Gorgeous speech by Mario Cuomo in 1984 @ Notre Dame re: abortion

[jhrobbins]

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mariocuomoreligiousbelief.htm

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

1. I can't listen now but read the transcript. This is one of the reasons why

I love Mario. It was so wonderful having him as my Governor.

In fact, Catholic public officials take an oath to preserve the Constitution that guarantees this freedom. And they do so gladly, not because they love what others do with their freedom, but because they realize that in guaranteeing freedom for all, they guarantee our right to be Catholics: our right to pray, our right to use the sacraments, to refuse birth control devices, to reject abortion, not to divorce and remarry if we believe it to be wrong.

The Catholic public official lives the political truth that most Catholics through most of American history have accepted and insisted on: the truth that to assure our freedom we must allow others the same freedom, even if occasionally it produces conduct by them which we would hold to be sinful. I protect my right to be a Catholic by preserving your right to be a Jew, or a Protestant, or a nonbeliever, or anything else you choose. We know that the price of seeking to force our belief on others is that they might someday force their belief on us.

Thank you for sharing this!

[poverlay]

3. That ... is an excellent point...n/t

[niyad]

2. k & r for this most important topic

pity that more of the religious hierarchies don't act in the same ethical manner.