In a video interview with Catholic News Service, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia said that the position of the Democrat Party on abortion has “gotten worse” over time because Catholics within the party haven’t taken a strong moral stand and shown a willingness to abandon the Democrat Party.
“I think many of the Democrats have [taken] Democrat Catholic votes for granted because they’ll go with them no matter what the party position might be on abortion,” Archbishop Chaput said. “That’s why the position of the Democrat Party has gotten worse, and worse, and worse as time goes on because Catholics haven’t abandoned them as they’ve moved in that direction.”
Chaput said that in the earliest days of the abortion debate in the United States, most people probably thought that the Republican Party would’ve “easily embraced abortion,” and that Democrats would have been the political party standing for the defense of life because of the large number of Catholics within the party.
“Catholics have been historically part of the Democrat Party in great numbers, and I think really could’ve stopped that great development movement if they tried, but they didn’t in order to accommodate people from the other side of the issue,” he said.
The Archbishop also said that you can’t always trust the Republican Party to stand for the defense of life either.
“You know you can’t trust the Republicans to be pro-life 20 years from now. You can’t let any party take your vote for granted,” said Chaput.
Archbishop Chaput called on Catholics in the United States to put their Catholic identity ahead of their political party, and even their American citizenship, to stand united with the Church’s moral teaching opposing abortion.
“We’re Catholics before we’re Democrats. We’re Catholics before we’re Republicans. We’re even Catholics before we’re Americans because we know that God has a demand on us prior to any government demand on us,” he said. “And this has been the story of the martyrs through the centuries.”
“[Abortion] is a very serious issue that requires absolute adherence on the part of Catholics,” the Archbishop said, “and if we don’t stand united on this issue we’re bound to failure—not only in the area of protecting unborn human life but in maintaining our religious freedom.”
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Full Transcript of Archbishop Chaput’s Statements:
“I think in the earliest days of the abortion debate in the United States, if people had to guess which party would’ve embraced abortion and which one wouldn’t have, people would’ve thought the Republicans would’ve easily embraced that and the Democrats never would.
“The development of party politics around the issue of abortion is very interesting. What’s especially interesting about it is that Catholics have been historically part of the Democrat Party in great numbers, and I think really could’ve stopped that great development movement if they tried, but they didn’t in order to accommodate people from the other side of the issue.
“It really is a big issue today, and I think what it requires of Catholics is a loyalty to the Church prior to their political Party. We’re Catholics before we’re Democrats. We’re Catholics before we’re Republicans. We’re even Catholics before we’re Americans because we know that God has a demand on us prior to any government demand on us. And this has been the story of the martyrs through the centuries. That doesn’t mean we’re not being good citizens, because being good citizens means giving God his rights prior to the government making its claims upon us. So I think this is a very serious issue that requires absolute adherence on the part of Catholics, and if we don’t stand united on this issue we’re bound to failure—not only in the area of protecting unborn human life but in maintaining our religious freedom.
“You know you can’t trust the Republicans to be pro-life 20 years from now. You can’t let any party take your vote for granted. And that’s unfortunately what’s happened. I think many of the Democrats have [taken] Democrat Catholic votes for granted because they’ll go with them no matter what the Party position might be on abortion. That’s why the position of the Democrat Party has gotten worse, and worse, and worse as time goes on because Catholics haven’t abandoned them as they’ve moved in that direction. So we just have to be insistent on that Catholic identity takes precedence over everything.”
Many Catholics left the Dem Party years ago when they began support for abortion.Those ppl are now Republicans who still don’t support abortion – and GOP has become the party of the anti-abortion Catholics and Christians. The Dems left Catholics behind but many prominent Catholic Dems feel very content w/not only Dem Part platform of abortion;same-sex marriage;etc. but w/not being corrected by their Bishops sufficiently to cause their consciences trouble.
AMEN!!!
Many Catholics have not abandoned the Democrats because many priests tell parishoniers that their Bishops are stupid. Many priests believe in a progressive wing of Catholic Social Teaching that promotes a program over the life of an unborn child. Bishops get your priests ALL OF THEM in line or Laicize them!
I thing because of his very aggressive “pro-choice” stand and his support for abortion, Obama should not win this election. Catholics, if they are true Catholics, should not vote for Obama this coming US elections.
I’m afraid the problem runs a LOT deeper than His Excellency is willing to look.
http://www.churchmilitant.tv/share/watch.php?vidID=roma-2012-02-05
Lust, one of the seven deadly sins, is the sin that starts the chain that leads to contraception and abortion not to mention the lies afterward. 54% +/- were using contraception when they got pregnant according to the Guttmacher Institute. Archbishop Chaput is on target, but misses the bullseye. He sounds like he knows that he does not want to go to hell for sticking up for some other person’s sin. See Ezekiel 33:8-9. Would that all people and not just the Bishops and priest understood that scripture.
“8 If I tell the wicked man that he shall surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked man from his way, he (the wicked man) shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death.
9 But if you warn the wicked man, trying to turn him from his way, and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but you shall save yourself.”
Archbishop Chaput gave all Democrat-voting Catholics an “out” when he added, “You know you can’t trust the Republicans to be pro-life 20 years from now…..” Really? Archbishop, the evil exists in the here and now, and must be stopped in the here and now. 20 years from now abortion will be a non-issue, because our government will have moved on to include even more horrific life issues: euthanasia, forced participation by health professionals, denial of healthcare for certain ages or conditions, destruction of basic religious freedoms, creation of life in ways we can’t even imagine, medical experimentation that makes Josef Mengele look like a saint….a total abandonment of fidelity to the Word of God. So, while he holds the democrat voters’ feet to the fire for a split second, he quickly let’s them off the hook by basically saying,.. “but the Republicans will be the same in 20 years,….so there’s no difference.” HE may not THINK he said that, but democrat voters just saw the crack-in-the-door that lets the devil in, and they will remain silently cooperative to the destruction of life on many levels by the democrat party. Shame on you, Archbishop Chaput, you just blew it!! Next time, take the time to speak to those of us in the trenches. We know what’s really going on. For your penance, say………………
Lack of backbone by Catholic bishops Dolan of NY, O Malley of Boston etc. are the reason.They all have spent Years coddling liberals like Kennedys, Cuomos and Biden etc as well as the Al Smith invite of Obama and Archbishop’s Hickey-McCarrick funeral for Judge Brennan of US Supreme court(Co Author of Roe vs. wade ). They all show a lack of integrity, leadership and action. This is not lost on the Laity. Sad to say Chaput, Olmstead ,Burke and retired bishops like Martino of Scranton PA and Bruskewitz of Neb. are the exception to the rule. Most catholic bishops in Europe, Anglo North America, Australia and NZ. are in tragic terms the 3 blind mice or 3 monkeys of Hear, See and speak no evil of evil like pro abortion- Homosexual polilticians.