"Strange bedfellows" ... or maybe not

"Politics makes strange bedfellows" - Charles Dudley Warner

During Presidential election years much of the news often trends towards the body politic; whether it be the candidates, their stances or their methods used to get their point across. This year has been no different. One of the more striking things, for me, has been the "contraception" issue that has billowed out from the smokestack of the Affordable Care Act or "Obamacare".

Now I realize that as a man I really don't have much say in the argument and I should, and often do, really just fight for the right of women to make that decision for themselves. I believe that those decisions, as well as many other "moral" decisions should be made by individuals based upon their own moral code and not made for them by any institution be it governmental or religious. Yet the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) not only waded into this issue but practically swam into the river of controversy. Personally I can think of at least two occasions where this, and the issue of religious freedom, were the subject of a Sunday homily or a pastoral letter. In any case, the Bishops declared that the new law violated Catholic teachings on contraception and more importantly violated their Right of Religious Freedom. The Republican party jumped "into bed" with the Bishops and began blasting the Democrats and anyone that supported the law right along with them. The Bishops have even launched a "Religious Liberty Prayer Campaign", to continue to press this issue among the laity. Yet the Republicans might want to look out and re-evaluate their "bedfellow".

As recently as Tuesday, the USCCB publicly rebuked the Republican party and their standard bearer, Paul Ryan, with his newly minted budget plan. The USCCB has delivered "recent letters (that) echo bishops' consistent message that federal budget must form 'circle of protection' around 'the least of these'" (USCCB.org/news/2012/12-063.cfm) So the warm and cozy relationship forged between the two entities may be on a little bit of rocky ground.

I state this not to take any "higher ground" or to fire any shots across any bows but instead to point out the complexity that is the Catholic Faith and the even more diverse ideas and attitudes individuals and organizations take to push forward their work of God. The faithful and their leaders aren't as monolithic as some would subscribe them to. There are very few black and white issues and even less absolutes and more and more compromise must be found in an ever diversifying world.

I think it is important to remember that along side the debates that rage from the left and the right and within the Catholic Church itself, that it is still important to remember the "least of these" and to work toward social justice in all aspects of American and Catholic life.

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/18/catholic-bishops-protest-house-budget/

http://maddowblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/20/11305292-paul-ryan-vs-the-bishops

http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/faithful-citizenship/
http://catholicdemocrats.org/