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VP Role for Paul Ryan Has His Former Parish Priest Worried

by Jonathan Rosenblum — August 15, 2012 - 5:30am
  • Topics: Democracy, Economy, Politics, Religion
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    The entrance to St. Mary Elementary School in Janesville, Wisconsin has two identical archways with contrasting inscriptions. One entrance says, "For God." The other says, "For Country." That is where Mitt Romney's vice presidential running mate, U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan, first merged his studies of government and religion as a young student.

    Entrance to St. Mary Elementary School in Janesville, WI, with inscriptions "For God" and "For Country"And the priest who presides over the archways and the towering steeple of the Nativity of Mary says that Ryan's interpretation of Catholic teaching in national budgetary matters and his prospective vice presidential role have him "worried." Father Stephen Umhoefer told the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) that he supports a role for religion in the public square, but that Ryan's austerity budget and proposed steep cuts in social programs are inconsistent with the Catholic teachings that Ryan cites to justify the policies. "If he is following his conscience, he is doing the morally correct thing. But he shouldn't wrap himself in Catholic teaching because he is not using that [teaching] in what I would say is a balanced way," said Umhoefer.

    Umhoefer, 72, has led the church since 2002 and was the Ryan family pastor until the family left for another Janesville parish a few years ago. Ryan's current parish is led by a priest who teaches on the diocese faculty under the deeply conservative Madison Bishop Robert Morlino, who characterizes Ryan's judgment as "in accord with all the teachings of the Church."

    Ryan's Defense of Austerity Budget Kicks Up Controversy

    Ryan's leadership as chair of the House Budget Committee and author of the "Path to Prosperity" Republican budget blueprint and the FY 2013 House Budget Resolution has become a lightning rod for criticism by other Catholic bishops, ecumenical groups, and lay leaders.

    Nativity of Mary Parish, Janesville, WisconsinIn introducing Ryan to the nation as his running mate Saturday, Romney said that Ryan's beliefs "remain firmly rooted in Janesville, Wisconsin," and pointed to his life as a "faithful Catholic." If elected, Ryan would become the first Catholic Republican vice president in history. The Ryan budget, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives in 2012 but died in the Senate, would slash taxes on the rich and on corporations, while implementing massive cuts in social safety net programs. It would repeal Obamacare, cut Medicaid, transform Medicare into a voucher system, cut student loans, and end the Earned Income Tax Credit program for the poor, while reversing Wall Street financial reforms.

    Standing alone, the harsh austerity budget was controversial enough. But in an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network in April 2012, Ryan defended his budget as in conformity with Catholic social doctrine. "[T]he preferential option for the poor, which is one of the primary tenets of Catholic social teaching, means don't keep people poor, don't make people dependent on government so that they stay stuck in their station in life. Help people get out of poverty onto [a] life of independence," Ryan said.

    The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops took sharp exception, calling on Congress to resist "for moral and human reasons" cuts to food and nutrition programs to the poor. The Conference called instead for "shared sacrifice ... including raising adequate revenues, eliminating unnecessary military and other spending, and addressing the long-term costs of health insurance and retirement programs fairly." Faculty at Georgetown University put it more bluntly in an open letter to Ryan: "Your budget appears to reflect the values of your favorite philosopher, Ayn Rand, rather than the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

    Father Umhoefer followed the controversy from Janesville. He said in an extended interview that he had a "very friendly pastor-parishioner relationship" with Ryan, but that the two "never sat down and talked politics." He noted that he has not read in full the dense, 60-plus page Republican budget, but that he has reviewed the budget through a range of Catholic and ecumenical materials and media reports, and he shared the concerns expressed by the bishops.

    "The Primary Question Is, How Does This Affect the Poor?"

    For Umhoefer, the test of the budget is a simple one: "The first question is how does this affect the poor. And everything else follows from that. That doesn't mean it's a Republican or Democrat [question] -- you could argue that. But the primary question is how does this affect the poor?"

