Archbishop of New York writes to Obama to withdraw opposition to Defense of Marriage Act

[GraceSofia]

Sometime recently (within the last couple of months) I, also, was searching on NYT because something fairly prominent about Catholicism was in the news. Like you, I was curious to see how NYT would frame it. When I searched their Religioni and Belief section (going back several months), here’s what I found:

(1) Lots of articles on Muslims (#1 in frequency)
(2) A significant number on Jewish issues (makes sense, given prominent Jewish population in NY)
(3) Lots of articles on Catholic clergy sexual abuse (nothing else on Catholicism)
(4) Examples of extreme (controversial) Protestant evangelical movements/news stories

ROUGH TRANSLATION:
Muslim = good person
Jew = good person
Protestant = bad person
Catholic = pervert & criminal

Yes, that is unfortunately the overall picture. I just had a quick look and found their story on the Pope in Berlin leads with this: “Pope Benedict XVI divided the capital of his native land on Thursday, celebrating Mass for more than 60,000 followers while thousands of opponents marched through the streets to protest his visit.” Always negative. I won’t bother linking it.

 

[Elizabeth502]

I searched and found lots of other stuff on Catholicism.

Mine was obviously a different time frame than your search was. The point is that with any generous time frame (such as mine was), there should be a broad distribution of articles covering various aspects of various faiths. With mine, there was not, and even I, well-acquainted with the NYT, was surprised that there was not.

 

[WesleyF]

If you approve gay marriage today, tomorrow, you will not be able to stop** bisexual marriage** (3 people married together - male, male, female or female, female, male), because you shall have no rational basis to object to it. Can’t we see where this is leading? It will cause totally dysfunctional families.

Stand for marriage between one man and one woman. That’s the only way civilizations can survive.

 

[Wolseley]

Is it necessary to be offensive in this way? “Perversion” “Pink Berets”?

I fine the idea of “gay marriage”, homosexuals adopting children, and active homosexuals serving in the armed forces to be offensive in the extreme. As for pink berets, have you seen these?

allvoices.com/contributed-news/10307270-us-forces-make-their-own-perfumes-on-the-market

That didn’t take long, now did it? Maybe they’re hoping the enemy will be aroused instead of intimidated.

 

[Hokomai]

I fine the idea of “gay marriage”, homosexuals adopting children, and active homosexuals serving in the armed forces to be offensive in the extreme. As for pink berets, have you seen these?

allvoices.com/contributed-news/10307270-us-forces-make-their-own-perfumes-on-the-market

That didn’t take long, now did it? Maybe they’re hoping the enemy will be aroused instead of intimidated.

Well, I’m not part of a Church which preaches charity. Up to you I guess.

 

[ANNE_2]

When Catholic VOTERS help elect an IMMORAL Politician, what would anyone expect ?

Immoral OBAMA supports: the murder of innocent babies (approx. 1 Million a year in the US), and forcing abortions upon poorer countries through the United Nations - both with our tax dollars.

If he does not know that murdering other human beings is wrong, how could anyone expect him to know anything is wrong ! - Including sodomy.
(Abortion has even been in his Party’s National Platform for years.)

 

[Teelynn]

When Catholic VOTERS help elect an IMMORAL Politician, what would anyone expect ?

Immoral OBAMA supports: the murder of innocent babies (approx. 1 Million a year in the US), and forcing abortions upon poorer countries through the United Nations - both with our tax dollars.

If he does not know that murdering other human beings is wrong, how could anyone expect him to know anything is wrong ! - Including sodomy.
(Abortion has even been in his Party’s National Platform for years.)

I will NEVER understand how so called “Catholics” helped to put this man in Office to begin with. Although, I do understand how the “Katholics” promoted him. (that wing of the Church that promotes relativism, condones abortion, euthanasia, homosexual life style) I would imagine that some people did not vet him enough and others agree with his immorality seeing it as moral rather than immoral.

 

[knewland023]

I guess I am a little confused. Doesn’t Obama’s oath force him to uphold all of the laws of the United States, whether he agrees with them or not. A Harvard lawyer should know that.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I guess I am a little confused. Doesn’t Obama’s oath force him to uphold all of the laws of the United States, whether he agrees with them or not. A Harvard lawyer should know that.

Which law is Obama not upholding?

Jim

 

[SouthCatholic]

I guess I am a little confused. Doesn’t Obama’s oath force him to uphold all of the laws of the United States, whether he agrees with them or not. A Harvard lawyer should know that.

He told Holder not to continue to defend the law against lawsuits. That is within his authority as President. He did not tell them not to enforce the law.

 

[The_Rock]

He told Holder not to continue to defend the law against lawsuits. That is within his authority as President. He did not tell them not to enforce the law.

That was February. Much has transpired since. The Obama administration is now actively campaigning against Defense of marriage laws.
As Archbishop Dolan points out, the Obama administration and

the Justice Department “escalated the level of hostility” against DOMA in July with its brief in Golinski v U.S. Office of Personnel Management, which the analysis said “compares DOMA in effect to racially discriminatory laws.”

So in a span of 7 months the Obama administration’s policy has changed from:

**January 2011 **defending the defense of marriage laws (which was the policy of all the previous presidents)
to

**February 2011 ** No longer defending the marriage laws
to

**July 2011 ** Actively attacking the defense of marriage laws, comparing them to racial discrimination

keennewsservice.com/2011/07/04/doj-comes-out-swinging-against-doma/
usccb.org/news/2011/11-179.cfm

usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/promotion-and-defense-of-marriage/upload/dolan-to-obama-doma-letter-sept-20-2011.pdf

Now President Obama says his views on same-sex marriage are “evolving,”

nytimes.com/2011/06/19/us/politics/19marriage.html?pagewanted=all

 

[Ender]

usccb.org/issues-and-action/marriage-and-family/marriage/promotion-and-defense-of-marriage/upload/dolan-to-obama-doma-letter-sept-20-2011.pdf

“…every child has the right to be loved by both a mother and a father.”

Go archbishop!

If the archbishop was serious about opposing gay marriage he would be better served by opposing the distribution of communion to the Catholic politicians who make it possible … starting with the Governor of New York. Writing letters asking for the Church’s position to be accepted doesn’t carry nearly the weight of acting as if the Church’s position mattered.

Ender

 

[lisahiku]

If the archbishop was serious about opposing gay marriage he would be better served by opposing the distribution of communion to the Catholic politicians who make it possible … starting with the Governor of New York. Writing letters asking for the Church’s position to be accepted doesn’t carry nearly the weight of acting as if the Church’s position mattered.

Ender

that is a really good point!