On Friday, US Catholic Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan went on another loony rant that is all too typical of Teabagging crazies. Obamacare, the healthcare system that will help millions of Americans including many who could not previously afford healthcare including millions of kids, is dangerous to religion. Sure thing Timmy. Can you feel the compassion for the poor?
Once again, it's great to see the priorities of the Catholic church who are always more concerned with the power of the church than helping the poor. It's encouraging to see one priest finally held accountable for the rampant child rape problem that continues to plague the church. But no, rather than admit that problem or care at all about helping the poor, the Catholic church remains much more concerned about issues like women's health even though 98% of Catholic women support birth control.
Meanwhile in England, you have the most senior Church of England official taking a stand against the brutal lies of the Conservative "Big Society" program. The most senior leader in the church Rowan Williams has called out the program for hitting the poor the hardest. Wow, what a concept! Concern for the poor and not for the authority of the church. That would be a firing offense if he worked for the Vatican.
I've disagreed with Williams on other issues in the past but it's refreshing to see a senior church official bother to show real compassion. The Guardian:
Commenting on the "big society", Williams, who steps down in December after 10 years in his post, writes: "Introduced in the runup to the last election as a major political idea for the coming generation, [it] has suffered from a lack of definition about the means by which such ideals can be realised. Big society rhetoric is all too often heard by many therefore as aspirational waffle designed to conceal a deeply damaging withdrawal of the state from its responsibilities to the most vulnerable."
He suggests that ministers have fuelled cynicism over the Cameron vision by failing to define what the role of citizens should be. "And if the big society is anything better than a slogan looking increasingly threadbare as we look at our society reeling under the impact of public spending cuts, then discussion on this subject has got to take on board some of those issues about what it is to be a citizen and where it is that we most deeply and helpfully acquire the resources of civic identity and dignity."
