Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Today’s quotable

Posted in:

Illinois

It’s unclear whether Monday’s statement by the state’s six Roman Catholic bishops opposing recreational use of marijuana will make it harder to pass legislation allowing the practice in Illinois, a key lawmaker advocating legalization says.

State Rep. Kelly Cassidy, D-Chicago, said it was no shock that the six bishops — including Thomas John Paprocki of the Springfield Diocese, Daniel Jenky of the Peoria Diocese and David Malloy of the Rockford Diocese — oppose legalization. […]

“Prohibitionists are going to prohibit,” she said. “It just doesn’t surprise me that they want to cling to the old ways. I don’t know that anybody’s going to be surprised by this.”

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:09 pm

Comments

The Pope just acknowledged a history of ’sexual slavery’ against nuns by priests and bishops. Maybe you guys don’t have the moral authority here?

Comment by Anon E Moose Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:13 pm
I think it is a bit more nuanced than that. I think their position comes out of a genuine concern for health and other issues. As a Catholic, I think it is misplaced but I don’t think they are coming at the issue from the view that since it might be fun to get stoned, it must be bad.

Comment by Paddyrollingstone Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:14 pm
The Catholic Church also lobbied hard against equal marriage rights, and that turned out pretty good.

Comment by Just Me 2 Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:16 pm
Paprocki and the others are doing this to play towards hard-right conservative Republicans and evangelicals, for their own social agendas, not those of the Church.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:18 pm
We could end the budget crisis if we had a pay per view of a debate with Rep. Cassidy and Bishop Paprocki. “Showdown at the Capitol”. No limits on topics.

Comment by Nagidam Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:19 pm
Jesus’ first miracle was turning water into wine. You’d think these guys would like to party like him.

Comment by Anon E Moose Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:20 pm
I just feel bad for certain people who work for the Catholic Bishops and who keep having to spout stuff for their boses even if they don’t believe it and know they’re once again going to be on the wrong side of history….

Comment by PotLobster Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:21 pm
The Catholic hierarchy is at least consistently reactionary: No “artificial” birth control. No women in the priesthood. And no recreational marijuana.

Comment by anon2 Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:23 pm
===The Catholic hierarchy is at least consistently reactionary:===

You forgot shield, protect and enable serial child sex predators.

Comment by Anon Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:50 pm
I’m pretty sure the bishops’ statement on legal weed is an attempt to change the subject from other matters that they’ve been called on to address publicly.

As was pointed out yesterday, many Catholic churches host funders with gambling and booze. Impossible to square that practice with a prohibition on weed.

And the bishops’ letter unsupported statement that legal weed would make the opioid crisis worse is preposterous on its face.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 12:54 pm
==The Catholic hierarchy is at least consistently reactionary: No “artificial” birth control. No women in the priesthood. And no recreational marijuana.==

You forgot “No, no child molesters here” and “No, we didn’t know anything about it” and “No, we didn’t move those priests around from parish to parish as part of a cover-up”. That consistent reactionism spreads to the church’s criminal conduct, as well.

Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 1:01 pm
If the idea was simply to change the subject away from felonies of the worst sort within the ranks, it only confirms the Church is flailing and lost. A shame beyond description. My parents sent 5 kids through Catholic School at no small cost. I’m thankful they were not around when this hit the fan. Those who were directly guilty are certainly worse than those who knew and did/said nothing. But the gap isn’t huge.

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 1:37 pm
As mention when thie brainstorm was unveiled it seems like the prelates ought to defer public comments on any topics until the post their certificates of completion from the “How to Dial 9-1-1 Class” they took in Mundelein a few weeks ago.

Comment by Annonin' Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 2:12 pm
=As was pointed out yesterday, many Catholic churches host funders with gambling and booze.=

Thank God.

Comment by Duopoly Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 2:21 pm
Given Cassidy’s comment, she thinks progress is defined as simply making everything that is now illegal, legal, and that if you don’t want to change anything, then you are backwards. So much for tolerating and respecting another person’s position.

Comment by Nanker Phelge Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 2:33 pm
===she thinks progress is defined as simply making everything that is now illegal, legal===

Yeah. You didn’t twist her words at all. Nice job.

Comment by Rich Miller Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 2:34 pm
At least somebody in the Catholic church has a sense of humor on this.

https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/illinois-bishops-blunt-in-joint-statement-on-pot-proposal-51685

As for Paprocki, I think opposition to marijuana legalization is the first time he has agreed with Pope Francis on a social issue.

Comment by SAP Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 2:41 pm
I live in Springfield, both my daughters graduated from a local Catholic High School but I pretty much disagree with every public statement I’ve ever heard from Paprocki.

Comment by The Dude Abides Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 3:10 pm
==she thinks anything illegal==

Uh, no. She feels marijuana should be legal. She is looking at the numbers of people incarcerated for possession. Perhaps she is even looking at the damage done society by pot vs the legal drug - alcohol.

You posted no arguments against and this is a good example of why people w the opposite viewpoint - liberals advocating greater freedom - are now winning where once they were unsuccessful.

Comment by low level Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 3:36 pm
Smoking pot recreationally is not good for your health in general. It is can be an addiction just like many things regardless of what anyone says, it is definitely can be an addiction. The Bishop are not going to say “hey this is a good thing.” It is too bad someone has to make nasty comments about things this thread really is not about. It will be the punch thrown no matter any Bishop does that might be for the good of a person r they do not agree with.

Comment by cler dcn Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 6:17 pm
Unfortunately, as a Catholic, I am sad to say that Bishops have lost the majority of their moral authority - given the Church’s long standing policy of believing criminals in the church should not be held accountable to the rule of law but rather internal church “discipline” - which mostly consists of “retirement”. Paprocki himself has participated in looking the other way on criminal activity in his Diocese which is well known to many in the Diocese. When Catholic leaders pick and choose when they will follow the rule of law they lose all authority to weigh in. Most in Springfield, including the Capitol, are not going to listen to Catholic Church leadership on this or many other topics.

Comment by Downstater Wednesday, Feb 6, 19 @ 10:11 pm
Gods creation is an abomination and we have to fix an imperfect god

Comment by Rabid Thursday, Feb 7, 19 @ 2:28 am