    Umhoefer said that Ryan's lack of attention to the poor and the emphasis on individualism espoused by role models such as Ayn Rand concerned him. "Paul would say that the only way to save the country from a coming [fiscal] disaster is 'follow my plan.'" But according to Umhoefer, the problem is "you can't tell somebody that in ten years your economic situation is going to be just wonderful because meanwhile your kids may starve to death."

    Umhoefer said that in Janesville, which lost some 5,000 jobs related to the auto industry after a GM plant closed in 2009, residents continue to seek emergency food and housing support and social service organizations have been running out of funds. A house across the street from the church sits with a red "condemned" sticker prominently on the door, and another house on the block has a sign that declares, "Price Reduced."

    "The welfare check runs out and people are suffering now in ways that they haven't before," he said, noting that the church has hired two former auto workers with wages and benefits far below their former level.

    St. Mary School, Janesville, WisconsinUmhoefer said that wealthy church members have offered support for shared sacrifice and revenue raising proposals such as the Warren Buffet rule that asks millionaires to avoid loopholes and pay a tax rate of 30 percent. "I can't always invite my neighbor over to dinner, but I ... need to pay a certain amount of taxes. And I need to vote to make sure taxes are used to help make sure that my neighbor isn't starving," he said.

    Umhoefer also laments what he calls an excess of individualism in America that is sometimes abetted by politicians. He prepared for CMD a section of the church catechism, which states that the church "has refused to accept, in the practice of 'capitalism,' individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human labor." Umhoefer said that he doesn't mean to accuse Ryan of choosing individualism as a creed over community, but that Ryan's promotion of Ayn Rand to his staff and others is "an alternative universe of which he is a member.... What I call an excessive attitude of individualism is doing a great deal of harm to us as a society because we are forgetting society values," said Umhoefer.

    Priest to Ryan: "You Can't Just Pack Your Own Heat"

    Umhoefer said that Ryan has also selectively presented to his audiences a Catholic concept of empowerment known as "subsidiarity." Ryan explained subsidiarity to the Christian Broadcasting Network as "not having big government crowd out civic society, but by having enough space in our communities so that we can interact with each other, and take care of people who are down and out in our communities."

    Umhoefer said that he agrees with the "Nuns on the Bus," a group of liberal nuns who recently undertook a bus tour and visited Ryan's Janesville office to underscore the absurdity of Ryan's approach. "Just on food stamps alone, Congressman Ryan is wrong that the church can take care of this issue. The cuts that have been proposed and passed by the [U.S.] House are going to require every church, every synagogue, every mosque, every house of worship in the United States, each year for ten years, to each raise $50,000. It's impossible," said Sister Simone Campbell during the Janesville stop. CMD covered the Nuns on the Bus Tour and sought the interview with Umhoefer after the nuns presented an alternative "moral budget" in Janesville.

    Reading from the catechism, Umhoefer explained that government "should support [local communities] in case of need and help to coordinate its activities with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view to the common good." He said that when subsidiarity lacks resources and coordination, government can fail when it is most needed. But sometimes we need to be rescued: "You can't just pack your own heat and protect your own building," he cautioned.

    "What I wish for Paul -- he is so smart and so articulate and has made this whole budget, which he can defend on his own view ... of how the economy and politics work. I wish he wouldn't bring in the Catholic church. He doesn't need to if his economic and political argument are strong, and I'm sure he believes that they are."

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    Paul Ryan's plan would leave you destitute

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on August 16, 2012 - 8:41am.

    You say you are "a poor person who receives an extremely generous amount of government aid." Don't you see that a Paul Ryan type of plan would remove that and leave you destitute?

    Paul Ryan, Good Catholic?

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on August 16, 2012 - 8:11am.

    I wonder if you, as a "poor person who receives an extremely generous amount of government aid" have thought about what the Ryan budget will do to your quality of life? Will you get a special government exemption due to being Catholic or pro-life? Probably not. Will the church be able to compensate for that loss of income?

