|U.S. House of Representatives to Commemorate 40th Anniversary of Vatican II Document|
|REMNANT COLUMNIST, New York|
(www.RemnantNewspaper.com) On November 7, 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a Resolution commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council’s Declaration on the Relation of the Church with Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate. The official summary of the Resolution, designated “H.Con.Res. 260,” reads:
H.Con.Res. 260 recognizes the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, Nostra Aetate. The resolution recognizes and appreciates the religious diversity of the United States and the world and encourages the United States to serve in a role of leadership in combating anti-Semitism in all its ugly forms and ending religious intolerance and religious discrimination worldwide. Additionally, H.Con.Res. 260 acknowledges and supports the new relationship of collaboration and dialogue that has grown between Jews and Roman Catholics worldwide.
The resolution also “requests that the President issue a proclamation recognizing the 40th anniversary of the Nostra Aetate and urging the people of the United States to observe the anniversary with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” Introduced by Representative Rush Holt (D-NJ) on October 6th, H.Con.Res. 260 passed by a vote of 349-0. It is a House Concurrent Resolution, a legislative proposal that must be passed by the House and Senate but does not require the signature of the President and does not have the force of law.
The twelve co-sponsors of H.Con.Res. 260 are: Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-NY), Rep. Howard Berman (D-CA), Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL), Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL), Rep. Dale Kildee (D-MI), Rep. Michael McNulty (D-NY), Rep. William Pascrell (D-NJ), Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Thomas Tancredo (R-CO). The Resolution is now headed to the Senate and is being advanced by Senators George V. Voinovich (R-OH) and Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ).
American politicos going out of their way to support a document issued by the Vatican? Has the “New Springtime” finally blossomed into a Catholic revival that reaches to the very halls of government? Not quite.
What do Rush Holt, sponsor of Resolution “H.Con.Res. 260,” and the following co-sponsors and advocates of the Resolution all have in common – Gary Ackerman, Howard Berman, Lloyd Doggett, Anna Eshoo, Alcee Hastings, Nanci Pelosi and Frank Lautenberg? Each one of these individuals: (1) Voted NO on banning partial-birth abortions, (2) Voted NO to barring the transportation of minors to get abortions, and (3) were awarded a 100% “pro-choice” voting record by NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League).
Yes, the sponsor of this Resolution, half of its co-sponsors and one of its two senatorial advocates are so enamored of Catholic principles that they believe it is the duty of a well-ordered society to slaughter infants even outside the womb and drag young people off to abortion mills. Yet, these are the “leaders” who want the United States “to serve in a role of leadership in combating anti-Semitism in all its ugly forms and ending religious intolerance and religious discrimination worldwide.” Ugly forms? And what is partial-birth abortion? A cakewalk?
Once again, “anti-Semitism” becomes the standard by which all other crimes against humanity are judged. “Thought crimes” become more heinous than actual, bloody evils. You can murder infants by the millions, but watch your language!
“Church and State” mixing it up in the halls of government? Pro-abort American politicians getting all bubbly over a 40-year-old document from Rome? Since Nostra Aetate has about as much to do with Jesus Christ and Catholic doctrine as does “Where’s Waldo” – and everything to do with the most pandering sort of political correctness – why not? It’s difficult to decide which is the more appalling: politicos pretending to honor a “Catholic” document, or a Church document so bereft of the genuine presence of Jesus Christ that it can play into the hands of such people.
Hey, since Resolution H.Con.Res. 260 calls upon the people of the United States “to observe the anniversary [of Nostra Aetate] with appropriate ceremonies and activities,” why don’t we start with a government-sponsored Blessed Sacrament procession around the streets of Washington, DC in reparation for offenses rendered to God through abortion, homosexual “marriages,” false ecumenism and the outlawing of Christian symbolism? Anyone care to guess what the likes of Pelosi and Lautenberg would say then?