There are some justified criticisms that can be leveled at the Catholic Church. Ignoring the poor is most certainly not one of them. Unless you’re the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. The DFL is the Minnesota arm of the national Democrat Party. Their political ad comes in the form of a postcard depicting a man dressed as a priest wearing a button that reads “Ignore the Poor”. From Gateway Pundit:
For the record… The Catholic Charities network is the nation’s fourth largest non-profit, according to The NonProfit Times. The combined revenue of the Catholic Charities network from all sources, public and private, was $2.69 billion in 2000. Nearly 90 percent of these funds were spent on programs and services, making the Catholic Charities network one of the country’s most efficient charities. Today, the Catholic Charities network — more than 1,600 local agencies and institutions nationwide — provide help, sometimes with government funding, and create hope for 6,597,998 in 2003, regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds thanks to the dedication of more than 51,000 staff and 175,000 volunteers.
For 2000 years countless numbers of Catholic priests, religious orders, and other laity have devoted their lives to helping the poor. Many take vows of poverty themselves. To suggest that the Church ignores the poor is simply absurd. How any thinking person can, in good conscience, vote for a candidate endorsed by this organization is incomprehensible. Any candidate endorsed by this organization who doesn’t immediately repudiate this reprehensible mailer should be called out by Minnesotans. I don’t expect either to happen.
Update: According to this article the ad wasn’t directed at any church, but at Dan Hall, a candidate for the state senate:
When viewed in full (PDF here), the Democratic mailer — 10,000 went out in the 40th senate district — is clearly a blast at Hall for what it says was his support for Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s decision to reject $1 billion in federal aid for health care for the poor and elderly. “Preacher Dan Hall protects politicians — not the poor,” it reads.
I ain’t buying it. Hall is a Pentecostal preacher. They don’t wear Roman collars. In another ad against Hall they use a photo of what can only be a Catholic or Orthodox Church.
Gibson attempts to further explain it away:
In fact, the other side of the mailer notes that while the Catholic Archdiocese of Minneapolis-St. Paul and the state’s Lutheran Synod both objected to the health care funding decision, Hall — a volunteer chaplain at the state senate who attends a Pentecostal-affiliated megachurch called River Valley — did not speak out.
Uh, no it doesn’t. The other side of the mailer notes that “leaders of the faith community” objected to the decision. It makes no mention of the Catholic Archdiocese or the Lutheran Synod.
In my opinion, the Minnesota DFL saw a perfect opportunity to bash “Preacher Dan” while not-so-subtly disparage the Catholic Church.
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