    For those of us apparently thrown into the "nasty atheist anti-Catholic" category, the issue of poverty and the Ryan budget will directly affect the lives of millions of people in this country. People who pay taxes everyday through sales taxes at the state, county, and city level. People who pay ever rising fees established by various governmental entities. People who are working hard to survive and are constantly denigrated as "deadbeats" by many of our nation's leaders. People about whom Jesus spoke extensively in the Bible.

    Abortion affects a very small section of our society by comparison, and is an issue used to divide people who would normally be on the same side of issues, like poverty. Abortion is only tangentially addressed in the Bible.

    The budget crisis only recently became an issue when a democrat was elected president. During the Bush years, running up that enormous budget was hardly even addressed, nor was the issue of how to pay for two wars and a massive tax cut.

    The right to life is your issue, but it is only one of many issues that affect our country. And many of those issues are directly traceable to the issue of poverty and inequality.

    I wonder if you have

    Submitted by Elizabeth D (not verified) on August 16, 2012 - 10:13am.

    I wonder if you have considered that I actually believe the government is being too generous to me and that it is obviously unsustainable, and that I actually would like to wean off the government teat. Someone who stays dependent stays poor,

    Abortion is direct killing of persons, and is far graver than whether they give me less food stamps, or even stop giving me food stamps, which is not going to kill me. There have been about 50 million abortions in the US since that became legal. It is completely a no brainer that morally I am obliged to oppose abortion even if it costs me. I used to be a progressive (a MoveOn.org volunteer, went to Camp Wellstone, the 1st YearlyKos etc, was in the very front at the massive John Kerry campaign rally on W Washington Ave), so I'm familiar with the "What's the Matter with Kansas" notion that poorer people "ought to" vote their economic interests (including the abundant government teat the Democrats offer) and ignore such grave issues as abortion, same sex marriage, and religious liberty. So the Democrats expect people to be accepting of an increasing culture of death, sexual license and breakdown of family life and religion, and get some form of government welfare in payment for going along with that. Presented as populism, it's really warmed-over marxism. It's destructive to our human dignity and to our society. It's not even really in our best interest as poor people. Especially, if our country goes broke, that does NOT help the poor, and breakdown of married family life sure as anything doesn't help!

    I volunteer with the homeless through the Society of St Vincent de Paul and yet another decent seeming guy (who showed me a picture of his beautiful kids whom he loves) just implied sadly he may be going to jail for failing to pay child support; I felt for this guy and for all involved. Giving food stamps or etc does NOT fix these broken lives, and neither does trivializing sex and human life, which is what gets people into those types of situations. We need to all be there for our neighbors, for our family members, foster responsible love via premarital chastity and married family life and faithfulness, love one another and work hard, and love and trust in God. I don't want all the folks dependent on the government to stay poor and dependent, I want to see people thrive and I am interested in the ideas Romney and Ryan may have for making getting actually OUT of poverty a reality for more people.

    Paul Ryan's Catholicism

    Submitted by Reynolds C. Jones (not verified) on August 16, 2012 - 7:55am.

    In law there is something called precedent.

    It applies largely to theology as well, although it isn't formalized.

    Christianity is a specific religion, of which Catholicism is the originator. All Christianity came out of Catholicism. By the same token, before Jesus came, God's people were, doctrinally, the Jews.

    So let's start with what the Old Testament said, and then look at what Jesus said, and then finally look at what the Church has historically said and or done:

    In the Old Testament, many names are attributed to God that relate to his relationship to the poor:

    Defender of the fatherless and widows (Deut. 10:18; Psalm 10:16-18; 40:17, 68:5; Jeremiah 22:16)
    Protector of the poor (Psalm 12:5)
    Rescuer of the poor (I Sam 2:8, Psalm 35:10, 72:4, 12-14, Isaiah 19:20, Jeremiah 20:13)
    Provider of the poor (Psalm 68:10, 146:7, Isaiah 41:17)
    Savior of the poor (Psalm 34:6, 109:31)
    Refuge of the poor (Psalm 14:6, Isaiah 25:4)

    Further the OT is very clear on where God's blessings and curses lie in regard to the poor.

