Priest says Social Justice is More important than abortion

[Galnextdoor]

The priest at my church said in his sermon on Sunday that the bishops were wrong at election time when they said that abortion was the issue of most concern when voting for a candidate, because Social Justice is more important. He said that according to the pope we should stop squabbling about petty issues like abortion, gay rights, birth control, etc. and focus on loving and accepting each other. He said that God has many rooms in heaven and in His heart and that all Catholics pro abortion/ anti-abortion, pro gay rights/anti gay rights, will all be accepted and loved by God, so we should too. He said that caring for the poor and loving each other were the most important things we can do.

I don’t get it. How can abortion be separated away from social justice? Isn’t social justice about treating all humans, unborn babies included, with dignity? Shouldn’t babies be treated as equal persons? Can social and economic inequalities really be more important than the right of child to be born?

The priest said that the Catholic church has become narrow minded and we need to broaden our beliefs to include love and acceptance for people on all sides of the issues.

 

[Jeanne_S]

He is gravely wrong!

 

[Murmurs]

The priest at my church said in his sermon on Sunday that the bishops were wrong at election time when they said that abortion was the issue of most concern when voting for a candidate, because Social Justice is more important. He said that according to the pope we should stop squabbling about petty issues like abortion, gay rights, birth control, etc. and focus on loving and accepting each other. He said that God has many rooms in heaven and in His heart and that all Catholics pro abortion/ anti-abortion, pro gay rights/anti gay rights, will all be accepted and loved by God, so we should too. He said that caring for the poor and loving each other were the most important things we can do.

I don’t get it. How can abortion be separated away from social justice? Isn’t social justice about treating all humans, unborn babies included, with dignity? Shouldn’t babies be treated as equal persons? Can social and economic inequalities really be more important than the right of child to be born?

The priest said that the Catholic church has become narrow minded and we need to broaden our beliefs to include love and acceptance for people on all sides of the issues.

Well he’s wrong to say abortion isn’t important. To be fair, (without my hearing him!), I’m not sure he meant that. Maybe he was trying to say that the evil of abortion fits within a broader context of social injustices, which touch far more people than just the unborn, and the faithful should be concerned about all of these equally, rather than just the particularly emotive one of abortion.

And practically, people of the left and right, and of any faith or none, could work together perhaps about some social justice issues, and so make real progress…this isn’t so likely with abortion perhaps. Also, sometimes the rhetoric from either side of the abortion debate is extremely heated and very unhelpful, and I have never thought that holding placards showing mangled foetuses outside family planning centres is a helpful way of saving human life. I suspect that’s what he meant, but obviously I wasn’t there.

Best thing to do - if you feel able to - is ask him! I’ve never met a priest who isn’t delighted to discover someone was actively listening to his sermon!

 

[john_ennis]

I would bet that your priest has some very interesting beliefs about the Magisterium.

What’s most irksome about priests saying things like this, isn’t that anybody could believe such things, but that these are priests who supposedly believe in the Church’s teaching authority.

 

[john_ennis]

I don’t get it. How can abortion be separated away from social justice? Isn’t social justice about treating all humans, unborn babies included, with dignity? Shouldn’t babies be treated as equal persons? Can social and economic inequalities really be more important than the right of child to be born?

The priest said that the Catholic church has become narrow minded and we need to broaden our beliefs to include love and acceptance for people on all sides of the issues.

Acceptance for people on all sides? Not only that, we should LOVE people on all sides.

But acceptance of everything people do? Even your priest doesn’t believe that. He doesn’t accept what the bishops said. He doesn’t accept certain types of activism.

He’s inconsistent. His real point is evident by his own example: he has a problem with humbly submitting to Church teaching, so he acts like he is the Magisterium. He re-interprets Gospel teaching to the point where you would swear that Jesus said to the woman with five husbands, “Go, and be accepted.”

 

[The_Wizard]

I would bring your concern up with your bishop.

 

[triumphguy]

Social Justice starts in the womb.

 

[wild_thing]

Abortion is a “petty” issue? :ehh:

 

[Gwendolen]

I agree abortion is a grave issue of social justice. But I also think that some concern themselves with abortion and not, say the lives of many children lost worldwide to hunger, dehydration, unsanitary water, Social justice should start in the womb, but it should not end there.

 

[Trident_H]

Acceptance just means no real standards have to matter. So is it ok if everyone just accepts me as I am so I don’t have to change? Thanks!

 

[Murmurs]

In light of people suggesting you take this sermon to a higher level - I would first of all have a chat with your priest when you can, and bring up how you feel his sermon made you uncomfortable because of what you took from it. It could be (I’m not saying it is, but it could be), that you misunderstood him?

