Public Servants and Moral Reasoning:
A notice to the Catholic community in northern Colorado
To Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver:
When Catholics serve on the national stage, their actions and words impact the faith of Catholics around the country. As a result, they open themselves to legitimate scrutiny by local Catholics and local bishops on matters of Catholic belief. In 2008, although NBC probably didn't intend it, Meet the Press has become a national window on the flawed moral reasoning of some Catholic public servants.
On August 24, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, describing herself as an ardent, practicing Catholic, misrepresented the overwhelming body of Catholic teaching against abortion to the show's nationwide audience, while defending her "pro-choice" abortion views. On September 7, Sen. Joseph Biden compounded the problem to the same Meet the Press audience.
Sen. Biden is a man of distinguished public service. That doesn't excuse poor logic or bad facts. Asked when life begins, Sen. Biden said that, "it's a personal and private issue." But in reality, modern biology knows exactly when human life begins: at the moment of conception. Religion has nothing to do with it. People might argue when human "personhood" begins - though that leads public policy in very dangerous directions - but no one can any longer claim that the beginning of life is a matter of religious opinion.
Sen. Biden also confused the nature of pluralism. Real pluralism thrives on healthy, non-violent disagreement; it requires an environment where people of conviction will struggle respectfully but vigorously to advance their beliefs. In his interview, the senator observed that other people with strong religious views disagree with the Catholic approach to abortion. It's certainly true that we need to acknowledge the views of other people and compromise whenever possible - but not at the expense of a developing child's right to life. Abortion is a foundational issue; it is not an issue like housing policy or the price of foreign oil. It always involves the intentional killing of an innocent life, and it is always, grievously wrong. If, as Sen. Biden said, "I'm prepared as a matter of faith [emphasis added] to accept that life begins at the moment of conception," then he is not merely wrong about the science of new life; he also fails to defend the innocent life he already knows is there.
As the senator said in his interview, he has opposed public funding for abortions. To his great credit, he also backed a successful ban on partial-birth abortions. But his strong support for the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and the false "right" to abortion it enshrines, can't be excused by any serious Catholic. Support for Roe and the "right to choose" an abortion simply masks what abortion is, and what abortion does. Roe is bad law. As long as it stands, it prevents returning the abortion issue to the states where it belongs, so that the American people can decide its future through fair debate and legislation.
In his Meet the Press interview, Sen. Biden used a morally exhausted argument that American Catholics have been hearing for 40 years: i.e., that Catholics can't "impose" their religiously based views on the rest of the country. But resistance to abortion is a matter of human rights, not religious opinion. And the senator knows very well as a lawmaker that all law involves the imposition of some people's convictions on everyone else. That is the nature of the law. American Catholics have allowed themselves to be bullied into accepting the destruction of more than a million developing unborn children a year. Other people have imposed their "pro-choice" beliefs on American society without any remorse for decades.
If we claim to be Catholic, then American Catholics, including public officials who describe themselvesas Catholic, need to act accordingly. We need to put an end to Roe and the industry of permissive abortion it enables. Otherwise all of us - from senators and members of Congress, to Catholic laypeople in the pews - fail not only as believers and disciples, but also as citizens.
Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Denver
James D. Conley
Auxiliary Bishop of Denver
Showing posts with label Abortion. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Abortion. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Dems may have a Catholic pro-abortion VP candidate
Dems may have a Catholic pro-abortion VP candidate
CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULUM — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 12:50 am
Apparently Democrat Presidential "hope"full Barak Obama, the short-term senator from Illinois, has chosen as his VP running mate long-term Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.
Sen. Biden is pro-abortion, but against partial-birth abortion.
On Meet The Press he said that he believes that life begins at conception:
Q: You have changed your position on abortion. When you came to the Senate, you believed that Roe v. Wade was not correctly decided and that you also believed the right of abortion was not secured by the Constitution. Why did you change your mind?
A: Well, I was 29 years old when I came to the US Senate, and I have learned a lot. Look, I’m a practicing Catholic, and it is the biggest dilemma for me in terms of comporting my religious and cultural views with my political responsibility.
Q: Do you believe that life begins at conception?