    For those who bless the poor, God promises to bless them (Ps 41:1-3; 112; Prov. 14:21; 19:17, 22:9, 14:31, 28:27; Isaiah 58:6-10).

    But, He promises to judge those who oppress the poor (Deut 27:19, Prov. 17:5, 21:13, 22:16, 28:27; Isaiah 10:1-4; Eze 18:12-13, 16:49).

    Pretty clear.

    What about Christ though, what did he say and do?

    Well:

    Luke 6:20-21 Then he looked up at his disciples and said: 'Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God.

    Luke 4:16-19 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

    'The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favour.'

    Matthew 25:34-36 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me."

    Mark 10:21-22 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, "You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." When he heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions.

    Luke 14:12-14 He said also to the one who had invited him, "When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

    Luke 16:19-25 "There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man's table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.

    In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. He called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner evil things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony.

    And as for the rich?

    Matthew 19:24A nd again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God

    Luke 12:16-21 Then he told them a parable: "The land of a rich man produced abundantly. And he thought to himself, 'What should I do, for I have no place to store my crops?' Then he said, 'I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, 'You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God."

    So no, there is no scriptural way in the old or new testaments to defend Paul Ryan's views. What about historic Catholic dogma?

    Historically throughout the world the Catholic Church has worked to eliminate poverty. It continues that work to this day. In the US, well, let's see,

    On health care for all:

    The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has long advocated
    health care for all. In their pastoral letter, Health and Health Care, the
    bishops called for a “comprehensive health care system that will ensure a
    basic level of health care for all Americans.” Pope John XXIII, in his
    encyclical Peace on Earth , listed health care among those basic rights
    which flow from the sanctity and dignity of human life. In the same
    tradition, Pope John Paul II addressed the need for health care in On
    Human Work, where he focused on the availability and affordability of
    health care for workers.
    In Health and Health Care, the bishops explain that, for the Catholic
    community, health and the healing ministry take on particular
    significance because of the Church’s involvement as provider of health
    care services through its various ministries and as a major purchaser of
    health care insurance for its employees.
    In the debate over health care insurance, the bishops will continue to use
    as their guide the “criteria for reform” from their Framework for
    Comprehensive Health Care Reform. Among the criteria for health care
    reform they will apply to policy proposals are:
    · Respect for Life — Whether it preserves and enhances human
    life from conception to natural death.
    · Priority Concern for the Poor – Whether it gives special
    priority to health care needs of the poor, ensuring that their
    health care is quality health care.
    · Universal Access to Comprehensive Benefits — Whether it
    provides universal access to comprehensive benefits sufficient
    to maintain and promote good health.
    · Pursuing the Common Good and Preserving Pluralism —
    Whether it allows and encourages the involvement of all
    sectors, including the religious and voluntary sectors, in all
    aspects of health care, ensuring respect for the ethical and
    religious values of consumers and providers.

    on caring for the poor --

    The US Conference of Catholic Bishops urges strong FEDERAL action -- ( http://www.usccb.org/issues-and-action/human-life-and-dignity/safety-net-income-support/temporary-assistance-to-needy-families.cfm ). Further they have specifically written in support of raising the minimum wage to help those at the very bottom of the economic scale. ( http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/raise-federal-minimum-wage-catholic-bishops-urge-congress-53349332.html )

    The simple fact is that Paul Ryan is completely out of step with historic Catholic and Christian teachings, with the words of Jesus Christ, and even with the proclamations of the Old Testament. For him to attempt to defend his false and wrongful positions as Catholic is disgraceful. As for the Archbishop willfully misusing Catholic teachings, he should leave the church.

