The nation's Roman Catholic bishops vowed to forcefully confront the Obama administration over its support for abortion rights, saying the church and religious freedom could be under attack in the new presidential administration. "You can forget about your jobs, and your houses, and your 401(k)s," Archbishop Joseph Naumann of the Diocese of Kansas City in Kansas said. "This Obama guy thinks women have a right to their own bodies. Well, their bodies, OK but the church owns your uterus, that's right in the bible."
In an impassioned discussion on Catholics in public life, several bishops said they would accept no compromise on abortion policy. Many condemned Catholics who had argued it was morally acceptable to back President-elect Obama because he pledged to reduce abortion rates. "Catholics who vote their pocketbooks are just not really catholics," Bishop Joseph Martino of Scranton, Pennsylvania. "Besides, I'm pretty sure we own your pocketbooks too."
Several prelates promised to call out Catholic policy makers on their failures to follow church teaching. "I cannot have a vice president-elect coming to Scranton to say he's learned his values there when those values are utterly against the teachings of the Catholic Church," Martino said. "Because you know it's always about me. Really. I'm a bishop."
The Obama-Biden press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. "We just finished a whole campaign dealing with wingnuts and cement heads," said the person answering the phone who refused to be identified. "We're taking some time off."
Archbishop Naumann said politicians "can't check your principles at the door of the legislature. If anything the last eight years have proven that. Oh wait. Bad example."
Naumann has said repeatedly that Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic Democrat who supports abortion rights, should stop taking Holy Communion until she changes her stance. "They cannot call themselves Catholic when they violate such a core belief as doing what I say," Naumann said. "Plus she's a woman. Where do they get these ideas? The nuns don't treat me this way."
Chicago Cardinal Francis George, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, is preparing a statement during the bishops' fall meeting that will press Obama on abortion. The bishops suggested that the final document include the message that "aggressively pro-abortion policies" would be viewed "as an attack on the church."
"Those little zygotes are going to grow up to be tithers some day," Naumann said. "Don't mess with our P/L sheet."
Along with their theological opposition to the procedure, church leaders say they worry that any expansion in abortion rights could require Catholic hospitals to perform abortions or lose federal funding. Auxiliary Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Chicago said the hospitals would close rather than comply. "Got cancer? Too bad. Trying to earn a living by working at the hospital? Who cares? We're all about the blastocysts," Paprocki added.
According to exit polls, 54 percent of Catholics chose Obama, who is Protestant. The new bishops' statement is meant to drive home the point in a way that cannot be misconstrued. "We have a very important thing to say. I think we should say it clearly and with a punch," said New York Cardinal Edward Egan. "And that is, LISTEN TO US. WE ARE NOT IRRELEVANT!!!"
But some bishops said church leaders should take care with the tone of the statement. "We must act and be perceived as acting as caring pastors and faithful teachers," said Bishop Blase Cupich of Rapid City, S.D.
"Oh pulllease," Naumann said. "I bet he's one of those 'guitar mass' priests. Man up Blase. Preach like you got a pair."
Dr. Patrick Whelan, a pediatrician and president of Catholic Democrats, said angry statements from church leaders were counterproductive and would only alienate Catholics. "We're calling on the bishops to move away from the more vicious language," Whelan said. He said the church needs to act "in a more creative, constructive way," to maintain current levels of contributions.
"Hey Whelan. One prayer from me and you're spending eternity in a fiery lake. What do you think of that?" Martino asked.
Chris Korzen, Catholics United executive director, said, "we honestly want to move past the deadlock" on abortion. He said church leaders were making that task harder.
"No church for you!" Cardinal Egan shouted. "Come back one year!"
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