There was a puzzling piece at the Italian site Formiche, with comments by Bp. Nunzio Galantino, whom Pope Francis appointed as General Secretary to the Italian Bishops Conference.
Let’s see a few quotes from His Excellency:
I hope that the Italian Church can talk about any topic at all, about married priests, the Eucharist for the divorced, homosexuality, without taboos.
“Without taboos”. Were this from someone other than a Catholic bishop, I would suspect the use of code language. “Without taboos” sounds like code language for adapting doctrine to worldly trends. Also, Pope Francis signed off on the excommunication of the Australian heretic, the former-Father Greg Reynolds. He is still excommunicated.
“In the past we were exclusively focused on ‘no’ to abortion and euthanasia. It can’t be like this, in the middle of this there is existence which develops.
I think this means that, because we live in 2014, we have to focus on other things because, “in the middle of this there is existence which develops… in mezzo c’è l’esistenza che si sviluppa”. Hey, life goes on! We evolve. Right? We move beyond the past. It is unthinkable that he is saying that we have to “develop” to a point where we say “yes” to abortion, instead of “no”.
I spent a lot of time in Italy. I am unaware that bishops and priests there were exclusively focused on abortion or euthanasia. As a matter of fact, you would hear about those horrors from the pulpit so rarely that you would have thought the Church to be indifferent to them. On the other hand, there were great groups of lay people who banded together to create some extremely well attended public days of demonstration in favor of life. They even recited the Rosary.
More about those people who recite Rosaries:
I don’t identify with the blank faces of those who recite the Rosary outside of clinics which practice the interruption of pregnancy, but with those young people who are against this practice and struggle for the quality of persons, for their right to health, to work.
“Interruption of pregnancy”? This is a very odd expression in Italian for someone – a Catholic bishop – whose default position must be staunchly pro-life. And I wonder what bishops in these USA would think about one of their brothers in the episcopate describing them as reciting the Rosary with blank faces.
I am sure that we will be able to learn more about what Bp. Galantino really means to communicate. When people are not accustomed to interviews, and they speak off-the-cuff, they can sometimes say things in a way that they don’t really intend.
The Holy Father will visit the Diocese of Cassano allo Jonio next 21 June.
UPDATE:
Reactions to Bp. Galantino’s remarks, in Italian:
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It sounds very much like, as if the good bishop simply follows the present “party line” as understood by many. Or better to say, they listen to various non-authorised and authorised interviews with the chat of present Bishop of Rome, but they hardly listen to the words of the sermons of this same Bishop of Rome, which he delivers daily at St. Martha’s (many). If they would do the latter they might understood the true munus of the pope, instead of following some ghostly “party line”. On the other hand, bishops first of all should teach and preserve faith and care for the souls instead of following various party lines.
This is very disturbing. Another of those statements upon which the MSR will feast.
Yesterday’s The Catholic Thing (Robert Royal) had this upsetting take on the upcoming Synod
It may be that Pope Francis’ voice will help stimulate fresh discussion. It certainly would help if the Synod of the Family in the Fall didn’t get bogged down in divorce and remarriage, gay unions, abortion, contraception, and the other secular shibboleths.
!!!???
Sounds like a particularly ripe example of Italian eduspeak, which is often infuriatingly vague, verbose, and needlessly polysyllabic. Altogether diseducativo, which is a word referring to an intellectual experience that leaves you poorer than before.
What does a General Secretary do?
The third mystery of Fatima, a supernatural event celebrated today, our Blessed Mother warned us about the great heresy which would enter the Church. It’s been evolving ever since Vatican II. Why are surprised when a bishop utters quasi-heresies?
If there is a message in the Pope’s homilies that differs from that in his chatter, maybe it’s best for him to cut the chatter. It’s time for him to say what he means and mean what he says. He seems to have no idea how his words an actions affect the rest of the world. This past Holy Thursday my pastor washed the feet of four women. His excuse? ‘The Pope did it.’
