Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Archbishop Chaput critiques famous JFK 'Houston speech'

Speaking in Houston, Texas-- where Senator John F. Kennedy delivered a famous speech on religion during his presidential campaign in 1960-- Denver's Archbishop Charles Chaput has offered a serious critique of the late president's address. The Kennedy speech, which has been widely adopted as a model for Catholic politicians, was "sincere, compelling, articulate-- and wrong," the archbishop concludes.

By setting up artificial barriers between private beliefs and public actions, Kennedy harmed the cause of Catholic influence in American political affairs, Archbishop Chaput says:

"His Houston remarks profoundly undermined the place not just of Catholics, but of all religious believers, in America’s public life and political conversation. Today, half a century later, we’re paying for the damage."

Kennedy was right to say that he would be guided by his own conscience in his execution of the public trust, the archbishop argues. But he was wrong to suggest that his conscience could or should be separated from the guidance of his Church.

Archbishop Chaput says that the net result of the "Houston speech" was a gain for secularists who seek to remove religious influence from public life. He remarks that "too many Christian individuals, Protestant and Catholic alike, live their faith as if it were 'private idiosyncrasy' which they try to prevent from becoming a 'public nuisance.'"

Read the full speech here.

2 comments:

  1. IF ONLY YOU WOULD LIKE THE ARCHBISHOP SUGGESTS FOLLOW THE CHURCH AND HER TEACHINGS ON WAR,TORTURE,MILITARY BLOCKADING,AND NOT LEAD OTHER CATHOLICS INTO THIS TRAGIC LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE AMERICAN/PRO-DEATH/PROTEATANT RIGHT.YOU YOURSELF LEAD GULLABLE PRO-LIFE CATHOLICS FAR AWAY FROM CHURCH TEACHING.jOHNPAUL THE GREAT,THE VICAR OF CHRIST,PLEADED WITH YOU FROM 1991 TO STOP SUPPORTING THIS IMMORAL INVASION OF IRAQ.YOU HAVE ENTHUSIASTICALLY SUPORTED IT AND ALL THE PEOPLE WHO PROFIT FROM IT.IT IS YOU WHO SEPERATE FROM THE CHURCH....ELLIOT

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  2. "I'm here as a Catholic Christian and an American citizen – in that order. Both of these identities are important."
    -Chaput

    Have you read Chaput's book Elliot? I think you might have different thoughts if you read his stances in depth.

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