PHOTO: Mary van Balen I was able to crawl into bed with a grateful heart much earlier than expected. The vote count did not extend into today, or as some feared, even weeks ahead. Romney delivered a gracious concession speech, Obama a rousing acceptance speech. I know rough months loom ahead. Some Republicans are already placing all the demand for concessions on economy at the President’s feet. Doesn’t bode well for compromise or an end to gridlock. Still, Obama is in for four more years, and that in itself is encouraging to me.
I am also relieved the the Roman Catholic Church’s dangerously political posturing did not prevail as more than 50% of the Catholic vote was cast for Obama. I had followed what appears to me to be obvious crossing the acceptable rhetorical line by RC church officials. Cardinal Dolan allowing some of his priests to run obviously partisan rants in their bulletins; Bishop Jenky listing many of Obama’s stands and implying that Catholics who voted for such a candidate did so at the peril of their eternal soul; Fortnight for Freedom running from June 21 through July 4, are just some of the most blatant examples of good reasons to remove tax exempt status from some of those churches. That likely will not happen, but the question has been raised already by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.
Bishop Jenky comparing Obama to Stalin and Hitler is NOT telling Catholics in his diocese how to vote? Ludicrous. I am outraged by such tactics in the name of faith. What happened to the Catholic Church’s doctrine of primacy of conscience? Maybe, because it is part of Vatican II documents, some Catholics think it doesn’t count?
The Church, the Republican party, the nation, must accept the growing diversity in our country. This election shows not only a politically divided nation, but a nation of a many races, nationalities, sexual orientation, and gender identity. It is a nation that must face questions of climate change, poverty, the economy, and violence.
I take heart in the results of this election. Big money, hateful, in some cases racist, adds funded without required accountability of those who footed the bill, was not enough to buy the election. That is hopeful. I will be listening to posturing by the two parties to see who is really interested in dealing with these challenges that loom ahead.
And I will be praying for true cooperation.
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