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So how many "openly" Catholic MPs are there?

I can think of three current Catholic MPs, one of whom has voted against the Churches teaching in recent times. There may be others even more circumspect in this aspect of their lives. If so do they do they consider their Catholcism a political liability?

None of them are particularly overt in displaying their Catholic identity in public life, there is no Catholic Caucus as far as I know and yet around about 12.5% of the population identify as Catholic, how deeply varies of course from the Traditionals for whom Catholicism is the central feature of theirs and their family lives, through to the nominal, seen in Church at Christmas and Easter and in some cases not even then, with all shades between

Perhaps those MPs who are Catholic need to stand up and be counted and "come out of the closet" to coin a phrase. And not only the Catholics, practicing Christians of all stripes should do the same.

Not only would this be beneficial for those of us choosing how to cast our votes but it would provide spiritual benefit for the candidate as well

Matthew 10:32-34

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.

New Zealand alas, and particularly Labour are ruled by identity politics, identities of minorities who are heavily engaged undermining the identities of the majority as evinced by the Damien O'Connor outburst.

Perhaps it is time to restore a strong Christian voice back into Parliament.

Comments

  1. Andrei,

    I wonder how long they would last if they were openly Catholic? But then, what good are they otherwise.

    We have John F. Kennedy to thank for the separation of personal morality and religion from politics.

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  2. Jim Bolger was a Pro-Life practicing Catholic, mind you he got rolled by Jenny Shipley but I don't think his Catholicism or pro-life position was behind it.

    Tony Abbot is another staunch Catholic and some of the stick he gets over this makes "gaggle of gays" seem positively benign. Wel have to see how his future career plays out.

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  3. ...Labour are ruled by identity politics, identities of minorities ...

    And your answer to this is more identity politics, more identity of minorities.

    Catholics are 12.5%? Maybe.

    Non religious are over 30%, guess you are a minority and need identity politics for any chance at relevance.

    Keep your god out of my parliament and I'll keep my laws out of your church.

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  4. Keep your god out of my parliament and I'll keep my laws out of your church.

    It 'aint your Parliament LRO it is the peoples.

    And if MMP is supposed to deliver representation in proportion to the demographic make up of the Nation there should be at least 15 Catholics in Parliament giving voice to Catholic concerns.

    But the Catholics who are their are strangely reticent about their faith and the promotion of its values.

    Or so it seems to me

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  5. You seem oddly reluctant to claim Jim Anderton for some reason...

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  6. And Simon Power, for that matter.

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  7. I don't believe I "outed" any Catholic politician in my post Bearhunter.

    Politicians religious adherence is something we are reticent to talk about, unlike gender identity say which gets a lot of attention.

    But I did mention that there was at least one Catholic Politician who has voted in contradiction of church teaching. As who i had in mind I leave you to guess.

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  8. I'd be very surprised that there was only one.

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