Catholic nun organization urges passage of health care reform

[SoulSearcher]

Catholics, particularly in Latin America have a strong and significant history of fighting for the poor, and not just to convert and increase numbers, but genuinely as a matter of social justice, I think the movement is called "Liberation Theology", many priests and nuns were murdered by right wing death squads in these countries for their activism. Anyways, yeah, so its very encouraging news.

 

[JB3]

In contrast to US Catholic Bishops, the leadership of an organization of nuns called Network has sent a letter to Congress urging passage of the Senate health care reform bill.


The reason why is not surprising:



Network represents 59,000 nuns and over 100,000 people total.

The leadership of Network claims that the Senate bill provides sufficient anti-abortion measures so that the bill does not conflict with their faith.

The support of this group will influence anti-abortion Democrats like Rep. John Boccieri (OH), as AP writers Alan Fram and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar report.

Read more in their article HERE

The nuns supporting it is not surprising. However, they have very little influence over members of congress, especially compared to the very powerful bishops.

 

[NickCole]

Glad these religious folks are tax-exempt because they don’t get involved in politics.

Again we see how rightwingnuts and ObamaDems are two sides of the same counterfeit coin.

 

[jackoroe]

^I'm sure they're getting some kind of kickback, just like everybody else.

I'm not a big fan of nuns. Brings back too many memories.

 

[Jack Springer]

In contrast to US Catholic Bishops, the leadership of an organization of nuns called Network has sent a letter to Congress urging passage of the Senate health care reform bill.


The reason why is not surprising:



Network represents 59,000 nuns and over 100,000 people total.

The leadership of Network claims that the Senate bill provides sufficient anti-abortion measures so that the bill does not conflict with their faith.

The support of this group will influence anti-abortion Democrats like Rep. John Boccieri (OH), as AP writers Alan Fram and Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar report.

Read more in their article HERE

There are approximately 71,500 nuns in the United States and the article states that the new health care bill (that no one has seen) is supported by 59,000 of them? That is very hard to believe. I could believe that they support portions of the health care bill but doubt that they support the new language that would allow tax dollars to be spent on abortions.

I think the organization is not representative of the nuns that I know.

Also, SoulSearcher, the people that killed the nuns and priests in central America were not right wing -- they were communists. Don't confuse other people with your rewriting of history.

 

[josher]

Also, SoulSearcher, the people that killed the nuns and priests in central America were not right wing -- they were communists. Don't confuse other people with your rewriting of history.

You are completely wrong about that.

Almost all of the religious (including Archbishop Romero) were killed by assassins engaged by the right-wing military leaders.

They were killed because they supported the reforms demanded by the left leaning forces.

 

[palemale]

Also, SoulSearcher, the people that killed the nuns and priests in central America were not right wing -- they were communists. Don't confuse other people with your rewriting of history.

You need to read up on your history. Virtually all the violence against clergy in Latin America in recent decades was committed by right-wing death squads. In El Salvador alone, the right wing death squads and (American supported) military raped and murdered three nuns and a Catholic lay worker, Archbishop Romero, six Jesuit priests, as well as their housekeeper and her daughter. At Archbishop Romero's funeral, government supported snipers shot and murdered 42 mourners. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salvadoran_Civil_War And this is just one example. Can you name any instances where communists in Latin America murdered priests and nuns? In all the countries of Latin America, you won't come anywhere near the numbers of religious people killed by communists or left wing movements to equal the number of deaths of religious people in this one country that were murdered by an American backed right-wing government and its supporters.

 

[grantt]

There are approximately 71,500 nuns in the United States and the article states that the new health care bill (that no one has seen) is supported by 59,000 of them? That is very hard to believe. I could believe that they support portions of the health care bill but doubt that they support the new language that would allow tax dollars to be spent on abortions.

I think the organization is not representative of the nuns that I know.

Also, SoulSearcher, the people that killed the nuns and priests in central America were not right wing -- they were communists. Don't confuse other people with your rewriting of history.

YOU ARE RIGHT ON ALL COUNTS, JACK!

 

[palemale]

YOU ARE RIGHT ON ALL COUNTS, JACK!

Yeah Jack, don't let facts and reality inform your opinions.

 

[SoulSearcher]

Also, SoulSearcher, the people that killed the nuns and priests in central America were not right wing -- they were communists. Don't confuse other people with your rewriting of history.

Maybe so in some parallel universe you live in...pick up some college history books on Latin America of that era. You're dead wrong...but nice try.

 

[Jack Springer]

I apologize, I was not correct in my facts.

The nuns and priests were killed because they were fighting for a communist takeover of the central America region.

Nuns, priests, pastors, etc. should not be involved in politics. The Catholic Church or any other church should not be in the business of funding wars. Their business is to tell about Jesus and salvation.

