The Bishops seem to limit themselves to making comments and proposals about abortion. Of course this is worthy, but far, far from being an adequate intervention into an important national debate that affects all Catholic faithful.
One Catholic contribution to the discussion is worth reading because it is so awful. Bishop Nickless of Sioux City, Iowa has composed a letter to his diocese, Voice Your Concern Over Health Care Reform, which then appeared on the Catholic News Agency web site.
On and on Bishop Nickless goes about whether health care is a 'political right'. He pontificates on health care being a matter of prudential judgement. He discusses spreading the cost over the maximum number of people. If you can work yur way through it, he seems to be saying that Catholic health care is better, which is good but.....see below.
If this guy is a Bishop there is no wonder why the Church is doing so badly.
Nowhere does Bishop Nickless make reference to the legacy of the Church as the initiator and developer of compassionate health care. This several hundred year history of one of the Church's greatest contributions to humanity never makes it into his 'discussion,' except obliquely and certainly not specifically.
Moreover, Bishop Nickless seems oblivious to what is actually happening. The great idea of compassionate health care is being challenged and perhaps overthrown by the advocates of cost-cutting and government intervention as the basis for health care. In other words, all that the Church accomplished in the world of health care is about to be overturned.
Does Bishop Nickless care? Does he even know what the stakes are? Does he really think that his academic thoughts on whether health care is 'natural right' is of any use at all in a situation where action is required? Does he realize that the loss of compassionate health care will be a significant weakening of the Church?
Is Bishop Nickless the kind of Catholic priest that the seminaries are now producing? Are priests now supposed to be academic pontificators instead of being leaders of men? If so, Heaven help us!!!
Where are the Catholic clergy and spokesmen in the mold of Joan of Arc who know how to defend what the Church stands for?
The Church will not survive in its present form unless someone steps forward and says enough to the attacks on the Church, its priesthood, its legacy, and its history.
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