Catholic Fire

Fr. Robert Barron provides a wonderful tribute to Cardinal Francis George, who died on April 17, 2015. At the age of 78, he was a man of enormous accomplishment and influence. Through his determination, pastoral devotion, deep intelligence, and kindness of heart, he mediated the Holy Spirit. The entire Church owes him a debt of gratitude for reminding us who we are and what our mission is. Related:   Remembering Cardinal George: Chicago’s Archbishop celebrates 50 years of priestly ordination Photo source

Chicago’s Cardinal Francis George has questioned whether American Catholics might be subjected to a “religious test” when running for public office or seeking work at newspapers, universities, or hospitals. In a column about the arguments over same-sex marriage, written for the archdiocesan newspaper, Catholic New World, Cardinal George warns against the expansion of government power in the name of “protection of individual rights.” That expansion, he writes, threatens to banish religious principles from public life, and close the doors to Catholics who uphold the Church’s teaching. The cardinal writes:     Are we to have a religious test for public office that excludes Catholics serious about their faith from appointment to federal judgeships? Are Catholics who will not perform abortions to be excluded from medical school? Are Catholics to be unwelcome in the editorial offices of major newspapers, in the entertainment world, or on university faculties unless they put t...