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PDF versionKC bishop questions morality of building nuclear weapons
by Thomas C. Fox on Jul. 02, 2011
Chullikatt and Finn (photo by Tom Fox)Kansas City – St. Joseph Bishop Robert Finn July 1 questioned the morality of building new nuclear weapons and modernizing existing ones as he met with a group of local reporters.
The issue is not abstract for local Catholics as the U.S. government is constructing a new nuclear weapons plant south of Kansas City. The plant, which broke ground last September, will produce non-nuclear parts for the nation’s nuclear weapons. It will replace a controversial aging plant that has been making nuclear parts for several decades.
Kansas City peace activists have argued the construction of new plant escalates the arms race, making it more, not less, likely that nuclear weapons will one day be used.
Finn questioned the construction of the new plant, asking, “is this the kind of thing that we should be spending large amounts of human resources on? What is the moral justification for those kinds of expenditures?”
The bishop said that some people have said to him that building the plant would bring needed jobs to Kansas City, and, further, that if the plant were not built here, it would be built somewhere else.
Answering the question, he compared the building of the plant to the building of an abortion clinic. Speaking about a plant building nuclear weapons parts he said “at a certain point we would have to stand up as say ‘we don’t want it.’
Just as If someone would want to build an abortion mill, many folks would say ‘we don’t want it.’ If they have to build it, then build it in some other place. Those people would then have to deal with it.”
Finn also said he is concerned about the environmental degradation resulting from the building of nuclear weapons. He said Kansas City’s current weapons plant has been associated with “very serious contamination issues.” This, he said, raises a legitimate question as to whether the new plant will similarly cause environmental harm. “What are the checks and balances? What are the accountabilities?” he asked.
Finn concluded his remarks, which came in answer to a reporter’s question, saying that modernizing the U.S. weapons deterrence system might be “promoting, not by design, but by circumstances” an escalation in the arms race. “Under the argument of deterrence, are we actually contributing to an escalation,” he asked.
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Finn made his remarks following a talk on nuclear weapons by Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, permanent observer of Vatican to the United Nations, who spoke in Kansas City at Finn’s invitation.
Chullikat told a group of more than 100 at the Catholic center in downtown Kansas City that Catholic teaching holds nuclear weapons are viewed with limited moral acceptability only temporarily during a process of nuclear disarmament. The Vatican diplomat called for a far more concerted efforts by the world’s nations to rid nuclear weapons from the planet.
Finn’s remarks reiterated statements he made last year when the new Kansas City weapons’ plant first began to be constructed. At that time he called these weapons a “grave moral danger.”
Fox is NCR Editor
Few, outside of a few
Few, outside of a few Catholic die-hards who are not in a position to act, are going to take this man seriously when he talks about "morality." He has squandered his moral authority in his mishandling of accusations of abusive behavior by priests in his diocese.
Just one more casualty of neo-orthotoxic clericalism.
Bishop Finn? Morality? The
Bishop Finn? Morality? The two do not belong in the same room. Hasn't he resigned yet?
I am a Vietnam Veteran, and a
I am a Vietnam Veteran, and a 32 year Cold War Veteran of the Bannister Federal Complex where I made weapons parts. I have often wondered about the deterring effects of our Superior position, being the number one nuclear power, but my real confusion over the years in our zeal of production was a question, WHY DO WE CONTINUE TO KILL OUR OWN PEOPLE? As we build these weapons, we contaminate the people, and the environment forever. We deny the illnesses related to WMD production, much like we denied the Vietnam Veteran's exposure to Agent Orange, the COLD WAR body count in casualties far out distances many conflicts we have entered, and carries the long lasting effects passed on to our offspring.
We enter conflict after conflict, sacrificing our warriors, bring them back in body bags, which we refuse to show, hail them as heroes, erect monuments as Mecca's to weep and declare our allegiance to forever sacrifice our young to war after war. If Nuclear Weapons are a deterrence, why do we still have wars. At some point we will realize WMD's are not necessary, certainly if we refuse to use them, so in my humble opinion, it is insane to build them.
Again I would like to thank
Again I would like to thank Bishop Finn for his public statement about nuclear weapons. This is the letter I wrote when he called attention to this moral teaching of our Church on Memorial Day:
"I would like to thank Bishop Finn for his comments on this issue. This involves the long-term health and well-being
of his community and he is courageous enough to question priorities. May they learn from the example of the
citizens and governments of Germany and Italy who have chosen to develop alternative energy sources that are
renewable and don’t threaten God’s family and creation."
But I must also include the second part of that letter, which sadly I still feel is warranted today:
"I have been very critical and judgmental about Bishop Finn's handling of the Shawn Ratigan case. As I mentioned, I
keep him and Shawn Ratigan in my prayers. I also pray for the children who were and are entrusted to their care.
May Bishop Finn continue speaking out about the physical health of his flock as he tries to make amends for his lack
of attention to their spiritual health."
