At Notre Dame, the pot is calling the kettle black...

Fr. Z fisks a statement by Fr. Jenkins of Notre Dame University in which he discusses the case of those arrested amidst the great Notre Dame scandal.   I couldn't believe the hypocrisy of what Fr. Jenkins says here:

“In the weeks leading up to Notre Dame’s Commencement on May 17, 2009, a number of people violated University policies on campus demonstrations.

The pot is calling the kettle black. I don't see how you can compare people violating university policies, with the "in your face" defiance by Notre Dame University of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.  The local bishop, Msgr. John D'Arcy called it a "terrible breach" between Notre Dame and the Catholic church.

Jenkins continues...

They were given repeated warnings by law enforcement officials, and then, when they persisted, they were arrested and charged with Criminal Trespass.

Repeated warning?  How about the 83 public "warnings" voiced by Catholic bishops across the US? and, the more the 360,000 signed objections from others?
Utter hypocrisy.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

A bouquet of 700,000 prayers and Masses for 83 bishops

From the Cardinal Newman Society:

Beginning the weekend of May 31, Pentecost Sunday, the 83 U.S. Catholic bishops who publicly opposed the University of Notre Dame’s commencement honor for President Obama started to receive Spiritual Bouquet Certificates consisting of hundreds of thousands of prayers. The prayers, primarily from people who signed The Cardinal Newman Society’s petition opposing the Notre Dame scandal, were offered in thanksgiving for the bishops’ inspiring witness to the importance of Catholic identity.

The request for the prayers was made by The Cardinal Newman Society on Ascension Thursday, May 21, and were sent to the bishops on Friday, May 29, in advance of Pentecost Sunday.


Each of the 83 bishops was sent a Spiritual Bouquet Certificate which reads:

“On behalf of the members and staff of The Cardinal Newman Society and the more than 367,000 faithful who signed the petition at NotreDameScandal.com, this spiritual bouquet is made on the twenty-ninth day of May Anno Domini Nostri Jesu Christi two thousand and nine in grateful appreciation to the Church’s shepherds who prayerfully provided witness for a strong Catholic identity on Catholic campuses.”

A copy of the Spiritual Bouquet Certificate sent to the bishops may be viewed by clicking here. A list of the 83 bishops may be viewed at LifeSiteNews.com.


The overwhelming prayer response in the spiritual bouquet includes:

Mass Intentions: 116,741

Divine Mercy Chaplets: 74,974

Aspirations: 57,728

General Prayers: 236,615

Eucharistic Holy Hours: 37,125

Holy Rosaries: 146,944

Novenas: 19,877

Days of Fasting: 28,862

In addition to these prayers, Catholic priests offered 3,272 Holy Sacrifices of the Mass for the bishops.

“Our bishops deserve our support and prayers for their defense of Catholic identity, and as the battle for the soul of Catholic campuses continues, the bishops will need them more than ever,” said Patrick J. Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

First Things Editor weighs in on the Notre Dame scandal

Joseph Bottum, Editor of First Things Magazine has an excellent piece up on the recent scandal at Notre Dame. He looks at Catholicism, politics, and American Catholic education. It is a lengthy article and well worth reading it in it's entirety, so bookmark it and come back to it if you don't have time now.

First Things was founded by Fr. Richard John Neuhaus who passed away earlier this year.

He first recaps Obama's road to Notre Dame and Fr. Jenkin's misguided and disingenuous steps, before diving head-first into the political view and the pro-life culture within the Catholic Church.

Here is one snippet from, At the Gates of Notre Dame, by Joseph Bottum

Still, opposition to abortion is hard and real, the signpost at the intersection of Catholicism and American public life. And those who—by inclination, or politics, or class distinction—fail to grasp this fact will all eventually find themselves in the situation that Fr. Jenkins has now created for himself. Culturally out of touch, they rail that antagonism must derive from politics or the class envy of their lesser-educated social inferiors. But it doesn't. It derives from the sense of the faithful that abortion is important. It derives from the feeling of Catholics that, however far they themselves may have wandered, the Church ought to stand for something in public life—and that something is opposition to abortion.

"There is a political game going on here, and part of that is that you demonize the people who disagree with you, you question their integrity, you challenge their character, and you brand these people as moral poison," Fr. Kenneth Himes, chairman of the theology department at Boston College, told the Boston Globe about the controversy at Notre Dame. As James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal noted, this was the same Fr. Himes who in 2006 wrote the faculty letter objecting to an honorary degree for Condoleezza Rice—a letter that read, "On the levels of both moral principle and practical moral judgment, Secretary Rice's approach to international affairs is in fundamental conflict with Boston College's commitment to the values of the Catholic and Jesuit traditions and is inconsistent with the humanistic values that inspire the university's work."

The irony is palpable—it's only demonizing when other people do it—but Himes went on to tell the Globe, "Some people have simply reduced Catholicism to the abortion issue, and, consequently, they have simply launched a crusade to bar anything from Catholic institutions that smacks of any sort of open conversation." And in his odd way, he's right. The aspiring professionals who attend and staff elite Catholic universities tend to identify with other upwardly mobile young people, focused on career and lifestyle choices. But the vast majority of Catholics, to whom Catholic universities ultimately must answer, seek in Catholic culture the strength with which to confront the urgent concerns of ordinary life.

The First Things website has undergone a makeover. You might want to check it out.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Raymond Arroyo interviews Bp D'Arcy on Notre Dame this Friday

Just in from EWTN:

Don’t miss Bishop John D'Arcy of Fort Wayne-South Bend, Indiana, talking
about the Notre Dame-President Obama controversy at 8 p.m. ET May 22 on “The
World Over Live” with Raymond Arroyo.

You can watch most EWTN programs on the internet. Check the World Over Live homepage for rebroadcast times.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

What cable news won't cover on Notre Dame Scandal (Post 1)

I have to break this up into parts. As I look at what is available online, it is apparent what cable news networks have not shared. That's what is so great about blogging. From the blog of Jill Stanek, is this video clip of the route into Notre Dame. I'll provide more posts as I find them (most likely in the evenings).



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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Catholic Author Amy Welborn blogs Obama at Notre Dame

I'm off to bed, but go check out Amy's initial thoughts on President Obama's address at Notre Dame.

There will be much more tomorrow as I'm sure keyboards are working hard all over the place. I'll bring to you what I can,when I can.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Video of Norma McCorvey - aka, "Jane Roe" being arrested at Notre Dame

This is Norma McCorvey, formerly known as "Jane Roe" in the infamous "Roe v Wade" abortion case, being arrested at Notre Dame. McCorvey turned pro-life and Catholic back in the late 90's.



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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Detroit Free Press article on Catholics protesting Notre Dame's invitation of Barack Obama

Niraj Warikoo of the Detroit Free Press has an online article up in which he quotes Ned McGrath - the Communications Director for the Archdiocese of Detroit, following President Obama's address at Notre Dame:

He writes:

The Archdiocese of Detroit released a statement earlier that said Archbishop Allen Vigneron disapproved of the university’s decision to honor Obama, writing a letter in March to Notre Dame’s president.

On Sunday, Ned McGrath, communications director for the Archdiocese, said in a statement after Obama’s speech.

“The sad reality is those who are killed by abortion or human embryonic stem cell research do not— and never will— have a voice in a ’fair-minded’ debate on this issue. They are denied the inviolable right to life proper to every individual. As the pope has said, abortion is a serious wound inflicted on society and its culture by the very people who ought to be society’s promoters and defenders."

Thank you, Ned!

That was precisely my thought when he used the expression "fair-minded", as well as when he said we need to discuss things with which we are not comfortable. Has he even studied pictures of aborted babies - in particular those who have been aborted in the third trimester when they are viable outside of the womb? Or, is this too uncomfortable?

Many who defend a "woman's right to choose" are so focused on the woman's feelings that what is lost is the physical pain the baby feels as it is dismembered or burned by chemical abortion. This says nothing of the agony a baby feels who is delivered feet first until it's head is still in the canal, where it is punctured with a blunt instrument causing death (partial birth abortion which can take place up throughout the final months of pregnancy). Some even survive the hideous process of chemical abortion and are left on shelves to die alone - a practice first brought into the open by Nurse Jill Stanek who lost her job after exposing it. Powerless to do anything more, she would hold these babies until they died so they wouldn't die alone in the hospital where abortions where performed.

The article goes on to quote Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV who is a Notre Dame alumnus:

Michael Voris, a graduate of Notre Dame and senior producer of the Ferndale-based Real Catholic TV Internet site, said that about 100 metro Detroiters joined the anti-abortion protests. Voris and other traditional Catholics said they were concerned the university allowed Obama, who is pro-choice and for stem-cell research, to speak and receive an honorary degree from the Catholic university.

Voris said he's concerned that "a man who advocates openly death for children would honored by a university that calls itself Catholic."

“It’s a betrayal and a renunciation of the most basic…teachings of the church,” Voris said Sunday by phone from Notre Dame. “So the leadership at Notre Dame must be removed.”

Perhaps it is not just the leadership that should be removed. Perhaps the religious order which has responsibility for Notre Dame should be relieved of this obligation and let another order in there that will run it with the mind of the Church, rather than with the polls. They can start by cleaning house of the so-called theologians who have been given a free-ride to promote clear dissent. The only "magisterium" these professors follow is the pseudo-magisterium of other dissident professors and journalists who are giving people the idea that it's ok to make Catholicisim into some kind of a designer religion.

I would be remiss to not mention that Niraj mentioned this blog in his article at the end, so welcome to all who are following.

I'm sure there will be a flood of articles and blogposts pouring out over the next week. I'll try to bring some of these to you, but will not be able to blog on all of them. Therefore....







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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Mainstream media bias....

This really had me irritated today too as the words, "a woman's right to choose" were used over and again, as opposed to "pro-abortion". Ryan Sayre Patrico hits the nail on the head at the First Things blog...

If the mainstream media continues to insist—for the sake of objectivity and balance, I’m sure—on calling opponents of abortion “anti-abortionists,” you’d expect to see those in favor of abortion to be labeled “pro-abortionists.”

I won’t hold my breath. You shouldn’t either.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Twittering Notre Dame...

Ok folks, there is so much out there already. I had the foresight to go to Mass at 6:30am and am glad I did. Fox News is the only one of the three networks with nearly non-stop coverage from the campus. Only a few select updates will be offered here. You have to go to my twitter feed to see many more.

UPDATE 4: Fox news has had nearly continuing coverage. Not sure if they will show the actual commencement. If not, catch it on C-SPAN beginning at 2:45pm

UPDATE 3 Norma McCorvey (aka, "Jane Roe") has been arrested, as has Dr. Monica Miller of Citizens for a Pro-life society.

UPDATE 2 I give up - Got my coffee and I'm twittering like crazy along with many others. The least I can do is re-tweet what's out there so follow me on Twitter by clicking the icon below. You'll get updates throughout the next few hours.

UPDATE 1: I am not in South Bend, but at my kitchen table watching news coverage and scanning the internet. If you really want to know what is going on from those on the ground in South Bend, then follow the tweets below....

If I find more, I'll add them.

• Tom Peters is not there, but he is re-tweeting (RT) from many sources who are.
• Arina Grosu is in South Bend:
• Jill Stanek is in South Bend:
• John Norton of OSV is in South Bend:
• A guy named Phil is in South Bend

Other Resources:

• Joseph Lawler live blogging for USA Today

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

"Jane Roe" - Norma McCorvey is Arrested at Notre Dame

Norma McCorvey, the woman who went by the name "Jane Roe" in the case Roe v. Wade, has been arrested on the campus of Notre Dame for trespassing.

Norma converted to Catholicism back in the late 90's.

Yesterday I questioned whether it was helpful for people to get arrested for the pro-life cause. I did not think so. However, I am seeing a difference here from what I expected. I must confess that seeing the elderly priest arrested without a fight or resistance, and seeing Norma McCorvey is indeed significant.

I am not in favor of tactics that use intimidation. These arrests do not involve intimidation and if it brings big names like Alan Keyes, Norma McCorvey, and a priest in collar, then I would say it does have an impact.



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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Fr. Richard McBrien v Fr. Frank Pavone on Fox News Sunday

UPDATED...

I caught an advertisement on Fox News yesterday in which ultra-dissenting priest Fr. Richard McBrien will go up against Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life on the Notre Dame Scandal. It will be on Fox News Sunday, which goes on in about 15 minutes (I went to the 6:30am early bird Mass this morning). If you miss it, I think it will be rebroadcast sometime later today (check your schedule). More than likely, it will end up on YouTube so if I find it, I'll post it.

Fr. McBrien teaches theology at the University of Notre Dame, but does not have the mind of the Church. Why he is still teaching there is beyond my understanding. This is what needs to change. Our bishops just can't wait for the biological solution to take care of those who use their teaching positions to promote dissent. A list of positions he has taken, which are clearly at odds with Catholic teaching, are found in this article at Catholic Answers in This Rock: The Faith According to McBrien.

McBrien's book, Catholicism, has come under fire more than once by the US Bishops.

When will these people be silenced?

I'm glad it is Fr. Pavone who can get to the point with brevity without compromising the Church's position.



UPDATE:

I watched the interview. I was able to put up some tweets on twitter - start at the bottom and work your way up. I'll elaborate a little here.

As I stated at the bottom, McBrien found his collar for the interview. He was explaining his interpretation of the USCCB statement from Catholics in Political Life in which it states that we should not be giving a platform or honors to people like Obama who are promoting the culture of death. Bottom line is that, as Bishop D'Arcy pointed out in his April 21st letter to the Notre Dame president, theologians or others are not responsible for interpreting that statement, rather it is the right and duty of the local bishop to provide that interpretation. McBrien, et al, are ignoring the interpretation offered by the bishop.

Fr. Frank Pavone made two excellent points:

1. Would the university invite an avowed racist on the same principles that it is inviting a president who advocates dismemberment and death for the unborn through nine months of pregnancy.
2. Advocating the reduction of abortions is as ridiculous as advocating the reduction of clergy sex abuse. The goal for both should be elimination. Both are wrong always and everywhere.
   
   
   

Related Links:

• Dealing with Dissent: Fr. Richard McBrien (Catholic Culture)


• McBrien: A Study of the Progressivist Mind (Fr. Z)

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Obama to speak on abortion at Notre Dame

This is no surprise at all, if it comes to pass. The scandal in the making is about to become about as scandalous as it can get. President Barack Obama is reportedly going to touch on the subject of abortion.

From the Washington Times:

At the center of the controversy is Mr. Obama's pro-choice position on abortion, which stands in opposition to the Catholic Church's teaching, and which some bishops and other Catholic leaders said should have disqualified Mr. Obama from being invited to address graduating students and receive an honorary degree.

Mr. Obama will be introduced by the university's president, the Rev. John I. Jenkins, who extended the invitation to Mr. Obama and has suffered harsh criticism including some calls to resign. The president is expected to speak for 20 minutes.

Mr. Obama will touch on abortion in his address, but will not dwell on it, the White House said.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

80 Year Old Priest Arrested on Campus of Notre Dame

Earlier today, I raised the question: What does getting arrested do to help the pro-life cause?

This is probably one of the most exceptional things I have ever seen: Notre Dame has an 80 year old priest arrested on it's campus as he sings Immaculate Mary. There is something ironic that the most pro-abortion president in the history of the United States is welcome on the grounds of a Catholic university under the guise of "dialogue" while an 80 year old priest is arrested for protesting it.

Our Lady is weeping, not just for the unborn who are murdered every day, and for the disobedience of Catholics at Notre Dame who brought this on, but for such abuse of a man of the cloth by her university.




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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Notre Dame Scandal: Archbishop Allen Vigneron of Detroit voices disapproval

A photo I took at Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron's Installation Mass on January 28th, 2009

In this week's Michigan Catholic is an article entitled, Catholics asked to pray for a nation on path to a "culture of death" (See UPDATE 2 below. Check back for live link which will be added when it is available online at the AOD). It is written by Chaz Muth of the Catholic News Service and I was unable to find it online elsewhere yet. Noteworthy is that, at the bottom of the article, it says, "the staff of the Michigan Catholic contributed to this story". I'm fairly certain that it was the part I have below about Archbishop Vigneron's disapproval on the issue at Notre Dame.

The statement is embedded in an article about Archbishop Raymond L. Burke's keynote address at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in which the head of the Aposotlic Signatura (Vatican's "Supreme Court") took aim at the Notre Dame Scandal.

What is interesting to note, is this paragraph near the beginning of the article which reads (my emphasis in bold):

Shortly after the honor was announced, Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron voiced his disapproval. Privately, he addressed aletter to Fr. John Jenkins, CSC, president of Notre Dame, in March. Reminding Fr. Jenkins of the many historic ties between Notre Dame and the Detroit archdiocese, the archbishop expressed both his disappointment and disagreement with the school's decision. Archbishop Vigneron stands in solidarity with the US. Conference of Catholic Bishops on this mater - and the conference has said that politicians who support abortion "should not be given awards, honors, or platforms that would suggest support for their actions." (2004 Catholics in Political Life).

It's unfortunate that it was not made known before now, that Archbishop Vigneron had disapproved and sent a private letter to Fr. Jenkins. People were wondering why there was silence. Thanks be to God that he made his position known (and thanks to the people of the Michigan Catholic for sharing it with us).

This list at Life Site News as of this morning tallied 76 US bishops who disapprove. It appears that Archbishop Vigneron makes 77, the number of US Bishops voicing disapproval of the honor and platform about to be given to President Barack Obama.

For news agencies and others looking for the actual article, watch this Michigan Catholic page for the May 15, 2009 issue for the title I give in my opening paragraph.

UPDATE: The Archdiocese of Detroit has released a statement dated April 29th with the same information. . Perhaps it was some kind of oversight, but this news should have been out sooner and it warranted an article of it's own. I do wish it were displayed prominentely on the AOD's website too. I had to hunt down the tree for it. Regardless, as a Catholic in Detroit, I feel my archbishop has spoken for me.

UPDATE 2: The May 15th articles have been uploaded to the homepage of the Michigan Catholic. Unfortunately, the article I mention is not among those uploaded (perhaps because it is a CNS article which, in it's modified form as noted above, is not available on the web). However, the statement to which I link in the first update above, contains all of the elements right at the AOD website.

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Gotta see video - Debate on Notre Dame Scandal

Keep in mind as you watch this video that it was by popular opinion - a poll - that Our Lord was put to death. Remember the call of the people when given a choice, "Crucify Him!".

Indeed, we have never seen the bishops speak up and act as they have on this issue, and I truly believe we may be in for some surprises in the coming week and beyond.

Please also see yesterday's post on this topic with an action item involving prayer: Urgent Prayers this week - Notre Dame Scandal related

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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Urgent Prayers this week - Notre Dame Scandal related

Please watch this 3 minute appeal for prayer by Michael Voris of Real Catholic TV.

This link will take you directly to the video page where you can click and watch. I have embedding problems, otherwise I would show it here.

Also, note that we now have 74 bishops who have spoken out against Notre Dame's actions.


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The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Archbishop Burke's Address at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

Yesterday, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke delivered the keynote address at the 6th National Catholic Prayer Breakfast. Archbishop Burke, formerly of St. Louis, now heads the Apostolic Signatura (the Holy See's equivalent of the Supreme Court, with Burke as "Chief Justice").

EWTN taped the event and will broadcast it starting this Sunday, as follows:

Sun 05/10/09 1:00 PM ET / 10 AM PT
Mon 05/11/09 5:00 AM ET / 2 AM PT
Sat 05/16/09 9:00 AM ET / 6 AM PT

In his address he spoke out on the "Notre Dame Scandal". He called for patriotism in sacramental life. And, he pointed to the number of Catholics appointed by the Obama administration which are participating in the advancement of an anti-life and anti-family national agenda.

Read the full text of Archbishop Burke's address at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast:

Introduction

1. I am deeply honored to give the Keynote Address at this annual gathering of Catholics to pray for our nation. I express my heartfelt esteem and gratitude to those who, each year, organize and support the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

2. The theme of this year's Breakfast is most fitting to the difficult time through which our nation is now passing. Before the fundamental and great challenges which we as a nation are facing, how better to express our patriotism than by celebrating the teachings of our Catholic faith. The most treasured gift which we as citizens of the United States of America can offer to our country is a faithful Catholic life. It is the gift which, even though it has often been misunderstood, has brought great strength to our nation, from the time of its founding. Today more than ever, our nation is in need of Catholics who know their faith deeply and express their faith, with integrity, by their daily living.

3. Although I no longer have my residence in our beloved nation, I am no less bound to practice the virtue of patriotism, taught and exemplified by Our Lord during His public ministry. It is Our Lord Who gives us, in the Church, the grace to practice patriotism as a fundamental expression of the bond of charity which we have, in Him, with our fellow citizens. From my earliest formation in the life of the faith, received at home from my parents and in the Catholic schools, it was clear to me that duty to one's nation, to one's fellow citizens, is integral to our life in Christ in the Church. In the Baltimore Catechism, the virtue of patriotism is joined with filial piety. These essentially connected virtues, in the words of the Catechism, dispose us to honor, love and respect our parents and our country (Revised Baltimore Catechism and Mass, No. 3, New York: Benziger Brothers, Inc., 1949, 1952, no. 135). Surely, the most fundamental expression of patriotism is daily prayer for our homeland, the United States of America, her citizens and her leaders. Our participation in the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast is, I trust, an extraordinary expression of the daily prayer which we all offer for our country, as good Catholics and, therefore, good citizens.

4. It pleases me that today's celebration included a presentation by Mother Shaun Vergauwen, Superior General of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. I have known Mother Shaun's religious congregation for all the years of my priestly life. The consecrated life of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist is an inspired witness to the truths of our Catholic faith, especially what pertains to the Gospel of Life, and, therefore, also makes a strong contribution to the good of all citizens in our nation.


Growing Crisis in Our Nation

5. I come to you, this morning, with the deepest concern for our nation. I come to you, not as someone who stands outside of our nation but as a citizen who, with you as fellow citizens, takes responsibility for the state of our nation and, therefore, cannot remain indifferent and inactive about what most concerns the good of us all, especially those among us who are small, weak and defenseless.

6. Over the past several months, our nation has chosen a path which more completely denies any legal guarantee of the most fundamental human right, the right to life, to the innocent and defenseless unborn. Our nation, which had its beginning in the commitment to safeguard and promote the inalienable right to "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" for all, without boundary, is more and more setting arbitrary limits to her commitment (cf. The Declaration of Independence: Action of Second Continental Congress, 4 July 1776, in The Constitution of the United States with the Declaration of Independence and the Articles of Confederation, New York: Barnes and Noble Books, 2002, p. 81). Those in power now determine who will or will not be accorded the legal protection of the most fundamental right to life. First the legal protection of the right to life is denied to the unborn and, then, to those whose lives have become burdened by advanced years, special needs or serious illness, or whose lives are somehow judged to be unprofitable or unworthy.

7. What is more, those in power propose to force physicians and other healthcare professionals, in other words, those with a particular responsibility to protect and foster human life, to participate, contrary to what their conscience requires, in the destruction of unborn human lives, from the first or embryonic stage of development to the moment of birth. Our laws may soon force those who have dedicated themselves to the care of the sick and the promotion of good health to give up their noble life work, in order to be true to the most sacred dictate of their consciences. What is more, if our nation continues down the path it has taken, healthcare institutions operating in accord with the natural moral law, which teaches us that innocent human life is to be protected and fostered at all times and that it is always and everywhere evil to destroy an innocent human life, will be forced to close their doors.

8. At the same time, the fundamental society, that is, the family, upon which the life of our nation is founded and depends, is under attack by legislation which redefines marriage to include a relationship between two persons of the same sex and permits them to adopt children. In the same line, it is proposed to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act. At the root of the confusion and error about marriage is the contraceptive mentality - which would have us believe that the inherently procreative nature of the conjugal union can, in practice, be mechanically or chemically eliminated, while the marital act remains unitive. It cannot be so. With unparalleled arrogance, our nation is choosing to renounce its foundation upon the faithful, indissoluble, and inherently procreative love of a man and a woman in marriage, and, in violation of what nature itself teaches us, to replace it with a so-called marital relationship, according to the definition of those who exercise the greatest power in our society.

9. The path of violation of the most fundamental human rights and of the integrity of marriage and the family, which our nation is traveling, is not accidental. It is part of the program set forth by those whom we have freely chosen to lead our nation. The part of the program in question was not unknown to us; it was announced to us beforehand and a majority of our fellow citizens, including a majority of our fellow Catholics, chose the leadership which is now implementing it with determination. For example, I refer to our President's declared support of the Freedom of Choice Act, which would make illegal any legislation restricting procured abortion; his repeal of the Mexico City Policy, permitting U.S. funding of procured abortion in other nations, together with the grant of fifty million dollars to the United Nations Fund for Population Activities which, for example, supported the Republic of China's policy of one child per family by means of government-dictated sterilization and abortion; his proposal to rescind the regulations appended to the federal Conscience Clause, which assure that, not only physicians, but also all health-care workers may refuse to provide services, information or counsel to patients regarding medications and procedures which are contrary to their conscience; his removal of limitations on federal funding of embryonic-stem-cell research, involving the wholesale destruction of human life at the embryonic stage of development; and his choice of the members of his administration, who are remarkable for the number of major officials, including several Catholics, who favor the denial of the right to life to the unborn and the violation of the integrity of marriage and the family. These are only some examples of a consistent pattern of decisions by the leadership of our nation which is taking our nation down a path which denies the fundamental right to life to the innocent and defenseless unborn and violates the fundamental integrity of the marital union and the family.

10. As Catholics, we cannot fail to note, with the greatest sadness, the number of our fellow Catholics, elected or appointed by our President to public office, who cooperate fully in the advancement of a national agenda was is anti-life and anti-family. Most recently, the appointment of a Catholic as Secretary of Health and Human Services, who has openly and persistently cooperated with the industry of procured abortion in our nation, is necessarily a source of the deepest embarrassment to Catholics and a painful reminder of the most serious responsibility of Catholics to uphold the natural moral law, which is the irreplaceable foundation of just relationships among the citizens of our nation. It grieves me to say that the support of anti-life legislation by Catholics in public office is so common that those who are not Catholic have justifiably questioned whether the Church's teaching regarding the inviolable dignity of innocent human life is firm and unchanging. It gives the impression that the Church herself can change the law which God has written on every human heart from the beginning of time and has declared in the Fifth Commandment of the Decalogue: Thou shalt not kill.

11. As is clear, the anti-life and anti-family path down which our nation is being led has repercussions for many other peoples who rely upon the United States for aid or who are influenced by the international policies upon which our nation insists. The interest of so many nations in our recent presidential election is a clear sign of the world leadership which our national leadership exercises. What those who were so enthused about the strong message of change and hope in the United States, delivered during the last election campaign, are now discovering is a consistent implementation of policies and programs which confirm and advance the culture of death, which can only finally leave our world without the great hope, described by our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI in these words:
Let us say once again: we need the greater and lesser hopes that keep us going day by day. But these are not enough without the great hope, which must surpass everything else. This great hope can only be God, who encompasses the whole of reality and who can bestow upon us what we, by ourselves, cannot attain. The fact that it comes to us as a gift is actually part of hope. God is the foundation of hope: not any god, but the God who has a human face and who has loved us to the end, each one of us and humanity in its entirety. His Kingdom is not an imaginary hereafter, situated in a future that will never arrive; his Kingdom is present wherever he is loved and wherever his love reaches us.
His love alone gives us the possibility of soberly persevering day by day, without ceasing to be spurred on by hope, in a world which by its very nature is imperfect. His love is at the same time our guarantee of the existence of what we only vaguely sense and which nevertheless, in our deepest self, we await: a life that is truly life (Pope Benedict XVI, Encyclical Letter Spe salvi, On Christian Hope, 30 November 2007, Acta Apostolicae Sedis no. 31).

The change which brings hope can only be the renewal of our nation in the divine love which respects the inviolable dignity of every human life, from the moment of its inception to the moment of natural death, and which creates and gives growth to new human life through the love of man and woman in marriage. Any hope which is incoherent with the great hope is truly illusory and can never bring forth justice and its fruit, peace, for our nation and world.


Addressing the Crisis

12. How can we as Catholics address effectively the critical situation of our nation in what pertains to the fundamental right to life and the integrity of the family? What does the virtue of patriotism, together with all of the virtues inspired by the Holy Spirit dwelling within us, require of us for the common good, for the good of the whole nation? First and foremost, it demands what we are doing this morning, that is, prayer, and the serious reflection which arises from our communion with God in prayer.

