Archbishop Favalora Spills the Beans on the Alliance Defense Fund
Originally posted at Talk to Action.
In these days of Bishops using Communion as a political weapon, one Catholic Archbishop, John C. Favalora of Miami, has demurred from using his pulpit as a vehicle for the religious right.
In a statement issued on September 12, 2008, His Eminence declared, "We are not party bosses." But perhaps, more astonishing was his revelation that the socially conservative Alliance Defense Fund is trying to provoke an Internal Revenue Service challenge that would go to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Favalora stands out as a courageous leader by refusing to to let the religious right control the content of South Florida Sunday sermons and by disclosing that the Alliance Defense Fund is brazenly approaching Catholic bishops to join them in their mass law breaking scheme. The archbishop explains in no uncertain terms what ADF is trying to provoke:
A group called the Alliance Defense Fund is urging pastors across the country to join their Pulpit Freedom Initiative by preaching a sermon "that addresses the candidates for government office in light of the truth of Scripture."
The group's goal is to challenge the Internal Revenue Service's restriction on tax-exempt organizations "by specifically opposing candidates for office that do not align themselves and their positions with the scriptural truth."
Needless to say, none of our Catholic churches or priests will be participating in this initiative. For one thing, we can do a lot for our communities with the money we save by being tax-exempt. That is why we accept that status and agree to abide by IRS rules that ban religious organizations from becoming involved in partisan politics.
For those of you not familiar with the Alliance Defense Fund ("ADF"), it presents itself as the religious right's polar opposite of the ACLU. Its founders reads as a who's who of the religious right - Bill Bright of the Campus Crusade for Christ, James C, Dobson of Focus on the Family as well as the IRD-linked Rev. Don Wildmon.
On its web site the ADF explains what it does:
o We help coordinate the work of dozens of allied attorneys and legal groups who are challenging unconstitutional policies that deny Christians equal access to public facilities.o ADF brought together attorneys and allied legal groups to develop a national strategy to protect marriage even before any significant court challenges were filed on behalf of those who want to receive special legal privileges for same-sex unions.
o We work closely with allies to assist them in their efforts to pool their knowledge and experience for greater effectiveness, sharing legal briefs and expertise, information on the opposition, and co-litigating cases.
But back to Archbishop Favalora's September 12th statement, in which he elaborates on what he considers to be the proper role of the church during elections:
But the role of the church is not to be like the "party boss" who goes around telling people how to vote. Our responsibility is to remind people to vote wisely; to reveal to them the wisdom of Scripture, the wisdom of the church's moral tradition, so that they can base their votes on solid moral ground.
But in praising Archbishop Favalora we should not miss the part of his statement about ADF's desire to provoke an IRS complaint, obviously in hopes of going to a very friendly U.S. Supreme Court. And as I've reported previously there is now a strong Opus Dei presence on the bench in the persons of Associate Justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Chief Justice John Roberts (all of whom act as Opus Dei cooperators). Add to that mix the religiously Catholic Associate Justice Alito and you can see why ADF wants to instigate matters.
In any case, I suspect that Archbishop Favalora has ruffled some feathers by revealing the ADF's proposal to his diocese. Regardless of his views on the issues, he is to be commended for spilling the beans on the ADF.
But it is worth keeping in mind that Favorala may be the notable exception rather that the notably responsible leader. It is certainly possible that some dioceses may be cooperating with the ADF, and this raises some important questions: Who within the ranks of the Catholic Right's ranks are facilitating this unholy alliance? Are these contacts being made with the approval of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops? And if so, are they then directly working for the defeat of Barack Obama and Joe Biden this November?
It is a matter that requires further investigation.
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another great post on the religious right Frank
Frank,
Thanks for exposing this group and what's it doing. Too often we've heard of the demise of the religious right rather than a systematic analysis as to what's going on. And frankly, too often progressive forget that there's a whole movement underfoot to undermine progressive and centrist churches.
Thanks Steve
And reports of the religious right's demise are greatly exaggerated; they're well-funded and retrenching for the next round. All the proof you need is just to look at who the GOP's veep choice is.
You can also look at the Catholic blogs.
As reported in the NCR, there are about 1300 Catholic blogs. The overwhelming majority of which are "orthodox". Many arguing for a return to a pre-Vatican II Church. Here is a link to the article http://ncronline3.org/drupal/?q=node/1851
re:Catholic blogs
I checked up the site and it's a good post. Maybe the preponderance of orthodox Catholic blogs is just the sign of the passion of that particular group. I'm not sure that most Catholics (at least in the U.S.) want a preVatican II type church.
The author of the piece does mention that there are some liberal Catholic blogs. He wrote:
"Farther along the spectrum are fewer blogs that support Vatican II reforms, prioritize social over moral teachings and, typically, take a more liberal political perspective. Michael Iafrate’s “Catholic Anarchy” blog is, he says, “an outlet for expressing my thoughts on religion, politics and culture from a ‘radical’ Catholic perspective” where he can keep church pronouncements on the Iraq war “in front of our faces.” “Catholic Sensibility” takes a generally positive view of existing liturgy, defending current practices and imparting a dose of astronomy along the way.
Many blogs that include more leftish points of view are group efforts that bring multiple perspectives, ranging from the traditional to the radical. The bloggers at “Vox Nova” defend church teachings on reproductive issues even as they criticize the relationship between the church and the nation-state, particularly as played out in American patriotism and militarism. Commonweal magazine’s blog, “dotCommonweal,” features several academic observers of the church, both theologians and historians, whose posts respond to contemporary political and social events from a liberal political and Catholic point of view."
Angelo
Why This Matters.
Archbishop Favarola, who most likely, disagrees with many of us on abortion, stem cell research and several other issues, must be commended. He has stood up to the ADF which, through Rev. Wildmon, has links to the IRD. And unlike Archbishop Chaput of Denver and Bishop Martino of Scranton, Archbishop Favarola understands the difference between contributing to the national discourse and the heavy-handedness of using a religious sacrament as a political weapon.