    Paul Ryan should believe whatever he wants, he is a lay member, but he should not present it as being in accord with a Church that has done more to alleviate world hunger and world poverty than any other organization. The Church and Ayn Rand have NOTHING to do with each other, as Ms. Rand was happy to assert over and over and over when she was alive. If he is serious about his faith, Mr. Ryan might seriously want to consider that as well - but that is between him and God.

    Regards

    Thank you

    Submitted by Channon D (not verified) on August 16, 2012 - 12:48pm.

    I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to put together such a thorough argument against the current candidate's positions. As you say, he can believe what he wants, but he certainly cannot claim that he is following Jesus' teachings.

    I encourage you to get this essay out there as many places as you can. Send it to newspapers, networks, internet news sites. We need more voices like yours if we are to prevent this catastrophe from making it to the White House.

    Excellent narrative

    Submitted by seabrooklady (not verified) on August 16, 2012 - 11:53am.

    MR. JONES..... Excellent comments and well presented.

    As a Catholic myself, I see Paul Ryan and the entire debate of healthcare, abortions, willingness to go to war, etc as an example of people who are "PRO-BIRTH" and Not "pro-life". In other words, they INSIST that a child be born but refuse to accept any responsibility to help feed, clothe and educate that same child.

    I have the deepest respect

    Submitted by Elizabeth D (not verified) on August 16, 2012 - 10:49am.

    I have the deepest respect for Bishop Morlino, who states that Ryan's thought is in accord with Catholic social teaching. He is obviously in dialogue with Catholic leaders about it, including Cardinal Dolan, including about guarding the interests of the poor. Budget specifics are not really the competency of bishops--as several bishops pointed out, criticizing the USCCB committee that made a statement about the budget proposal. Biden is also Catholic, does he talk very much and with such an obviously healthy relationship with the bishops about moral matters and public policy? He is pro abortion and pro same sex "marriage", this cannot be justified for any Catholic. These things are always gravely wrong.

    Christians are highly obliged to help the poor, it doesn't all have to be through the federal government (though certainly some could or even should) and it does have to respect the principle of subsidiarity, or else you wind up with socialism or what Pope Benedict has called "statism".

    Ryan has stated multiple times, he does not believe in Ayn Rand, and has explained very well why not, in accord with Catholic beliefs.

    Ryan is a Rand junkie

    Submitted by Greg G. (not verified) on August 16, 2012 - 9:38pm.

    A few quotes from Paul Ryan over the past few years regarding the atheist Ayn Rand and her writings:

    • "I just want to speak to you a little bit about Ayn Rand and what she meant to me in my life and [in] the fight we're engaged here in Congress. I grew up on Ayn Rand, that's what I tell people."

    • "I grew up reading Ayn Rand and it taught me quite a bit about who I am and what my value systems are, and what my beliefs are."

    • "It's inspired me so much that it's required reading in my office for all my interns and my staff. We start with Atlas Shrugged. People tell me I need to start with The Fountainhead then go to Atlas Shrugged [laughter]. There's a big debate about that. We go to Fountainhead, but then we move on, and we require Mises and Hayek as well."

    • "But the reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand."

    • "And when you look at the twentieth-century experiment with collectivism -- that Ayn Rand, more than anybody else, did such a good job of articulating the pitfalls of statism and collectivism -- you can't find another thinker or writer who did a better job of describing and laying out the moral case for capitalism than Ayn Rand."

    • "It's so important that we go back to our roots to look at Ayn Rand's vision, her writings, to see what our girding, under-grounding [sic] principles are."

    Ayn Rand

    Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on August 16, 2012 - 3:32pm.

    I have seen and heard many instances of Paul Ryan talking about how much he admires Ayn Rand. To claim now that he never liked her, you're being disingenuous.

    Christianity and the poor

    Submitted by oudiva (not verified) on August 16, 2012 - 9:39am.

    Thank you for this! Very succinct and well-put. Not to mention being true.