Today on Register Radio, we spoke with National Catholic Register correspondent Charlotte Hays, who covered the Republican National Convention, and Michelle Bauman, who covered both the Republican and Democratic National Convention as Washington, D.C. correspondent for Catholic News Agency/EWTN.
Both writers spoke about the Catholic presence at the conventions.
"The Republican convention had a sunny, upbeat tone," described Hays. She said that the two most visible Catholics at the convention were Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan. "Ryan is really interesting for Catholics because he has based his economic proposals on Catholic social thought. I did an interview with him previously in which Ryan said there's no monopoly on Catholic social teaching. If he becomes Vice President, he'll make policy decisions with Catholic social thought in mind."
Hays said that she was most surprised by actor Clint Eastwood's speech at the Republican convention.
She noted that no significant changes were made to the Republican party platform.
"It's now the party of life and marriage," said Hays. "Having a pro-life plank in the Republican party platform says something important about the party standing up for the most vulnerable."
Asked about the so-called "war on women," Hays described it as "rhetoric trumped up...after women didn't turn out during the last mid-term election. The Democratic party has lined up the most pro-abortion speakers imaginable."
Hays pointed out that at one point during the HHS contraceptive mandate fight, Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said, 'We're all Catholics now."
"I'm guardedly optimistic," said Hays about November's election. "From a Catholic point of view, I want the pro-life party, and the party that upholds the founders of this government, to win."
Democratic National Convention
During the second half of the program, Michelle Baumann compared the two conventions.
"There's been a lot of energy and enthusiasm, as well as a sense of frustration," said Bauman. "People are upset with our nation's economic problems. In Tampa, the focus was on the economy. Here at the Democratic convention there's been more emphasis on contraception and greater access to abortion."
Asked about any noticeable Catholic presence, Bauman pointed out that Sister Simone Campbell gave a speech.
"She heads up the social justice lobby network and voiced her support for the new health care law and how it aligns with her pro-life views," explained Bauman. "They say that the law extends healthcare to more individuals, but they don't note that it allows for increased funding for taxpayer-funding of abortion and requires employers to provide abortion-inducing drugs for their employees."
Bauman noted that not only does the Democratic party platform support abortion, but that also for the first time, a party has endorsed the redefinition of marriage.
Finally, Bauman was asked about the Democratic party's efforts to remove a reference to God in the party platform. Bauman explained that the party had removed the reference and then voted three times whether to reinsert the language into the platform. She explained that while it wasn't clear if the delegates reached a 2/3 vote majority, the chairman declared that a majority vote had been reached and the language was reinserted.
Asked about her expectations for the November election, Bauman said it was too early to say.
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I’m trying to not become more depressed by watching the Dem. convention, but I did hear a few mins. of Mrs. Biden’s speech last night where she mentioned VP Biden’s “deep, Catholic faith.” Say what??
Sister Simone Campbell, basically, gave “Catholics” the “go-ahead” to vote for an abortion platform. She vilified Paul Ryan and made it sound as though she was speaking on behalf of the Catholic Bishops - the Catholic Church - in that anyone who voted Romney/Ryan would be going against everything the Church stood for. She set herself up as an alternative Magisterium.
Perception is key. After a public forum of such magnitude, there is no way anyone can try to put what she said in proper perspective to the millions who heard her - or will watch her talk on YouTube. The damage has been done. And, she and the LCWR, were able to accomplish exactly what they were hoping to do. This is the beginning of a “new day” for them.
They have been “canonized” by a great majority of Catholics, many of whom are also focused on the material aspects of the American Dream as opposed to what really counts. But it’s not over yet.
I saw a quick segment of the DNC where a speaker was applauding the fact that women’s reproductive rights (ie. abortion rights) were going to be upheld, supported, and furthered by this administration and the Democratic platform. The delegates were going crazy with excitement.
It was so sad! I was sad for those who applaud the right to destroy innocent, human life in the act of abortion.
What have we become? Does our nation really think that we will continue to receive God’s blessings on our country and families?
Heaven help us! Please!
Help us to build a civilization of love.
For the life of me, I cannot understand how Romney/Ryan’s plan of strenghtening the economy and creating jobs so people can get out of welfare and into a job and financial stability be against Catholic Social teachings? At least this is what the Bishop’s message seems to be as they attach Ryan and his budget plan. This matter greatly confuses me since on one side they hail the digninty of the human person and the value of work, but then when a candidate has a plan to do just that then this is seen as evil? Is it because traditionally Catholics have been Democrats and the Bishops just refuse to give credit to Republican candidate for the desire to help people out of poverty? I need a clear answer to this question. Are the Bishops wanting to support a government that promotes more welfare, knowing that a large welfare state does not help anyone, or are they just wanting to tag onto the goverment (care of the poor and needy) what the Church herself should be doing and knows to do best? Isn’t is it better to let govermnet spin their wheels and spend their money creating an economic enviromnet where the people can thrive,jobs can flourish and people can be self sufficient, rather than drown in a system of socialism that the Obama admisnistration is clearly working towards? Add onto that the Democrats platform of anti-life, anti-marriage, and anti-freedom, and the choice should be clear to all Catholics who the party is that can strenghten this nation again and bring dignity to all.
What nobody seems to want to bring up about these two conventions was that there were “scripted” that is they used a Teleprompter to talk the whole time and the Ron Paul delegates were cheated out a chance to have their votes counted. Or is that not important to you because Mitt bought and paid for the nomination from the GOP Party which went against there own rules by changing them at the last minute for future conventions. And this is okay with you folks at the Register. First you threw Ron Paul under the bus than last week you threw poor Fr Benedict under the bus as well. At both conventions, the wishes of delegates was not respected. Romney was quoted just today as saying that there are parts of Obamacare that he favors- well Hello like his own Romneycare as the former Governor?
Father Benedict threw himself under the bus by inferring that victims of sex abuse (children) sometimes bring it upon themselves. Maybe Father Benedict needs to spend the day with a CPS Worker ( child protective services).
In defence of Father Benedict, he is old and you can tell his mind is not that clear. Maybe he was spotting the psychology of the 70’s and didn’t realize it. He has given a lot to the church and it’s a shame how it has ended but then again like many of the saints, those whom God loves the most, sometimes get given a heavy cross and are abandoned. I blame National Catholic Register for printing the interview and not reviewing it.
Bottom line is that our bishops do not speak in a clear, consistent voice. The area that bugs me the most is the liberal bias of the Catholic News Agency that produces those syndicated pieces that appear in the diocesan newspapers. Add to those the articles that blur election issues of candidates with generalities over social justice. Intrinsic evils of abortion, gay marriage, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, etc are not given the priority they should so as, as one commentator here wrote, they have equal weight as undefined homelessness. That gives Catholics who have more loyalty to party than Christ’s church the excuse they need to vote indirectly for abortion, etc.
Our pastors and bishops do not speak forcefully, for th e most part, from the pulpit. Homilies rarely if ever address life issues and are forgotten before one even leaves the church.
I don’t want to criticize priests or bishops because it is displeasing to God, but as a group they would be advised to speak the truth in love. The rest of us need to pray for them much more, encourage those who do speak the truth, and let CNA and urge th elocal bishop who happens to be the publisher of his diocesan newspaper to get editors who are more ardently pro life.
In regard to Sr. Simone and her followers, Not that the ‘nuns on the bus’ have moved to the ‘nuns on the ferry’ isn’t about time for someone to tell them to hust “HIT THE ROAD!”
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