Catholic Church tries to interfere in British Politics

Plekhanov · Post by **Plekhanov** » 2004-05-26 10:49pm

and the Lib Dems stand up to be counted and kick its arse.

BBC

Catholic church weighs into polls

The Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales is urging voters to judge candidates for the local and European elections on their moral stances.
The call comes in the church's new pamphlet, Cherishing Life, which warns of a slide towards a culture of death.

Cardinal Cormac Murphy O'Connor, the church's leader in England and Wales, said voters should draw on religious teaching when they come to vote.

The new pamphlet particularly opposes abortion and euthanasia.

It recommends voters ask candidates about their views especially on issues "where innocent lives are at risk".

'Culture of life'

Cardinal Murphy O'Connor pointed to the 180,000 abortions a year, calls for euthanasia and stem cell research, as he said it would be foolish not to raise the alarm.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We all have a responsibility to create a culture of life.

Politics and religion start to mix

"We are creating the culture that diminishes life and that is a terrible thing.

"If we don't commend life, we don't protect life, we don't enhance life, if we don't try to live the good life, then in fact we diminish it."

Later the cardinal said the church was not a "one issue" institution opposing abortion.

"However, we have said in this document that abortion is a priority - and a very, very, very important one - and therefore that would have to be taken into account, among others, by those who are going to vote in the election with regard to the views of the candidate," he continued.

Cardinal Murphy O'Connor said the pamphlet was designed at countering the misapprehension that the Catholic faith was all about guilt and showing it was concerned with life and love.

'Immoral' stance

Liberal Democrat MP Evan Harris, a member of the National Secular Society, said it was right for the church to get involved in political issues.

But he told Today: "I don't think religion has a monopoly on morality.

"In fact, as far as homosexuality goes, I think the Catholic church's position is immoral, I think it discriminatory and it's unfair...

"Their approach on the use of condoms in Africa I think is causing death actually, rather than proclaiming life because they have a doctrinal position."

Religious groups' concerns should not be given primacy in political debates, argued Dr Harris.

Sometimes I’m just proud to be British and even prouder to be a Liberal, now if we actually get elected…

Exmoor Cat · Post by **Exmoor Cat** » 2004-05-27 11:46am

I prefer ot class myself as an ethnic catholic, this is just unbelievably retrograde from them.

Plekhanov · Post by **Plekhanov** » 2004-05-27 12:33pm

I think it’s an encouraging sign that the church here are being forced to tone down their language English bishops soften Vatican's moral line on their usual big issues it shows they realise how tolerant Britain is becoming and that they don’t feel able to use the church’s usual harsh rhetoric.

Also I love it that a politician felt able to get up there acknowledging the Church’s right to be involved in politics and logically concluding that to meant he could in turn criticise it’s policies, then rebut them superbly. I don’t think he’ll really take much damage for it either and hopefully neither will the party.

Exmoor Cat · Post by **Exmoor Cat** » 2004-05-27 12:34pm

The only good sign I found in that document was the softening of the line on homosexual relations, though not far enough.

Stravo · Post by **Stravo** » 2004-05-27 12:39pm

When the church cleans up its own fucking act then maybe I might give two shits about what it wants. Bitching and whining about a "Culture of Death" when you have a "Culture of buttfucking young boys and hiding it" running rampant? Go fuck yourselves. The church lost her moral high ground a long time ago. To quote from Jesus himself, they need to stop pointing at the mote in their neighbor's eye and pull out that motherfucking beam from theirs.

Plekhanov · Post by **Plekhanov** » 2004-05-27 12:50pm

Exmoor Cat wrote:The only good sign I found in that document was the softening of the line on homosexual relations, though not far enough.

I realise the message is still essentially the same but at least it shows the British church is moving in the right direction (albeit very slowly), sadly in most of the rest of the world it seems to be moving the opposite way.

Rye · Post by **Rye** » 2004-05-27 01:23pm

Stravo wrote:When the church cleans up its own fucking act then maybe I might give two shits about what it wants. Bitching and whining about a "Culture of Death" when you have a "Culture of buttfucking young boys and hiding it" running rampant? Go fuck yourselves. The church lost her moral high ground a long time ago. To quote from Jesus himself, they need to stop pointing at the mote in their neighbor's eye and pull out that motherfucking beam from theirs.

LOL, "motherfucking" isn't in my translation. I want the gospel according to Tarantino!

The UK's populace I don't think would give a shit about what the catholic church says. The majority of the population haven't been catholics for centuries, and the only place likely to do anything for the church would be in catholic parts of Northern Ireland.