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Published: November 19, 2009
“Voice of life and dignity”
California bishops want state’s Catholics to become more involved in politics
California’s bishops are planning to take a more active role in politics, launching a new program to enlist Catholics in parishes across the state to join the Catholic Legislative Network, an arm of the bishops’ public policy division, the California Catholic Conference.
 The program premiered the weekend of Oct. 24-25 at St. Anthony’s parish in Sacramento, described in a Nov. 13 email from the Legislative Network as “the ‘test market’ for the state.” St. Anthony’s parishioners at four different Masses watched a video about the new Catholic political initiative with an introduction by Sacramento Bishop Jaime Soto.
The effort to engage Catholics in politics will eventually involve every diocese in California, according to the Legislative Network. At St. Anthony’s, said the network’s Nov. 13 email, more than 400 parishioners signed up. “They are the first Californians to experience a new program -- Life & Dignity Sunday -- which encourages participation in the Catholic Legislative Network,” said the email.
“Life & Dignity Sunday will be held in all parishes in the Diocese of Sacramento on the weekend of December 5 and 6, 2009 and move out to the remainder of the state in the coming months,” according to the Catholic Legislative Network. “It will be held in the San Fernando Region of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles on January 23 and 24, 2010, and Fresno Diocese in the spring. Initial planning is underway in two other dioceses as well.”
In his introduction to the video, Bishop Soto said, “We believe that a very important voice that is lacking in the decisions that are made both here in the capital and throughout the state is the voice of faith.” He and his fellow bishops, said Soto, want Catholics in California to become a more vocal “voice of life and dignity” in the state.
Following Bishop Soto’s introduction, the video mentions cuts in programs like Healthy Families, an insurance plan for children from low-income families, and protective services for the elderly. In addition, says the video, many Californians are losing their jobs or homes or are suffering dramatic reductions in income.
“And, as lawmakers cut programs that enhance life, funding continues for programs that support ending life, like abortion for teenage girls without their parents’ consent,” the video continues, also mentioning the continuing push for assisted suicide. (To watch the video, Click Here.)
Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 5:44 AM By John
No reasonable serious Catholic would fall for this propaganda.With their lack of leadership on moral issues, the CA bishops surely don't expect Catholics to follow their political advice. They are merely carrying water for Obama and Henry Waxman.
When the CA Democrat Party went hard-core pro-abortion, we never heard a peep from the bishops. When self-identified Catholic legislators like Cruz Bustamante-DEM always voted pro-abortion, the bishops were silent. When and if the Obama health care video comes to your parish----protest it. or better yet, hand out Voter Registration cards so DEMs can reregister as anything else.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 7:04 AM By Sawyer
California is bankrupt. There will eventually have to be cuts to all kinds of programs across the board. It is fiscally irresponsible of bishops to advocate maintaining funding for programs when the State doesn't have the money to pay for them. I'm sorry, all I see in California is an economic death spiral caused by lax enforcement of immigration law and profligate spending by Democrats. Furthermore, the bishops assume that Catholics in California take their faith seriously. My experience is that they do not. California Catholics are very much cafeteria Catholics.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 7:08 AM By Jeannie
This very reasonable and serious Catholic cannot wait to sign up as will everyone I know when they are invited! Yes, we miss His Excellency Jaime Soto here in our diocese! :O)
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 7:26 AM By Rob
You hit it right on the nose John. My question is why didn't the bishops take more of a stand BEFORE Obama and his minions got into office?
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 7:47 AM By Camille
Apparently the Catholic church in California is about to be subsumed into ACORN's humanistic agenda. To call on Catholics for political support of the state Healthy Families program is to support family planning and abortion. That's mostly what healthy families is all about. It's a direct feed-in to MediCal and total family surrender to the direction of the state. This is all in preparation to accept the federal mandate of Universal Health care.
