The ambassadors said on July 31 that despite their own political differences,
they all believe that Mitt Romney “can be a great force for good in this
nation.”
They explained that they are united in their support of Romney’s candidacy by
the conviction that all Catholics are “called
to advance the moral teachings of
Former ambassadors Frank Shakespeare, Tom Melady, Ray
Flynn, Jim Nicholson, Francis Rooney and Mary Ann Glendon
are the new national co-chairs of the Catholics
for Romney coalition.
In a letter to fellow Catholics, the ambassadors said that while they are
Democrats, Independents and Republicans, they are “united in faith and in
action” with regards to the upcoming election.
“Where the stakes are highest – in the defense of life, liberty, and human
dignity – we have a duty to act that is greater and more urgent than allegiance
to any political party,” they explained.
The former diplomats – whose years of service range from 1986 to 2009 – said
that no matter which issues become the focus of the presidential campaign in
coming months, “our concerns lie with
fundamental rights, beginning with religious liberty.”
The ambassadors observed that the Obama
Primary among these threats is a new requirement that will force employers to
offer health insurance that covers contraception, sterilization and
abortion-inducing drugs, even if doing so violates their religious convictions.
In contrast, the diplomats said, “Governor
Romney believes that freedom to live one’s faith is essential to liberty and
human fulfillment.” They noted that he has “pledged himself to removing those
federal mandates immediately.”
Furthermore, they noted, “the current
The ambassadors also defended Romney’s pro-life stance, arguing that while “the
current
Critics of Romney remain skeptical about his claim to have had a conversion to
a pro-life position in 2004, after confronting the issue of embryonic stem cell
research and realizing that it was wrong to create a human life simply to
destroy it.
However his supporters point to his consistent pro-life record as governor of
The ambassadors also cited Romney’s recent statement that “there is no greater force for good in the nation than
This statement recognizes the important role and “special duty” of faithful
individuals and organizations, they argued.
“We urge our fellow Catholics, and indeed all people of good will, to join with
us in this full-hearted effort to elect Governor Mitt Romney as the next
President of the
Is Moral
"It
would be peculiarly improper to omit in this first official act my fervent
supplications to that Almighty Being who rules over the universe, who presides
in the councils of nations, and whose providential aids can supply every human
defect, that His benediction may consecrate to the liberties and happiness of
the people of the United States a government instituted by themselves for these
essential purposes. No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the
Invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more than those of the
It was George Washington, during the course of the first inaugural address.
Having led the army of the Revolution from June 15, 1775 to December 23, 1783,
eight long years,
In so many ways, George Washington set the tone for the presidency and the
nation as someone guided by his faith, garnered from the Old and New Testaments
of the Bible.
This is in sharp contrast to our present American President who invariably
refers to “the holy Koran.”
The Constitution, however, was achieved only with a major compromise regarding
slavery; one that would require a Civil War to end the abhorrent practice. Most
of the Founders knew this. Many had been born into or ascended to the planter
class in an era when slavery was the accepted order of the day and they opposed it. It deeply offended their
personal sense of morality even if this source of labor was deemed necessary at
the time.
Thomas
Men are imperfect creatures, subject to their passions, and through
civilization’s long history of Judeo-
We have seen that Islam accepts no tolerance and demands global
submission. Western civilization has been is locked in a war of survival with
Islam since the seventh century.
For 236 years
The tens of thousands who turned out for Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day
are testimony to the push-back occurring in
A moment of prayer, a simple act of piety, has been banished from our schools.
Demands that symbols of faith be removed from the public square have increased.
Efforts
to silence the clergy who minister to our armed forces are underway. Separation
of Church and State—found no where in our Constitution—has been twisted into
efforts to diminish the public role of the churches and synagogues when it most
emphatically does not mean freedom from religion.
The most solemn belief in the sanctity of human life, particularly of
the Catholic Church, has come under attack with the passage of Obamacare.
Many faithful believe that a president who endorses same-sex marriage
is endorsing the destruction of the moral heart of our nation and society.
As American principles, anchored in religious faith and commonly held moral
teachings, come under attack, Americans
are increasingly aware of the two forces that remain the greatest enemies of
morality as defined by Western civilization: One is Communism and the other is
Islam, the antithesis of Judeo-
As Americans of all faiths approach the national elections in November their
vote may prove a tipping point toward America’s continued slide into the
darkness, into the slavery of Communism, into the further encroachments of
Islam, into a moral abyss, or it can be the day that Americans renew their
faith in what America stood for in the past and the values it can champion in
the future.
VATICAN
CITY, AUG. 3, 2012 (Zenit.org).- A papal message to the
Knights of Columbus lauds the men's group for their work in helping the
Catholic community to respond at this time "when concerted efforts are
being made to redefine and restrict the exercise of the right to religious
freedom."
This
was part of the encouragement sent to the Knights by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Pope's
secretary of state, on the Holy Father's behalf. The message, dated July 19, is
on the occasion of the Knights' 130th Supreme Convention, which will be held
next week.
"The theme of this year's Supreme
Convention - Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land - evokes not only the
great biblical ideals of freedom and justice which shaped the founding of the
United States of America, but also the responsibility of each new generation to
preserve, defend and advance those great ideals in its own day," the papal
message stated. "At a time when concerted efforts are being made to
redefine and restrict the exercise of the right to religious freedom, the
Knights of Columbus have worked tirelessly to help the Catholic community
recognize and respond to the unprecedented gravity of these new threats to the
Church's liberty and public moral witness.
"By defending the right of all
religious believers, as individual citizens and in their institutions, to work
responsibly in shaping a democratic society inspired by their deepest beliefs,
values and aspirations, your Order has proudly lived up to the high religious
and patriotic principles which inspired its founding."
Lay
mission
The
Pope suggested that the current challenges are proof of "the decisive
importance of the Catholic laity for the advancement of the Church's mission in
today's rapidly changing social context."
The
message cited what the Holy Father told a group of US bishops in Rome earlier
this year, that "the demands of the new evangelization and the defense of
the Church's freedom in our day call for 'an
engaged, articulate and well-formed Catholic laity endowed with a strong
critical sense vis-a-vis the dominant culture and
with the courage to counter a reductive secularism which would delegitimize the
Church's participation in public debate about the issues which are determining
the future of American society.'"
In
this context, the Pontiff called on the Knights of Columbus to "reinforce
the praiseworthy programs of continuing catechetical and spiritual formation
which have long been a hallmark of your Order."
"Each
Knight," he said, "in fidelity to his baptismal promises, is pledged
to bear daily witness, however quiet and unassuming, to his faith in