13. When Our Lord descended from the Mount of the Transfiguration, he found that his disciples had tried, without success, to help a boy afflicted by an unclean spirit. Our Lord then cast out the unclean spirit, prompting his disciples, when they were alone with Him, to ask why they had been unable to free the boy from his affliction. Our Lord responded with these words: This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer and fasting (Mk 9:29). Our Lord reminded them that the good which they wished to accomplish in the face of great evil could only be attained through prayer and fasting. In other words, evil cannot be overcome by our own forces alone, but by the grace of God which inspires and strengthens our thoughts and actions. It is Christ alone who has accomplished the victory over sin and its most evil fruit, eternal death, and it is Christ alone, in the Church, who continues to bring forth the fruits of His victory in our lives and in our world.

14. In the battle for the protection of the right to life and for the safeguarding of the integrity of marriage and the family in our nation, we are easily tempted to give way to discouragement. And it would be right to do so, if the outcome of the battle depended upon us alone. But it does not. Christ is with us always in the Church and, in a particular way, in the struggle to restore the respect for the right to life of all of our brothers and sisters, especially those who are helpless and who have the first title to our care, and to safeguard the integrity of marriage and the family. Christ Who is the Gospel of Life, encountered in prayer and through the Sacraments, will give us the strength to announce His word of life and to act upon His word of life, on behalf of all in our nation, especially those who depend upon us to care for them and protect their God-given rights.

15. If we are serious about our patriotic duty, then we must pray everyday for our leaders, especially our President, and our nation. We should also practice more fervently our fasting and abstinence for the conversion of our lives and the transformation of our society. If we want to act for the common good, the good of all, in our nation, then we will seek to convert our lives each day to Christ, especially through the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. Christ desires to announce the Gospel of Life and bring about its saving effects in our nation by the complete conversion of our lives to Him for the sake of all our brothers and sisters, without boundary, and for the sake of the preservation of the sanctuary of human life, marriage and the family.

16. At various times of great crisis in our nation and in the world, the Holy Father and our Bishops have called upon all Catholics to offer special prayers for the nation and for the world. I recall so well, from my youth, the Leonine Prayers offered at the conclusion of every Mass to address the growing threat of atheistic materialism in our world. Remember, too, how Pope Saint Pius V, in 1571, called upon the whole Church to pray, especially through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when the Christian world was under attack by the Turks. After the victory of the Battle of Lepanto, on October 7, 1571, he established October 7th as an annual feast in honor of Our Lady of the Rosary and introduced the title of Mary Help of Christians into the Litany of Loreto. In the present crisis, praying daily the Rosary for our nation and invoking daily the intercession of Mary Help of Christians will be powerful forces for the victory of life and love.

17. At every Mass, we should offer special prayers for our nation and her leaders, in order that the culture of death may be overcome and a civilization of love may be steadfastly advanced. All Catholics throughout the nation should take part in Eucharistic adoration and in the praying of the Rosary for the restoration of the respect for human life and for the safeguarding of the integrity of the family. In our prayers, we should seek, above all, the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, under her title of the Immaculate Conception. Mary Immaculate is the patroness of our nation. In a most wonderful way, she appeared, on our continent, in what is present-day Mexico City, in 1531, as the Immaculate Mother of God, in order to manifest the all-merciful love of God toward His children of America. Through her example and intercession, the Native Americans and Europeans, who were on the brink of a most deadly conflict, were brought together to form one people under her maternal care, and the widespread practice of human sacrifice among the native people was brought to an end. In our time, in many parishes and dioceses there are campaigns of prayer for our nation and her leaders. May these powerful spiritual works continue and prosper, so that, through prayer and fasting, the grave evils of contraception, procured abortion, euthanasia, the experimentation on embryonic human life, and so-called same-sex marriage may be overcome in our nation.

18. Connected with our prayer must be the thoughtful and faithful reflection upon the Church's teaching on the respect for all human life and the integrity of the family. In our homes, in our Catholic schools and universities, in parish study groups, and in everyday conversations and discussions with our neighbors, we are called to give an uncompromising witness to the Gospel of Life. Parents, parish priests and institutions of Catholic education must be aware of the constant anti-life and anti-family messages which constantly bombard us and our young people. One has only to think, for example, of the corruption of the goodness of our youth by the multi-million dollar industry of pornography, especially on the Internet. Our reflection as individuals and groups must open our eyes to the gravity of the situation in our nation, lest we fail to take responsibility for the widespread attacks on human life and the family. Our reflection must help us all and, in a particular way, our young people to see the godless secularism and relativism which underly and justify our nation's anti-life and anti-family programs, policies and laws.

19. Our encounter with the world must be clear and uncompromising. Parents must reflect in their daily living the lifelong and rich fruit of the Gospel of Life, which they are called to teach to their children. Catholic educational institutions must devote themselves ever more strenuously to the study of the truths of the faith, addressing them to the moral challenges of our time. In a culture marked by widespread and grave confusion and error about the most fundamental teachings of the moral law, our Catholic schools and universities must be beacons of truth and right conduct. Clearly, the same is true of our Catholic charitable, missionary and healthcare institutions. There can be no place in them for teaching or activities which offend the moral law. Dialogue and respect for differences are not promoted by the compromise and even violation of the natural moral law. The profound granting of an honorary doctorate at Notre Dame University to our President who is as aggressively advancing an anti-life and anti-family agenda is a source of the gravest scandal. Catholic institutions cannot offer any platform to, let alone honor, those who teach and act publicly against the moral law. In a culture which embraces an agenda of death, Catholics and Catholic institutions are necessarily counter-cultural. If we as individuals or our Catholic institutions are not willing to accept the burdens and the suffering necessarily involved in calling our culture to reform, then we are not worthy of the name Catholic.