They were active fighters in a war that they were supporting and funding. War is not fun or child's play -- there are consequences.

http://www.anusha.com/killnuns.htm

 

[palemale]

I apologize, I was not correct in my facts.

The nuns and priests were killed because they were fighting for a communist takeover of the central America region.

Nuns, priests, pastors, etc. should not be involved in politics. The Catholic Church or any other church should not be in the business of funding wars. Their business is to tell about Jesus and salvation.

They were active fighters in a war that they were supporting and funding. War is not fun or child's play -- there are consequences.

http://www.anusha.com/killnuns.htm

So it is acceptable to murder and rape unarmed nuns because they supported revolutionaries fighting against a brutal, murderous dictatorship? Tell me about the Jesuit priests' housekeeper and daughter whom our proxies murdered. What is the justification for that? Jack, have you ever heard of the Geneva Conventions? Do you know what a war crime is? Are you usually in the habit of being an apologist for rape, torture, murder and war crimes committed by those whose benighted, despicable politics you share?

 

[JB3]

So it is acceptable to murder and rape unarmed nuns because they supported revolutionaries fighting against a brutal, murderous dictatorship? Tell me about the Jesuit priests' housekeeper and daughter whom our proxies murdered. What is the justification for that? Jack, have you ever heard of the Geneva Conventions? Do you know what a war crime is? Are you usually in the habit of being an apologist for rape, torture, murder and war crimes committed by those whose benighted, despicable politics you share?

Are you usually in the habit of completely over-blowing and misinterpreting someone elses words? Because that's what you're pretty much doing.

 

[grantt]

The "ladies group" is very naive. Some smooth talking, coupled with their direction for helping the poor, has led them away from the greater picture of what this is going to do to the whole country.

 

[palemale]

Are you usually in the habit of completely over-blowing and misinterpreting someone elses words? Because that's what you're pretty much doing.

Jack said they were killed because they were killed for fighting for a communist takeover, that they were active fighters in a war and that there were consequences. It seems to me that when one criticizes the victims of war crimes, and remains silent about those who committed the war crimes, one is an apologist for the war crimes. Can you explain how I misinterpreted Jacks words?

 

[Kulindahr]

Nuns, priests, pastors, etc. should not be involved in politics. The Catholic Church or any other church should not be in the business of funding wars. Their business is to tell about Jesus and salvation.

Um, no.

Part of the mission of being a priest standing in the place of Christ is to do as Christ did. That includes denouncing evils in high places. There's also the biblical injunction to speak up and work on behalf of the poor.

Salvation means becoming like Christ (among other things). A priest is supposed to model that. It's the priests who stay silent and don't speak up about abuse and oppression who aren't doing the business of the church, not the ones who do.

 

[Jack Springer]

Um, no.

Part of the mission of being a priest standing in the place of Christ is to do as Christ did. That includes denouncing evils in high places. There's also the biblical injunction to speak up and work on behalf of the poor.

Salvation means becoming like Christ (among other things). A priest is supposed to model that. It's the priests who stay silent and don't speak up about abuse and oppression who aren't doing the business of the church, not the ones who do.

Kul, you seem like a very thoughtful person. I agree with most everything you said . . . except, these nuns and priests were active warriors, they just didn't speak up about abuse.

A better way would have been to show their enemies their Christ-like life -- which is one obligation of a parish or church worker.

 

[Kulindahr]

Kul, you seem like a very thoughtful person. I agree with most everything you said . . . except, these nuns and priests were active warriors, they just didn't speak up about abuse.

A better way would have been to show their enemies their Christ-like life -- which is one obligation of a parish or church worker.

But they also have this obligation, which applies to all Christians:

He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?

"Do justice" means to accomplish, or at least work for, justice. That kind of means being an "active warrior".

 

[SoulSearcher]

Kul, you seem like a very thoughtful person. I agree with most everything you said . . . except, these nuns and priests were active warriors, they just didn't speak up about abuse.

A better way would have been to show their enemies their Christ-like life -- which is one obligation of a parish or church worker.

"Active warriors"? Did they lead death squads? Did they use machetes to drive off poor people from their land? Did they rape and intimidate? Do you have citations from a reputed scholar that says that the priests and nuns were "active warriors" in the dirty wars? And by that I mean a scholar, not Sam Sloan.

 

[Jack Springer]

"Active warriors"? Did they lead death squads? Did they use machetes to drive off poor people from their land? Did they rape and intimidate? Do you have citations from a reputed scholar that says that the priests and nuns were "active warriors" in the dirty wars? And by that I mean a scholar, not Sam Sloan.

Soul - I thought I'd add a photo of your hero to your response. He was such a nice guy.