Bishop defends letter to parishioners
By: Jim McShea
Updated: October 27, 2012
Green Bay, Wis. (WFRV) - A letter the Diocese of Green Bay is giving to parishioners over the next two weekends is generating some controversy.
A parishioner who saw it says the letter discusses issues relating to the upcoming election and seems to directly oppose one political party.
The bishop who wrote it disagrees, Local 5's Donald Robinson has the details.
"It goes from trying to be a moral voice to trying to sway a political election," Carrie Arnold says.
She's talking about a letter from the Diocese of Green Bay to its parishioners. She feels the diocese is stepping into politics.
In the letter, Bishop David Ricken says some candidates, and "one" particular party support abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning and homosexual marriage.
He says he believes supporting them is evil.
"To go from helping people deal with those issues to instead say if you vote this way your soul is in jeopardy crosses the line for me," Arnold says.
As a catholic... Carrie shares the Word of God around Brown County. However, she says the diocese is using fear to get its members to vote republican.
The diocese disagrees.
"I'm trying to do my very best to inform people about their responsibility to listen to these issues and make good moral decision." Bishop David Ricken says.
In his letter: Bishop Ricken says to vote for someone who supports these issues goes against faith and morals.
"I'm not encouraging one party or the other... I'm just saying the platforms need to be study very well and that's what i'm encouraging people to do."
And there are people in the catholic church who support that.
"we need some moral guidance and that's what we look to our bishop for," Dan Barrington, one of Bishop Ricken's supporters says.
The bishop released the letter today stating that he wrote the letter to parishioners out of love and that each catholic should be guided by a well-formed conscience.