Oh brother… Haven’t these “with it” prelates who want to downplay or perhaps even jettison Catholic moral teaching seen what has happened to mainstream Protestant churches in the past fifty years? Those churches have jettisoned Christian doctrine on faith and morals, making themselves nothing more than talking shops parroting and celebrating the left wing “social justice” causes du jour, and have essentially emptied the pews of people in the process. Is that really the vision our Holy Father and these bishops want for the Church? Pastoral does NOT mean the opposite doctrinal! These prelates need to wake up and smell the coffee, IMHO…
I think the good bishop is right that we should be able to talk about any topics without taboos. Both as a means to (again) explain the reasons behind the things decreed by God’s divine providence (witness Francis’ admonition in a sermon to avoid arguing from cases but rather to start from God’s plan and then proceed to how he wishes us to live), and to talk about how to best implement same in concrete pastoral situations (merciful love for sinners who are nonetheless admonished not to continue in sin).
Re the comment about those saying the rosary in front of abortion clinics, he falls into the trap of many on both the left and right of erecting a false dichotomy – it is not either or but both and. And the left needs to understand that to work for better quality of life, there first has to be a life.
The Great Heresy was evolving long before Vatican II – it simply found the “Spirit of Vatican II” to be a large and extremely useful fig leaf under which to evolve ever further. That’s the nature of heresies, they don’t require a justification, only an excuse for people to follow a path that seems easier. And that is why their adherents are so eager to run with the slightest misstatement from the Pope, or even from poor befuddled Cardinal Galantino.
I don’t identify with the blank faces of those who recite the Rosary outside of clinics which practice the interruption of pregnancy, but with those young people who are against this practice and struggle for the quality of persons, for their right to health, to work.
There is an old saying in Washington: “A gaffe is when a politician accidentally speaks the truth.”
His Excellency might walk this comment back later, but the way it is phrased, the way he went out of his way to single out clinic protesters…”the interruption of pregnancy?” This is simply not the way someone who really opposes abortion speaks. This is the sort of euphemism that pro-abortion advocates regularly use. It really does make you wonder just *how* he views abortion.
Given the rarity of bishops, Italian or otherwise, speaking on this subject, as Fr Z rightly notes – and Bishop Galantino can’t be any less aware of that than we are – all of these comments sound like more of a shot across the bow of lay pro-life activists than they are about clergy. He sounds, in short, like a Bishop Lynch (St. Petersburg, FL) breed of bishop.
And yet Pope Francis has named him General Secretary to the Italian Bishops Conference. I realize that sometimes you have to work with what you’ve got, and I don’t doubt that Pope Francis upholds Church teaching on abortion. But judging him just by his appointments to date – which are, on balance, a marked departure from the patterns established by Benedict XVI – I really do have to wonder about what he is thinking. Because so many of these appointments are of a progressive bent. And personnel, as they say, is policy.
Somebody get that bishop an amice to cover his clip-on collar!
I am no bishop, of course, but when I was scheduled for an ‘interview’ of any sort (most particularly with someone I was not familiar with) I would prep myself for the interview, get some idea where my interviewer might be coming from by way of background, etc., and do a little Q & A dialogue with myself in advance.
There are too many blunders committed by unprepared interwiewees. There is no sympathy for this bishop from my quarter. If you’re not prepared just zip your lip.
Well, I hope there’s more to these comments than meets the eye. Having said that, these last two weeks have seen a series of comments that have made me less than enthusiastic.
An interviewee must be prepared for predictable questions, but he must also be ready with his own agenda, the points he wants to make. I have a sinking feeling that much of what we have been hearing lately is not misspoken, off-the-cuff carelessness. I think it is the message. It keeps happening, it is too consistent, there is no randomness to it at all. We never hear anyone overstating a point of doctrine, sounding too pre-Vatican II (as that period is envisioned by the post-V2 children) because he is orthodox to the core but didn’t prepare for the interview. We have a few cardinals, Mueller, Burke, Caffarra, God bless them, who are standing firm on clear and precise doctrine. But around them Kasper and his acolytes swirl and Pope Francis passes out pleasing tidbits to one and all, apparently all things to all men.
Maybe that volcano in Iceland will explode and all air traffic will shut down and they will have to cancel the Synod. Oremus.
Could I hazard a guess that the fair bishop is a victim of political correctness?
I find that mainstream Catholic priests and bishops often say the most awkward, poorly worded and many times vaguely heretical things when they try to speak in worldly euphemisms and dodgy politically correct language in trying not to offend someone.
