Archbishop Burke says Democrats may become “party of death”
In comments published over the weekend in a daily Catholic newspaper sponsored by the Italian bishops’ conference, former St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke said the Democratic Party “risks transforming itself definitively into a ‘party of death.’”
According to a Catholic New Service story, Burke - now the head of the Vatican’s version of the supreme court - was told that musician Sheryl Crow played at the Democratic National Convention last month.
“That does not surprise me much,” the archbishop said. “At this point the Democratic Party risks transforming itself definitely into a ‘party of death’ because of its choices on bioethical questions as Ramesh Ponnuru wrote in his book, ‘The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts and the Disregard for Human Life.’”
Archbishop Burke said the Democratic Party once was “the party that helped our immigrant parents and grandparents better integrate and prosper in American society. But it is not the same anymore.”
Pro-life Democrats are “rare, unfortunately,” he said.
In 2007, Burke resigned from the foundation board at the Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center after the rest of the foundation’s board refused to replace Sheryl Crow as the musical headliner benefiting the hospital’s Bob Costas Cancer Center. Crow is a supporter of embryonic stem cell research, which the Catholic church considers akin to abortion.
The newspaper also asked Burke “for his reaction to reports that his Vatican job was designed to get him away from St. Louis.”
“I have too much respect for the pope to believe that in order to move someone away from a diocese he would nominate him to a very sensitive dicastery like this one,” said the archbishop…”
Tim Townsend has been the religion reporter at the Post-Dispatch since June 2004. He previously covered personal finance and consumer news for The Wall Street Journal. He holds master's degrees from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and Yale Divinity School. In 2005 he won the Templeton Religion Reporter of the Year Award, given by the Religion Newswriters Association. 
Wowee,
Subscribe to Conscience: The Newsjournal of Catholic Opinion
if you’d like to be better informed on this issue.
I have many friends in the priesthood. I don’t know one who
voted for Bush in 2004…and I doubt any of them will be voting
for McCain. They’re far too moral to do such a thing.
Stanger-
That magazine is not the same thing as statements and opinions from the pope, papal encyclicals, or statements from the USCCB. It is run by some poorly catechized individuals that distort the clearly stated stance of the Church. That magazine is not Catholic and does not espouse Catholic teachings.
Many, many priests are liberal in faith and politics. For example, many allow hand holding during Our Father and say nothing about it. It is no surprise to me that many vote for for pro-choice candidates.
Wowee,
I agree with your first sentence. There has never been a female
pope or bishop. I’ve heard it said that if men could get pregnant,
abortion would be a sacrament.
You claimed it was a mortal sin to vote for a pro-choice candidate.
When I called you on that erroneous statement, you added qualifiers.
Have you heard of the group “Priests for Life”? According
to your statements, that group’s name would be redundant.
They call themselves “Priests for Life” to distinguish themselves
from the many, many priests who are pro-choice.
There is no evidence that making abortion illegal would reduce the
number of abortions. Especially now that we have better
pharmaceuticals. If abortion became illegal, RU-486 would be as
hard to get a hold of as marijuana.
Stanger-
Let me clarify. Voting for a pro-choice candidate BECAUSE they are pro-choice is what I am referring to. You can vote for a pro-choice candidate, it is advised against, but you can. However, when your vote is based upon their pro-choice stance, that is where you cross the line.
I assume that based upon your last statement, you want women priests and support legalized abortions. Hmmmm. You obviously don’t adhere to anything the current or previous pope have said on those matters. If you don’t believe in the pope’s guidance or the guidance of your (former) archbishop, why stay with the religion? The beliefs you hold are clearly against the Church’s stances.
Archbishop Burke had the wonderful effect of showing us who the true believers are and who are cafeteria Catholics. Again, good luck in November.
Wowee,
You are correct in your assumptions.
Pope John Paul II is dead. Pope Benedict XVI is 81 years old.
Church leadership will change, as will Church rules.
Change will take longer if those who disagree with the Church abandon it,
rather than sticking around to influence positive change.
At mass last week I was pleased to see that ALL four of the “altar boys”
were female!
“Anti-abortion Catholicism: Love it or leave it!”
is no less silly than “Pro-choice America: Love it or leave it!”
Republican leadership is keen on spreading the American form of government. They want to impose democracy on other nations…even if the
people of those nations don’t want it. Bombs for democracy!
(It’s for their own good.)
If the Church becomes more democratic, many of the old rules will change.
If the Church doesn’t become more democratic, let’s hope the Vatican
has a well-stocked bunker.
PS I would never vote for a candidate simply because he/she was
pro-choice. But I’d be VERY hesitant to vote for any candidate
who was anti-choice. God is pro-choice: She gave us free will!
For Burke to have resigned from the board of the only remaining Catholic children’s hospital of the U.S. over one woman’s political stance is a disrespect for all the lives that are affected at Cardinal Glennon. I applaud Sheryl Crow for continuing to perform and benefit the children. As a Catholic and an advocate for children, Raymond Burke lost my attention when he did that.