A: I am prepared to accept my church’s view. I think it’s a tough one. I have to accept that on faith. That’s why the late-term abortion ban, where there’s clearly viability.
Source: Meet the Press: 2007 "Meet the Candidates" series Apr 29, 2007
NARAL scores him at 36%.
NRLC scores him at 0%.
He voted against a ban on human cloning and for expansion of embryonic stem-cell research.
I would remind you only of what Archbishop Burke recently reiterated so clearly about the obligation of charity and denying Holy Communion to Catholic pro-abortion politicians.
http://wdtprs.com/blog/
CATEGORY: SESSIUNCULUM — Fr. John Zuhlsdorf @ 12:50 am
Apparently Democrat Presidential "hope"full Barak Obama, the short-term senator from Illinois, has chosen as his VP running mate long-term Senator Joe Biden of Delaware.
Sen. Biden is pro-abortion, but against partial-birth abortion.
On Meet The Press he said that he believes that life begins at conception:
Q: You have changed your position on abortion. When you came to the Senate, you believed that Roe v. Wade was not correctly decided and that you also believed the right of abortion was not secured by the Constitution. Why did you change your mind?
A: Well, I was 29 years old when I came to the US Senate, and I have learned a lot. Look, I’m a practicing Catholic, and it is the biggest dilemma for me in terms of comporting my religious and cultural views with my political responsibility.
Q: Do you believe that life begins at conception?
A: I am prepared to accept my church’s view. I think it’s a tough one. I have to accept that on faith. That’s why the late-term abortion ban, where there’s clearly viability.
Source: Meet the Press: 2007 "Meet the Candidates" series Apr 29, 2007
NARAL scores him at 36%.
NRLC scores him at 0%.
He voted against a ban on human cloning and for expansion of embryonic stem-cell research.
I would remind you only of what Archbishop Burke recently reiterated so clearly about the obligation of charity and denying Holy Communion to Catholic pro-abortion politicians.
http://wdtprs.com/blog/
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
For an 'Obamacon,' Communion Denied
For an 'Obamacon,' Communion Denied
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008; A15
Word spread like wildfire in Catholic circles: Douglas Kmiec, a staunch Republican, firm foe of abortion and veteran of the Reagan Justice Department, had been denied Communion.
His sin? Kmiec, a Catholic who can cite papal pronouncements with the facility of a theological scholar, shocked old friends and adversaries alike earlier this year by endorsing Barack Obama for president. For at least one priest, Kmiec's support for a pro-choice politician made him a willing participant in a grave moral evil.
Kmiec was denied Communion in April at a Mass for a group of Catholic business people he later addressed at dinner. The episode has not received wide attention outside the Catholic world, but it is the opening shot in an argument that could have a large impact on this year's presidential campaign: Is it legitimate for bishops and priests to deny Communion to those supporting candidates who favor abortion rights?
A version of this argument roiled the 2004 campaign when some, though not most, Catholic bishops suggested that John Kerry and other pro-choice Catholic politicians should be denied Communion because of their views on abortion.
The Kmiec incident poses the question in an extreme form: He is not a public official but a voter expressing a preference. Moreover, Kmiec -- a law professor at Pepperdine University and once dean of Catholic University's law school -- is a long-standing critic of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision.
Kmiec, who was head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel in the late 1980s, is supporting Obama despite the candidate's position on abortion, not because of it, partly in the hope that Obama's emphasis on personal responsibility in sexual matters might change the nature of the nation's argument on life issues.
Kmiec has drawn attention because he is one of the nation's leading "Obamacons," conservatives who find Obama's call for a new approach to politics appealing. Kmiec started life as a Democrat. His father was a soldier in the late Mayor Richard J. Daley's Chicago political machine, and Kmiec's earliest political energies were devoted to Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 campaign.
But like many Catholic Democrats, Kmiec was profoundly attracted to Ronald Reagan. For him, five words in Reagan's 1980 acceptance speech summarized the essence of a Catholic view of politics: "family, work, neighborhood, peace and freedom."
In an interview over the weekend, Kmiec argued that 35 years after Roe, opponents of abortion need to contemplate whether "a legal prohibition" of abortion "is the only way to promote a culture of life."