God help us, please.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 8:26 AM By California Teacher
Unfortunately, I agree with John. Perhaps Bp. Soto will prove to be an honorable leader. His compadres, however, have not proven trustworthy. In principle, the idea isn't a bad one. We need to wait for a new crop of bishops, however.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 8:39 AM By Nemo
It used to be that bishops would help the poor with our donated money. Now, they take our money, and like any other PAC, advocate for liberal policies and programs. They might as well be an arm of the Democratic party. It never crosses their minds that the taxes needed to fund these programs hurt our economy and eliminate the jobs the poor really need. Heaven forbid they would read the Republican plank and see that it contains the social teaching of subsidiary in addition to the obvious pro-life plank.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 8:51 AM By rhonda
When I receive the Catholic Legislative Network email, I am disappointed. While abortion funding is mentioned --the newsletter has not been educating regarding this monstrous health care bill that goes AGAINST the Catholic teaching of Subsidiarity--nor does it stress the importance of conscience clause, or the concept of rationing, etc. The Bishops should be telling Catholics that without these things we, as Catholics, cannot support ANY health care legislation.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 12:29 PM By Louise
I recommend everyone sign up to receive the weekly alerts just to be aware of what the CCC legislative wing is supporting. You don't have to follow thru with their recommendation. Do your own research and respond accordingly even if it's just to let the CCC legislative analyst know your opinion.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 12:56 PM By Not Fooled
John (first posting) is absolutely right. Wonder if it is a coincidence that the first meeting was held at St. Anthony Church in Sacramento, the parish of the Conference's Executive Director, Edward Dolejsi. Don't let some mention of abortion fool you - this is NOT a big ticket item with the Catholic Conference.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 1:12 PM By Elizabeth
EVERYONE-
WE NEED TO PRAY FOR OUR BISHOPS....
NOT CONSTANTLY BRINING THEM DOWN!
DO ANY OF YOU CALL THE BISHOP'S OFFICE WHEN THEY ARE COURAGEOUS AND LEAD US?
I.E. BISHOP TOBIN IN RHODE ISLAND AND HOW HE HAS SPOKEN UP REGARDING PATRICK KENNEDY.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 1:16 PM By WOODY GUIDRY
I'M GLAD MY FACE IS HIDDEN as I write this. I don't think that Californians are quitters; I don't think that God's own Church will fail to sustain California Courage. I watched the videos! Only if I were feeble-minded could I doubt that those bishops-who have failed in full view of us all- will now combine Christ's MORAL mission with full political battle which, as Cardinal George has just said, was ALREADY a moral battle before it became political. Just think of the glorious example California-deep in the quicksand of failure, will set when she shows the world the strength of morality as she overcomes. WE SHALL OVERCOME!
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 1:30 PM By Joseph
Not surprising that not a single comment in support of the bishops appears. Only serious Catholics bother to read this site. We are preaching to the choir.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 1:56 PM By JLS
Elizabeth, it is not we who bring down bishops, but they themselves. Those who derive their power and authority from men have already brought themselves down; those who derive it from God cannot be brought down by anyone.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 2:00 PM By JLS
Woody, the bad news is that in history there have been many local churches which have failed and then ceased to exist. What makes California any greater than these which were conquered and vanquished? Read St John, especially his Apocalypse, and find that among the letters to the seven churches, there is some bad news. The faithful may some day have to shake the California dust off their sandals and move on to the next place.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 2:52 PM By Janet
Thank you good Bishop Soto. Never mind yesterday, I'm glad for what good leadership is now being exhibited. God takes the smallest efforts done for His Glory and does wondrous things with them. Thanks Woody for your Faith, JLS, have hope.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 3:34 PM By WOODY GUIDRY
JLS, the Apocalype is the worst possible choice to take any meaning from, It was written in a style popular 200 years before and 200 years after John wrote, never to be used again. The Magisterium is what we must refer to for truth. No matter what history has come before, it does not have to be repeated. I state that what makes California churches greater "than these which were conquered and vanquished" will depend on the particular, rather than the general failure you want to cite. That would take a lot of time, but those WILL survive who pattern themselves after those who did so by following saintly and heroic men.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 7:23 PM By JLS
Woody, I have no trouble with understanding the Book of the Apocalypse. It is part of the Magisterium. This book is of course prophetic, but it is not a crystal ball. Once one knows what prophesy means, and distinguishes this from fortunetelling, then it is a wonderful thing. Prophetic statements are being made all the time; bishops have the office of prophet, although that does not mean they either understand it or use it. The key, Woody, is simply realizing that we are in Christ and Christ lives both temporally and eternally ... we share this. The Apocalypse Book is not what the millenialists make it out to be at all; it is not a step by step journey through history and the future. It simply shows us what we are. There is nothing to fear other than humility; well, ok, I just made this up, but what I'm saying is that this book helps us to see what God has created and how badly we've messed it up, and yet how graceful God is for our benefit. Human nature has limits. The Apocalypse reveals these to us. When people oppose God, there are certain ways they can do this, certain results, certain consequences. Much is the fantasy literature throughout history, yet none of it provides any kind of creature that is not described in the Apocalypse. Now, I know that what I am saying likely is incomprehensible to many; however, the Book of the Apocalypse is read at the end of each traditional Mass, and is called the "Fifth Gospel". Our Lady of Guadalupe has important corresponding information in this Book, especially ch 12. St Paul, I think it is, tells us that all Scripture is helpful.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 8:20 PM By JLS
Thanks, Janet. It is hard sometimes to keep from the temptations of either optimism or pessimism and stay with hope and faith.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 8:23 PM By JLS
Woody, what I was referring to specifically by saying some churches have disappeared, is the advent of Islam. Islam wiped out most of Catholicism in North Africa and the middle and near East, and conquered Spain for 800 years. Spain returned to Catholicism but not so for these other two major regions. No other religion has even come close to whipping Catholicism, although secular humanism in its various guises is doing so to a large extent, and an almost invisible extent.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 8:39 PM By garvan
Don't forget to boycott this coming Sunday's 2nd collection for the so-called Campaign for Human Development, which uses donations to fund (indirectly, of course) abortion, prostitution, and other causes 180 degrees at odds with our Church's teachings.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 8:51 PM By cjo
Perhaps the Bishops should be teaching the Faith to the 'faithful' [cafeteria Cathlics?] for a change, and enforcing Canon 915 for those [politicians] who are stubbron and publically and notoriously pro abortion, and "anti-life"
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 9:03 PM By victoriag
Nope. The Bishops are totally wrong on this one. But if they wish to mix in politics, then the Church should be prepared to forfeit their Tax Exempt Status.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 11:03 PM By JLS
Correction to my post on the Book of the Apocalypse. Normally I do not bother with corrections such as typos. But in this case a typo has messed up the meaning of a difficult thing. There has been lots of fantasy literature throughout the ages. But there is nothing in any of it that is not covered by the Book of the Apocalypse. Man cannot nor can angels dream up anything else. This is part of what I mean when I say that the Apocalypse Book shows us human nature, and in doing so it shows us the hierarchy or arrangement of the limits of the elements of waywardness. There is nothing wayward that man will ever say or ever do that is not dealt with in the Apocalypse in terms of the limits of man's capability under any amount of natural or demonic power. Man can only do so much and no more; same with demons. The Decalog also defines the limits of possibility. When God says that man shall not, this means that ultimately it shall never be done. For example, there can never be total adultry, never total murder, never total abortion, never total idolatry, never total deception. The Church is guaranteed by God Who can never be wrong, nor defeated; He has no equal ... He extends grace to those who believe Him, and due to the limits of man and devil there is nothing that can surmount the grace of God. The Book of the Apocalypse packages up this information and more and presents it to us in a prophetic form. If you want the long form, then read the Torah and the Prophets and the Law and the Gospel and the Letters.
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Posted Thursday, November 19, 2009 11:08 PM By JLS
victoriag, the tax exempt status of the Church is not something that can be forfeited, since "forfeit" implies the loss of value. The tax exemption is actually the price the Church has paid to Caesar in exchange for money. Jesus says for us to give to Caesar, not the other way around. So now that we have the other way around, ie the tax exemption, we find a big muzzle on the mouth of the Church. The Church should rather be paying the government to do Her bidding; presently we find the Church doing the bidding of the government.
