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The thing is, this attitude among our clergy and laity was manufactured at Vatican II, and as long as we have the words that fuel it, we're stuck. It's like a spell on us. The infection stems from us giving up the right to the religious state and endorsing the secular state. Along with that comes the mentality that our job in our various countries is to 'form consciences,' but not to pass legislation that imposes Catholic values on the population. Thus Benedict could write when he was Ratzinger that we Catholics should sponsor, vote for, and pass legislation that protects homosexuals from all forms of discrimination--it's still up on the Vatican website and still controls our actions and was the inspiration ultimately for gay marriage. The same for abortion--Hungary has passed a law against it, and the Vatican has attacked them for it over and over, never a word of support (see Stefan Bos, Vatican Radio, three weeks ago). Benedict praised Obama to the stars, praised the Obama supporter Obama appointed to be Vatican ambassador, and especially praised American democracy, which with the election of Obama proved its "vitality." I kid you not. May I say I have a post on my blog from watching outside an abortion clinic. Just google Another Ordinary Day, White Lily blog and you'll get there. I'd appreciate your reading it, it was so painful to experience. I have many times had the sad thought that if we were successful in getting Roe reversed, the Vatican would not support us. That's Vatican II!! That's the source of the spell we're under. - Janet Baker