Ryan’s former priest issues warning: “You can’t just pack your own heat & protect your own building"

...the priest who presides over the archways and the towering steeple of the Nativity of Mary says that Ryan’s interpretation of Catholic teaching in national budgetary matters and his prospective vice presidential role have him “worried.” Father Stephen Umhoefer told the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) that he supports a role for religion in the public square, but that Ryan‘s austerity budget and proposed steep cuts in social programs are inconsistent with the Catholic teachings that Ryan cites to justify the policies.

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For Umhoefer, the test of the budget is a simple one: “The first question is how does this affect the poor. And everything else follows from that. That doesn’t mean it’s a Republican or Democrat [question] — you could argue that. But the primary question is how does this affect the poor?”

Umhoefer said that Ryan’s lack of attention to the poor and the emphasis on individualism espoused by role models such as Ayn Rand concerned him. “Paul would say that the only way to save the country from a coming (fiscal) disaster is ‘follow my plan.’” But according to Umhoefer, the problem is “you can’t tell somebody that in ten years your economic situation is going to be just wonderful because meanwhile your kids may starve to death.”

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But sometimes we need to be rescued: “You can’t just pack your own heat and protect your own building,” he cautioned.

http://www.prwatch.org/news/2012/08/11707/vp-role-paul-ryan-has-his-former-parish-priest-worried
http://thepoliticalcarnival.net/2012/08/15/ryans-former-parish-priest-worried-about-vp-role-you-cant-just-pack-your-own-heat-and-protect-your-own-building/