An Open Letter to the Catholic Church

Notre Dame has invited President Obama to make the commencement address for this year's graduating class. The Catholic Church has decided that this is not appropriate and has addressed the fact that Notre Dame should rescind this decision. Catholics are making their voices heard that they do not want the President to have this honor because of his decisions on abortion and on stem cell research. Cardinal Francis George has even called this situation extremelyembarrassing and has asked Catholics to call, e-mail, or write and let Notre Dame know that they are not living up to their responsibility as a Catholic institution.
This type of action I find very hard to accept. I always was told through Catholic school education that the Catholic churchnot only "accepted" everyone, but we were suppose to love our neighbors as ourselves. This sounds like this doctrine taught to Catholic students for years is no longer appropriate. Sorry to say, while I sometimes find it hard to accept certain people, by their right as all children of God, I do have to accept them because we are all one human body under one God. I may not agree with what they say or do, but I do accept them. I did as a child and I do as an adult. The problem here is that the Church has decided that Mr. Obama is not part and parcel of this doctrine. They do not accept him on his decisions so they feel it is necessary to make sure that the college-age students he is to address should not be subject to his"doctrines." There are a few facts that should be brought into the limelight.
Where was the Catholic Church when President Bush lied about weapons of mass destruction and sent thousands of our young people to die? I did not hear major protests to the effect that he was wrong and that college students should not listen to his speeches because he led a nation to war over lies. The Catholic Church stands against abortion, and that has its place, but what happens when that child is born? Are they no longer under the right to be protected and cared for? Has the Respect for Life mantra expired upon the first birthday of a child or sooner? Sending them off to war when it was under false and deliberately misleading statements sounds likethe care for these "born" children is a bit lost. Remarks made by Cardinal George were at a human dignity and infertility session. Human dignity is showing the followers of the Church that they need to respect each other, no matter their differences, and to allow others to do the same. In other words, President Obama is the President of the "United" States and any dissension and division such as this can only lead to heartache and more conflict which is not in tune with bringing peace and good will to all.
There are all the Iraqi children who were innocent and did not even know what war was. Because of the lies of one administration, they are not allowed to reach adulthood. They were killed without reason, and they were not "protested" against by the Catholic Bishops. Their souls were just as important and precious to God as any unborn child. The Church's voice is loud and clear about abortion, but a child of three or four was not lamented with cries to halt the terrible actions so that these innocent ones could live. President Obama is not FOR abortion. If he was, he would not have the family he has. He is for the rights of a woman to make a decision with the help of her clergy, and her loved ones. I have never heard Mr. Obama make the statements that if you are pregnant, then abortion is the only way to go.
Presidents of any country do not represent only one faction of their people. They need to be open to all, including all religions, ethnic backgrounds, and social levels. All religions claim to be the "one and only" and the "true" religion. Religious churches claim "separation of church and state" in order to maintain their monetary means and not have to pay taxes. They do this because it is believed that people have a choice as to what manner they wish to worship God and where they find the peace all humans seek. When actions such as wanting the President of the United States to be insulted and un-invited to speak, when others were allowed, even though their actions were not always stellar, is stepping out of the "separation" theory. This is not fair and it is not beneficial to all peoples who believe in God but maintain their free will and choice as to how to worship and how to find ways to live with all their fellow people with dignity and respect.
What about the terrible acts of some priests with regard to sex scandals? These children were not protected or cared for except now when their childhood memories are tarnished and no longer a pleasure to look back at. They are suppose to be soothed with money and told to forgive those who harmed them. Where was the Church when the young under their care were placed in positions that allowed priests to harm them in a way that cuts and stains for a lifetime? There are no protests and denunciations by these victimsto stay out of churches or to tell people to turn their backs on the Church. I realize that not all priests are akin to acts such as those that have cost the church literally millions of dollars. The fact is that new born babies grow up and adults need care as well. What about the suffering and deaths of those whose illnesses could have been aided or cured with stem cell research? These grown up embryos deserve love and acceptance as well. There were no letter campaigns from victims of sexual abuse by the clergy, neither were there demands for e-mails and phone calls when literally thousands of children were killed in a country that did not cause 09/11, but was targeted by the Bush administration.
