URGENT ACTION NEEDED: Defend Marriage

By now you have probably heard that the Obama administration just declared they will no longer defend the constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) that defines marriage as the union between a man and a woman. We pause briefly from our campaign to block the Archdiocese of Boston’s terrible Catholic schools admission policy to tell you what to do on the marriage issue.

This is a constitutional crisis.  The citizens of this country have a right to have a law passed by their duly elected representatives defended.  Obama and his administration are violating his oath of office to defend the laws and constitution of the U.S.

People like Fr. Bryan Hehir, have directly or indirectly contributed to this situation.  As you know, he continues to back the the so-called “Catholic” Campaign for Human Development, which funded ACORN–who in turn did community organizing that helped get Obama elected in the first place, and who also funded groups that backed abortion and gay rights.  The Bryan Hehir trail on his support for liberal Democratic causes that helped get us here is too long to go into again right now.

The USCCB came out with a statement yesterday:

The U.S. bishops’ Office of General Counsel said the Obama administration’s decision to no longer support the Defense of Marriage Act in legal challenges ahead “represents an abdication” of its “constitutional obligation to ensure that laws of the United States are faithfully executed.”

“Marriage has been understood for millennia and across cultures as the union of one man and one woman,” the office said in a statement issued Feb. 23 after President Barack Obama instructed the Justice Department to stop defending the federal law passed by Congress and signed into law in 1996 by President Bill Clinton.

A few weeks ago, the Massachusetts Bishops and Mass Catholic Conference did file what sounds to us like a feeble, uncompelling amicus brief in opposition to the federal court ruling that said DOMA was unconstitutional.  But they have not yet issued a statement on this latest issue–probably because Fr. Hehir has oversight for them, and doesn’t care about this issue.

So far, the National Organization for Marriage is the best place we have found for resources on how to take action. Here is their email alert, with a link on how to take action.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 

Dear Marriage Supporters,

This may be the most important email I’ve ever sent to you. Please read, take action and forward this message to at least 5 friends immediately.

The Obama administration has just announced that they will no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in court. In a statement released this morning, Attorney General Eric Holder explained that President Obama has decided that the definition of marriage contained in DOMA is unconstitutional, and has ordered that the Department of Justice should abdicate its constitutional duty and no longer defend DOMA against constitutional challenges.

This is it. The whole ball game. If we back down here, it will be all over.

It’s a constitutional outrage. Why do we even have courts if the President himself gets to decide which laws are constitutional?

But it’s not too late. Attorney General Holder admitted that Congress now has the ability to step in and defend DOMA. And that’s why we need your help.

Congress has the authority to independently defend the laws which it has passed. And we fully expect that Congress will intervene to defend DOMA in federal court – especially now that the Department of Justice has formally announced that it will no longer do so.

Email your congressman today! Tell them that you expect them to fully support Congressional action to intervene in the DOMA litigation to protect marriage and the Defense of Marriage Act.

It’s outrageous that President Obama would make himself the sole arbiter of whether DOMA is constitutional – our laws deserve a full and fair defense. If the Obama administration refuses to do so, it’s time for Congress to act today!

And don’t forget – Please forward this message to at least 5 friends right away. We need to take action immediately. Don’t let Congress off the hook – ask your friends to join you in demanding Congress to take action today!

Faithfully,

Brian S. Brown,
President
National Organization for Marriage

Click on the following link to Email your congressman. Do take action today, and please send the message from the National Organization for Marriage on to others.

Read Full Post »

Catholics Ask Holy See to Intervene in Boston Archdiocese

Catholics who oppose the Archdiocese of Boston’s ill-conceived policy to admit the children of gay and lesbian parents to Catholic schools and who are FED UP with the leadership of the archdiocese can now voice their opinion directly to the Holy See–and ask them to intervene and rescind the policy. Just click the FedUp button to the right.

As you may already know from our previous posts and mainstream media news reports, Boston’s Cardinal Sean O’Malley pandered to people pushing the gay agenda on Catholic schools by approving a policy that directs pastors they cannot discriminate against children of gay parents in school admissions.  So, if two gay parents want to place their child in a Catholic school, the policy says the pastor is not to refuse the child admission.

Never mind that the young child who depends on their gay/lesbian parents for sustenance might be harmed by hearing their teacher say their parents’ lifestyle is considered disordered and immoral. Never mind that the Church would be giving some implicit or explicit seal of approval on the gay relationship of the parents.  Never mind the rights of faithful Catholic parents to protect the innocence of their own children’s minds at a young age. Never mind that the Boston Archdiocese misappropriated a quote from the Holy Father saying on a financial basis all children should be able to access Catholic education, and instead used it to deceive people into thinking the Holy Father condoned this policy.

Gay “Catholic” organizations like DignityUSA praised the archdiocese and Catholics for Marriage Equality said they “hope dioceses around the country will adopt Boston’s guidelines.” So, like “gay marriage” that originated in Massachusetts, this disaster too could sweep across the country quickly if faithful Catholics do not act quickly.

Here is a letter that you can easily send with the click of a button to the Holy See:

I am writing to ask that the Holy See immediately intervene in the Archdiocese of Boston to stop implementation of a policy directing Catholic schools to admit children of homosexual parents.

