Comments

1
Why the hell would catholic bishops be opposed to the health care plan? Wasn't Jesus all about healing people?
2
@1 Yes. He was also against condemning women more harshly than men.

The Catholic Church may not be as pro-Jesus as they want you to think.
3
@2, I think they replaced Jesus with a googly-eyed sock puppet long ago.
4
Considering the average age of American Nuns, they will most likely just turn off their hearing aids and smile pleasantly when hectored by Sartain.
6
Religion only works if you have a flock of blind followers. Any questioning of the faith must be shut down immediately.
7
Time for a schism.
8
In a September 1940 broadcast, the Vatican called its policy "neutrality," but stated in the same broadcast that where morality was involved, no neutrality was possible.(18) This could only imply that mass murder was not a moral issue.

Yet the sisters' support of the health care overhaul of 2010 is, according to the Vatican.

The Vatican and American Catholic archbishops sure have some disordered attachments about moral issues and politicizing. Lent didn't do them any good at all.
9
That's a good question. Why did the Bishops specifically oppose the health care reform bill?
10
Was there formal opposition to ACA back in 2009/2010? I don't remember. I do remember that various individual bishops opposed it.

I think such opposition would be best understood as part of a broader strategy for securing greater political power through an alliance with the GOP. In essence, the Catholic hierarchy is envious of the clout enjoyed by evangelicals and they want a piece of that action.
11
If you are not going to do what you are told, why be a nun? The pope is their boss. Do what you are told!
12
The current Bishop of Rome exploited his own sister as his unpaid live-in cleaning lady all her grown-up life. So no surprise here, really.
13
9/10 the us council of bishops opposed the healthcare plan, as they did not think it was adequately anti-abortion. It came down to a small group of catholic democrats in the house -- and the nuns gave them good cover to vote for obamacare when they issued their letter.
the bishops were not amused.
14
I for one welcome the return of "Old Time Catholicism" It's time to burn those at the stake who disagree and start up some old fashioned religious wars against other factions of Christianity we don't like. And we can start up another Cursade to save the holy land from the godless arabs.
15
They were cited "for focusing its work too much on poverty and economic injustice, while keeping “silent” on abortion and same-sex marriage." What the hell? This is why the Catholic church will slowly (but surely) die out, unless reform is made. This will make me angry all day.
16
wow, this makes me reconsider my catholicism! love, andrew sullivan & ross douchehat.
17
@3 - And they've been misquoting the sock ever since.
18
@7 Amen!
19
Hm...I don't remember any "radical feminist" nuns when I attended St. Anthony of Padua elementary school.

But I do remember that in 2nd grade, Sister Mary Richardine used to take an apple and twist it in half using her bare hands...just to show us what might happen to wayward boys and girls.

20
I think it's worth noting that this is coming from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which is the modern name of the good ol' "Supreme Sacred Congregation of the Roman and Universal Inquisition" (yes, *that* Inquisition).

21
@20 well that's unexpected.
22
Does this mean that Sartain isn't in Seattle at the moment? Can we bar him reentry?
23
@6 "Heirarchical, dogmatic religion only works if you have a flock of blind followers."

TFTFY

Believe it or not, there are actually denominations where people are encouraged to discuss and explore spiritual teachings. Not all religions are petrified bugs stuck in amber, or hell-bent in rolling back the centuries. In Judaism, I think there's even a directive to discuss (Deut. 6.7?) and grow. Not all Christian denominations are authoritarian or even heirarchical. Every Quaker meeting is autonomous and many don't employ a minister.
24
The catholic church truly has gone round the twist. In Illinois there was this this weekend
http://blogs.ajc.com/jay-bookman-blog/20…
These people need their tax-exempt status revoked!
25
@21: *OF COURSE.* No one expects the Inquisition.
26
@25 Not the Spanish one, anyhow....
27
One of the "church's authentic teachers of faith and morals" is the Bishop of Peoria, who directly compared Obama to Hitler and Stalin in his homily last week.
28
Python aside, it would seam to me that an inquisition is infact what all those motherfuckers on the right are openly attempting to implement on us all. We ARE heritics to them. Remember these are the same people who proudly called our wars of the last decade "crusades".
29
@11:

The Pope may be their boss, but Jeebuz is their husband. And you know what the Bible says about obeying your husband...
30
Radical Feminist thought- ah yes the one about women being people too and having rights of self-determination.
So why haven't all the nuns packed up and left and taken Mary with them? They'd have ALL of Mexico and South America behind them... The church of the Holy Mother, caring for all the world's children and the sick, feeding all of the hungry. It would be perfect, I might even go back to church if it were like that.
31
@11: most nuns hate the pope like he's a stupid, bigoted older brother.

@25: Spanish Inquisitors sent you a letter warning you they were coming, actually. I wish people would stop fucking saying that.

32
And the reasons for not attending Sunday mass continue to pile up in my list. I attended Catholic elementary school. It was managed by CICM nuns. They stood for social justice and helped the poor. Fuck Rome and their dogmatic stance.
33
As a progressive Catholic educated by nuns who ingrained in me the social justice teachings of our faith, I find the hierarchy’s inquisition against women’s empowerment, women’s rights and women who enter the Catholic religious life utterly despicable and, sadly, totally contrary to Christian ethics. The hierarchy is using the excuse of “tradition” and “morality” to preserve power and privilege; indeed, even the most casual observer of The Vatican and its minions would easily assume that the hierarchy’s sole purpose for existence is Darwinian self-preservation.

Control of territory, exclusion, and the exercise of absolute authority are predominantly male traits in nature. Is it surprising, then, that a thoroughly artificial, insular, all-male, celibate hierarchy would act any differently?

“What would Jesus do?” is exemplified by selfless Catholic nuns—teachers, social workers, hospital staff and missionaries—who are actively alleviating the inequalities in our society. They deserve our respect, admiration, support and prayers.

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