Author Topic: Bishop Martino: Too Outspoken on Abortion for the Vatican?  (Read 813 times)

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Offline BlueStateSaint

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Bishop Martino: Too Outspoken on Abortion for the Vatican?
« on: September 02, 2009, 08:08:11 AM »
Not sure what to think about this.

Quote
Bishop Martino: Too Outspoken on Abortion for the Vatican?

By AMY SULLIVAN Amy Sullivan – 2 hrs 29 mins ago

For suddenly departing politicans and CEOs, the standard line is to "spend time with my family." Now the Catholic church may have its own version of this unconvincing, stock answer. On Monday controversial Scranton Bishop Joseph Martino stunned longtime church-watchers by announcing that he was resigning his post because of problems with insomnia and fatigue.

The controversial Catholic leader, who has gained national prominence for his outspoken pro-life advocacy and aggressive criticism of pro-choice Democratic politicians, was still more than a decade away from reaching the Church's automatic retirement age of 75. Martino's abrupt resignation, along with the fact that he was not reassigned to another position within the Church, has some church insiders suggesting that the highly unusual move was far from voluntary - and quite possibly the work of a Vatican that has been decidedly less openly critical of the Obama Administration. (See pictures of Obama meeting with the Pope in July.)

Whether Martino is leaving willingly or not, his departure means that one very vocal critic of the Administration has lost his bully pulpit. That may come as a relief to some within the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), who have become increasingly disturbed by the politicization of some church leaders this year, most notably in protests against President Obama's invitation to speak at Notre Dame and the role of some church officials at Senator Ted Kennedy's funeral service and burial. (Read "After Kennedy's Death: Silence From the Pope.)

Martino seemed to take special pleasure in castigating institutions and individuals that he felt were failing to properly represent Catholic values. He could be abrasive, blasting Misericordia University in Dallas, Pennsylvania for inviting an openly gay writer and former Clinton Administration aide to speak. The university, declared Martino, was "seriously failing in maintaining its Catholic identity." Earlier this year, Martino threatened to shutter Scranton's cathedral on St. Patrick's Day if any local Irish-American organizations included pro-choice politicians in their celebrations.

During the 2008 campaign, Martino focused particular attention on vice presidential nominee Joseph Biden, the Scranton native and Catholic Democrat. The bishop declared that Biden would be denied communion if he tried to receive it at any church in the diocese, which covers the northeast quarter of the state - "I will be truly vigilant on this point," said Martino. And he warned his parishioners there would be dire consequences for supporting Biden and the Democratic ticket. In October, Martino directed that a letter be read at all Sunday masses, charging that a vote for a pro-choice politician was the same as supporting "homicide." He also instructed priests to deny communion to anyone they believed publicly supported abortion rights.

I'd back Bishop Martino in a heartbeat.  He sounds like the sort of no-nonsense, no-compromise bishop that I wished I had.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090902/us_time/08599191996900

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