From an article in the LA Times:

National polls have shown for some time that, although Catholics are personally opposed to abortion, they believe it ought to be legal in nearly identical percentages to the rest of America. Moreover, as a survey by Georgetown University’s Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate found earlier this year, only 18% of Catholics “strongly” agree with the statement: “In deciding what is morally acceptable, I look to the church teachings and statements by the pope and bishops to form my conscience.

Wouldn’t you think there would be some sort of an outcry or sense of alarm from our nation’s bishops over this dismal statistic? Granted, there are about 50 bishops who have affirmed the Church’s teaching on abortion and politics. But what about the other 219 active bishops? What do they think? Are they, like most Catholics, pro-Obama Democrats? And why is it so remarkable and newsworthy when Catholic bishops do nothing more than affirm the Church’s teaching?

Consider this: The CCHD (USCCB social justice program) has run 223,324 anti-poverty television ads since 2001. That’s about 28,000 ads per year or a little over 500 per week. How many ads have you seen denouncing abortion or anti-life politicians?

Or, consider this: Catholics comprise the largest religious faith group in the U.S. Congress with 155 members (30%).

Obama has said that his number one priority as president would be the signing of the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA). This bill would negate the many hard fought pro-life victories that have been won at the state level in recent years. An Obama presidency will guarantee that many more millions of unborn babies will be slaughtered in their mother’s womb.

If Obama wins this election, it will be on the backs of the Catholic voter, the number one voting block in the U.S. Apparently, our 219 silent bishops are not very worried by this imminent threat to human life.

Perhaps they would rather not take a chance on losing government funding for their social justice programs. Perhaps they put party affiliation above Church teaching. Or, perhaps they have fallen for the propaganda that Obama is pro-life because he’s anti-poverty.

Whatever the reason, if Obama wins, they should all consider donning sackcloth and ashes for the next four years.