing much outrage. Several years later, the Jesuit president of USF, Father Stephen Privet, succeeded in neutering the only real Catholic studies program on campus, the Saint Ignatius Institute, in spite of a direct appeal from then Cardinal Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI. Catholics who still believe that there is a real benefit to a Catholic higher education, must look to the smaller colleges -- my two oldest children went through the St. Ignatius Institute at USF, but I didn't even consider it for my two youngest. The University of Dallas provides a genuine and excellent Catholic university education. Notre Dame will probably always keep its name and its football fame, but Catholics are kidding themselves who think of it as a Catholic university. The church needs more stand-up bishops like Archbishop George and fewer fake Catholics like William Daley.

Don L| 4.10.09 @ 4:55AM

Just 29 Bishops? In the word of their Creator -"Where are the others?"

Voting present won't get them very far when God's chickens come home to roost!

Don L| 4.10.09 @ 5:01AM

"Does he represent the Democratic view of religion...?"

We saw that democracy thingy, when the masses shouted. "Give us Barrabas"

E.Patrick Mosman| 4.10.09 @ 6:12AM

Every Catholic who attends Mass speaks to his or her belief in the one holy, catholic, and apostolic church, not an American Church or a European Church or a Third World Church. Not a church whose beliefs are subject to polls of the faithful or whether or not its members follow its teachings.
To argue that one is free to follow his own conscience on matters of religion and morals, even to support abortion, birth control, gay marriage, and other issues presumes that one's own conscience is infallible and superior to all others.This leads to the absurd conclusion that there is no truth in moral and religious matters as there would be an infinite number of self-satisfying answers.
Ms. Daley joins Mrs. Pelosi and Mr. Biden as one who needs to be reminded by the Bishops that calling attention to their Catholic faith and in the same breath voicing support for abortion rights, a public act of scandal, as defined in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (Nos. 2284-6), is committed. Paragraph 2286 is directly applicable to people in their position. It reads: “Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions, by fashion or opinion. Therefore, they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structure leading to the decline of morals....”

All show a startling ignorance of then Cardinal Ratzinger's, now Pope Benedict XVI, analysis and reasoned rejection of the erroneous belief in the primacy of one's own conscience or the subjective conscience. Since Vatican II the liberal wing of the Catholic Church, including the above named individuals, has promulgated the superiority of one's own, or the subjective conscience, and in February 1991 he delivered the Church's response in his presentation 'Conscience and Truth" delivered at the '10th Workshop for Bishops; in Dallas Texas. A brief summary if his conclusion is found in the following extract, "It is of course undisputed that one must follow a certain conscience or at least not act against it. But whether the judgment of conscience or what one takes to be such, is always right, indeed whether it is infallible, is another question. For if this were the case, it would mean that there is no truth - at least not in moral and religious matters, which is to say, in the areas which constitute the very pillars of our existence. For judgments of conscience can contradict each other. Thus there could be at best the subject's own truth, which would be reduced to the subject's sincerity."

Timothy L. Pennell| 4.10.09 @ 8:41AM

These Catholic Bishops, and what have you, could have nipped this in the bud, a long time ago. They didn't. They could do it now. But they won't. They should CLOSE THEIR DOORS, to those who support the MURDER of GODS' Greatest Creation. Cast out these Politicians, who stand bye, for POLITICAL EXPEDIENCY, as MILLIONS of unborn CHILDREN are SLAUGHTERED. And they should do it PUBLICLY. And not JUST the Politicians. Their 'Flocks', as well, should be put on notice, that unless they choose the way of LIFE, that they too, are not welcome. Would that be a problem, for the Church? Yeah. I'm sure it would. But they have taken a VOW, to serve GOD. Nobody said that it would be easy. Jesus said: "Suffer the little children to come unto ME" I don't recall him giving the o.k. for their WHOLESALE SLAUGHTER.

Mildred Miller| 4.10.09 @ 9:20AM

I did not hear this kind of complaint when hun-
dreds of Catholic priests were found guilty of
molesting young boys and girls and ruining their
lives. I did not hear complaints from the church
when they had to pay out millions of dollars to
try to mitigate these serious crimes when leaders
in the church ignored and allowed these heinous
acts to go on unpunished for years. Hypocrisy
is a major sin of the Catholic church. Obama
could not possibly do the harm that was done
by this evil behavior by the priests and their
superiors.

Brian Webb| 4.10.09 @ 10:23AM

This will make Catholics upset, but Catholicism has brought this on itself.
Catholicism does not look-to or believe the Bible is the final authority on doctrinal issues, the “Church” is. The Bible is viewed as just a partial source of their doctrines, subject to the “Church”. The “Church” has the final say. The problem with that is that makes man (not God) in control of doctrine and religious beliefs. Of course saying it that way reveals a fatal flaw so they qualify it with another doctrine, a doctrine that the Pope and the “Church” is infallible. How convenient! That doctrine is not supported by any scripture but is needed to support their “man controls doctrine” belief.

That is where the problem lies and the problem Luther recognized. As soon as man takes control, it goes out of control. Now, when “man” controls doctrine then it opens the door to a host of other beliefs that may or may not be scriptural (and where all the “traditions” come from). One of these is that salvation is found within church membership, Catholic Church membership. The “Church” will avoid saying it, but if you are not a Catholic, you will not make it to heaven since all the sacraments (ways to heaven) are only found within the Catholic “Church”.

The flip side to that is that if you are a Catholic, you will make it (eventually) to heaven because you are a member of the “Church”. So a Catholic can take many liberties in their lifestyle and in their beliefs and still be ok with God. They are “Church” members. As long as they stay on the “books”, they are ok. So its not about serving God, its about staying a member.

No one should be surprised when we see the Pelosis, the Kennedys and a host of Catholic leaders and many others supporting ungodly practices and claim to be Catholics, it’s because there are no consequences for their actions. They are going to heaven as long as they remain Catholic members.

Then, add to that the power on one’s salvation (the power to forgive sin) being in the hands of the “Father”. I can’t imagine having the authority to forgive sin, but if I did, I would find it extremely difficult to condemn anyone. So my bet is that “Fathers” are no different and are willing to overlook and forgive pretty much anything and are unwillingness to condemn anyone, which would mean hell. Mix that all together and you have a recipe for ungodly practices within the Church and it’s members.