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Vatican: Obama More Cautious Than Expected
By Michelle Boorstein
Progressive Catholic activists have really stepped up their game in the last couple years, putting more attention, money and organizational oomph into advancing the notion that they represent Catholicism as much or more than conservative Catholics, who have had the advantage in Washington for eight years. Everything from Pope Benedict's visit to the United States last year to President Obama's campaign and election (and presidency) have become fodder in this battle over who is more in line with Catholicism, its clergy and its members.
And it looks like the progressives have some new fodder -- from the Vatican.
Yesterday the Vatican's newspaper did its own "first 100 days" story about Obama and concluded that the president has been more cautious than some conservative Catholics expected, including on hot-button issues like stem-cell research. The story in L'Osservatore Romana is entitled "The 100 days that did not shake the world" and says the new president "does not seem to have confirmed the radical innovations that he had discussed."
And then in last night's speech, Obama offered what may be another olive branch to conservative Catholics (and religious conservatives in general) by saying in his press conference that the Freedom of Choice Act - which prohibits government from interfering with women's legal right to terminate pregnancy - is "not my highest legislative priority." This is more of a symbolic statement, since even reproductive rights advocates have been saying for months that they doubted the measure would appear any time soon. However, Obama did say in 2007 that if he was president that signing the measure - which he co-sponsored as an Illinois legislator - would be his very first move.
Would love to hear more from Catholic progressives (regular folks, no activists please!) on this. Does his approach represent your views? Are there people who feel he is compromising too much?
By
Michelle Boorstein
|
April 30, 2009; 10:10 AM ET
| Category:
God in Government
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Posted by: ahaag1 | May 1, 2009 6:20 PM
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The heart of the matter for conservative Catholics is their virulent opposition to all abortions; this is their moral priority and they pursue it at any and all costs to all other moral considerations in the public sphere. They reject any moral compromise on abortion comparing abortion to slavery and the Holocaust. As a Catholic, I oppose abortion, BUT I do not see criminalizing abortion as the answer. Rather, I see those of us who oppose abortion must win the hearts and minds of those who are pro-choice. To do this, abortion opponents must broaden their protest to include 'seamless garment theory' courageously offered by the late and saintly Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of Chicago. Those opposed to abortion must take to the barricades and show a similar outrage against all forms of damage to the dignity and sanctity of life with torture, capital punishment, unjust wars, homelessness, poverty, gangs, 2 million in US prisons, 50% + minority student drop-out, etc. The Church will not win the hearts and minds of others by just attacking pro-choice public officials. It might feel good as a catharsis but it will not change anything. And, left with this all or nothing approach, the Church is left with losing candidates who stridently turn a deaf hear to unjust wars, torture, poverty, etc.
EVERY human life is important; one human being is not worth less than a million. All our precious is God's sight. To convince the moderates and the liberals, the Church must recognize the battleground is not just abortion but includes Bernadin's seamless garment.
Peter Michael
Posted by: PeterMichael | May 1, 2009 11:13 AM
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I was grateful for the president's answer to the Freedom of Choice question. Pro-choice does not have to mean pro-abortion, and pro-life has obviously not been the seamless garment for most adherents with whom I come into contact. In my view, President Obama is trying hard to be a responsible leader of a pluralistic society. It is that society which must learn to live in harmony while also not only tolerating but embracing dissonance.