Bush Echoes Catholics on Life

NewsMax.com's Fr. Michael Reilly notes that President Bush has gone out of his way to defend values that Catholics hold dear, while Sen. John Kerry seems to be running away from his Catholicism.

As President Bush signed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act into law yesterday, he noted, "we reaffirm that the United States of America is building a culture of life."

In fact, the culture of life is a central theme in the preaching of Pope John Paul II and is becoming a central theme of the Bush presidency.

Along with the UVVA Act, the Bush administration has banned U.S. financial support to international groups that support abortion, signed the partial-birth abortion ban, extended legal protection to babies who survive abortions, and increased funding for abstinence education and alternatives to abortion.

The president also backs a constitutional amendment against gay marriage and favors limits on stem cell research.

The record shows that by his words and actions, President Bush has done more to advance the Vatican's position on life issues than any other president before him. Consider Bush's courageous stands in light of the pope's own position as set forth in the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a document he approved in January 2003.

"Catholic involvement in political life cannot compromise on" the principle of "respect for the human person," because "otherwise the witness of the Christian faith in the world, as well as the unity and interior coherence of the faithful, would be nonexistent."

"In this context, it must be noted also that a well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals," the document continues.

"This is the case with laws concerning abortion and euthanasia [not to be confused with the decision to forgo extraordinary treatments, which is morally legitimate]. Such laws must defend the basic right to life from conception to natural death. In the same way, it is necessary to recall the duty to respect and protect the rights of the human embryo.

"Analogously, the family needs to be safeguarded and promoted, based on monogamous marriage between a man and a woman, and protected in its unity and stability in the face of modern laws on divorce: in no way can other forms of cohabitation be placed on the same level as marriage, nor can they receive legal recognition as such. The same is true for the freedom of parents regarding the education of their children; it is an inalienable right recognized also by the Universal Declaration on Human Rights."

It's not hard to imagine President Bush agreeing with much - if not all - of the above statement.

So where does that leave Sen. John Kerry, the presidential candidate who in fact is actually Catholic?

Apparently Kerry couldn't disagree with the pope more. The Massachusetts Democrat supports abortion on demand, opposes school choice, voted against the partial-birth abortion ban, voted against the Defense of Marriage Act, voted against the Unborn Victims of Violence Act and opposes a constitutional definition of marriage.

In the summer of 2003, Kerry responded to Vatican efforts to oppose gay marriage by stating, "I believe in the Church and I care about it enormously, but I think that it's important to not have the Church instructing politicians. That is an inappropriate crossing of the line in America."

In February Kerry's wealthy wife, Teresa Heinz, boasted that Americans will eventually get used to gay marriage.

The Vatican had already explained clearly that to promote "the common good of society, according to one's conscience," has nothing to do with "confessionalism" or "religious intolerance."

Is it any wonder why several leading Republicans have taken to referring to Bush lately as the "Catholic president"?

Editor's note: