DFW bishops twist some panties into a knot.

Some Dallas-Fort Worth Catholics irked by bishops' letter on abortion
05:36 PM CDT on Monday, October 13, 2008
By SAM HODGES / The Dallas Morning News

Some North Texas Catholics are upset with a letter written and distributed by their local bishops, saying it amounts to an endorsement of GOP presidential candidate Sen. John McCain. (when you're told a certain position is intrinsically evil and only one candidate holds it...you do the math)

The letter by Bishop Kevin Farrell of the Diocese of Dallas and Bishop Kevin Vann of the Diocese of Fort Worth says in part: “To vote for a candidate who supports the intrinsic evil of abortion or `abortion rights’ when there is a morally acceptable alternative would be to cooperate in the evil – and, therefore, morally impermissible.” (I dunno, is McCain's name there anywhere?)

Sen. Barack Obama, the Democratic Party presidential candidate, supports abortion rights. Sen. McCain favors overturning Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that protects the right to an abortion.

The bishops’ letter was distributed or read at parishes across the Diocese of Dallas this weekend. The Fort Worth diocese is distributing the letter through its newspaper, which is being mailed to all registered Catholic families in the diocese. (Funny, they missed my parish. Maybe this weekend, our pastor is pretty hardcore prolife.)

Nicole LeBlanc said several people walked out of Dallas' Holy Trinity Catholic Church during the 11 a.m. Sunday Mass, when the letter was read at the time usually reserved for a homily. (Note to self; stay the hell away from Holy Trinity. Evidently there are a lot of flaming libs there.)

Ms. LeBlanc, an Obama supporter, said she, too, was upset. (Wah, fucking wah.)

“As a Catholic, we’re taught about being independent moral agents with free will,” she said. “That letter from the bishops is basically telling us that if we vote for a candidate who supports abortion rights, we are basically immoral and our souls are imperiled.” (Yep, you can exercise your free will tootsie. That doesn't mean you get off scotfree. Just be prepared to do the time if you're gonna do the crime and in this case that could be a really looonnnggg time. No hope for parole either.)

Ms. LeBlanc also said she felt the letter “has gone too far towards bringing political endorsements in the church, which is obviously not legal.” (Legal, schmegal. I'd say being right trumps all such thinking. But go ahead, sue the bishops. See how far it goes.)

Ms. LeBlanc said a protest of the letter is likely to occur outside the pastoral center of the Dallas Diocese this Wednesday afternoon. (BFD)

The bishops did not respond to interview requests Monday. Annette Gonzales Taylor, a spokeswoman for Bishop Farrell, said that 80 percent of the contacts the diocese has received about the letter have been positive. (Yeah, most of us like our bishops having a set of balls and using them.)

She said the letter was not an endorsement of any political candidate but sought to clarify Catholic teachings, particularly a document issued by U.S. bishops called "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship." (Let Obama have a "come to Jesus moment" on the issue of abortion and the USCCB would probably fall all over themselves to push his candidacy. He has all that "social justice" crap the bishops love down pat. But this troublesome little thing about babykilling keeps getting in the way. Too bad, so sad.)