While the almost grown college graduates at Notre Dame are very capable to know what President Obama has considered and decided, they are not going to go to a conference on stem-cell research. They are going to a graduation and the fact that President Obama is leading our country - then further divisions between people is not a very Catholic thing to do. He is not going there to sell abortions to the young women, and he is not there to make sure that they are for stem-cell research. He is going there to tell the younger generation that there is "hope" and that "love" for this country and the world will see us through for better times for all. Isn't that what commencement speeches are about? It seems that as a black father, he is an example to those who have not been exactly stepping up to their responsibilities. As a man who loves education, he is there to tell these graduates that they have made the right decisions in reaching for higher challenges and believing that they too can make a difference, guided by their standards, morals. and abilities. Even these college graduates realize that not all will agree with their standards or moral beliefs, but they still need to live in the one world that we have and to bring peace, not division will benefit all, and as they say, from womb to tomb, we are all in this together.
If the mandates of the Church are to be believed and followed, then everyone is a child of God - the unborn as well as those born and growing, and adults, as well as the elderly. Hatred and planting the seeds of anger and dissension is cetainly not a very charitable way to go. Mr. Obama is a child of God, President of the greatest nation on earth, and a leader who will be taking our nation in a direction of peace and prosperity if all the citizens stand behind him. We need to be united, we need to be reaching out to everyone and seeking solutions for problems. The Church looks for forgiveness for the terrible acts of some of its priests, then why can't they open their minds and hearts, discuss the issues they disagree about with the administration, but do their utmost to unite and not divide. They need to sow love not division and hate. They need to allow the young that will soon take over this world to "hear" what both sides (but there should not be sides only healthy debate), and then know that they are loved enough to be allowed to be part of the world. They cannot and should not be protected from a man who is leading their country, who is Commander in Chief of the United States Services, and who is trying to straighten out a mess left by someone who was not treated in any such manner, but who brought about the current conditions we now have. Charity always began with the Church, but suggesting that Communion be withheld from certain individuals because of their beliefs, that doors should be shut to those who disagree on issues, and to create an aura of discord to a country who needs healing, is a very bad message to send and to promote. Our nation is in pain, through the two wars, the economy, and to political fever that allows cheating in elections and administrations who not only did not respect the voting public, but made it a point to not allow them to know the behind-closed-doors events. This turned the world from respecting the U.S. to hating us, it allowed our people to choose sides and anger, hostility, violence in schools, and abuse to the elderly grow rampant. Now the Bishops want to bring more and even more volatile discord into a situation that just might have found a way to heal and to repair itself, and that is why this is so wrong.
The Catholic Church knows the horrors when people turn to hatred and exclusion to settle differences. Why don't the church leaders turn their hearts and minds to accepting the President elected by the people, discuss with the White House what their fears or objections are, and realize that not all people are Catholics, but that they do believe in God and attend many different churches. Each religion should be joining hands and bringing about harmony and not contempt. We were told by the last administration to hate Iraq, even though it was Bin Laden who did the deed. We were told about the terrible terrorists, but we made the world worse when we would not open our minds and realize that other countries don't want war and they want peace just as much as Americans do, but not through deception and greed.
The Bishops should protect their flocks from the weapons the world uses and be the example that Christ would have been. Also, the Catholic Church should have enough "faith" in the young adults who have gone through their school systems to know right from wrong and to follow Christ in loving and accepting everyone and settling differences with a hand shake and not a hate march. Maybe the younger generation should remind the older Church leaders of what they stood for and how the youngwant to believe and stand behind the doctrines, but are mature enough to do it with love. Mr. Obama deserves to address the youth of this country because he is there leader. He is not their priest or minister. He is the civil leader who has the job of bringing this nation together, and if the Catholic Church continues to tear at the ties that bind, then when the world sees the hardened hearts of those who judge a man by issues and not by what is in his heart, then the unborn, those born and those in all stages of life lose the most blessed gift of all - peace to live a life of harmony, respect, and allowing others to do the same.
Something to think about
©Arleen M. Kaptur April, 2009