Sr. Dede’s Smackdown

Jimmy-Boy Martin, LGBTQXYZ∞SJ, is spouting his swill again, and OMM takes him to the woodshed!

From One Mad Mom

Oh my! Somebody has his knickers in a bunch this morning. LOL! Fr. Martin got schooled by a girl and he was none too happy. Here’s Fr. Martin’s rant this morning, which was undoubtably brought on by Sr. Dede Byrne’s wonderful speech at the Republican National Convention.

From James Martin, SJ https://www.facebook.com/FrJamesMartin/

Here is what Catholic bishops, priests, members of religious orders and Catholic organizations (including magazines) should do in an election season: pray and educate.

And? Sr. Dede did just that and in a boldly Catholic way. She educated the audience on the difference between the tickets, and she prayed for our president. She also talked about eternal life, which you always choose to ignore. Interestingly enough, she didn’t pray that Trump would beat the stuffing out of Harris/Biden (and yes, the order of names was intentional, because that’s the reality). Sr. Dede simply said she was praying for him. Shouldn’t we all?

“Here’s what they should not do: endorse or campaign.”

Did Sr. Dede say one thing about voting for any candidate? Nope.

Why shouldn’t they endorse or campaign? For a few reasons.

First of all, no one candidate or party fully encompasses the totality of church teaching on all the issues. No one candidate or party ever could. There is no “Catholic Party.” Yes, there are many important matters to consider, like abortion and the death penalty, but Catholics are not “one-issue voters.”

Nobody is saying a party or candidate fully encompasses the totality of Church teaching. It’s misleading, at best, to say that. We are not single-issue voters, but, as Catholics, we are preeminent-issue voters. We vote for candidates, or at least we should, who most defend against the direct attack on life. And, no, that doesn’t include poverty, inequality, etc. It includes issues where individuals will be killed if they are not defended. If the candidates are in agreement on those issues, THEN we can go on to consider which is the better of candidate in the other categories. I’ve covered this to death here. Killing and dying are two very different things. As Catholics, we tackle both, but the immediate danger gets our attention first.

Second, endorsing candidates, especially if one is a bishop or a pastor, splits dioceses and parishes, into supposedly “good Catholics” and “bad Catholics.” The church is meant to be the sacrament of unity and a home for all.

Of course, you shouldn’t tackle any issue that might make people think they’re not following the teachings of the Church. Sin is a big no-no subject for him. Heaven forbid people actually develop their conscience! Nope. We have to keep them stupid and we have to avoid making anyone feel bad. Hello, Father! We’re supposed to be united in the teachings of Christ, not in our stupidity. Unity for the sake of unity isn’t a Catholic teaching.

To that end, no matter what you might hear, it is not a sin to vote either Democrat or Republican; nor is it a sin to vote for either Mr. Trump or Mr. Biden. Catholic laypeople are not robots who simply vote the way a bishop or priest tells them to. They are mature moral agents, who must consider the Gospels and church teachings on a wide variety of issues, and then use their consciences to make an informed decision. As Pope Francis says, the church is meant to “form consciences, not replace them.”

Wrong! Again, covered here: https://omm.foeduscatholic.com/no-you-cant-vote-for-the-biden-harris-ticket/  He’s right when he says people shouldn’t be robots. They should form their consciences around the teachings of the Church (that’s what the well-formed conscience is) and vote accordingly. That doesn’t mean they should form their consciences around what Fr. Martin says. They should instead look at the Church documents. You know, those pesky writings that he never quotes if they don’t agree with him. Please don’t be a stupid Fr. Martin follower and take everything he says for granted. If he’s telling you the truth, you will find it in the teachings of the Church.

Finally, there is the practical question of the church as a tax-exempt institution. We would (and should) lose that privilege if we were to engage in partisan politics. Catholic leaders obviously have their own thoughts about political matters, but in public and in their public roles, they should be religious, not partisan. For all these reasons, we can pray and educate, but not endorse or campaign.”

I’ll deal with this last part in a moment, but first, make no mistake James Martin, SJ is throwing “religious” in there for a reason. He would be hard pressed to find anything in Church teaching addressing “religious” and politics at the same time, which is why he’s not showing you anything on the subject. There is a section in DIRECTORY ON THE MINISTRY AND LIFE OF PRIESTS that deals with priests. Fr. Martin actually posted that later, thinking it was in the Catechism, although he later corrected that. Poor guy probably hasn’t read much on the ministry and life of priests, let alone the Catechism, so we’ll have to cut him some slack there. Or not. Fighting abortion is surely in defense of the common good, and every bishop should be directing that his priests do exactly as Sr. Byrne said, which was to explain what each party represents and pray for the current president. While no priest should tell me who to vote for, they can very well tell me who I CANNOT vote for due to the evil they put forth in their platforms. That’s exactly what Sr. Dede Byrne did because, as she said, she’s “not just pro-life but pro-eternal life.” Fr. Martin could learn A TON from her.

