Wednesday 21 January 2009

Light and darkness


"America: you cannot insist on the right to choose, without also insisting on the duty to choose well, the duty to choose the truth! Already there is much breakdown and pain in your own society because fundamental values, essential to the well-being of individuals, families and the entire nation, are being emptied of their real content." John Paul II, South Carolina, 1987

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Yes, it is disappointing that Obama is pro-choice. However, I find it more disappointing that the Catholic right seem unable to see the greater good at work in the 2008 Election. A true pro-life candidate will never be elected President. Bush may well have been anti-abortion, but after 8 years abortion is still perfectly legal in the USA. And how can the Republican Party's pro-war stance be palatable with Pro-lifers? In Obama, we have an intelligent and wise man who is fanatical about social equality and ending the war in Iraq. By all means, we should continue to express our pro-life views and pray for change, and even lobby for change politically. However, I am yet to see many of these conservative Catholic blogs pay tribute to the social equality triumph of the election of a black president. Today he has taken his first steps to closing Guantanamo Bay - let's be grateful for all the good things too! To be clear, I am a pro-lifer myself, but I fail to see why that should be the only issue which dictates who we vote for. I voted for Obama because he was the better candidate and offered a real change from the past eight years of foolish leadership which put more distance between Christianity and Islam since the time of the crusades. Also, this post is no reflection on you Father, but I just thought this was an appropriate place to express my opinion as I like your blog.

Fr Richard Aladics said...

"The common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights - for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture - is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination." John Paul II
Dear Anonymous, please not reinterpret the Gospel as "the Catholic right", as this is wrong to do. Fr Richard

Anonymous said...

I am not reinterpreting the Gospel as the Catholic right, Father. I just feel that credit should be given where it is due. Sorry for giving that impression.

Can we not defend the rights of the unborn at the same time as promoting other human rights? Defend all such rights with "maximum determination"?

I live in Manchester, New Hampshire and belong to a pro-life prayer group. We are going to write to our new President to express our views as such. However, we are far happier with Obama than the alternative offered and his predecessor.

Peace, Justin.

Fr Richard Aladics said...

I hope that your attempts to sway your President has some sucess.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Father. God bless you. Please pray for me and my parish. I'm going to Buffalo NY tomorrow to join some friends praying for President Obama. Peace.