"To think you have done a generous thing for your neighbor or that you have built up a culture of life just because you voted for a candidate who says in his brochure that he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade is far too thin an understanding of the Catholic faith," he said. Kmiec, a critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, added that Catholics should heed "the broad social teaching of the church," including its views on war.
Kmiec shared with me the name of the priest who denied him Communion and a letter of apology from the organizers of the event, but he requested that I not name the priest to protect the cleric from public attack.
The priest's actions are almost certainly out of line with the policy of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In their statement"Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," issued last November, the bishops said: "A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter's intent is to support that position."
The "if" phrase in that carefully negotiated sentence suggests that Catholics can support pro-choice candidates, provided the purpose of their vote is not to promote abortion.
Already, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City has played an indirect role in the 2008 campaign by calling on Kathleen Sebelius, the popular Democratic governor of Kansas who has been mentioned as a possible Obama running mate, to stop taking Communion because of her "actions in support of legalized abortion."
But because Kmiec is a private citizen and has such a long history of embracing Catholic teaching on abortion, denying him Communion for political reasons may spark an even greater outcry inside the church.
Kmiec says he is grateful because the episode reminded him of the importance of the Eucharist in his spiritual life, and because he hopes it will alert others to the dangers of "using Communion as a weapon."
postchat@aol.com
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008; A15
Word spread like wildfire in Catholic circles: Douglas Kmiec, a staunch Republican, firm foe of abortion and veteran of the Reagan Justice Department, had been denied Communion.
His sin? Kmiec, a Catholic who can cite papal pronouncements with the facility of a theological scholar, shocked old friends and adversaries alike earlier this year by endorsing Barack Obama for president. For at least one priest, Kmiec's support for a pro-choice politician made him a willing participant in a grave moral evil.
Kmiec was denied Communion in April at a Mass for a group of Catholic business people he later addressed at dinner. The episode has not received wide attention outside the Catholic world, but it is the opening shot in an argument that could have a large impact on this year's presidential campaign: Is it legitimate for bishops and priests to deny Communion to those supporting candidates who favor abortion rights?
A version of this argument roiled the 2004 campaign when some, though not most, Catholic bishops suggested that John Kerry and other pro-choice Catholic politicians should be denied Communion because of their views on abortion.
The Kmiec incident poses the question in an extreme form: He is not a public official but a voter expressing a preference. Moreover, Kmiec -- a law professor at Pepperdine University and once dean of Catholic University's law school -- is a long-standing critic of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision.
Kmiec, who was head of the Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel in the late 1980s, is supporting Obama despite the candidate's position on abortion, not because of it, partly in the hope that Obama's emphasis on personal responsibility in sexual matters might change the nature of the nation's argument on life issues.
Kmiec has drawn attention because he is one of the nation's leading "Obamacons," conservatives who find Obama's call for a new approach to politics appealing. Kmiec started life as a Democrat. His father was a soldier in the late Mayor Richard J. Daley's Chicago political machine, and Kmiec's earliest political energies were devoted to Robert F. Kennedy's 1968 campaign.
But like many Catholic Democrats, Kmiec was profoundly attracted to Ronald Reagan. For him, five words in Reagan's 1980 acceptance speech summarized the essence of a Catholic view of politics: "family, work, neighborhood, peace and freedom."
In an interview over the weekend, Kmiec argued that 35 years after Roe, opponents of abortion need to contemplate whether "a legal prohibition" of abortion "is the only way to promote a culture of life."
"To think you have done a generous thing for your neighbor or that you have built up a culture of life just because you voted for a candidate who says in his brochure that he wants to overturn Roe v. Wade is far too thin an understanding of the Catholic faith," he said. Kmiec, a critic of the Bush administration's Iraq policy, added that Catholics should heed "the broad social teaching of the church," including its views on war.
Kmiec shared with me the name of the priest who denied him Communion and a letter of apology from the organizers of the event, but he requested that I not name the priest to protect the cleric from public attack.