So, let’s look at what James Martin, SJ, threw out in an effort to quiet the clergy AND religious. Please note the exception Fr. James failed to show (in bold, emphasis mine):

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cclergy/documents/rc_con_cclergy_doc_31011994_directory_en.html

33. Political and Social Obligation.

The priest, as servant of the universal Church, cannot tie himself to any historical contingency, and therefore must be above any political party. He cannot take an active role in political parties or labour unions, unless, according to the judgement of the ecclesiastical authority, the rights of the Church and the defence of common good require it.(97) In fact, even if these are good things in themselves, they are nevertheless foreign to the clerical state since they can constitute a grave danger of division in the ecclesial communion.(98)

Like Jesus (cf Jn 6:15 ff.), the priest “ought to refrain from actively engaging himself in politics, as it often happens, in order to be a central point of spiritual fraternity”.(99) All the faithful, therefore, must always be able to approach the priest without feeling inhibited for any reason.

The priest will remember that “it does not fall on the shoulders of the Pastors of the Church to intervene directly in political activities and in social organisations. This task, in fact, forms part of the lay faithful vocation, in which they work by their own initiative together with their fellow citizens”. (100) Nevertheless, he will not be absent “in the effort to form in them an upright conscience”.(101)

The reduction of his mission to temporal tasks, of a purely social or political nature, is foreign to his ministry, and does not constitute a triumph but rather a grave loss to the Church’s evangelical fruitfulness.

Can you imagine James Martin, SJ, in Nazi Germany? It’s a rather scary thought. He’d be wandering around saying “Priests can’t be involved in politics!” Guess what? Abortion is a direct attack on life! Priests should be pointing out the differences on the subject in the platforms of the candidates.

Next, I guess we’re supposed to just forget that Sr. Simone Campbell campaigned with Biden 5 years ago and is likely going to do it again? Why so silent on Sr. Simone, Fr. Martin? https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/biden-rolls-iowa-nuns-bus-25584835

Lastly, Fr. Martin, tax exempt status. Boy, howdy, are you sounding like the priests of Nazi Germany who threw in with the Reich! If “tax exempt status” muzzles the truth, take the muzzle off! You’re suggesting we ought to keep that 30 pieces of silver and remain quiet? Sorry, nobody should have to answer for that when they get to their final judgment. “Sorry, God. I couldn’t put up a strong defense against killing the unborn, because I’d lose my tax exempt status!” That ought to go over well.

Regardless, I know the rules well because I’ve worked with more than one non-profit, and Sr. Dede is not a tax exempt organization of herself. She didn’t speak on behalf of her order. Here are the rules:

https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/limits-political-campaigning-501c3-nonprofits-29982.html

What Does “Participating in a Political Campaign” Mean?

Organizations with 501(c)(3) status cannot participate in political campaigns.

What is a political campaign? In general, the IRS rule refers to campaigns between people who are running for offices in public elections. These can include: candidates running for president of the U.S.; candidates running for governor; candidates running for mayor; and also candidates for lower elected offices such as school board officials, city supervisors, and county trustees.

What is “participating?” Your organization cannot participate in a campaign, directly or indirectly, on behalf of or in opposition to a candidate. If your organization takes a stand in any campaign, supporting or opposing one or another candidate, this violates the prohibition.

The IRS Rule

The IRS uses what is called a “facts and circumstances” test to help it determine whether an organization has violated the prohibition on political campaigning. This means that the IRS will evaluate any potential misconduct within the context of the organization’s other activities and the current political climate. So, an activity might be considered political campaigning two weeks before an election, but not two years before an election.

Some activities that the IRS has found to violate the prohibition on political campaigning include:

-inviting a political candidate to make a campaign speech at an event hosted by the organization

-using the organization’s funds to publish materials that support (or oppose) a candidate

-donating money from the organization to a political candidate

-any statements by the organization’s executive director, in his or her official capacity, that support a candidate

-criticizing or supporting a candidate on the organization’s website

-inviting one candidate to speak at a well-publicized and well-attended event, and inviting the other candidate to speak at a lesser function

-inviting all candidates to speak at an event, but arranging the speaking event or choosing the questions in such a way that it is obvious that the organization favors one candidate over the others

-conducting a “get out the vote” telephone drive in a partisan manner by selecting caller responses for further follow-up based on candidate preference, and

-using the organization’s website to link to only one candidate’s profile.

So, once again, Fr. Martin is just trying to silence people and I, for one, am a bit tired of it.

