Yay for Fr. Kemberling!  This Colorado girl wants to say thank you for posting this Matt!!

The above is an example of putting the Church at the service of the Republican Party by selective quotation.

A fuller quote from the Catechism of the Catholic Church 2423 - 2435

The Church’s social teaching proposes principles for reflection; it provides criteria for judgment; it gives guidelines for action:

A system that “subordinates the basic rights of individuals and of groups to the collective organization of production” is contrary to human dignity. Every practice that reduces persons to nothing more than a means of profit enslaves man, leads to idolizing money, and contributes to the spread of atheism. “You cannot serve God and mammon.”

In many respects, democratic socialism was and is close to Catholic social doctrine and has in any case made a remarkable contribution to the formation of a social consciousness. Pope Benedict in a long essay entitled “Europe and its Discontents”
http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/04/europe-and-its-discontents—-50

I’ll stick with the social doctrine of the Church as expressed by the Popes and bishops rather than a cheerleading priest (court prophet?) who filters the teaching of the Church according to Republican Party values rather than the other way round.

Fr Kemberling invokes eternal truths that cannot belong to any political party but ought to be recognised by all political parties.

On one side we’ve mammon, on the other, Caesar, and neither they nor Christ want to share the human heart.

It was good except for one thing, we’re NOT a democracy, we’re a Catholic inspired republic.  The difference between a democracy and a republic is Catholicism.  In a Catholic christian republic, which we are hare in the U.S., life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are mandated by law as God commanded.  In a democracy, life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, must be voted on by a majority of “men”.  A “man made” democracy is never going to uphold the love God has for His children in His republic.

The concept of freedom can only be experienced in two places, the Catholic Church and a united republic inspired by God.

Thank you Tom, my son likes to remind me all the time that we are a republic not a democracy…somehow when we get carried away with our emotions, I think we get confused. Very well said.

Joe U is right. The Church should be wary of becoming too tightly associated with a political party. Many young people are leaving the Church (and other Christian denominations) because they see it as a political organization, not a spiritual one. This has caused the Church all sorts of problems in Europe and Latin America.
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We all know the failings of the Democrats, but becoming Republicans is not the answer. They have problems of their own, which are frequently ignored by the Catholic Culture Warriors.

Thanks Laura C, feel free to share it on Facebook.  Most people rarely understand these concepts and that’s why we’re in so much trouble today.

AWESOME!!!! Thank you Heavenly Father for priests with spines! Let’s stop the pussy footing around and call a spade a spade!

@JoeU:http://www.firstthings.com/article/2008/04/europe-and-its-discontents—-50…........I have read this and it seems the article & the Pope was relating to the Church and Christian Community, not to government/socialism. After all, we have believers and unbelievers in the world and the Bible is speaking to the community of believers.  The State has to stay out of religion, for once they control it we have a socialistic government, with a leader who is more of a dictator, who will end up controlling every aspect of our lives.
THIS IS HOW I READ IT…..WILL SOMEONE ELSE ON THIS BLOG READ IT ALSO & GIVE AN OPINION. (P.S. I am not yelling with the caps, I don’t know how to underline on Firefox)

I sure wish the Canadian Bishops would speak with one voice!  They don’t seem to understand that what happens in the good ole U.S.A. eventually gets here.  Why not take the offensive?

The ones here didn’t even acknowledge Humanae Vitae.  Instead, they sent out the nefarious Winnipeg statement.  Oh when will they ever learn?
Paul of Kingston Diocese

@ Joe U:  If we are going to laud socialism as an ideal Christian economic system, let’s not forget the Church teaching that the principle of subsidiarity must weigh it down.  When we see socialist nations in the world today (think Europe), they tend to look a little like “Communism Lite” (Look up Fulton Sheen if you want some quotes about why the Catholic Church thinks Communism is a bad idea):  Religion is eradicated and declined any voice in the public arena, individual freedoms (such as freedom of speech, educational freedom) are limited and controlled by the state, and moral relativity rules.  Socialism as a national economy puts way too much power in the hands of the leaders of the state, and declines religion any voice in giving moral guidance. 

Perhaps if we all lived in small, rural communities with solid moral values, on a local level socialism could feasibly be a decent economy (at a small local level, Communism might actually work out all right).  But everything is global today, we are top-heavy in power, and ultimately that is the real problem, not which economic system we have.  Well, that and the fact that we have been slowly and systematically stripped of our religious freedom and moral guidance over the past fifty years.  I for one am glad that I live in a country where priests are still invited to give their voice of guidance in the political arena.  I hope I never see the day (and I fear that it is on the horizon if we do not make some changes fast) when that is no longer the case.

Well said, Marie.

In my mind, God isn’t political but, “Lord, please let the rich spend their money on the poor so I don’t have to,” strikes me as a lousy prayer.

Bravo Fr. Kemberling! Wish we had you at our parish. We need Priests and Bishops to stand up and speak up for Religious Liberty in the USA before they can’t speak at all. Obama and the Democrats are well on their way for total government control. It’s time to wake up.

