.- California Democrats gathering for their state convention this weekend will have a special Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Joseph just a half-mile from the convention site, the California Catholic Daily reports.
The Mass is sponsored by the Catholic Democrats of California, the state affiliate of a national, Boston-based group called Catholic Democrats.
The California group, describing itself on its web site, said, “We have brought together people across the country who share an aversion to the current abuses of US military power, the exploitation of social issues to advance the economic interests of a few, and the misuse of our Catholic faith for political gain.”
“Because conservatives have increasingly used Catholic language and Catholic congregations to advance their economic agenda and political interests,” the group continued, “we have felt a special obligation as Catholics to enunciate the reasons why we think many of the current conservatives stances are so antithetical to the Catholic ethos -- on poverty, on war, on racial strife, and perhaps especially on abortion and other social issues.”
The proposed platform of the California Democratic Party addresses abortion under the euphemism of “reproductive rights,” saying the state party “proudly and vigorously supports a woman’s right to choose how to use her mind, her body and her time.” The draft pledges support for “confidential, unrestricted” access to “health and reproductive services,” such as contraception and emergency contraception, without parental consent or notification.
The platform also says California Democrats “support the LGBT community in its quest for the right to legal marriage.”
The Mass for Catholic Democrats is scheduled for Saturday, March 29 at 7:15 a.m. It will be celebrated by Father Jon Pedigo, pastor of a San Jose parish.
According to the California Catholic Daily, an announcement of the Mass on the California group’s web site said, “Join us as we come together to share the social justice teachings of Catholic Democrats”.
