Wednesday, April 2, 2008

John McCain Touches on A Catholic Non Negotiable

Catholics in the Public Square has nice excerpt from speech John McCain gave on School Vouchers. Go see John McCain for School Vouchers--A Crucial Economic Issue

Something to keep in mind as we recall the ADDRESS OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI TO THE MEMBERS OF THE EUROPEAN PEOPLE'S PARTY ON THE OCCASION OF THE STUDY DAYS ON EUROPE which the Holy Father Gave in March of 2006.

Benedict said in part:
As far as the Catholic Church is concerned, the principal focus of her interventions in the public arena is the protection and promotion of the dignity of the person, and she is thereby consciously drawing particular attention to principles which are not negotiable. Among these the following emerge clearly today:

- protection of life in all its stages, from the first moment of conception until natural death;

- recognition and promotion of the natural structure of the family - as a union between a man and a woman based on marriage - and its defence from attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different forms of union which in reality harm it and contribute to its destabilization, obscuring its particular character and its irreplaceable social role;

- the protection of the right of parents to educate their children.

These principles are not truths of faith, even though they receive further light and confirmation from faith; they are inscribed in human nature itself and therefore they are common to all humanity. The Church’s action in promoting them is therefore not confessional in character, but is addressed to all people, prescinding from any religious affiliation they may have. On the contrary, such action is all the more necessary the more these principles are denied or misunderstood, because this constitutes an offence against the truth of the human person, a grave wound inflicted onto justice itself.

Now of course Vouchers and wheter to be for or against is a issue that Catholics can disagree on. However in many ways it seen by many as Fundamental and part and parcel of that "right to educate" the Holy Father is talking about at least in the U.S. context

1 comment:

Matt Sciba said...

It's about time McCain started trying to appeal to the conservative base.