Who Are They? Obama - 4

WHO ARE THEY? Obama – 4
cinops be gone Sunday, June 22, 2008
The following are the names of the members of Obama’s National Catholic Advisory Council who signed the letter to Bill Donohue that can be found on the previous page 6 of the Catalyst, Cath. League for Relig. & Civil Rights, V. 35 Number 5, June 2008.

National Co-Chairs: Former Congressman Tim Roemer (IN), Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (KS), Sr. Mary Pinkerton (Congregation of St. Joseph), Tom Chabolla (Assistant to the President, Service International Union), Victoria Reggie Kennedy (President, Common Sense about Kids and Guns), Sr. Jamie Phelps, O.P. (Director and Professor of Theology, Institute for Black Catholic Studies, Xavier University)

National Leadership Committee: Gov. Jim Doyle (WI), Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (MA), Sen. John Kerry (MA), Sen. Patrick Leahy (VT), Rep. Xavier Bacerra (CA), Rep. Lacy Clay (MO), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (CT), Rep. Anna Eshoo (CA), Rep. Raul M. Grijalva (AZ), Rep. George Miller (CA), Rep. Linda Chavez (CA).

National Steering Committee: Mary Jo Bane (Prof. Harvard Kennedy School), Nicholas P. Carfardi (Catholic Author and Scholar, Pittsburgh, PA), Lisa Sowle Cahill (Prof. of Theology, Boston College), M.Shawn Copeland (Assoc. Prof. of Theology, Boston College), Ron Cruz (Leadership Development Consultant, Burke, VA), Sharon Daly (Social Justice Advocate, Knoxville, MD) Richard Gaillardez (Murray/Bacik Professor of Catholic Studies, University of Toledo), Grant Gallicho (Associate Editor, Commonweal Magazine),
Margaret Gannon, IHM (A Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, PA), Don Guter (Judge Advocate General of the Navy (2000-2002); Rear Admiral, Judge Advocate General Corps, U.S. Navy (Ret.), Pittsburgh, PA), Cathleen Kaveny (Prof. of Law and Prof. of Theology, University of Notre Dame), Jim Kesteloot (President and Executive Director, Chicago Lighthouse), Vincent Miller (Assoc. Prof. of Theology, Georgetown University), David O’Brien (Loyola Prof. of Catholic Studies at the College of the Holy Cross), Peter Quaranto (Senior Researcher and Conflict Analyst, Resolve Uganda, Notre Dame Class of 2006), Dave Robinson (International Peace Advocate, Erie, PA), Vincent Rougeau (Assoc. Prof. of Law, University of Notre Dame), Mary Wright (Inter-Faith Liaison, Louisville, KY).

Other Sigantures: Reverend Michael Pfleger (Pastor of Faith Community of St. Sabina, Chicago, IL.), Sen. Chris J. Dodd (CT), Teresa Heinz (Chairman, Heinz Family Philanthropies), Peggy Kerry (Independent Consultants, New York, NY)

DONOHUE’S REPLY

“The reason I mentioned only public officials who are of Sen. Obama’s Catholic National Advisory Council is the same reason I chose just three public policy issues: voting tallies are available on these advisors (but not on the others) and on these three issues. If I knew more about the others, no doubt some would have made the cut.
“It is more than embarrassing – it is shocking – to read how these Catholics view abortion. The Catholic Church regards abortion, as well as embryonic stem cell research, as “intrinsically evil.” But not these folks. For them abortion is ‘a profound moral issue.’
“Sadly” it has been apparent for years that many who fancy themselves ‘progressive’ Catholics do not treat abortion the way they do racial discrimination. No one in his right mind says that the best way to combat racial discrimination is by changing people’s hearts and minds, not the law. Which is why we do both. But when it comes to abortion- including partial-birth abortion – the progressives settle for dialogue.
“It is so nice to know that Obama thinks abortion ‘presents a profound moral challenge.’ Is infanticide another ‘profound moral challenge’? To wit: When he was in the Illinois state senate he led the fight to deny health care to babies born alive who survived an abortion. That, my friends, is not a moral challenge – it’s a Hitlerian decision.” P. 7 continues tomorrow.
George H. Kubeck, Duplicate and or translate into Spanish and Vietnamese.