The priest's actions are almost certainly out of line with the policy of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. In their statement"Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship," issued last November, the bishops said: "A Catholic cannot vote for a candidate who takes a position in favor of an intrinsic evil, such as abortion or racism, if the voter's intent is to support that position."
The "if" phrase in that carefully negotiated sentence suggests that Catholics can support pro-choice candidates, provided the purpose of their vote is not to promote abortion.
Already, Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City has played an indirect role in the 2008 campaign by calling on Kathleen Sebelius, the popular Democratic governor of Kansas who has been mentioned as a possible Obama running mate, to stop taking Communion because of her "actions in support of legalized abortion."
But because Kmiec is a private citizen and has such a long history of embracing Catholic teaching on abortion, denying him Communion for political reasons may spark an even greater outcry inside the church.
Kmiec says he is grateful because the episode reminded him of the importance of the Eucharist in his spiritual life, and because he hopes it will alert others to the dangers of "using Communion as a weapon."
postchat@aol.com
Friday, December 14, 2007
How Many Heisman Winners Has Abortion Killed?
Sent: Friday, December 14, 2007 12:32 PM
Subject: Fw: Fr. Tom Euteneuer: How Many Heisman Winners Has Abortion Killed?
So then, who have we lost to abortion?
2 US Presidents
7 Supreme Court Justices
102 US Senators and 589 Congressmen
8,123 Federal, district and local court judges
31 Nobel Prize laureates
328 Olympic medalists including 123 Gold medalists
6,092 professional athletes
134,841 physicians and surgeons
392,500 registered nurses
70,669 priests, ministers, rabbis and imams including
6,852 priests and 11,010 nuns (vocations "shortage"?)
1,102,443 teachers (K-12)
553,821 truck drivers
224,518 maids and housekeepers
336,939 janitors
134,028 farmers and ranchers
109,984 police officers and sheriff's deputies
39,477 firefighters
17,221 barbers, and
24,450,000... women (the gender of roughly half of all children aborted).
Keep Christ in Christmas!
Subject: Fw: Fr. Tom Euteneuer: How Many Heisman Winners Has Abortion Killed?
So then, who have we lost to abortion?
2 US Presidents
7 Supreme Court Justices
102 US Senators and 589 Congressmen
8,123 Federal, district and local court judges
31 Nobel Prize laureates
328 Olympic medalists including 123 Gold medalists
6,092 professional athletes
134,841 physicians and surgeons
392,500 registered nurses
70,669 priests, ministers, rabbis and imams including
6,852 priests and 11,010 nuns (vocations "shortage"?)
1,102,443 teachers (K-12)
553,821 truck drivers
224,518 maids and housekeepers
336,939 janitors
134,028 farmers and ranchers
109,984 police officers and sheriff's deputies
39,477 firefighters
17,221 barbers, and
24,450,000... women (the gender of roughly half of all children aborted).
Keep Christ in Christmas!
Monday, August 6, 2007
The Demonic Abortion Industry
Spirit & Life®
"The words I spoke to you are spirit and life." (Jn 6:63)
Human Life International e-Newsletter
Volume 01, Number 77 | Friday, July 27, 2007
.................................................................................. www.hli.org
The Demonic Abortion Industry
The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book on exorcism. One chapter of the book is entitled, "Pro-Life and Exorcism" and is devoted to reflecting on the evil of abortion from a spiritual perspective. As a caution for those who may not be accustomed to the language of spiritual warfare, I would mention that the view of abortion contained in the passage below is derived primarily from Jesus' presentation of the devil as "a murderer from the beginning" (Jn 8:44) and from scriptural passages that identify other demons who collaborate with Satan in his attempt to destroy the very life of God's children. Make sure to pray as you read this passage.
.............................................................................................
In what sense is abortion demonic?
The spiritual dimension of this grisly "business" is its systematizing of ritual blood sacrifice to the god of child murder, Moloch, who we know of from the severe condemnations of him in the Old Testament (Lev 18:21, 20:2-5, 1 Kings 11:5.33, 2 Kings 23:13 and Zephaniah 1:5). This demon of murder appears in many forms and cultures through history (Phoenician, Carthaginian, Canaanite, Celt, Indian, Aztec and others) but is always the same bloodthirsty beast that demands the killing of children as his form of worship. This demon is not content with a single act of murder here and there. His insatiable appetite for the death of innocents seeks public endorsement to justify his gruesome deeds, and he needs a systematic expression of it to increase his worship.