I continue my prayers for Bishop Finn, Shawn Ratigan, and our sisters and brothers in the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese.
Paz y Bien, Rolando, SFO.
I guess he is a good guy now?
I guess he is a good guy now?
"Finn made his remarks
"Finn made his remarks following a talk on nuclear weapons by Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, permanent observer of Vatican to the United Nations, who spoke in Kansas City at Finn’s invitation."
IMPORTING outside allies in this feeble attempt to distract people and deflect media attention from what's really going on in the diocese should be seen as such, nothing more and nothing less.
Memo to Finn:
Spare us the "business as usual" NUCLEAR N.I.M.B.Y. argument.
And quite frankly, I find the words "moral justification" for anything to be a joke/mockery/scandal coming from your mouth in light of your admitted violations of the Dallas Protocol.
Memo to K.C. Catholics-
You heard your bishop:
"...“at a certain point we would have to stand up and say ‘we don’t want it.’
So WHEN will you stand up to him and say the same thing?
Since I personally have been
Since I personally have been on Finn's case for a number of other less than Christian decisions, I will give him full kudos here. However, it certainly doesn't let him off the hook for some of his other less than Christian decisions.
I applaud Finn's remarks on
I applaud Finn's remarks on nukes, but I have to question his timing. This only comes after he was caught protecting a pedophile. Since it is the left wing of the Catholic Church that has called for his resignation after he has proven unfit to be a bishop, he apparently believes he can silence it by throwing us a bone on nukes. We still care about protecting our children. He must resign.
You know, I am now beginning
You know, I am now beginning to wonder how many liberals are really that upset about the abuse case, or whether they are more concerned with using it as a launch pad to get out their long held dislike of Bishop Finn's authority and orthodoxy.
I am a struggling Catholic
I am a struggling Catholic who has studied many years of Catholic Theology and Philosophies in several different Catholic institutions. I am very upset about all the abuse cases in the RCC. Particularly about the Bishop enablers of Child Rape cases. Yes I also am upset when people and Bishops confuse authority when it applies to the RCC episcopate for Authoritarianism. Finn and many other Bishops in the RCC suffer from a megalomania caused by their own belief in their own authority that is really nothing less than tyrannical. The interesting thing about these men is that they have deluded themselves into believing that there words mean more not only than the graduate level professional theologians,' but also those of the medical doctors and graduate level philosophers. Yet, most are not professional theologians, philosophers, and not one Bishop has a license to practice medicine. Yet they say they have THE AUTHORITY to judge each field because they somehow see themselves as the teachers of the diocese. They do not have the Curriculum Vitae to teach anything!!! We the People of God are standing up to their tyranny with more confidence every day. These men, from KC to Rome, simply have demonstrated a lack of personal and institutional integrity to be heard by those who wish to follow Christ’ Way.
The RCC Bishops have convinced themselves that they are omniscient and omnipotent. These false beliefs about themselves are only the symptoms of their own borderline characters. Some have even convinced themselves that they can and have done no wrong. These men are truly sociopathic personalities. They have convinced themselves that their own board line personalities, sociopathic and psychopathic actions are a sign of God’s grace inside them. These men are indeed very ill have made old religion very sick. In the name of Christ, they must stop doing gravely wronging out institution and the People of God. It is now up to the us to tell them in the Name of God to STEP DOWN.
We can only have a Graceful Church when we rid ourselves of these Psychopathic leaders beginning with the ones in Rome.
I would strongly suggest NCR
I would strongly suggest NCR quote the USCCB in the future as Bishop Finn in his delinquency has diminished his credibility greatly and hardly deserves a paragraph on a blog, much less in print.
This is not the first time NCR has referenced the "authority" of Bishop Finn on nuclear weapons issues post-Ratigan case, and I hope it is the last.
Need a good laugh? Now the
Need a good laugh?
Now the NCR liberals talk about "protecting children". By promoting legal abortion, that kills 25,000 children a week.
What a howl. Hope that cheered your day.
Hey Anon I believe in
Hey Anon
I believe in protecting children in the womb, but I also believe in protecting them once they are out of it.
Steve
Interesting. Bishop Finn did
Interesting. Bishop Finn did a lot of things recently that merited serious criticism. Now he says something that really needs to be said loudly and that I totally agree with. A good teachable moment, this. I (we?) need to keep in mind how complex each of us is. We are not just prepackaged matching sets. Sometimes I find myself assuming a caricature instead of assuming complexity. I want to learn to do better with this, for the sake of justice and charity. I guess I also hope this occurs in the other direction: people with Church authority should not miss seeing the good intentions of me (us?) because I might express or hold a certain opinion. Don't forget the complexity (I tell myself). It's how creation was done. And thank God for it.
Ah yes, let's quickly change
Ah yes, let's quickly change the debate, get the heat off him and move it elsewhere.. very Machiavellian of him. I'm not letting the weasel off the hook.
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