 

[QuiteCatholic]

The priest at my church said in his sermon on Sunday that the bishops were wrong at election time when they said that abortion was the issue of most concern when voting for a candidate, because Social Justice is more important. He said that according to the pope we should stop squabbling about petty issues like abortion, gay rights, birth control, etc. and focus on loving and accepting each other. He said that God has many rooms in heaven and in His heart and that all Catholics pro abortion/ anti-abortion, pro gay rights/anti gay rights, will all be accepted and loved by God, so we should too. He said that caring for the poor and loving each other were the most important things we can do.

I don’t get it. How can abortion be separated away from social justice? Isn’t social justice about treating all humans, unborn babies included, with dignity? Shouldn’t babies be treated as equal persons? Can social and economic inequalities really be more important than the right of child to be born?

The priest said that the Catholic church has become narrow minded and we need to broaden our beliefs to include love and acceptance for people on all sides of the issues.

And this is why we are in the situation we are in. We need to hear the Truth from the pulpit, not this. This is what leads people astray. What does social justice matter if you don’t have the right to be born? And Heaven is for all, all who “repent” and follow our Lord.

 

[The_Reginator]

In light of people suggesting you take this sermon to a higher level - I would first of all have a chat with your priest when you can, and bring up how you feel his sermon made you uncomfortable because of what you took from it. …

**Galnextdoor, **from what you have told us I’m curious as to your priest’s emphasis on social justice versus our main goal: the salvation of souls. Too often it seems that many look upon the Church as a “service club” and forget her divine mission. Hopefully he still views eternal salvation as way more important than, say, feeding the poor.

And this is why we are in the situation we are in. We need to hear the Truth from the pulpit, not this. This is what leads people astray. What does social justice matter if you don’t have the right to be born? And Heaven is for all, all who “repent” and follow our Lord.

 

[Neofight]

I would bring your concern up with your bishop.

How about bringing it up, one on one with the priest?

 

[Convert1]

Acceptance for people on all sides? Not only that, we should LOVE people on all sides.

But acceptance of everything people do? Even your priest doesn’t believe that. He doesn’t accept what the bishops said. He doesn’t accept certain types of activism.

He’s inconsistent. His real point is evident by his own example: he has a problem with humbly submitting to Church teaching, so he acts like he is the Magisterium. He re-interprets Gospel teaching to the point where you would swear that Jesus said to the woman with five husbands, “Go, and be accepted.”

Nailed it.

 

[brian_custer]

abortion is the ultimate social justice issue

it is a little sad “some” catholics (including priests, bishops & higher) have chosen to de-emphasize abortion as opposed to proposed schemes of wealth redistribution

 

[ChibiViolet]

The only thing he got right is that we should love everyone. As Christians, we are called to. A massive part of that everyone though, are the unborn children and they are also among the most vulnerable so naturally, of all the issues to focus on when voting–to moral Catholics–it’s the issue of abortion and other legal means that end life prematurely of the vulnerable.

 

[Ender]

This is what leads people astray. What does social justice matter if you don’t have the right to be born?

“The promotion of the culture of life should be the highest priority in our societies…If the right to life is not defended decisively as a condition for all other rights of the person, all other references to human rights remain deceitful and illusory.” (JPII)

It would be interesting to know how that priest would respond to this statement.

Ender

 

[Midwest88]

Acceptance just means no real standards have to matter. So is it ok if everyone just accepts me as I am so I don’t have to change? Thanks!

Haha! Acceptance/equality on a secular platform, taken to its final logical step = nothing. It’s innately meaningless.

 

[powerofk]

I agree abortion is a grave issue of social justice. But I also think that some concern themselves with abortion and not, say the lives of many children lost worldwide to hunger, dehydration, unsanitary water, Social justice should start in the womb, but it should not end there.

Right. Being pro-life and being socially just cannot be mutually exclusive. There is nothing socially just about endorsing abortion (whether actively promoting abortion or simply being - “I’m personally pro-life, but I can’t push my beliefs on others”). Neither is it pro-life to allow people to starve and die from unjust war, malnutrition, and preventable disease.

What often happens, in US politics, is that many people will choose one party because that party is pro-life and against same-sex “marriage” - and then accept the rest of that party’s platform hook, line, and sinker. Others choose the other party because the other party says they care about the poor - and then accept that party’s platform (pro-abortion, pro-same sex “marriage”) hook, line, and sinker. We need to remember that we are Catholics first, our vocations second, our nationalities third. Our political parties should be a near dead last in our thinking.