WASHINGTON — Republican vice-presidential nominee Rep. Paul Ryan has made a special video message for Catholic voters pledging that religious-liberty protections will be a “cornerstone” of a Romney-Ryan administration.
“We need a president who will support our God-given rights, not try to circumvent them,” he said in an Oct. 2 video posted to the Romney campaign website.
The video comes after nine months of controversy over the Department of Health and Human Services' mandate requiring most large employers, including many Catholic institutions, to provide employees free insurance coverage of sterilization and contraception, including some abortion-causing drugs.
The mandate’s narrow religious exemption applies to employers who primarily employ or serve their co-religionists and would not cover Catholic charities, universities and health systems that employ and serve the general public.
Non-exempt organizations must either comply, drop insurance coverage and face other fines, or face non-compliance fines of $100 per employee per day.
Ryan said religious liberty is “our first freedom,” and there is no guarantee “more precious” than the right to free exercise of religion.
He said Catholics see faith as “more than an individual right.” Rather, faith is “a vital part of our community.”
“We celebrate the unique role our Church plays in caring for Americans of all faiths, or of no faith at all. Catholic charities and hospitals offer services that hold our society together,” he said.
Ryan charged that President Barack Obama has “attacked these indispensible institutions since virtually the moment he took office.”
He encouraged Catholics to join the Romney campaign.
“Together, we will ensure that our faith and our traditions are protected for our children and for generations to come,” he said.
Ryan is only the second Catholic the Republican Party has nominated as its vice-presidential candidate. President Obama’s running mate, Vice President Joe Biden, is also Catholic.
The Obama campaign has its own Catholic outreach efforts. The "Catholics for Obama" group focuses on economic security and foreign-policy issues.
Unlike its online statements in the 2008 campaign, the 2012 Catholics for Obama website does not attempt to portray the president, who supports legal abortion, as a pro-life choice.
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Joe Biden is not a “Catholic” Same goes to Nancy Pelosi and the late Ted Kennedy.
In his debate, Romney should have dealt with the issue of religious liberty with more specificity. He has an opportunity to do so in the next round. He needs to tie this issue to the HHS mandate, very explicitly, plus mention the danger that it is not long before there will be a mandate similarly to fund surgical abortion, not just abortifacients. There is an opportunity here to educate tens of millions of people on this issue; most people have no idea about its gravity. Romney and Ryan need to emphasize that this is *not* solely a Catholic issue, by any stretch. It has much broader implications that have to do with the emergence of a statist secularism that has all the dangers de Tocqueville foresaw. There is a constitutional law and philosophical point here that needs to be made that is easily lost in wonkish interactions about economic policy.
I think that Mr. Ryan has a great message and that we should all fight for our Religious-Freedom. We should make this our number one ideal and give everything for this effort.
We know that Mr. Rommey and Mr. Ryan are willing to make it the cornerstone to get the Catholic Vote and we know they are going to stop abortion while they are in office. This is great hope if they are win.
I know this will happen because I have never had a president lie to me. Then again I have only been around for 10 of them. An all have been honest men who never sinned. Oh, all but Obama. Which makes it 90%, which I guess is good.
I guess I just have a problem. Well many problems, one of which is that a party can define weather I am good Catholic. I think that is between God, Me and the Church is it not.
I feel that we are looking at one hand while the other is getting ready to cut the rope we are hanging on. But we all are voting on who gets to cut the rope.
I think we have a great system in this country. I don’t like a lot of the Democratic Party views but I don’t like a lot of the Republican Party views either. What is a Catholic to do, vote Republican and have a government that promises the moon and takes everything from 99% and gives it to the 1% or vote for Democratic who you know are to going screw you but maybe you can take care of the children you have.
Governor Mitt Rommey addressing the Republican National Convention stated, “I’ll respect the sanctity of life. I’ll honor the institution of marriage. And I will guarantee America’s first liberty, the freedom of religion.” He has repeated those sentiments in other speeches and addresses.
Terry Moody that’s really funny considering that when Mitt Romney was running for governor of Massachusheetts, one of his campaign promises was that as governor he would uphold the law which guarantees women the right to choose.