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Posted Friday, November 20, 2009 7:07 AM By Harry
The USCCB has just sent out a directive to ALL parishes in the U.S. to place an insert concerning the monstrous Obamacare health bill in their Sunday bulletins. The main objective is to move the faithful to influence their legislators against the bill. From what I observe, I'd say less than 25% of parishes have done it, even though the USCCB ernestly ask that no parish exempt itself. The USCCB conveys a great - and warranted - sense of urgency about the effort and attaches great importance to it. If passed, they reckon, rightly, Obamacare will be a disaster on a par with Roe v Wade. Dear California bishops, if you want to do something to have the voice of Faith heard, why don't you implement that directive in your dioceses? Even though it is time sensitive, there is still time, since the health care debate may drag on for some months. Please, please, get on the ball and do this. Is it not farcical that you ignore a directive which the USCCB considers so important and which would truly make the voice of Faith heard, and instead go off on something else?
How will it look next year, if this bill becomes law, while you are setting up your "legislative network", and abortions increase by 30% or so,and health care is rationed to the elderly who are then offed at the whim of some doctor or "death squad"? How will you bishops look then? And what will you say when Catholic hospitals are forced to either close or provide "reproductive health care"? For the love of God and the sake of both the church and the state, get moving and help stop this bill.
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Posted Friday, November 20, 2009 9:22 AM By Elsa
I support Bishop Soto's effort. I am from the Diocese of Orange where bishop Soto comes from and I trust his judgement. So may complaints about the bishops like they don't do anything, why do they even exist. blah,blah,blah !!
There are alot of issues but I will take them one by one and support the bishops who are on the right track and have the courage to speak up. I will follow the progam and evaluate the fruits it produces. If there is an issue I will then voice my opinion. Stop "dogging" every bishop, let's support those who are doing the right thing.
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Posted Friday, November 20, 2009 4:45 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Elsa,
Where were you when Bishop Soto entertained some of the most pro-abortion, pro-sodomite politicians at Catholic Churches?
I know of Catholics who resigned from his Respect Life Board because they realized he was not really sincere.
We will have to wait and see if this latest effort of his is turned over to PICO, ACORN, and other such abominations that are also Obamanations. My guess is that it will, because they are "good" in immigration issues.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Friday, November 20, 2009 4:49 PM By victoriag
JLS, I STAND Corrected.....Naturally the Church Authorities in the US would never forfeit their Tax Exempt Status. Their GREED would never allow it. But if they want to stick their noses where they don't belong, then there is a price to be paid. SOOOOO, They Should LOSE Their Tax Eximpt Status.
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Posted Sunday, November 22, 2009 9:58 AM By Elsa
Kenneth M. Fisher can you please can you please provide backup of your assertions about Bishop Soto entertaining politians against church teaching ? You state where was I when it was happening... I don't know about it so please point me in that direction so I may evaluate the info. Thank You.
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Posted Sunday, November 22, 2009 11:01 AM By Grisha
Kenneth M. Fisher: Isn't it a bishop's business to influence politicians, especially those who disagree with us, regarding issues of concern for the Church? If so, then one good way is to meet them in a social setting.
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Posted Sunday, November 22, 2009 12:56 PM By Anne T.
Your post of Nov. 20 at 9:22 is a good one, Elsa. We must encourage our bishops when they do something right besides harping on the negative ones. Sometimes we critizes too much--we need balance.
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Posted Sunday, November 22, 2009 1:40 PM By JLS
Garish, another way is to excommunicate them. Call it a pre-emptive strike, if you will. And then let them crawl back to the confessional and change their heinous ways.
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Posted Sunday, November 22, 2009 1:42 PM By JLS
victoriag, check out the Manhatten Declaration ... It's found in a new thread on this site today.