That said, the need is to man up, grow a spine and the virtue of fortitude, and speak CLEARLY, so it is IMPOSSIBLE for you to be misunderstood like this.
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“Also, Pope Francis signed off on the excommunication of the Australian heretic, the former-Father Greg Reynolds. He is still excommunicated.”
Fr. Z, he also signed off on the restoration of Fr. Fagan to good standing with public repentance for his public heresy.
I think it was the secretary general of the upcoming Synod who used the word “taboos”, saying there wouldn’t be any at the Synod….I guess I’ll start keeping tabs on the taboos.
In regard to the “frequency” of preaching on abortion, euthanasia and similar topics, a recent satirical piece stated the pope recognized a second miracle for the cause of Bl. Pope Paul VI. The “miracle” was that a priest gave a homily on Humanae Vitae.
Good grief! What an appointment! Another disappointment in his appointment.
The piece is more than just “puzzling”, it’s downright rebellious.
Quote: “without taboos.”
I guess he doesn’t like the word “No”.
Has he read the 10 commandments lately?
Only 2 of the 10 have no negative attached to them.
Quote: “I don’t identify with the blank faces of those who recite the Rosary”
Blank faces? Who is he to judge?
When we recite the Rosary are we supposed to be laughing, looking around, being distracted, etc. If people’s faces are “blank” perhaps it is because they have shut out the world and their faces are gazing
into another dimension, a heavenly dimension.
Quote: “interruption of pregnancy”
Right on, Father Z.
I wonder if he realizes that with his phrase: “interruption of pregnancy” (another word for abortion/murder) he has just given another smokescreen phrase to abortionists to legitimize their evil deeds.
Quote: “but with those young people who are against this practice and struggle for the quality of persons, for their right to health, to work.”
Now it’s the “quality of persons” again, who is he (or anybody else) to judge the “quality of persons” “right to health”? Hey, I wish I had perfect health, but I don’t. I don’t have a right to it. If God send me health issues, I’ll accept them in reparation for my sins.
“off the cuff” really gets a lot of the hierarchy in trouble, doesn’t it.
Less “off the cuff” more thoughtful statements, Please.
We don’t need more statements that “tickle our ears”.
Would one use the phrase “clinics which practice the interruption of pregnancy,” especially one in the position of a Catholic bishop, without knowing exactly what they are doing, exactly what they are saying, and exactly how it will be read and understood by various sides of the abortion battle? Assuming the Italian rings true with the English translation then this is far too precise a choice of words to have simply been an accidental or ‘off the cuff’ mistaken comment.
Veni Domine Iesu!
Note his fondness (without using the phrase) for the “Seamless Garment”–the greatest gift any Catholic bishop (Bernardin) ever gave to the abortionists. Whenever a bishop expresses irritation with Catholics who oppose abortion without doing “enough” to fight unemployment, or war, or hunger, or sadness, that’s the “Seamless Garment.”
Although exceptions slip through, it appears that a system is firmly in place, around the world, whose aim is to find the worst priests to nominate for the episcopacy. The dead giveaway is the hostility and scorn heaped on the pro-life movement by bishops around the world.
@Bosco,
he was prepared, that’s the problem: accurately prepared.
As can be said of any aspect of Christian witness, the inconvenient truth of the pro-life message has never been (and may never be) uniformly well received or communicated, even by hierarchs. Nonetheless, to be distracted by belittlement is a temptation we must pray to avoid.
A decade of the Rosary offered on behalf of Bishop Galantino might be in order.
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Why does this surprise anyone? Judas dwelt with God himself. Do I sound harsh? Sorry… but if this report is accurate, this Bishop sounds like a disciple of the devil not of Jesus Christ. That is not a judgment but a fact. No subject should be taboo? I don’t agree! What needs to be discussed about Abortion? It is the killing of the defenseless and the most innocent. Marriage? Hmmm you are either living in a sacramental marriage or you are not and if you have doubt about what constitutes a valid sacramental marriage speak to your Priest. If you are told you are no allowed to receive the Eucharist …pick up your Cross attend Mass, pray and TRUST the Lord. As for the recitation of the Rosary outside Abortion Clinics? Dear God has this Bishop lost his faith completely? Does he not know that prayer can change a hardened heart in an instant? The more I hear the more I understand our Mother’s words @ Fatima: Bishop shall rise against Bishop. I shall PRAY the Rosary for this Bishop. May God have mercy on us!
