Catholic Priests Defend Obama

Chicago Sun-Times:

On the eve of President Obama's controversial commencement speech at the University of Notre Dame, priests and lay ministers who worked with him in his community organizer days on Chicago's South Side are having a reunion today.

Read the whole story: Chicago Sun-Times

Comments

[janeInCA]

Why a twist to his words? Many catholics voted for BO and know that he is pro in prevention of abortion, Pro-Choice, and pro respect of women's body: she solely makes her own decision on hers.

[polisci27]

"I distinctly remember hearing him say on the campaign trail that he doesn't know anybody who's pro-abortion," Stenzel said. "He doesn't view abortion as a positive, good thing. It needs to be addressed in ways that can make a difference. His approach wouldn’t be all that different than the approach we might take in any parish: How do we bring people together? I see him as committed to reducing the rate of abortion."

All three men say they are hopeful about Obama's task force seeking to find common-ground ways to reduce the numbers of abortions in America.

"The Obama administration will cut the number of abortions -- historically they go down percentage wise under Democratic presidents," Kellman said.

Thank you! As someone who was raised Catholic this is the message I too have been trying to get across.

[Shzron1946]

I don't understand why Obama has to be defended for agreeing with the law of the land.

[Shzron1946]

I don't understand the fuss. There are many different opinions about abortion, people believe or disbelieve to varying extents that this should be a right. The people who are protesting at Notre Dame are focusing on the wrong thing. They shouldn't be demonstrating against the president, he has always been quite clear about his feelings about abortion. The big question here is how can the Catholic Church justify inviting him to speak when they have been very much against it and their leader says they should not honor anyone who has the other view. Looks like once again the leaders don't care about their own people.

[Langston Hughes]

The "Catholic Church" did not "invite" him, the University of Notre Dame, an independent Roman Catholic research university, invited him. There is a difference between the Catholic hierarchy and independent institutions. Also, a majority of Roman Catholics in the US, a majority of Roman Catholics at Notre Dame, and a majority of Notre Dame students agree with the decision to invite President Barack Obama. Why is this so hard to understand?

[American50]

Really? They would defend an atheist

[BarackstarObama]

Up yours pal.

[foxbat]

I've said this before, but there are a lot of us that are OK with the appearance! There's a highly vocal group that DOESN'T represent what the average guy in the pew feels. Recent poll numbers show that Catholics have a 67% favorable opinion about Obama and that's higher than the national poll number which is around 61%. During the last election it was interesting to hear people talk about Obama's "Catholic problem" or Obama's "Hispanic problem" or Obama's "women problem." In the end, too many people focused on the loud/brash and not so much on "the rest of us." I know that while there were some in the Catholic church openly berating their fellow Catholics for voting for Obama, there were many more of them silently casting their votes for Obama. Realize that Obama won 54% of the Catholic vote in the election. Bush won 52% of the Catholic vote. While there are some Catholics who are going to be anti-Obama ,,, the same ones who vote Republican regardless of who's running ... he hardly has a "Catholic problem."

As much as I appreciate the views of folks that are pro-life, I also wonder where's the same outrage and protests over world poverty issues? A child dies every 3-5 second in the world due to issues associated with poverty or easily treated diseases. That's about 25,000 children a day. The idea of pro-life needs to extend beyond the pre-born.

[ywcachieve]

They are not pro-life, they are anti-choice.

[notwaff]

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It's pointless to hold Obama to Christian standards when Obama is not a Christian.
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Here is the interview where he makes that clear:

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/386118.aspx
* Obama defines how he will enter into heaven as "if I live my life as well as I can, that I will be rewarded"
* Obama defines sin as "Being out of alignment with my values"
* And, for Obama, sinning is "if I’m true to myself and my faith that that is its own reward, when I’m not true to it, it’s its own punishment­."

The only "god" in Obama's answers is himself.

Considering how much Obama has strayed from the teaching in the Bible, he fits the description provided by the apostle Paul in his second letter to Timothy. Paul says "men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear." Obama's position on abortion, homosexuality and other issues (including his own mocking of the Bible), fits the description. And Pauls calls these people "evil men and impostors.­"

[foxbat]

Ask not for whom the bell "trolls"; it "trolls" for thee.

[BarackstarObama]

Hey notwaff, up yours pal.

[VOTER]

Wait until you hear Bush, Cheney and Rummy's common defense for
their war crimes.

"The Devil made me do it!"

PLEASE, President Obama has displayed more morals and Christian
values in his 100 + days as POTUS than the others have in their entire
lifetimes.

[StillIRise]

The "evil men and impostors" that Paul was talking about are those who stole elections, lied us into wars in which thousands of Americans and hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis have died, ignored the poor (Katrina and tax cuts for the wealthy) and used religious concerns as wedge issues to divide us solely for political gain. President Obama was not among these men.

Calling oneself a Christian and using the word "God" to affirm ones Christianity does not make one a Christian. As Notre Dame's valedictorian and the Catholic priests who've gathered to support President Obama have said, President Obama has shown and upheld the values of Christianity far more than those who've criticized his positions or questioned his faith.

[InfosolutionWiz]

And to all you antiabortion rights activist, NO BODY Supports Abortion, not even the woman who end up making the painful agonizing decision to do it. WHAT have you people done to help ALL the babies born from unwanted pregnancies in America? The answer is NOT a DAMN Thing. The same passion you people fight abortion with, once the child is born all you hypocrites RUN away and call them monsters, trailer trash, welfare kids, burden and a leash on society! You people are Nothing but a bunch of hateful “GOD Less” right wing nut Repuglican hypocrites! GO TO HELL!