The Plan Revealed

TimeWatch Editorial
October 29, 2015

The debate born out of comments made regarding the unsuitability of a Muslim President raises an interesting observation regarding the religious affiliation of high government officials, and also those currently running for the office of the President. Four days after the original matter was reported by The Washington Post on September 20, 2015, Tessa Berenson ofTime Magazine published an article entitled: “These are some of the Top Catholic Lawmakers in U.S.”

In her second paragraph of that article, she says the following:

“About 31% of the current Congress is Catholic, and there are six Catholic justices on the Supreme Court. Interestingly, given the history of anti-Catholic prejudice in American politics, both of these percentages are actually higher than the American public, where 22% identify as Catholic.”

What is amazing about this is that Ms. Berenson uses the above statement to immediately introduce a few names that are familiar, but whose religious affiliation may not be as well known. She begins with John Boehner:

“The Ohio Republican and Speaker of the House was instrumental in arranging Pope Francis’s visit to Congress. Boehner has invited every Pope to the Capitol during his 24 years in Congress, Politico reports , and Pope Francis finally agreed.”

The fact that Speaker Boehner had, since he has been in Congress, consistently invited ‘every Pope’ to the capitol might not have been well known. This persistence would at the very least, speak to his devotion. One wonders therefore, how much his final success in persuading Pope Francis to visit played into his immediate departure thereafter.

Ms. Berenson next mentions Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Leader. She is, of course, a Democrat and a catholic. She too was happy to see the Pope. Here is what she had to say when Francis’ visit was confirmed:

“Ever since his inauguration in 2013, Pope Francis has renewed the faith of Catholics worldwide and inspired a new generation of people, regardless of religious affiliation, to be instruments of God’s peace.”

Ms. Berenson also mentions Paul Ryan, the Republican Congressman from Wisconsin. He is also catholic. Based upon Ms. Berenson’s article:

“He was also involved in extending the invitation to Pope Francis to address Congress. Despite sharply parting ways with the pope on economic issues, Ryan has said , “What I love about the pope is he is triggering the exact kind of dialogue we ought to be having.”

Oh, by the way, yesterday, October 28, 2015, Paul Ryan was elected by the Republicans in the house to take John Boehner’s spot; Speaker of the House. By now, the Democrats would have placed their vote. Charles Chiniquy apparently does have a point when in his book “Fifty Years in the Church of Rome” on page 278; he records a letter he received from Olvi Vandeveld the Bishop of Chicago written on December 1st, 1850. The Bishop does not mince words as he describes the “weakness” of Protestantism:

"The Protestants, always divided among themselves, will never form any strong party without the help of the united vote of our Catholic people; and that party alone, which will ask and get our help by yielding to our just demands, will rule the country. Then, in reality, though not in appearance, our holy Church will rule the United States, as she is called by our Saviour Himself to rule the whole world.”

Hunter Schwarz and Kevin Schaul in their Washington Post article dated February 6, 2015 “The religions of the 114th Congress, mapped” inform us that Of the 435 members of Congress,

“Catholics are the largest group in the House, with 139 members. Considering how many Catholics there are in Congress, some may be surprised that John F. Kennedy remains the only Catholic president we've had. Baptists make up the second-largest group with 68 members, and many of them are from Southern states, and Methodists are the third-largest, with 41 members.”

Bishop Olvi Vandeveld's plan seems virtually completed.

Cameron A. Bowen