The modern abortion industry offers ritual blood sacrifice to the ancient abortion demon. It is in every way a demonic religion. It has its sacred dogma ("choice"), its ruling hierarchy (Planned Parenthood), its theologians (feminist ideologues), its sacrificing priesthood (abortionists), its temples (abortion mills), altars (surgical tables), ritual victims (primarily babies and secondarily women), acolytes and sacristans (clinic workers and death-scorts), congregations (all supporters of abortion) and its own unifying principle of sacramental "grace" (money). In short, the abortion industry is a perfect demonic system which offers a perverse form of worship to the devil.
The sacrificial victim in this demonic religion is not a brute animal as was offered to the Old Testament God of Israel in a legitimate system of religious sacrifices. In abortion, the victim is an innocent human being who is made in the "image and likeness of God" and who can never defend herself. This combination of innocence, parental participation and ritualized obliteration of the visage of God in human form is the devil's way of blaspheming the Father with the misguided participation of God's own children. The systematic destruction of the human body which St. Paul calls "the temple of the Holy Spirit" is a blasphemous insult to God. If the abortion business is not truly demonic, nothing is. (End of excerpt.)
.............................................................................................
From this perspective, the need for a deeply spiritual approach to ending the abortion holocaust is fundamental. It does not absolve us from working in every way humanly possible to end abortion, but it puts all our human activity into the right perspective. In this month of the Precious Blood we must cover every abortionist, abortion mill and client of the abortion industry with Christ's Blood in order to conquer the blood sacrifice of the devil with the greatest force of good known to man. If His Blood is properly applied over time with great love, we will see conversions from even the most devoted advocates of abortion. The Blood of Christ is a strong shield for all who pray and work for life and reminds us that our pro-life work brings us to Calvary to stand in solidarity with the unborn child who is unjustly deprived of life.
SL Links
About the Author
SL Archives
Donate
Tell Us About Yourself
SL Action Items
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
Helpers of God's Precious Infants
St. Michael Prayer Campaign to End Abortion
Q & A Archive
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International
Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Copyright 2007 - Human Life International
Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.
Human Life International
4 Family Life Lane -- Front Royal, VA 22630 U.S.A.
Phone: 1-800-549-LIFE Fax: 540-622-6247
E-mail: hli@hli.org Website: www.hli.org
"The words I spoke to you are spirit and life." (Jn 6:63)
Human Life International e-Newsletter
Volume 01, Number 77 | Friday, July 27, 2007
.................................................................................. www.hli.org
The Demonic Abortion Industry
The following is an excerpt from my upcoming book on exorcism. One chapter of the book is entitled, "Pro-Life and Exorcism" and is devoted to reflecting on the evil of abortion from a spiritual perspective. As a caution for those who may not be accustomed to the language of spiritual warfare, I would mention that the view of abortion contained in the passage below is derived primarily from Jesus' presentation of the devil as "a murderer from the beginning" (Jn 8:44) and from scriptural passages that identify other demons who collaborate with Satan in his attempt to destroy the very life of God's children. Make sure to pray as you read this passage.
.............................................................................................
In what sense is abortion demonic?
The spiritual dimension of this grisly "business" is its systematizing of ritual blood sacrifice to the god of child murder, Moloch, who we know of from the severe condemnations of him in the Old Testament (Lev 18:21, 20:2-5, 1 Kings 11:5.33, 2 Kings 23:13 and Zephaniah 1:5). This demon of murder appears in many forms and cultures through history (Phoenician, Carthaginian, Canaanite, Celt, Indian, Aztec and others) but is always the same bloodthirsty beast that demands the killing of children as his form of worship. This demon is not content with a single act of murder here and there. His insatiable appetite for the death of innocents seeks public endorsement to justify his gruesome deeds, and he needs a systematic expression of it to increase his worship.