This policy should be rescinded for the following reasons:

1. The partnership needed between the Catholic school and parents is not possible when parents live a lifestyle openly opposed to Church teaching.
2. The good of the child is not served–and is instead harmed–by learning values in school that say their parents’ acts and values are morally wrong.
3. The policy makes it impossible for faithful Catholic parents to protect the innocence of their own young children.
4. The policy forces Catholic schools to implicitly or explicitly recognize the gay/lesbian relationship of the parents as valid by the Catholic Church, since the gay/lesbian parents will inevitably be present at the school and may assume positions of volunteer leadership.
5. The policy violates the principle of subsidiarity by making the decision at an archdiocesan level and removing that decision-making authority from pastors.
6. The use of the opening quote by Pope Benedict XVI out of context from his actual statement deceives Catholic faithful into thinking the Holy Father approves of such a policy.

With salvation of souls at risk, I ask that the Holy See immediately act to rescind this policy before further damage is done in Boston and before other dioceses might take steps to follow the misguided direction that Cardinal Sean O’Malley and his advisors have taken. I also ask that the Holy See take steps to formally clarify Church teaching in this area, hopefully using the Archdiocese of Denver policy of non-admission for children of gay/lesbian parents as a model..

Thank you for your intervention, and God bless.

We have set this up so it automatically sends an email or a fax to the following people: Pope Benedict XVI, Archbishop Sembi (U.S. Papal Nuncio);  Cardinal Ouelett (Prefect, Congregation of Bishops), Cardinal Burke (Prefect, Apostolic Signatura), Cardinal Levada (Prefect, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith), and Archbishop Zenon Grocholewski (Prefect, Congregation for Catholic Education), Cardinal O’Malley and members of the Archdiocese of Boston Presbyteral Council who approved the policy.

Just click on the FedUp button, fill in your name and other information, click the “Sign the Letter” button, verify your information is correct, and then click “Submit.”  (wait a few moments, and it’s done).

Please share this post with other like-minded friends and family members and ask them to take steps to stop this policy before other dioceses follow suit.

Read Full Post »

Fr. Hehir Speaking at Boston College Thursday Feb. 17

Fr. Bryan Hehir will be speaking on a panel at Boston College on Thursday, Feb. 17 .  The program is part of BC’s “Catholic Church in the 21st Century”, and the topic is “Diocesan Priesthood in the 21st Century: Perspectives from Three Generations.”

The panel is moderated by Fr. Robert Imbelli of BC, and will include diocesan priests, Fr. Hehir ’66, Fr. Paul O’Brien ’91, and Fr. William Lohan ’08.  The blog can attest that two of the three priests are solid orthodox priests, and one of those two is widely respected.  Following the panel, there will be time for open  Q&A with the panelists.

The program is open to the public and starts at 5:30pm on Feb. 17.  It takes place in the Heights Room, Corcoran Commons, Lower Campus.  For additional information and directions, see here.

Read Full Post »

Objection and Response on Catholic Schools Policy to Admit Children of Gay Parents

The campaign to complain to Rome about the misguided policy to admit children of gay parents is almost there.  In the meantime, these comments at the National Catholic Register on their article, When a Pupil Has 2 Daddies” merit reading. 

Posted by jailministry on Thursday, Jan 27, 2011 6:47 PM (EST):

Some retorts. I think Boston’s idea is not prudent-

1) Objection: Why not just look the other way if same-sex parents of Catholic school children keep a low profile and don’t put the spotlight on themselves?

Response:  Ignorance or error about a notorious fact about another is not presumed. The fact that they have presented and identified themselves as a same sex couple impacts the purpose, mission and partnering of our Catholic schools.

2) Objection: Singling out the children of same-sex couples is really aimed at disapproving of their same-sex parents.

Response: Vatican II stresses a shared partnership in Catholic schools between the students, families, teachers and school associations; Catholic schools partner with parents and families; it’s a far richer concept than just about educating kids disconnected from their parents and families.

3) Objection: There is already a precedent for offering a Catholic education to a child whose parent’s did not partner with the Church because they were either not validly married, contracepting, neglectful, divorced or cohabitating.

Response:  Yes; parents have gone against the mission and purpose of Catholic schools in the past but did not ask our schools to give them a categorical recognition for their behavior.

4) Objection: Why can’t you accept the child’s enrollment if the parents sign a covenant of compliance with Catholic teachings.

Response:  Our schools are meant to be “partners in faith with parents.” If parents live in a manner that doesn’t reflect that, a covenant can’t come about.

5) Objection: What kind of message would it send to a child to discriminate against her because something her parents did?

Response: We are very concerned about the environment of such children but do not want to enable behavior that would attempt to legitimize same gender couples who adopt them which goes against our two-thousand-year-old faith tradition. Part of enabling behavior is denial.

6) Objection: All types of parents have the right to choose a Catholic education for their children.

Response: The definition of both marriage and parent don’t come from human institutions, but from God’s plan for marriage and family. The first meaning of parent is the mother and father of the child. Adoptive parents stem from that model. Our faith will not allow us to redefine God’s definition of marriage or parenthood.

7). Objection: Same sex marriage is here to stay and so are their kids.

Response: God’s plan of   marriage being between a man and a woman and their children is the first and vital cell of society.  It’s the starting point and future of the human race.

8). Objection: What if a same-sex couple thinks their adoption of a child is fine with their conscience?

Response: Conscience is not just “what I think” on an issue. Conscience has to be formed.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Please stick to the post’s topic in any comments.

Read Full Post »