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Today I attended the Call for Action conference with Jerry. I received a ticket from a person in a suburban parish so I could escort our 93 year old Jesuit friend, Father Brennan S.J., who is confined to a wheel chair. When Father Brennan S.J. could not get permission from his superiors, probably due to his saying liturgy a year ago with a woman priest, I ended up going anyway.

Call to Action draws Catholics on the ‘liberal’ or left end of the Catholic Church in the USA. I hesitated to use the word ‘liberal’ or left but that is the only word I could think of for those wanting to change the church toward their vision of a Church with more equality.

All but one of the speakers today told the audience at the talk what they wanted to hear, how inspiring and right they were in their words and ways. One speaker did not, instead talking how we do not need priest in our communities or the institutional of the Church. His saying there was no need for priest and church institutions was something they did not want to hear. There was backlash to his talk with many expressing anger toward him during the question and answer period at the end.

My problem with so called ‘liberals’ and ‘conservatives’ are that they both are not consistent. Some say abortion is wrong but the death penalty is okay. Some say abortion is okay but support the death penalty. Both groups seem to ignore the major issues of justice, war and peace in our age. There was no talk about Marquette University teaching killing, the extreme segregation and poverty of the neighborhood just north of conference center or the ‘kill list’ of the President targeted persons for assassination by drones.

Poverty and War are not pretty items so do not fit a conference like this. Both sides, conservative and liberal in the Catholic Church want no conflict and for everything to be all right. There is no black or white, no sin or blessings. Now I know why they say God is not a Republican or Democrat and the conservations or right are wrong and the liberals or left just do not get it. Being consistent in moral beliefs is not pretty but for seekers of the truth it is the only way.

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