Saturday, November 03, 2012

Alaska bishop: both Biden, Ryan hold views that are ‘inconsistent’ with Church teaching

Both Vice President Joe Biden and candidate Paul Ryan hold views that are “inconsistent” with Catholic teaching, Bishop Edward Burns of Juneau said in a column that appeared in the city’s daily newspaper.

“Each vice presidential candidate has been inconsistent in the ways in which they have followed the moral teaching of the Catholic Church,” he wrote, adding:
Vice President Biden, while stating that he believes, as his Church does, that life begins at conception, and while professing his personal opposition to abortion, supports the virtually unlimited right to abortion that has resulted in deaths of millions of unborn children since the tragic Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. In addition to this position of his in conflict with the teaching of the Church, Vice President Biden has also come out in support of legalizing same-sex marriage.

By way of contrast, Congressman Ryan has been a resolute advocate of Catholic moral teaching on the defense of the unborn and traditional marriage between one man and one woman. However, the Federal budget that he has proposed could do harm to the poor and vulnerable by neglecting their legitimate needs. For example, Congressman Ryan proposed a budget that has received a critique by the Domestic Justice and Human Development and International Justice and Peace committees of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops, stating that “a just spending bill cannot rely on disproportionate cuts in essential services to poor and vulnerable persons.”