Archbishop Chaput has commented on the passage of the Obamacare bill he so resolutely opposed. And he calls out those “Catholics” who used the Catholic name to push Obamacare:
Fourth, self-described “Catholic” groups have done a serious disservice to justice, to the Church, and to the ethical needs of the American people by undercutting the leadership and witness of their own bishops. For groups like Catholics United, this is unsurprising. In their effect, if not in formal intent, such groups exist to advance the interests of a particular political spectrum. Nor is it newsworthy from an organization like Network, which – whatever the nature of its good work -- has rarely shown much enthusiasm for a definition of “social justice” that includes the rights of the unborn child.
But the actions of the Catholic Health Association (CHA) in providing a deliberate public counter-message to the bishops were both surprising and profoundly disappointing; and also genuinely damaging. In the crucial final days of debate on health-care legislation, CHA lobbyists worked directly against the efforts of the American bishops in their approach to members of Congress. The bad law we now likely face, we owe in part to the efforts of the Catholic Health Association and similar “Catholic” organizations.
That, particularly his use of scare quotes, is hard stuff coming from an archbishop. But it is appropriate. To use the name of one’s church to attack freedom and disregard the sanctity of life, and that against the clear council of that church’s leaders, is beyond inexcusable.
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