The exodus of black Catholics is happening as the church advances an agenda that puts life in the womb above life in the ‘hood; above children who are already born and in need of health care, safe neighborhoods, good schools, spiritual guidance and parents who earn enough to make a way for their families.<\/p>\n
Certainly protecting life in the womb is important. Black Catholics get that. (I have contributed to Texas Right to Life, but not to Planned Parenthood.) But the church’s fixation on abortion is crowding out nearly all other issues. Feed the poor? That can wait. Fix disparities in education and health care? Take a back seat. Deal with racism? Not our problem. The message to Catholic voters has been that it’s better to cast ballots for xenophobes or race-baiters who oppose abortion than back tolerant folks who support it. But this election cycle, the church took it up a notch with a campaign against gay marriage.<\/p>\n
So a week before the Nov. 2 election, Catholic Action for Faith and Family sent out a news release with a directive from U.S. Cardinal-designate Raymond Burke that told American Catholics that we were duty-bound to vote, but we “never can vote for someone who favors absolutely the right to choice of a woman to destroy a human life in her womb or the right to a procured abortion.”<\/p>\n