The modern abortion industry offers ritual blood sacrifice to the ancient abortion demon. It is in every way a demonic religion. It has its sacred dogma ("choice"), its ruling hierarchy (Planned Parenthood), its theologians (feminist ideologues), its sacrificing priesthood (abortionists), its temples (abortion mills), altars (surgical tables), ritual victims (primarily babies and secondarily women), acolytes and sacristans (clinic workers and death-scorts), congregations (all supporters of abortion) and its own unifying principle of sacramental "grace" (money). In short, the abortion industry is a perfect demonic system which offers a perverse form of worship to the devil.
The sacrificial victim in this demonic religion is not a brute animal as was offered to the Old Testament God of Israel in a legitimate system of religious sacrifices. In abortion, the victim is an innocent human being who is made in the "image and likeness of God" and who can never defend herself. This combination of innocence, parental participation and ritualized obliteration of the visage of God in human form is the devil's way of blaspheming the Father with the misguided participation of God's own children. The systematic destruction of the human body which St. Paul calls "the temple of the Holy Spirit" is a blasphemous insult to God. If the abortion business is not truly demonic, nothing is. (End of excerpt.)
.............................................................................................
From this perspective, the need for a deeply spiritual approach to ending the abortion holocaust is fundamental. It does not absolve us from working in every way humanly possible to end abortion, but it puts all our human activity into the right perspective. In this month of the Precious Blood we must cover every abortionist, abortion mill and client of the abortion industry with Christ's Blood in order to conquer the blood sacrifice of the devil with the greatest force of good known to man. If His Blood is properly applied over time with great love, we will see conversions from even the most devoted advocates of abortion. The Blood of Christ is a strong shield for all who pray and work for life and reminds us that our pro-life work brings us to Calvary to stand in solidarity with the unborn child who is unjustly deprived of life.
SL Links
About the Author
SL Archives
Donate
Tell Us About Yourself
SL Action Items
Prayer to St. Michael the Archangel
Helpers of God's Precious Infants
St. Michael Prayer Campaign to End Abortion
Q & A Archive
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer,
President, Human Life International
Subscribe/Unsubscribe
Copyright 2007 - Human Life International
Permission granted for unlimited use. Credit required.
Human Life International
4 Family Life Lane -- Front Royal, VA 22630 U.S.A.
Phone: 1-800-549-LIFE Fax: 540-622-6247
E-mail: hli@hli.org Website: www.hli.org
Tuesday, January 2, 2007
Catholics Cant Be PRO-Choice
SAVE BABIES. SUPPORT THIS WORK. SEND YOUR DONATION TODAY.
CALL 1-888-546-2580 OR CONTRIBUTE ONLINE AT WWW.ALL.ORG.
CATHOLICS CAN’T BE PRO-CHOICE.
CANON LAW ISN’T MULTIPLE-CHOICE.
P.O. Box 1350, Stafford, VA 22555 • 540-659-4171 • www.ALL.org • JBrown@ALL.org
America’s Catholic bishops are in Baltimore to decide if it’s okay
for pro-abortion politicians to receive Communion. As a time-saving
service, this ad provides the only answer allowed by canon law.
“Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted
after the imposition or the declaration of a penalty as
well as others who obstinately persist in manifest grave
sin are not to be admitted to communion.”
—Canon 915
NO
Please call your bishop’s office NOW! It’s urgent. Go to www.ALL.org and follow the links.
CALL 1-888-546-2580 OR CONTRIBUTE ONLINE AT WWW.ALL.ORG.
CATHOLICS CAN’T BE PRO-CHOICE.
CANON LAW ISN’T MULTIPLE-CHOICE.
P.O. Box 1350, Stafford, VA 22555 • 540-659-4171 • www.ALL.org • JBrown@ALL.org
America’s Catholic bishops are in Baltimore to decide if it’s okay
for pro-abortion politicians to receive Communion. As a time-saving
service, this ad provides the only answer allowed by canon law.
“Those who have been excommunicated or interdicted
after the imposition or the declaration of a penalty as
well as others who obstinately persist in manifest grave
sin are not to be admitted to communion.”
