Is Archbishop Gomez A Right Wing-Republican-Huckabee- Loving Hack?

Well Joe Feuerherd of the National Catholic Reporter might think so who wrote a pretty wild piece on Catholics, Bishops, and voting.

Pro Ecclesia has the link to his Washington Op Ed piece as well as many people who to say the least disagree. Go to National Catholic Reporter's Joe Feuerherd to U.S. Catholic Bishops: "Go to Hell" for the important background.

Now we shall see more of this. I think many are waking up to the fact that many Catholics are going to point to point out all this messy Church teaching about abortion and infanticide and other moral problems that are contained in the platform of two people running for the Democratic nomination.

Now some people are taking a more positive pro-active approach. I have seen comments that Obama for instance is like Pope Benedict!!! Obama is for Hope and Benedict is the Pope of Hope!!!! Just see the Holy Father's Spe Salvi (Saved By Hope) so there!!! However as Michael Medved pointed out last week in his short entry "Hope" Is Not a Political Program:

When John Kennedy ran for President—and very narrowly beat Nixon—he used “High Hopes” as his campaign song, with the refrain, “he has high/apple-pie/in the sky/.hopes!” Bill Clinton billed himself as “The Man from Hope” – making constant reference to his Arkansas home town – and wrote a book called “From Hope to History.” Even Jesse Jackson drove his enthusiastic campaigns with the slogan, “Keep Hope Alive!”.

Well needless to say JFK was not John Paul the XXIII ,and Clinton and Jesse Jackson were not Pope John Paul the II.

Catholics in the Public Square also hit on the problems that Catholics will face if they wish to vote for Obama or Hillary. Unless one of them has a road to Damascus experience as to Life issues between now and November that problem for Catholics in the voting booth will not go away. No matter how much people like National Catholic Reporter journalist Joe Feuerherd so wish they would.

We saw this again on full display in San Antonio. It involved Archbishop José Gomez.

There was much controversy when Hillary Clinton was allowed to speak at a campaign event at St Mary's University in San Antonio. It is a Catholic University. The Archbishop was not consulted. You can learn a little about the Archbishop at the Archdiocese of San Antonio web site that is very well done.

Archbishop Gomez has on the Diocesan Web site this great quote for God and everybody to see under the section Faith and Public Life which is on the front page.
"A Catholic cannot say that he is Catholic, and at the same time disagree with the doctrine of the Church in essential matters. In order to be a Catholic, we need to believe like a Catholic, to act like a Catholic and to speak like a Catholic." Archbishop Gomez made this statement in a speech on "Catholics and Political Life in the United States." Read the complete text and access a wide variety of Church documents on faithful citizenship in our newest webpage, "Faith and Public Life". (Click here to access this valuable information) .

Well when Hillary was allowed to speak at a Catholic University in his Diocese he was not pleased as Can be seen in this Statement located on the web site:
Archbishop's statement concerning Senator Hillary Clinton's appearance at St. Mary's University.
(English) (Español)

It said:
Statement concerning the appearance of Senator Hillary Clinton
at St. Mary’s University.

I was surprised to learn of Senator Hillary Clinton’s appearance at St. Mary’s University. I was neither advised nor consulted by the university before the decision was made to have Senator
Clinton speak at the university. Catholic institutions are obliged to teach and promote Catholic
values in all instances. This is especially important when people look to our Catholic
universities and colleges to provide leadership and clarity to the often complicated and
conflicting political discourse.

It is clear that the records of Senator Clinton and some of the other candidates for president on
important life issues are not consistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church.
It is not my intention to tell people for whom to vote. However, I encourage Catholics to
understand the teachings of the Church on the broad spectrum of public issues that are of great
concern today. I urge the faculty and the ministry staff at St. Mary’s University to continue to carry out
their responsibility to educate their students in their political duty in accordance with the teachings of the
Catholic Church.

The Catholic bishops of the United States, in their 2004 document “Catholics in Political Life”,
affirmed that when dealing with political candidates and public office holders, “The Catholic
community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our
fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which
would suggest support for their actions.”

In a statement distributed by St. Mary’s University, they wrote, “As a Catholic tax-exempt
university, St. Mary’s does not endorse political candidates or their positions on issues and
acknowledges the fundamental differences between those of the presidential candidates and the
Catholic Church.”

Our Catholic institutions must promote the clear understanding of our deep moral convictions on
an issue like abortion, an act that the Church calls “an unspeakable crime” and a non-negotiable
issue.

Pretty straightforward. Well enter Governor Huckabee that had a event there last week after Clinton. The Archbishop made a statement on this as well. It is also located on the web page and can be linked to here
Archbishop's statement concerning Governor Michael Huckabee's appearance at St. Mary's University.(English) (Español)

It said:

My recent statement regarding the appearance of a political candidate at a Catholic institution was about
essential issues of Catholic teaching, not politics. My purpose is to clearly state what the Catholic Church
teaches in regards to the objectives of a Catholic university. Neither I, nor the Archdiocese of San Antonio,
endorses or promotes candidates for political office at any level.

In his apostolic exhortation, Ex Corde Ecclesia, Pope John Paul II stated, “The objective of a Catholic
university is to assure in an institutional manner a Christian presence in the university world confronting the
great problems of society and culture.” One essential characteristic of a Catholic university is “Fidelity to the Christian message as it comes to us through the Church.” The document supports the autonomy of the
Catholic university while working in communion with the local and universal Catholic Church.

I have been advised by his campaign that Governor Michael Huckabee will be appearing this week at St.
Mary’s University. In response to inquiries, I am issuing this statement concerning his appearance. Governor Huckabee’s positions on the pro-life issues, in particular abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, are not in opposition to the teaching of the Catholic Church.

I believe that it is important to understand the unique place these pro-life issues hold in Catholic moral teaching. In the U.S. bishops’ document, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, it was stated, “The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is always wrong and is not just one issue among many. It must always be opposed.”

None of the current candidates running for president has a perfect platform in relationship to Catholic moral
teaching on the wide spectrum of public issues. The war in Iraq and capital punishment are significant issues
and must be considered seriously. However, Catholic moral teaching judges them as not carrying the same moral gravity as abortion which the Church calls “an unspeakable crime” and a non-negotiable issue.

As archbishop, I have a particular responsibility to promote Catholic universities, and especially promote and
help them to preserve and strengthen their Catholic identity. The Church must not engage in partisan politics
or interfere in the political process. However, it must never shrink from its responsibility to speak publicly for a culture of life and all Catholic values in order to help properly form the conscience of Catholic citizens and those people seeking to serve the common good.

Now one could be cynical here and believe that the Bishops are practicing something akin to the Old South Race and Caste system.
That is you pro choice people cannot come in the from door and eat at our pristine Catholic Institutions .However much like the New Orleans and South Louisiana Plantations owners of old that went to the glamorous Mulatto balls at night to meet their desires ,so Catholic voters can meet those political desires in the relative privacy of the voting booth out of the public at large's eye.

or

The Bishops are making a point that as Archbishop states :
“The direct and intentional destruction of innocent human life from the moment of conception until natural death is
always wrong and is not just one issue among many. It must always be opposed.” , and "A Catholic cannot say that he is Catholic, and at the same time disagree with the doctrine of the Church in essential matters. In order to be a Catholic, we need to believe like a Catholic, to act like a Catholic and to speak like a Catholic."

I think it is the latter.