Strange Bedfellows: The Archbishop and Tom Emmer

By John Goerke
Contributing Writer

Tom Emmer has found a new political ally. No, it isn’t a national right-wing celebrity or a certain incumbent governor, but rather John Nienstedt the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.

The archbishop has launched a DVD campaign that all but blatantly endorses Emmer and his conservative politics.

The DVD in question was mailed out on Wednesday Sept. 22nd. It is an 18-minute campaign by the Catholic bishops to define marriage as between a man and a woman.

Archbishop Nienstedt says, “It is the people themselves and not politicians or judges who should make this decision.  This is the only way to put the one man, one woman definition of marriage beyond the reach of the courts and politicians.”

Now the following criticism of the Archbishop’s actions is not based on stereotypes of the Catholic Church, nor does it rely on simple clichéd rhetoric. This is a criticism written by a life-long Catholic who attended Catholic schools for twelve years.

The Archbishop has not only crossed a socially accepted line, but also directly contradicted Church doctrine.

Nienstedt’s first problem is his misunderstanding of the definition of marriage. The Catholic church is perfectly free to define their sacramental marriage as between a man and a woman. But the legal definition of marriage is beyond Nienstedt’s control, as it well should be.

Freedom of religion as specified in the Constitution protects religious organizations from persecution from the government, but the reverse is also just as true. A single religious movement may not control the government nor define the laws of a state or nation based upon its subjective view of morality.

The DVD warns that if same-sex marriage is made legal, then it will be taught in public schools and Catholics who disagree will be persecuted.

If Catholics define marriage, those who wish to be legally bound to each other are persecuted. Especially non-Catholics.

The Catholic doctrine states, with regard to politics, that the expressed support of a political candidate is not to be stated by any clergy. Yet the timing of the DVD release is so close to the November election that influencing the gubernatorial race is the only possible explanation.

Another issue with this DVD is that it encourages single-issue voting. We don’t live in a single issue world. The goodness of a candidate must be determined by the accumulation of all their positions. The amount of “good” a candidate might do in a single area could be negated by the damage in other areas of the political world.

Here comes Tom Emmer. He is the only candidate who supports traditional marriage, and is therefore the only acceptable candidate according to the new DVD.

His stance on other issues, however, is incredibly contrary to Catholic doctrine.

The Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis has a massive Hispanic population. Yet, Emmer has spoken in support of an “Arizona-style” crackdown on immigration. Even his campaign webpage, though very non-specific, uses the words “strong pressure.”

Then there is Tom Emmer and Health Care. The Archdiocese has a large population of aged Minnesotans. Some are living full-time in care facilities.

But Tom Emmer believes in “Making Health Care Cheaper Through Competition.” His strategy is to pull Minnesota farther from the single-payer system we so desperately need.

The aging members of the Catholic community in the Twin Cities can’t afford to be living in a competitive health care system. When insurance companies are looking to cut costs, the insured inevitably lose money.

For an example of how cheap single-payer health care can work, please investigate the British Health Care system, which covers all British Citizens as well as tourists. This system is cheaper than our American system, yet covers more people per dollar.

Then there’s Emmer’s position on finances. His spending plan continues on the path of destruction started by Tim Pawlenty. “Trim the fat” Emmer says.

There is no more fat to trim. The state is down to the essentials and even those are being slashed.

This is all to point out that Archbishop Nienstedt is leading his followers to the wrong candidate.
Tom Emmer may be in favor of traditional marriage, which may still exist within the Church while same sex marriage exists in the legal system. The two are not mutually exclusive.

The amount of damage done to Catholics by Emmer’s policies will seriously harm the scores of Catholics who look to their church leaders for guidance.

Nienstedt is misusing his position of power to manipulate Twin Cities Catholics. His moral beef with the candidates supporting same-sex marriage smacks of an insecure childish fit.

It would be more prudent for the Archbishop to encourage his followers to examine all the issues, all the possible outcomes.

I am certain the Catholic vote would abandon the right if all the issues were examined.

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