Bishop Thomas Tobin: Why I Switched to the Republican Party

The shepherd of Providence, R.I., believes that his baptismal certificate is more important than partisan political loyalties.

Bishop Thomas Tobin

Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, R.I., sparked headlines after he told a local group of Young Republicans Aug. 13 that he had ended his long affiliation with the Democratic Party and had recently joined the Republican Party.

“The aha moment for me was the 2012 Democratic Party Convention. It was just awful,” Bishop Tobin told the GOP gathering, while noting that he had been a Democrat since 1969. “I just said that, 'I can’t be associated structurally with that group,' in terms of abortion and NARAL and Planned Parenthood and [the] same-sex 'marriage' agenda and cultural destruction I saw going on.”

In an Aug. 21 interview with Register senior editor Joan Frawley Desmond, Bishop Tobin discussed his decision to change his party affiliation, his belief that his baptismal certificate matters more than partisan loyalties and his past efforts to engage self-identified Catholic politicians like Patrick Kennedy.

 

Read more at National Catholic Register >>

Rhode Island Bishop Severs Hospital from Pro-Obamacare Catholic Health Association

O for a couple of hundred more like this! We salute and thank Bishop Tobin for being a faithful and principled shepherd of souls.

From LifeSiteNews
By Kathleen Gilbert

Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence, Rhode Island has denounced the Catholic Health Association for supporting the abortion-laden federal health care reform law, and has asked that a local hospital be removed from membership in the group, reported ETWN Friday.

CHA, a for-profit trade association personally wooed by President Obama to support his health care overhaul, garnered heavy criticism from U.S. bishops for supporting the massive bill despite its lack of a ban on federal abortion funding – effectively making it the most pro-abortion piece of legislation since Roe v. Wade.

The CHA, which stands to profit from health care reform, in July 2009 had already pledged a large sum of money to the Obama administration to help ease passage of the overhaul, well before the final draft of the bill materialized.

Tobin told CHA director Sr. Carol Keehan in a March 29 letter that he was “very disappointed that the Catholic Health Association, under your leadership, publicly endorsed the recent health care legislation that was passed and signed into law.”

“This action was taken despite the fact that the legislation will very possibly provide additional public funding for abortion and threaten the freedom of conscience of Catholic individuals and institutions,” wrote the outspokenly pro-life bishop.

Tobin called out the group for paving the way to immense confusion among Catholics concerning the bill: “Your enthusiastic support of the legislation, in contradiction to the position of the Bishops of the United States, provided an excuse for members of Congress, misled the public and cause serious scandal for many members of the Church," he said.

Therefore, he said, “I am writing to request that St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island, sponsored by the Diocese of Providence, be removed from the membership list and mailing list of the Catholic Health Association.”

The bishop also requested "that our name be removed" as “even the association with CHA is now embarrassing.”

In conclusion, Tobin expressed hope that CHA "will review its mission and will find new opportunities to renew its commitment to human life, including that of unborn children."

"I also hope that the Association will clearly support the teaching mission of the Church as expressed by the Bishops, whose obligation it is to preach the Gospel of Christ and apply the teachings of the Church to the important moral issues of our time," he added.

Bishop Tobin had also entered into the health care debate in November, when he demanded that Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy apologize for accusing the U.S. bishops of not being "pro-life" and of "fanning the flames of dissent and discord" for refusing to support the legislation. Tobin called the pro-abortion Catholic congressman "a disappointment to the Catholic Church and the citizens of Rhode Island."

Bishop Tobin Publicly Calls Rep. Kennedy to ‘Conversion and Repentance’

From Catholic World News

By a mutual decision, Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence and Representative Patrick Kennedy-- the son of the late Senator Edward Kennedy-- have postponed their meeting to discuss the Catholic congressman’s support of abortion. Over the weekend, the Rhode Island congressman sided with abortion advocates in voting against the Stupak amendment, which barred the use of federal funds from paying for most abortions in the House’s health care reform legislation.

Following the vote, Bishop Tobin issued a public letter to Representative Kennedy in which he ripped the congressman’s statement that “the fact that I disagree with the hierarchy on some issues does not make me any less of a Catholic.”

“That sentence certainly caught my attention and deserves a public response, lest it go unchallenged and lead others to believe it’s true,” wrote Bishop Tobin in the letter, which will appear in the November 12 edition of his diocesan newspaper. “And it raises an important question: What does it mean to be a Catholic?”

The bishop continued:

[W]hen someone rejects the teachings of the Church, especially on a grave matter, a life-and-death issue like abortion, it certainly does diminish their ecclesial communion, their unity with the Church. This principle is based on the Sacred Scripture and Tradition of the Church and is made more explicit in recent documents …

But let’s get down to a more practical question; let’s approach it this way: What does it mean, really, to be a Catholic? After all, being a Catholic has to mean something, right?

Well, in simple terms – and here I refer only to those more visible, structural elements of Church membership – being a Catholic means that you’re part of a faith community that possesses a clearly defined authority and doctrine, obligations and expectations. It means that you believe and accept the teachings of the Church, especially on essential matters of faith and morals; that you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish; that you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly; that you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially.

Congressman, I’m not sure whether or not you fulfill the basic requirements of being a Catholic, so let me ask: Do you accept the teachings of the Church on essential matters of faith and morals, including our stance on abortion? Do you belong to a local Catholic community, a parish? Do you attend Mass on Sundays and receive the sacraments regularly? Do you support the Church, personally, publicly, spiritually and financially?

In your letter you say that you “embrace your faith.” Terrific. But if you don’t fulfill the basic requirements of membership, what is it exactly that makes you a Catholic? Your baptism as an infant? Your family ties? Your cultural heritage?

The prelate concluded:

[I]n confronting your rejection of the Church’s teaching, we’re not dealing just with “an imperfect humanity” – as we do when we wrestle with sins such as anger, pride, greed, impurity or dishonesty. We all struggle with those things, and often fail.

Your rejection of the Church’s teaching on abortion falls into a different category – it’s a deliberate and obstinate act of the will; a conscious decision that you’ve re-affirmed on many occasions. Sorry, you can’t chalk it up to an “imperfect humanity.” Your position is unacceptable to the Church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your communion with the Church.

Congressman Kennedy, I write these words not to embarrass you or to judge the state of your conscience or soul. That’s ultimately between you and God. But your description of your relationship with the Church is now a matter of public record, and it needs to be challenged. I invite you, as your bishop and brother in Christ, to enter into a sincere process of discernment, conversion and repentance. It’s not too late for you to repair your relationship with the Church, redeem your public image, and emerge as an authentic “profile in courage,” especially by defending the sanctity of human life for all people, including unborn children. And if I can ever be of assistance as you travel the road of faith, I would be honored and happy to do so.

Source(s): these links will take you to other sites, in a new window.

• Dear Congressman Kennedy (Rhode Island Catholic)
• RI bishop, Rep. Kennedy delay meeting (AP