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Posted Sunday, November 22, 2009 3:23 PM By Grisha
JLS: My Lord! Aren't you the optimist. You have such great faith in coercive and punitive measures. Excommunicate Rep. Pelosi and we'll see which liberal Episcopalian parish here in the City will get to boast that the Speaker of the House is their newest congregant. Ditto w/ Rep. Kennedy: "It is with great regret that I leave, at least for now, the faith of my forefathers ...."
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Posted Sunday, November 22, 2009 10:24 PM By Anne T.
Victoriag, there isn't a church, synogogue, temple or other religous organization that does not "stick its nose" in where it does not belong as you put it. The Unitarian Church and others back marriages between people of the same sex. ALL their tax exemptions will have to be taken away if the Catholic Church's is taken away. Quite frankly I do not think it matters one way or the other if they take them all away or keep them all.
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Posted Monday, November 23, 2009 6:59 AM By JLS
Garish, even further, I would vote long prison sentences or banishment from this nation of those people such as Pelosi, Kennedy, Biden, Obama, et al. Remember now that these people preside over the unjust and inexcusable sin of abortion to the ongoing extent of millions of souls never seeing the light of day (except of course for those souls aborted late term who the minute they see daylight their heads are pierced by scissors) ... so, Garish, go ahead and excuse them all you want, pat them on the hand and sensitively coo in their ears that they may want to consider the remote possibility that they have erred in the matter of their political decisions. But give me the authority, and I'd jail the bunch of them and keep them on a barge in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean where they could wave to their foreign allies whenever those pols passed by in a plane.
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Posted Monday, November 23, 2009 8:45 AM By Anne T.
Kenneth Fisher, wasn't it Bishop Soto who told the homosexuals and lesbians when aboard an event on a ship that homosexual acts and same-sex marriages were wrong, or am I mistaken?
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Posted Monday, November 23, 2009 10:03 AM By MarkF
Folks, lets get our terms straight here. Excommunication is not in play here. What is in play here is teaching when a person is disposed to receive communion and when they're not. Despite Patrick Kennedy's assertions, no one is being refused communion. They are, thank God, being told that they are not properly disposed to receive communion, just like any of us are when we are in a state of sin. Can anyone see the line that started with the Pope's talk to the US bishops last year, to the Pope taking Nancy Pelosi to task, to the Notre Dame controversy and now to this? Even the secular media is seeing that the Church is being restored.
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Posted Monday, November 23, 2009 10:30 AM By JLS
MarkF, some are simply doing what they can, which amounts to stoking the fire under the bishops' kitchen stove. The few faithful bishops need a lot of support from the laity ... even though there is sufficient support from God, for some reason the bishops have to rely on the laity for which direction to head in. History often reveals this sad fact to us.
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Posted Monday, November 23, 2009 11:19 PM By Kenneth M. Fisher
Elsa,
It was at, seem to remember, Blessed Sacrament in Santa Ana, and the pro-abortion, pro-sodomite politician was Gil Sedillo, and the excuse was that he is good on immigration. It is a matter of public record, it was written up by the O.C. Register.
Yes Anne T., it was Bishop Soto that told the homosexuals that they must obey the Magisterium, and I give him credit for that, but that does not justify his gving a pro-abortion, pro-sodomite politician a platform. As a former Republican Congressional Nominee, I know how much such a platform is worth to a politician.
I know a man who was on Bishop Soto's Respect Life Committee Executive committee who resigned when he realized that Soto was not really sincere.
I pray that he will grow more sincere now that he has been made an Ordinary.
God bless, yours in Their Hearts,
Kenneth M. Fisher
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Posted Thursday, December 03, 2009 2:21 PM By Virginia Hall
I am so thrilled that the Catholic leadership is finally taking a stand against anti-Christ legislation in our state, and hopefully this movement will go national! We Catholics have been silent for too long. If we Catholics had been speaking out for Christ in the political realm a lot sooner, we wouldn't be in such immoral straits as we are in our society. Instead we have let God be taken out of everything, and we just remain silent. This is not the time to be critical or judgmental of any of our Bishops (stone throwing) regardless of the past. They are trying to do the right thing, and we must get behind them and support them in this political effort! To do otherwise is to fail Him Whom we love.
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