“Hideous”, “destructive”, “wicked”, and “perverted” are only some of the adjectives used by the Popes to describe socialism.  From Pius IX to Benedict XVI, the popes have thoroughly and consistently condemned socialism.

Pope Leo XIII said:

“They [socialists, communists, or nihilists] debase the natural union of man and woman, which is held sacred even among barbarous peoples; and its bond, by which the family is chiefly held together, they weaken, or even deliver up to lust.
(Encyclical Quod Apostolici Muneris, December 28, 1878, n. 1)

Here’s what Pope Benedict XVI said:

“The State which would provide everything, absorbing everything into itself, would ultimately become a mere bureaucracy incapable of guaranteeing the very thing which the suffering person - every person - needs: namely, loving personal concern. We do not need a State which regulates and controls everything, but a State which, in accordance with the principle of subsidiarity, generously acknowledges and supports initiatives arising from the different social forces and combines spontaneity with closeness to those in need. … In the end, the claim that just social structures would make works of charity superfluous masks a materialist conception of man: the mistaken notion that man can live ‘by bread alone’ (Mt 4:4; cf. Dt 8:3) - a conviction that demeans man and ultimately disregards all that is specifically human.” (Encyclical Deus Caritas Est, December 25, 2005, n. 28)

(from What the Popes Really Say About Socialism at:  http://www.tfpstudentaction.org)

Amen Amen….......

Bless Fr. Kemberling..a real Patriot and a solider in Gods Army.

I was always told that the Church wasn’t political but found out that is a lie.  The USCCB is a political organization and every state has a paid lobbyist to lobby for the Church interests.  I’ve watched the USCCB push the DREAM Act, the START Treaty, and then remain silent on the repeal of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell. They even begged for universal healthcare with ‘abotion neutral’ language.  What I’ve learned the past four years is the parish usually remains silent and tries to look holy while behind the scenes the USCCB lobby’s for money.  Catholic Charities, universities, hospitals and nursing homes all get billions in gov’t money.  The Bishops are politicians and businessmen.  Just look what they’ve done about the raping of children.  I believe Cardinal Law retired in Rome and was on the council to recommend other bishops.  UGH!  I’m glad they’re finally screaming about religious freedom now they’re threatened but they haven’t used it for the past 50 years because the tax exempt status and their gov’t money has kept them silent.  When you play with the devil you usually get burned. Taking billions in gov’t money violates their principle of subsidiarity.  I’ve seen them violate their pro life principles also for their tax exempt status but they’ll break the law for illegal immigrants!

I don’t seem to recall Father saying “Vote Republican” at any specific point.  He denounced socialism, as have the popes and, frankly, many more wise (even non-Catholic and non-Republican) people.  If that co-incides with a Republican stance, that’s because the Republicans have chosen wisely in that instance, NOT because the Church supports the Republican party.  Support for private property does not necessarily equate to support for unbridled capitalism, and condemnation of socialism does not equate to heartless disregard to the poor.  I fear there is too much short hand thinking on display here.

Speaking soley for myself - Dearest Father Kemberling, I am so proud of you!  Thank you so very, very much for taking this stand!

Frankly, with respect to Joe U’s and lori’s concerns about a priest speaking at a political party’s meeting, I don’t see a problem if he frames it up as Father Kemberling did—it’s not about D vs R, it’s about the much broader view of what’s inherently right vs wrong.  I would expect to see similar concerns being raised if he had spoken at the other party’s gathering—it’s just not likely that he would have been invited.

Bottom line: we need to be making our voices heard, and not just among our close friends who share our belief system, and Fr. Kemberling is doing that.  The rest of us need to stand up and be counted as well. The priests can set an example, but it’s up to each and every member of the Holy Church to do their part in educating the public about these matters.  Reminds me of the quote,“When all is said and done, usually more is said than done”—Anonymous.

The crux of socialism (or its specific implementations in such movements as communism and fascism) is its explicit denial of the value of individual human beings. We would all be interchangeable cogs in the great wheel of the state.

This is manifest in the way rational humanist communist governments (and I emphatically include Russia) treat marriage: a merely administrative arrangement for efficiency purposes, dissolvable at the whim of either party for any reason, or no reason, at any time. If the state can render impotent the ties that bind us together, we are just one step closer to being an anthill and not a society. There is no doubt in my mind this is what O wants. He fears and does not understand loyalty to family and God over loyalty to the government (embodied, of course, in him).

And, yes, you can quibble over the distinction between a republic and a democracy. The structure of our government is (nominally) a republic, a structure put in place by the founders to avoid the tyranny of the majority. A republic is also much less efficient than a democracy, thank God. But the Constitution begins with the words, “We the people of the United States…,” a most democratic idea.

The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg has gone on record disparaging the Constitution she has sworn to uphold and defend. The Constitution is not perfect, but as far as I know man has never constructed anything that is.

The US Bishops have been slapped in the face by the O government after supporting the health care bill. They have learned that when you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas. A bit belatedly, they have come together to promise non-compliance with the portions of the law that insult religious freedom. Not all Bishops are on board, I’m sure, but mine certainly is. When the jack-booted thugs come to take him away, they will have to move my not-insubstantial butt out of the way to get to him.

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