Thanks for those links, Father. I have made it one of my bookmarked link for Italian News.
Although my Italian is very limited I was able to garnish some of what was quoted in the Bussola News. They were tougher on the Bishop than we could ever be.
The woman who called him to task about his comments on the rosary and how it was precisely the rosary said at clinics that converted her from abortion.
The Editorial that said: “And who is Galantini to judge Catholics?”: (E chi è Galantino per giudicare i cattolici?)
and also said: “The clerical arrogance who speaks of mercy (to those that are distant) and dispenses disdain for the neighbor”: (l’arroganza clericale, che parla di misericordia (per i lontani) e dispensa disprezzo (per i vicini).)
Ouch!
I hope they start thinking twice before they speak. “Hagan Lio”, the Pope said, and that is what they and we are doing. Maybe it’s a good thing, for errors that are now coming out into the open have a chance of being corrected when even us “simple” laity can recognize as untruth. After all the sheep that do not recognize the Shepherd’s voice will not follow the false shepherd.
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This made my blood pressure go up. I am one in front of an abortuary killing center : I have a rosary but my face is not blank. “Interruption”? When something is interrupted, it is later continued. The dismembering of a living unborn child does not led itself to continuing. This bishop is a heretic! Also he wants married priests, and discussion on sodomy, etc. With friends like this, who needs enemies. We should pray for his conversion to the Roman Catholic faith for his soul is in danger.
Just for the record, the Google translation of this article gives this quote:
“I do not identify with the expressionless faces of those who pray the Rosary outside the clinics who practice abortion, but with those young people who are opposed to this practice and strive for the quality of the people, for their right to health, to work. ”
I went to the original interview and again with Google translation, this is what I got: (http://blog.quotidiano.net/panettiere/2014/05/13/i-vescovi-italiani-verso-il-nuovo-corso-il-segretario-generale-galantino-gay-e-preti-sposati-basta-tabu/)
“We think the sacredness of life. In the past we have focused not only on abortion and euthanasia. It can not be so, in the middle there is the existence that develops. I do not identify with the expressionless faces of those who recite the rosary outside the clinics, who practice abortion, but with those young people who are opposed to this practice and strive for the quality of the people, for their right to health, to work. ”
It seems that the bishop is not dismissing abortion or euthanasia as important issues, but is saying that we should also concentrate on what goes on between the beginning and end of life, as he says “with those young people who are opposed to this practice and strive for the quality of the people, for their right to health, work.” This would seem to be keeping with Pope Francis’ statement about unemployment among the young being a major issue.
FYI, I am also one of those “expressionless faces” who pray the rosary in front of abortion clinics.
Interesting last question and response in the original article:
Q: And then what would you say to a couple of homosexual believers who live together faithfully for years?
A: “I put it in listening to their story, as I try to do for all the relationships between people that it happened to me and I still encounter. It is not necessary to always have something to say. Many times it is important to listen before you say. ” (unwieldy translation)
Unless he makes some outright heretical statements, I think we need to give the benefit of the doubt to the bishop. I don’t think he is at all saying that he wants to change the doctrine of the Church, or that issues such as abortion or euthanasia are not important. But like Pope Francis, I believe he is saying that we have to listen to everyone. That doesn’t mean he will agree with them, but that he wants to show all people respect. I think that can be a very good start.
There are many lost souls out there. The church has to figure out how to reach them. The bishop could be wrong in his approach, but something tells me that Pope Francis thinks he is just fine.
@Brooklyn
True: “There are many lost souls out there. The church has to figure out how to reach them”
IMHO John the Baptist summarized it in one word:
“REPENT”
And as Christ told Mary Magdalene “and do this sin no more”
All the dialogue and watering down of Dogma (if that is what they are, indeed, proposing) will do no good. When standards are lowered, humans do not rise to the occasion, their own standards are lowered, so then standards are lowered some more to accommodate sinners and before you know it: moral chaos. Moral standards must remain as Christ taught. We must learn to battle our evil tendencies to rise to Christ not lower “Him” and His Teachings to our standards.
