Re: And Now For Something Completely Different

[Paul Finkelman]

The church claims to oppose capital pubishemt, but sends priests in to the prisons to help calm prisoners and get them ready to be killed; the church would say this is not complicitous; but I don't see a whole lot of difference between working in the prisons to make capital punishment easy for the exectuioners and the state and helping children find homes with parents who might be gay.  In one case the Church says it is doing it to help the victims of the state's execution policy (but it also helps the state) and in another case it will not help the vicitms of disfunctional families (the children) because it does not believe in same sex relations; in NEITHER case is it endorsing same sex relations or capital punishment but the Church chooses to work with one system that takes lives against church teaching, but will not work with another system that helps SAVE lives of children, because some of the people involved do things that the church opposes.  I should add that one would hope the church sees killing as worse than being gay.  The way I see this the issue is all about politics and the church playing ever anit-gay card it has. Imagine the public reaction if the Church said it WOULD NOT work with the prison system; that it would not offer communion to any politician who supported capital punishment (as Bishops urged with John Kerry) and would furthermore, not offer Communion anyone who who worked in prisons where executions took place or to judges who ordered them or prosecutors who asked for the death penalty or jurors who voted for it!  I am not arguing the church should do any of these things, I am merely pointing out the inconsistency and hypocrisy of the church's position on these two issues -- Anti-gay to hurt kids; but not willing to follow through to save lives. Perhaps the consistency is that both policies end up destroying lives. Paul Will Esser wrote: Paul,   The problem that I have with your use of the term "complicity" is that it is so large as to have no meaningful boundaries.  You contend that by allowing priests to hear the confessions of inmates who are on death row, the Church is complicit with (and somehow shares moral responsibility for) capital punishment.  Your reasoning seems to apply equally to doctors who serve the medical needs of those on death row, as well as the Red Cross providing assistance to those affected by war.  I think everyone on this list would agree that there is no complicity in such situations.   Providing priests to serve the spiritual needs of those on death row is not inconsistent with the position which Catholic Charities is now taking.  And Massachusetts should realize that an exemption from the law is proper step to take to resolve this issue.   Will &nb! sp; [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: As I suggested with the church complicity with executions (and maybe unjust wars, and many other things in society), the church chooses its causes based on politics. I real test of the church would come when bishops condemn politicians who order executions or start unjust wars as vigorously has they work to keep kids in our foster care system rather than helping them find loving homes with loving adults. The Human Rights campaign is right on target with this statement. Thanks Rick for sharing this. Quoting Rick Duncan : > Human Rights Campaign says:"Boston Catholic Charities puts > ugly political agenda before child welfare." Link. Excerpt: > > > “Denying children a loving and stable home serves absolutely > no higher purpose! ,” said Solmonese. “These bishops are putting > an ugly political agenda before the needs of very vulnerable > children. Every one of the nation’s leading children’s welfare > groups agrees that a parent’s sexual orientation is irrelevant > to his or her ability to raise a child. What these bishops are > doing is shameful, wrong and has nothing to do whatsoever with > faith.” > > Rick Duncan > > > = -- Paul Finkelman Chapman Distinguished Professor of Law University of Tulsa College of Law 3120 East 4th Place Tulsa, OK 74105 918-631-3706 (voice) 918-631-2194 (fax) [EMAIL PROTECTED]

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