Charlie Chaput (Cha-poo) – “Private Citizen”

When Denver Roman Catholic Archbishop Charlie Chaput suggests that he is speaking as a “private citizen”–winky-winky–and not as a representative of the Denver archdiocese, and his banter is clearly political, clearly designed to rouse the faithful to vote against Obama because of Obama’s pro-choice stance, I’m inclined to, oh, I don’t know, at least respond with an AHEM!, or more succinctly, a BULLSHIT, OH YEE PRINCE OF THE CHURCH.

How, let me ask this silly question, is an archbishop of the Roman Catholic Church, ever perceived as anything else by the faithful, the blind flock, as other than the shepherd who has direct dial privileges with the Almighty, the Almightly answering, of course, on the first ring? The hypocrisy is, if not disgusting, at least a revelatory insight into this man’s, Charlie’s, enormous egoistic pursuit of Cardinal red as opposed to the banal–surely below his self-perceived status–purple of Bishop?

Yes, the politics within the Roman Church are, if not vicious, certainly entertaining for those of us who have slip-slid from the blind flock and, yes, have figured out that the Good Lord gave us a brain which, in celebrating that particular organ, enables insight where Charlie and his ilk would rather we not go. Simply said: Charlie Chaput shepherds the blind, basks in the anti-intellectual argument that if one thinks too much, one necessarily sees the hoary holes extant in Roman Catholic doctrine.

I do wonder if, when Charlie appeared before a Catholic women’s group this past Friday night, he left his white collar and black-as-coal garb at home, and donned the attire of “Joe-six-pack” thus enforcing his contention that he was speaking to the flock as a “private citizen.” Methinks not. No, methinks Charlie’s remarks with regard to Obama and Catholic lay groups supporting Obama as constituting a “…disservice to the church…” saw the shepherd adorned in his clerical attire; a reminder that, yes, he, as God’s agent on earth, spoke truths that, at the end of the day, provide job security for this little man with an enormous ego that, again, yearns for Cardinal red.

Charlie’s remarks to the women faithful were entitled, “Little Murders.” You get the point without me even going into it. Indeed, Charlie noted (from the Denver Post, Eric Gorski), that Pro-Obama Catholics “…seek to contextualize, demote and then counterbalance the evil of abortion with other important but less foundational social issues…”

Abortion is an issue that most of us struggle with. But, then, do not other “…foundational social issues…” perhaps trump Charlie’s reasoning. World hunger from overpopulation, wars, genocide, nuclear annihilation, the drug culture, AIDS, the destruction of God’s critters via the avarice of human beings, the ever emerging specter of theocratic priapism spawning hate, intolerance and “holy” endeavors that only result is more hate and intolerance? Do not these “…foundational social issues…” require that a Prince of the Church, such as Charlie, consider the ramifications of such issues as, at most, preeminent or, at least, equal to a woman’s right to choose what occurs within her own body?

Shame, shame, shame on Charlie for suggesting Joe Biden, a Catholic, be denied Communion because he, Joe, believes a woman’s right to choose is one of those troublesome democratic precepts that, as the promise of the Constitution sets-forth, is central, essential to what this fragile democracy holds dear. Theocratic piapism lives within the soul of Charlie Chaput. Damn the Constitution. Damn democracy. Damn the infidels who dare not believe what Charlie teaches.

If the IRS buys Charlie’s line that he speaks as a “…private citizen…” and, thus, avoids the scrutiny of that agency which is supposed to exercise diligence in assuring clergy does not step over that line of engaging in partisan politics–thus negating their tax-exempt status–then, well, our democracy is close to being irretrievably broken, theocratic priapism has triumphed and we, as a country, join the most dangerous conceptual horrors in modern times.

Jihad has many faces.