Dialogue? We don’t dialogue with “error” and/or “evil” and/or “sin”.
These types of statements are outrageous. It is getting to seem absurd to continue to give the benefit of the doubt when facing these comments. It’s hard to fathom how a cleric can rationalize being concerned about jobs when someone is being denied life.
“Blank faces”. Huh. He “does not identify” with those people who pray outside clinics. What an odd thing for a Catholic bishop to say, in any language. He identifies with social activists. Well lookee here, what a surprise. The doors are open and out they all come.
I’m fairly totally turned off to these people. I’ll speak for me. They have lost me.
The person I feel sorry for is Cardinal Bagnasco, President of the Italian Bishops’ Conference. Apart from the fact that the unambiguous support of the Holy Father seems so far to have eluded him, he must be wondering what he did to deserve Bishop Galantino as a close collaborator.
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Just for the record, the Bishop did *not* use the word ‘abortion’ but called it ‘the interruption of pregnancy’ (‘l’interruzione di gravidanza’) – a euphemism used by Italian politicians, left-wing newspapers, and pro-abortionists.
What he said was:“In passato ci siamo concentrati esclusivamente sul no all’aborto e all’eutanasia. Non può essere così, in mezzo c’è l’esistenza che si sviluppa….Io non mi identifico con i visi inespressivi di chi recita il Rosario fuori dalle cliniche che praticano l’interruzione di gravidanza, ma con quei giovani che sono contrari a questa pratica e lottano per la qualità delle persone, per il loro diritto alla salute, al lavoro”.
So according to him, the Church’s central concern, far more important than abortion and euthanasia, is ‘Existence [=Life/Human existence] and its development’, ‘the quality of the person’ and ‘their right to health and to work’.
The good prelate does not seem to have noticed that both abortion and euthanasia have a quite dramatic effect on human ‘existence’. Let alone on its future ‘development’, the ‘person’s ‘quality of life’ and their ‘health’. Perhaps Galantini is really thinking that it’s better to concentrate on those who are still around to donate to his offertory collections, and let’s forget about the ‘losers’?
As for his contemptuous put-down ‘I don’t identify with the inexpressive faces of those who say the Rosary outside clinics that practise the interruption of pregnancy’ – I took that as a timely reminder to a) make a donation to the Good Counsel Network, which is the UK charity that supports mothers-to-be and helps keep them from the clutches of the abortion clinics – outside which they tirelessly pray; and b) finally pluck up the courage to join one of their Rosary vigils outside a clinic.
Good Counsel are a genuinely poor charity, and operate from hand to mouth: even small amounts are useful to them. When they run out of money they get together and pray for it.
In case anyone is interested in helping them, more information here:
http://www.goodcounselnet.co.uk/
http://www.goodcounselnet.co.uk/Donate.html
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My understanding is that the wording, “qulaity of life and right to health care”, is code for “pro-choice and pro population control”. Yikes!
Brooklyn (again I’m not sure why you have the same handle on the blog as the other Brooklyn?)
Here is the full quote
“I do not identify with the expressionless faces of those who recite the rosary outside the clinics, who practice abortion, but with those young people who are opposed to this practice and strive for the quality of the people, for their right to health, to work. ”
I do not think Pope Francis at all would agree with is attempt to disparage one group of prolifers over another. Why do you think this would be appropriate, for a Bishop, or any Catholic for that matter?
Why do you believe that parishes may not be vocally prolife and do all of those things he lists, advocating for the quality, rights to health and to work? I know tons of prolifers who do both.
The problem is in his demonizing the few willing and prayerful witnesses to the genocide, who, in fact, every day not only pray from afar…but, since you say you pray at clinics, you would know, that very frequently a mother coerced towards abortion by a male decides when offered resources in just these ways that Bishop Galantino names, real options, rejects death, which is what her heart desires. All women can identify with this.
I’m afraid here we have a case of a male Bishop who hasn’t a clue about what he is talking about, who has never witnessed for prolife at a death clinic, never rejoiced at a woman who upon offered help turns back, never met a baby saved through prayer and witness, and, has never met one of the myriad prolifers who give material support and advocacy to women whose children are threatened by the throwaway culture. It sounds to me as if you do not even know this and I find that very sad.