If you didn’t get to watch Sr. Dede’s address. Here’s the text with a few comments thrown in.

Good evening. I am Sister Dede Byrne, and I belong to the Community of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary. Last Fourth of July, I was honored to be one of the president’s guests at his Salute to America celebration. I must confess that I recently prayed while in chapel, begging God to allow me to be a voice, an instrument for human life. And now here I am, speaking at the Republican National Convention. I guess you’d better be careful what you pray for.

Can we just compare this to Sr. Simone Campbell’s introduction?
“I’m Sr. Simone Campbell, executive director of network and leader of nuns on the bus.” She couldn’t even get the word “God” out of her mouth her entire address. Back to Sister Dede:

My journey to religious life was not a traditional route, if there is such a thing. In 1978, as a medical school student at Georgetown University, I joined the Army to help pay for my tuition, and ended up devoting 29 years to the military, serving as a doctor and a surgeon in places like Afghanistan and Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. After much prayer and contemplation, I entered my religious order in 2002, working to serve the poor and the sick in Haiti, Sudan, Kenya, Iraq and in Washington, D.C.

Quite a contrast to Sr. Simone’s response to the question of why she became a “nun” (which she is not, BTW): “Because my parents wouldn’t let me go to Woodstock.” Oh, yes, she did say that. https://omm.foeduscatholic.com/if-only-she-had-been-allowed-to-go-to-woodstock/

Humility is at the foundation of our order, which makes it very difficult to talk about myself. But I can speak about my experience working for those fleeing war-torn and impoverished countries all around the world. Those refugees all share a common experience. They have all been marginalized, viewed as insignificant, powerless and voiceless. And while we tend to think of the marginalized as living beyond our borders, the truth is the largest marginalized group in the world can be found here in the United States. They are the unborn.

Contrast that with Sr. Simone, who says this is “above my pay grade”. https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/legal-abortion-above-my-pay-grade-says-sr-simone-campbell-before-prayers-at-democratic-national-convention-27998 Mind you, it’s not above her pay grade to advocate for abortion on her organization’s website. It’s astonishing that a sister in the Catholic Church would claim that a clear teaching of the Catholic Church is above her pay grade. Why stop there? “Uh, Catholicism is above my pay grade.” Didn’t Fr. Martin just say religious were supposed to educate? How can you educate people when you claim to be clueless as to that which you are supposed to be educating?

As Christians, we first met Jesus as a stirring embryo in the womb of an unwed mother and saw him born nine months later in the poverty of the cave. It is no coincidence that Jesus stood up for what was just and was ultimately crucified because what he said was not politically correct or fashionable.

And, as I recall, what he said was more than a little divisive. Kind of blows Fr. Martin’s idea of unity out of the water. “Do you think that I have come to bring peace to the earth? No, I tell you, but division. From now on, five in one household will be divided, three against two and two against three. They will be divided, father against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against mother-in-law.” Luke 12:51-53 But never mind that little verse, Father Martin. It’s all supposed to be about unity.

As followers of Christ, we are called to stand up for life against the politically correct or fashionable of today. We must fight against a legislative agenda that supports and even celebrates destroying life in the womb. Keep in mind, the laws we create define how we see our humanity. We must ask ourselves: What we are saying when we go into a womb and snuff out an innocent, powerless, voiceless life? As a physician, I can say without hesitation: Life begins at conception.

Got a problem here, Fr. Martin?

While what I have to say may be difficult for some to hear, I am saying it because I am not just pro-life, I am pro-eternal life.

Ouch! That’s gotta hurt. That’s definitely hard for Sr. Simone and Fr. Martin to hear. They avoid talking about the pesky eternal life at all turns. I’m not entirely sure if they even believe in it, but if they do, I’m pretty sure they believe it’s assured to them.

I want all of us to end up in heaven together someday. Which brings me to why I am here today. Donald Trump is the most pro-life president this nation has ever had, defending life at all stages. His belief in the sanctity of life transcends politics. President Trump will stand up against Biden-Harris, who are the most anti-life presidential ticket ever, even supporting the horrors of late-term abortion and infanticide. Because of his courage and conviction, President Trump has earned the support of America’s pro-life community. Moreover, he has a nationwide of religious standing behind him. You’ll find us here with our weapon of choice, the rosary. Thank you, Mr. President, we are all praying for you.

Please note, despite James Martin, SJ’s best efforts to allude to a whole lot in his little post, Sr. Dede didn’t actually tell anyone to vote for Trump. She just said that he is our president and the religious are standing behind him and praying for him. Shouldn’t all religious be praying for him, especially if they disagree with him? I mean, I pray for Harris/Biden. I pray that they will finally repent of their attack on life and morality.