I guess the rule that bishops must stay out of politics is not hard and fast: Britain’s bishops have condemned a particular political party and urged Catholics not to vote for it. The far-right British National Party is characterized as racist, which it may be, but I wonder that we never hear of similar condemnations of far-left, that is Communist, Socialist, Marxist, parties.
Given that so many on the far-left are considers saintly (Dorothy Day and Bishop Oscar Romero) and some were even made saints (Edith Stein – she thought the Soviet hammer & sickle and the Cross could be reconciled. In an Orthodox-Catholic discussion group I wondered allowed if anyone who thought the Nazi swastika and Cross could be reconciled would be made a saint by the Catholic Church. The observation was unanimously dismissed as absurd.) what in the world makes you think that the Catholic Church would publicly denounce a leftist political party?
Please forgive my spelling errors. I meant, of course, that I “wondered _aloud_” My comments in the group were always allowed, if not always appreciated.
I would also like to add that I think that what Edith Stein did on behalf of the poor and Jews in WWII France was very noble and brave. I also think that Dorothy Day did great work on behalf of the poor, and Bishop Oscar Romera was a strong and brave, if niave, proponent for the poor and oppressed people in El Salvadore.
All of that, however, doesn’t diminish the following: Edith Stein was an earlier participant in the Russian revolution and did try to reconcile the Communism and Christianity. Dorothy Day worked daily on behalf of what she called “economic communism”. Bishop Romero, naively one may argue, gave aid and comfort to a Communist backed insurgency that doomed the poor he cared so much about as much as the fuedal economic system he so often preached against.
What about the Spanish martyrs of the 30’s? I’m sure many of them thought the Nazis and the Fascists were less of an evil than the Spanish left.
I’m sure many faithful Catholics and Orthodox were among those Ukrainians who viewed the Nazis as liberators.
Also, for many years Catholics in Italy were forbidden to support the Communist Party.
In the meantime, Tony Blair’s party in England is busy lowering age of consent laws, making pornography available to 16-yr. olds, and allowing 16-yr. olds to participate (in every way) in the making of pornographic films.
Actually, earlier popes pretty well beat up on socialists and communists—Pius XII excommunicated the entire Italian Communist Party, IIRC. Pius XI dedicated an encyclical to condemn communism—Summi Pontificatus (sp?). He also said no sincere Catholic could be a Socialist in his “After Forty Years” encyclical, and was a vocal critic of the Spanish Republic’s violence against the Church during the Spanish Civil War. He was evenhanded, too—Pius XI also condemned Nazism in Mit Brennender Sorge.
The National Party *is* racist—period. Convert and Tolkien biographer Joseph Pearce was a member at one time, and (if memory serves) he went to jail because of violent skinhead activities on behalf of the BNP.
In the meantime, Tony Blairy today. Around where I live, bishops and priests are completely mute. If the bishops denounce racism as they should, they should denounce all sin and evil. But they are far too cowardly. Do ya think Jesus Christ would stand by mute while kids are lured into the porno industry to have sex with tons of strangers on film at age 16? I don’t. Our bishops should be little Jesus Christs. Instead, they more often resemble the Pharisees.
In other words, you were pointing out that the Bishops’ reluctance to condemn the evils of certain political parties isn’t just limited to the far-left, but to more “mainstream” parties like Tony Blair’s.
Ok, I understand now; it just wasn’t all that clear from you original post.
Yeah, Dennis, I agree it wasn’t very clear!
Best,
Sinner