I will also say that it has been a ploy and calumny, as I have encountered in the dissident Catholic press of the US for years now (America, RNS, commonweal, fishwrap, etc… certain parishes) to put up this strawman that prolifers only march or pray rosaries.
The reality is that even with the Obama measures of expanding the safety net, abortion is still a gross genocide in this country.
Further, no offense but, the Italian Bp doesn’t seem to have a clue about the fact that in Brooklyn half of babies of color are executed, after torture in the womb. So, you know, even with the safety net we are a far way off from rare.
Now if the party of death could just realize even a split second of metanoia and permit prolife to speak???
I will also say Brooklyn as to your comment “to listen to everyone” being a “good start”…not everybody gets listened to, am I right? Especially in Brooklyn.
And yet, if we as a culture do not listen to earliest, tiniest, most vulnerable life, how can we expect anyone to respect us or one another?
And if we don’t vocally say we will stand with the helpless and justify ourselves as “helping the mother” only, how can we expect others to treat us with dignity? For we will wind up just hacking and mobbing our way into others’ lives, sometimes innocent and vulnerable disabled young lives even, without resources, if we do not know how to give an initial listen to even those whom we find are inconvenient with respect to our best laid plans.
A liberalism that resorts to certain tactics to get its agenda accomplished is not really liberalism, is it, nor freedom of the press, nor liberty…in the end, it is just totalitarianism and a brand of domestic and domesticated, empty and soulless terrorism. And it occupies no good agenda worth realizing. The best sorts of liberals, true leaders, who contribute to humanism, never resort to such deeds because they value the truth and they take seriously the notion of “love thy neighbor as thyself”. Even one’s enemy which is the Christian way to go.
No, what this misses is that there is the baby, and, there is the mother. Mother, and, child. They both need, respect, support, and, often times, healing, after horrendous trauma. The way to protect them both is not to idolize a political agenda to assist the non pregnant mother and deny the child life. Advocate for a change of heart on abortion, and help the family, together. And I will forever bless you for it, and be grateful for that peace.
I just know that, in terms of the conscience of a culture and community, if I were a resident of a place in which innocents were led to slaughter, every single day, taking well about one half of children of color of an entire generation, I just know that I could not be content to vote for one sort of political platform or another and say to myself that I had done something good for the health and job of the mother who was no longer a mother after the time in the clinic in which, say, after three hours of an excruciating, tortured death by saline injection, the body of her child would be ultimately expelled, and consider myself enlightened, intellectual, progressive, culturally knowledgeable and appreciative, well traveled, hospitable, compassionate and non-judgemental, let alone wake up on a fine Sunday morning and worship at a vibrant liturgy with integral music with great joy. No, for my part, I would not be able to even look myself in the mirror let alone organize and prioritize political agendas. There are no civil rights, for anyone, without the right to exist, with dignity.
Now, in my case, I have accepted the punishment, even while it has befallen others too who are innocent bystanders, for objecting conscientiously that if we leave the rights of the unborn behind all other rights we fight for or organize around become, relatively, worthless. And I renew my declaration that organization to protect one’s turf is worthless while we achieve certain goals and permit 50 million to be tortured, dismembered, without the benefit of morphine even, and, flushed away.
So this Bishop may winkingly disparage the people who stand by ready to intervene and intercede for women and their babies on calvary all he likes. But let’s be clear: it has nothing to do with helping women, or the children, or families now does it. It’s about selfish, self interests, and, turf, and, about proclaiming that one is righteous because of his deeds and service towards the poor and therefore may tell us to forget about intervening at the death clinic.
Anyone who really loves the poor would offer his help as a samaritan to the woman on her way to the clinic, studies have shown, much of the time, out of coercion, often domestic violence, certainly the threat of consumerist idolatry.
Anyone who respects mothers and families would always vigorously advocate for legal protection of life, no matter the loss of respect or prestige among certain circles while still doing his great acts of charity. Certainly Pope Francis would concur.
Why cannot the gay lobby, wherever situated, get behind prolife? One would think it a philosophical no-brainer.