—Canon 915
NO
Please call your bishop’s office NOW! It’s urgent. Go to www.ALL.org and follow the links.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Pro-Life New Year's Resolutions for 2007
Pro-Life New Year's Resolutions for 2007
Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Innocents in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. This feast celebrates the deaths of innocent children who literally died for (in place of) Christ and whom the Church has venerated as martyrs officially since about the sixth century. Their feast day has always been located in the Octave of Christmas to emphasize their intimate connection with the baby Jesus. We are reminded on this day of both the fragility of new life and our obligation to protect it and so it is fitting that as we enter this new year I challenge each of you to renew your commitment to the defense of innocent life.
First, contemplate. The Holy Innocents' feast day serves both as a reminder of a tragic historical event and as a grim reality check for those of us who live in this society where abortion is practiced as casually as shopping! A short moment of reflection on this scriptural passage will help us to discern the parallels to the abortion industry in our society: the irrational command of a powerful person to kill, the executioners with blood on their hands, the suffering of the innocent victims and the secondary victims who were scarred forever by the deaths of their children. We also contemplate the truth that "where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more," (Rom 5:20) in order to see how God brings good out of so much evil.
Second, pray. Pray for those who are blinded to this reality and ask God to grant them the grace of conversion. Remember that we are all tainted by this massacre of innocents because our lives are intertwined with the culture of death, so we must pray with humility for the gift of perseverance to bring it to an end. Prayer will bring the power of Christ to bear on this sinful institution of death. He alone can transform the world.
Third, act. God does not work through prayers only. We are His hands and feet in this world so our pro-life resolutions for 2007 have to be very direct and specific; if you are not sure what to do, I have given some suggestions below on how to meet the challenges set before us:
Find the local abortion clinic in your community and make a promise to pray there at least three times in 2007 - minimum.
While you're at it, find the local pregnancy care center and make contact with them. It is likely they are in need of volunteers. Be one of them! They all operate on shoe-string budgets too so support them!
Speak up in some forum and defend life, be it on the internet, in a letter to the editor, or in conversations with friends, family and co-workers. Of course they will call you a fanatic! It does not matter. You must think of that Day when the Lord will ask you what you did to defend His precious little ones. You must be able to say you spoke out on their behalf.
Boycott the businesses that fund the death industry. These groups don't deserve one dollar of our hard-earned money if they are material cooperators in the killing of innocents. The most reputable boycott group that I know of is Life Decisions International whose detailed corporate boycott list you can order from their website (www.fightpp.org) and who provide ongoing insight into the activities of Planned Parenthood.
I'm sure there's much more we can all do, but these things are good for starters! I will be praying for you and your families as we finish this year of pro-life election losses and enter into a year full of hope and promise. May the Holy Innocents guide our commitment to be more active in saving their innocent brothers and sisters!
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer
President, Human Life International
Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Innocents in the liturgical calendar of the Roman Catholic Church. This feast celebrates the deaths of innocent children who literally died for (in place of) Christ and whom the Church has venerated as martyrs officially since about the sixth century. Their feast day has always been located in the Octave of Christmas to emphasize their intimate connection with the baby Jesus. We are reminded on this day of both the fragility of new life and our obligation to protect it and so it is fitting that as we enter this new year I challenge each of you to renew your commitment to the defense of innocent life.
First, contemplate. The Holy Innocents' feast day serves both as a reminder of a tragic historical event and as a grim reality check for those of us who live in this society where abortion is practiced as casually as shopping! A short moment of reflection on this scriptural passage will help us to discern the parallels to the abortion industry in our society: the irrational command of a powerful person to kill, the executioners with blood on their hands, the suffering of the innocent victims and the secondary victims who were scarred forever by the deaths of their children. We also contemplate the truth that "where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more," (Rom 5:20) in order to see how God brings good out of so much evil.
Second, pray. Pray for those who are blinded to this reality and ask God to grant them the grace of conversion. Remember that we are all tainted by this massacre of innocents because our lives are intertwined with the culture of death, so we must pray with humility for the gift of perseverance to bring it to an end. Prayer will bring the power of Christ to bear on this sinful institution of death. He alone can transform the world.