CeCi are you insinuating that if Romney is elected president that he would be on equal terms with President Obama, who has Planned Parenthood and NARAL in his hip pocket, regarding life issues?
I WOULD BE TREMENDOUSLY SURPRISED IF THE PARISH PASTORS EVER GET UP IN THE PULPIT AND DEMAND - YES DEMAND - THAT GOOD CATHOLICS ARE NOT WHAT THEY THINK THEY ARE UNLESS THEY DEFEND FREEDOM OF RELIGIOUS PRACTICE FOR EVERY RELIGION AND TAKE A STAND ON THIS ISSUE WITH THEIR DEMOCRATIC LEGISLATORS AT ALL LEVELS OF GOVERNMENT!
The Obama team cleverly repeats the false mantra that this whole issue is a Catholic thing and obviously huge numbers of Americans [including Catholics] listen to the mantra as if it has merit. These folks will vote for the president if he claims the moon has re-converted to cheese.
What we can only hope and pray for is that Catholics and other serious Christians will join together and draw some red lines in the sand.
Otherwise, you better hide some coins in the attic because whatever you have on November 6th will rapidly be taken on the 7th bu the man who will have another epiphany in declaring himself a full blown socialist who will deal with the Catholics as they need to be dealt with!
Nice try Catholic democrats-the GOP cannot stop the killing of the innocents because your party has too many Representatives, Senators and judges who block any pro-life legislation that can be done. Your party’s Presidents would not be allowed to appoint a judge at any level unless he or she advocated killing of the innocents. Your party’s Greek-economic policies are about to make us all equal-all of us will be poor and hungry. Then who will be able to feed their children? But you keep voting for pro-killing politicians because they favor your pet social programs. How much do you get from your pet social program? I hope it is more than 30 pieces of silver.
@Jack Patrick:- Yes Jack I am insinuating that Mitt Romney would be on equal terms with President Obama regarding abortion. Yes President Obama is pro-choice but at least he’s honest about it. Roe vs. Wade has been law since January, 1973 when Richard Nixon (Republican) was president. President Nixon never made a peep to the Supreme Court regarding Roe vs. Wade. Neither did President Gerald Ford (Republican), nor President George Bush Senior, nor President George Bush Junior. These presidents stated the same thing that people on this board flame Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and other Catholic politicians have stated since time in memorial. They are personally opposed to abortion but will never deny a woman the right to choose. Roe vs Wade unfortunately is the law of the land and only the Supreme Court can overturn it. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are lying through their teeth if they are promising Catholics and Evangelical Christians that they will overturn Roe vs. Wade. You folks need to do your homework.
The key voting issue is life. If you do not have the right to live (from conception to natural death), ALL other programs are useless and meaningless. We must choose the lesser evil (this is evident) and keep in mind that Romney has chosen a pro-life running mate and a true Catholic.
Many Catholics are under the false notion that it’s the Dems who take care of the poor. The conservatives are the ones who give the lion’s share to charity - check it. The Dems talk the walk, but they do not walk it….meanwhile they are stripping the right to life and liberty from everyone….starting with our most innocent.
There are certain issues that are non-negotiables. The president is on the wrong side of all of these issues. Romney is not the perfect candidate but the alternative is not acceptable. A Catholic homeschooling mom of 7 made this short viral video that shows some election issues are more important than others. It got over 2 million views in the Spring and I urge you to watch it and send it to others. We will only have one chance to vote to change the future of our country.
Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiG9NMkPhus&feature=relmfu
Dear Vice-President-to-be Paul Ryan,
Thank you for being faithful enough to God to help next-president Mitt Romney lead our country, provided that we citizens work together to get you elected. I picked this quote from the above article – ““Catholics for Obama” group focuses on economic security and foreign-policy issues”—because it most directly emphasizes the crucial importance of this most thought provoking portion of Psalm 127, verse 1:
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“the builders (some politicians we HIRE as on this Nov. 6 will) labor in vain.” That is, they will FAIL and WE SUFFER for too casually voting for them. The whole first sentence of “127:1” is: “Unless the Lord builds the house (society with its many human-groups, from family onward), the builders labor in vain.”