However, one’s turf thus protected and secured through various means and tactics one should finally in retirement be able to say, look, we’ve come a long way. We’ve secured a future for ourselves and our own. Now, let’s do something of great leadership. Something really magnanimous and humanist. What great culture requires. Let’s let life live. After all, live, and, let live. Let’s take our considerable clout and say, we might have been off about that abortion thing. Over 50 million, a third, a half, of the next generation, is too much. We can have our turf, and, we can do what we need to do. Yes we can. We can be on the right side of history. We won’t stonewall innocent life and hurt women more. We will stand up for prolife. If great leaders stand up and do the right thing, it will be easier to do what is necessary to give these children all these things that this Bishop says will be necessary: education, health, jobs. So how about it, Brooklyn?
I will just sum up this way: It is a gross calumny for anyone in the Church, clergy, or lay, or in the hierarchy of the Church, to assert that there is a dichotomy, any dichotomy in the way in which the universal Church approaches the scourge of abortion in our times, to apply prayer, the grace of the sacraments, the healing powers for those who have undergone this, and to intervene courageously to provide material assistance, while with full voice at the exact same time condemning the legalized atrocious “crime” (Pope Francis’ words) that is abortion.
There are many prolife champions who do both, every single day. To name just one, the late Cardinal O’Connor, in the steps of St JPII (Evangelium Vitae) vigorously and publicly decried the evil of abortion, a step that won him the worst sort of vilification in the New York press and beyond. And yet, he promised to any woman who countenanced abortion as a “solution” that if she saw the baby to term he would provide any material assistance needed. This promise has been kept to this day by the Archdiocese of New York. And, Cardinal O’Connor also established the Gift of Life, and numerous outreach to those dying of AIDS. Yes we can.
It has been the voice of evil, fear, threats, and intimidation, that have led good clergymen to say that they will vote for benefits for the poor but will never advocate for the repeal of Roe. Who in the end gets to decide that coin toss of which child gets to live, with the benefits, and which has to get the executioner’s treatments? Is it just a random twist of fate? That is not the hope of Jesus Christ.
That some have entered the back pocket of death by way of political success and climbing is appalling.
Here is what I see: Pope Francis joins with the marches for life, and, he advocates mercy, both. Would he concur with this Bishop’s ridicule of those who pray at the death clinics? I seriously doubt it.
It’s just not charitable is it.
And, it’s just catechism 101. Even the First Communion child prays. Who doesn’t believe in the power, of, prayer? Who would mock someone who is praying? Sorry. Not buying it.
I just feel like, people got all their agenda goals achieved, they accomplished their rights, they’ve taken elections, they’ve put all their favorite people in power. And, in some cases, chased away those they don’t agree with, by even illegal tactics, and, oppress them (fourth time in seven years) and innocent others, all for what? All their goodies thus achieved, why do they not now turn their attention towards really making, a BIG difference, doing something meaningful, generous, and beautifully Christian, by lending their considerable power, clout, media, culture and finances, towards the cause of the pre-born? What skin is it off their noses anyway. And, they get to be remembered in history for their generosity for and away beyond just protecting their special things and favorites, who doesn’t want that. When the truth and goodness of one’s cause is solid, one need not resort to certain things to defend it (which is of course, totalitarianism, terrorism, anarchy…) by illegal methodologies. Or might makes right methodologies.
The rest of the world listens to these corrupt positions which excuses the slaughter of innocents and just cringes. America and Europe have certainly lost moral credibility. How can we purport to offer aid to other places in the world if we offer the children of those countries a snake?
Prolife = occupying abortuaries. Welcoming a child in Jesus’ name = radical hospitality.
If you do not openly and vocally stand up for the preborn child, then, you have no right to say that you practice radical hospitality. You have no right to the slogan that all are welcome. You have no market on compassion.
To say that as Catholics we ought to deny what is going on at the clinics and look the other way while the killing is going on and only focus on improving the quality of life for everyone else except the preborn under the executioner’s gaze is akin to telling Martin Luther King to just accept “separate but equal” and focus on beautifying and improving the quality of segregated schools.
This Bishop should absolutely apologize and needs to get a clue. It’s not the 70s anymore.