Reply #6: I've known a number of priests, nuns, and laypeople...

[CBHagman]

...who are on the progressive side.

That said, I also remember the waggish comment from a seminar on Catholic social justice teachings -- i.e., that they're one of the best-kept secrets of the church. I'm afraid that's true. Over the years I've heard priests address natural family planning and the like from the pulpit, but when it came time to vote on the most recent health care reform legislation in Congress, my own archdiocese focused only on abortion and gay marriage, at least as far as inserts to the church bulletins were concerned. The Catholic Church in general, and the local archbishop in particular, is pro-labor but they really fell down on health care reform.

Let it also be said, though, that Catholic hospital organizations and nuns were advocating for health care reform during 2009 and indeed I talked to one of the latter who was on the Hill one day and confronted a tea party type (who was, by the way, nasty to her. "Nasty to a nun." Speaks volumes about the TP.).