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So, Psalm 127:1 is first a STERN WARNING from God *down the Ages* (God knows the timeline) and then also an implied MESSAGE for SUCCESS for America (and others) if only we heed it. I checked to confirm the good news for the complete first sentence of Psalm 127: all three faiths—Protestantism, Catholicism and Mormonism—agree on its interpretation that in building society we must accept God as Master Builder if the human co-builders mentioned above are to be successful. That means if we work together across those three faiths, WE CAN WIN IN NOVEMBER!
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So-unnecessarily and so-sadly, “Catholics for Obama” reject God as Master Builder in one or more ways, re non-negotiables. Pray that they come to see the Light of Truth. The message in that thought provoking portion above is that while “Catholics for Obama” may focus on difficult and complex matters “rationally”, they will only help bring fellow Americans to a period of misery-and-failure, badly hurting our kids and grands!—as God informs them and us via Psalm 127:1.
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However, let’s not make the mistake of demonizing President Obama himself for he has been exposed to confusing backgrounds. Rather, let him (a claimed Christian) and “Catholics for Obama” squarely face Psalm 127:1 which (not us) accuses them of opposing God, THE Master Builder
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In Thursday’s vice-president candidates’ debate, let claimed Catholic Sen. Joseph Biden face up to Psalm 127:1.
Another sham sure it will be hard to reverse roe/wade but dont forget obama erased life protection at erery turn these yrs and before him we had a number of protections that obama dumped. Now we can forsee a lot of restoration of those protections ala Mexico City policy. Some responses here are obama supporters clearly!
Psalm 127:1 noted above (Oct. 9, 4:17 PM) is far-ranging in application and power to change situations from harmful, to good. And God is good on His word. Hence during this Thursday’s debate, Veep-candidate Joe Biden needs to be publicly challenged on former self-identified Christian President Clinton’s faulty brag at the DNC Convention that “no other president could have done better with the economy, given what Obama inherited”.
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Clinton’s vanity-based conclusion simply shows he knows nil about God’s Success-Message in Psalm 127:1 and nil about another biblical message “Taste and see the Goodness of the Lord” which is the sweet fruit from societal success when Psalm 127:1 is heeded.
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Indeed Psalm 127:1 is key to achieving economic growth (in parallel with lower rates, more limited deductions and broadened base), aided also by God via new flows of innovative ideas that create jobs and heighten confidence in risk-takers, all of which aids the more God-respecting Romney Plan. Current Democrat leaders are in an inferior position because their embarrassingly reworked Platform and constant pursuit of offensive acts gravely, ongoingly, boldly *insult* God and human dignity. On those grounds alone, it is really dumb to trust them in 2012.
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Taking Democrats as wise designers of complex economic and healthcare solutions is national suicide, for doing such is to reject Psalm 127:1 thus to terribly risk our children’s and grands’ futures. Given that Romney and his economists understand that growth is needed, even more does God know that. But God requires that “enough” begin to turn back to Him. So let’s all make known that requirement these next 28 days!
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Self-identified Christian Barack H. Obama, who does not even show Empathy with his own professed savior (!) Jesus Christ who must watch *Obama-Facilitated* daily child-killing abortions, likely—for practical reasons—fears the obvious verdict on him of Psalm 127:1. But the only way millions of Americans will encounter Psalm 127:1 and its fruits IN TIME FOR NOVEMBER 6 is if it is brought into the debates. The very next chance is this Thursday, October 11. On November 6 let us not be regretting we neglected Psalm 127:1 in Thursday’s and later debates.
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In dishonoring God big-time for almost four years, President Obama received little divine help. However, sufficient help can indeed come to leaders who respect God to much higher degree, such as the Romney-Ryan Team.
Paul Ryan is a man of his word. Check out his pro-life record on votesmart.org. The National Right-To-Life Committe rated Mr. Ryan’s conressional record as 100% pro-life.
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