Address to the Catholic Press by S.K. Anderson - 2 of 2

Address to the Catholic Press by S.K. Anderson -2 of 2
In pursuit of the truth - cinops be gone - Tuesday, July 24, 2012

K. of C. Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson to 2012 Catholic Media Conference, June 22, 2012
3) Consistent Commitment to the Church’s Social Teaching - cont’d

“Those of us who criticized the so-called “Cuomo doctrine” saw the issue not as a question of Catholic faith, but as a matter of social justice and human rights. Yet the force with which Gov. Cuomo made his argument and its widespread acceptance effectively inoculated a generation of “pro-choice” Catholic politicians. The result has been a political stalemate on the abortion issue for nearly three decades…

“… also another effect. Gov. Cuomo’s rationale created an environment in which it became easier for candidates to dismiss other principles of Catholic social teaching… It has blocked the potential of Catholic social teaching to transform our politics…

4) Transforming Politics by Transcending Partisanship

“During the 1980s, some Catholics came to regard the “Cuomo Doctrine” as a kind of “truce” in the culture war. Catholics would be free to practice their faith while not taking positions consistent with fundamental Catholic teaching because this would be imposing their morality on others.

“But this year many Catholics sense that this “peaceful co-existence” with secular culture has ended as a result of the HHS mandate on contraception.

“Catholic public officials, who for years maintained that they would not impose their religious morality on others, now appear entirely comfortable with imposing secular values on their fellow Catholics and Catholic institutions.

“Our bishops tell us that, if implemented, the HHS mandate will affect the autonomy and integrity of our Church and its institutions - that it will dramatically change the mission of the Catholic Church in the United States. Therefore the HHS mandate confronts us with a challenge which is very different from that of social issues such as legal abortion. It is different because it is a challenge to the integrity of our Catholic institutions and our own lives as Catholics…

“These government initiatives have profoundly raised the stakes for the future of religion in America… the question now is the sustainability of the mission of Catholic institutions. In these circumstances Catholics can no longer accept politics as usual.

“Today, Catholic voters must have the courage to tell candidates that if they want Catholic votes they will have to respect the fundamental principles of Catholic social teaching such as the sanctity of human life before birth as institutions of marriage and family… And they should have the courage to withhold their vote from candidates who fail this test.

“The bishops’ document, Faithful Citizenship, tells us that some actions are intrinsically evil and must always be opposed… but to be able to effectively do this, we must first refuse to support candidates who advocate policies that are intrinsically evil…

“We insist that politicians seek our vote on our terms - that is to say, on the terms of an authentic appreciation of Catholic social teaching… And if so, how would that new reality change the platforms of both our major political parties regarding other principles of Catholic social teaching?…But the outcome could be a new political coalition in which Catholics would play an irreplaceable role. This is not promoting partisan politics - it is opposite of partisanship…

“No political party in America can be successful and at the same time lose a majority of Catholic voters… you and I have a responsibility to make this happen…”

George H. Kubeck- We perceive a critical difference between intrinsically evil issues and prudential.