The Deacon's Bench
From the Wall Street Journal:
Rep. Paul Ryan has been taking flak from church groups – including the relatively conservative U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the somewhat more liberal group Nuns on the Bus—because his budget could cut money from programs for the poor and elderly.
Now a group of fellow Catholics from his home state of Wisconsin, including some Franciscan Friars, are calling for the vice presidential hopeful’s “conversion.” The group launched a website, PrayforPaulsChangeofHeart.org, that asks visitors to “Please pray for Paul Ryan, a devout Catholic, to have a change of heart on the federal budget.” It includes a special Rosary prayer to St. Paul, “the great convert,” to bring about a transformation in the anti-deficit Republican.
The website also seeks prayers for Vice President Joe Biden, a Catholic who supports abortion rights. And the organizers say their prayers are going out “for President Obama, Governor Romney and all our national leaders, that their hearts may be moved to give greater priority to the well-being of the poor and most vulnerable, both the born and preborn.”
Mr. Ryan’s spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
And the web page includes the prayer below, to be said as part of a rosary:
St. Paul the Apostle, great convert, preacher of truth and Doctor of the Gentiles, intercede for us to God, who chose you among all men. Many are called, O St. Paul the Apostle, but you were chosen as a preacher of truth to the whole world. O God, You have instructed many nations through the preaching of the blessed apostle Paul. Let the power of St. Paul’s intercession bring about the conversion of Representative Paul Ryan to the fullness of your Grace. Help Paul to recognize the dignity of the poor in spirit and in the poor in means. Anoint him to bring good news to the poor. Help us who venerate St. Paul’s memory this day to continually seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit as we work to spread your truth. AMEN.
Meanwhile, Ryan’s bishop, Robert Morlino of Madison, has weighed in, offering his own thoughts on the candidate’s understanding of Catholic social teaching.
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