Third, act. God does not work through prayers only. We are His hands and feet in this world so our pro-life resolutions for 2007 have to be very direct and specific; if you are not sure what to do, I have given some suggestions below on how to meet the challenges set before us:
Find the local abortion clinic in your community and make a promise to pray there at least three times in 2007 - minimum.
While you're at it, find the local pregnancy care center and make contact with them. It is likely they are in need of volunteers. Be one of them! They all operate on shoe-string budgets too so support them!
Speak up in some forum and defend life, be it on the internet, in a letter to the editor, or in conversations with friends, family and co-workers. Of course they will call you a fanatic! It does not matter. You must think of that Day when the Lord will ask you what you did to defend His precious little ones. You must be able to say you spoke out on their behalf.
Boycott the businesses that fund the death industry. These groups don't deserve one dollar of our hard-earned money if they are material cooperators in the killing of innocents. The most reputable boycott group that I know of is Life Decisions International whose detailed corporate boycott list you can order from their website (www.fightpp.org) and who provide ongoing insight into the activities of Planned Parenthood.
I'm sure there's much more we can all do, but these things are good for starters! I will be praying for you and your families as we finish this year of pro-life election losses and enter into a year full of hope and promise. May the Holy Innocents guide our commitment to be more active in saving their innocent brothers and sisters!
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer
President, Human Life International
Monday, November 13, 2006
Catholics Cant be Pro-Choice
issues Abortion 107 - DOCS
► ALL urges Catholic bishops to uphold faith
As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops begins its semi-annual meeting in Baltimore today, American Life League is imploring the bishops to tackle the problem of pro-abortion Catholic politicians by making a definitive statement that such individuals should not be permitted to receive Holy Communion.
American Life League is featuring full-page ads in USA Today and The Washington Times that directly address the scandal created by openly pro-abortion Catholics. “This ad is aimed at reminding the bishops of their obligation to enforce Canon Law 915,” said American Life League president Judie Brown. “We pray that the bishops will bring an end to the scandal created by Catholics who publicly support abortion and then receive Holy Communion.”
The ad references Canon 915 of the Church’s Code of Canon Law, which states in part, “Those who...obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Communion.”
“We must do all we can to help education confused souls in order to bring an end to heinous practice of abortion," said Mrs. Brown. "This is precisely why we call upon the bishops – the Shepherds of the Church – to defend Christ in Holy Eucharist by denying His body and blood to those public figures who condone the crime of abortion. Permitting pro-abortion Catholics in public life to receive Holy Communion sends mixed signals about what the Catholic Church teaches. In fact, failure to make it clear that support for abortion disqualifies a Catholic from receiving Communion might even suggest to confused Catholics that they need not believe the unbending, unchanging truth that every abortion kills a living human being created in the image and likeness of God.”
► ALL urges Catholic bishops to uphold faith
As the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops begins its semi-annual meeting in Baltimore today, American Life League is imploring the bishops to tackle the problem of pro-abortion Catholic politicians by making a definitive statement that such individuals should not be permitted to receive Holy Communion.
American Life League is featuring full-page ads in USA Today and The Washington Times that directly address the scandal created by openly pro-abortion Catholics. “This ad is aimed at reminding the bishops of their obligation to enforce Canon Law 915,” said American Life League president Judie Brown. “We pray that the bishops will bring an end to the scandal created by Catholics who publicly support abortion and then receive Holy Communion.”
The ad references Canon 915 of the Church’s Code of Canon Law, which states in part, “Those who...obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Communion.”
“We must do all we can to help education confused souls in order to bring an end to heinous practice of abortion," said Mrs. Brown. "This is precisely why we call upon the bishops – the Shepherds of the Church – to defend Christ in Holy Eucharist by denying His body and blood to those public figures who condone the crime of abortion. Permitting pro-abortion Catholics in public life to receive Holy Communion sends mixed signals about what the Catholic Church teaches. In fact, failure to make it clear that support for abortion disqualifies a Catholic from receiving Communion might even suggest to confused Catholics that they need not believe the unbending, unchanging truth that every abortion kills a living human being created in the image and likeness of God.”
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