Catholics and Public Life

20. Our prayer and conversion of life, and the serious reflection upon and study of the truths of the moral life, both as individuals and in our Catholic institutions, require that we accept our responsibility as citizens to work tirelessly to change unjust programs, policies and laws. In a nation set so firmly on a path of violation of the most fundamental moral norms, Catholics and others who adhere to the natural moral law are pressured to think that their religious commitment to the moral law as the way of seeking the good of all is a merely confessional matter which cannot have any application in public life. Apparently, a number of Catholics in public life have been so convinced. How often do we hear Catholic legislators who vote in favor of anti-life and anti-family legislation claim that they are personally opposed to what the legislation protects and fosters, but that they as public officials may not allow religious beliefs to affect their support of such legislation? How often do we hear fellow Catholics supporting candidates for office, who are anti-life and anti-family, because of political-party loyalties or for reasons of other policies and programs supported by the candidate, which they deem to be good? How often is such thinking justified by the claim that religious faith is a purely private matter and has no place in the public forum? On the contrary, the common good depends upon the active engagement of religious faith in the public forum.

21. Addressing the role of the Church in the political order, Pope Benedict XVI reminds us:

- It must not be forgotten that, when Churches or ecclesial communities intervene in public debate, expressing reservations or recalling various principles, this does not constitute a form of intolerance or interference, since such interventions are aimed solely at enlightening consciences, enabling them to act freely and responsibly, according to the true demands of justice, even when this should conflict with situations of power and personal interest (Pope Benedict XVI, Ad Congressum a Populari Europae Faction provectum, Acta Apostolicae Sedis 98 [2006], 344)."

- In his Encyclical Letter Deus caritas est, our Holy Father reminded us of the great gift of our faith which enables reason to do its work more effectively and to see its proper object more clearly (Pope Benedict XVI, Encylical Letter Deus caritas est , On Christian Love, 25 December 2005, Acta Apostolicae Sedis 98 [2006], 239, no. 28). When the Church addresses her social teaching to issues of the common good, she has no intention of giving the Church power over the State or to impose on those who do not share the faith ways of thinking and modes of conduct proper to faith (Deus caritas est, no. 28). Her aim, which is our aim as patriotic Catholics, is simply to help purify reason and to contribute, here and now, to the acknowledgment and attainment of what is just (Deus caritas est, no. 28). In addressing the critical issues of our nation, the Church and we, as her faithful sons and daughters, intervene on the basis of reason and natural law, namely, on the basis of what is in accord with the nature of every human being (Deus caritas est, no. 28).

22. Our uncompromising commitment to protect the inviolable dignity of innocent human life and to safeguard the integrity of marriage and the family are not based on peculiar confessional beliefs or practices but on the natural moral law, written on every heart and, therefore, a fundamental part of the Church's moral teaching. At the same time, what is always and everywhere evil cannot be called good for the sake of accomplishing some other good end. All of us must be concerned about a wide range of goods which are important to the life of our nation, but the concern for those goods can never justify the betrayal of the fundamental goods of life itself and the family. We must take care to uproot from our moral thinking any form of relativism, consequentialism and proportionalism, which would lead us into the error of thinking that it is sometimes right to do what is always and everywhere evil.

23. An important part of our moral reflection must include a clear understanding of the principles regarding cooperation in evil, especially by the act of voting. Too often, in our time, our inability to accomplish all that we should for the sake of the defense of the right to life and of the protection of the integrity of the family is used to justify the direct choice of a political leader who espouses a position or positions in violation of the natural moral law. The Servant of God Pope John Paul II, in his Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae, addresses at length the question of cooperation in evil which violates the dignity of innocent human life. He offers as an example the case of a legislator who has the possibility of voting for a law which would restrict the evil of procured abortion, even though it would not eradicate it completely. He concludes that the legislator could vote for the legislation, while his own opposition to procured abortion remains clear, for his vote does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit its evil aspects (Pope John Paul II, Encylical Letter Evangelium vitae , On the Good and Inviolability of Human Life, 25 March 1995, Acta Apostolicae Sedis 87 [1995], 487, no. 73). In an analogous manner, as voters, we are often faced with a choice among candidates who do not fully oppose unjust laws. In such a case, we must choose the candidate who will most limit the evil effects of unjust laws. But, there is no element of the common good, no morally good practice, which a candidate may promote and to which a voter may be dedicated, which could justify voting for a candidate who also endorses and supports the deliberate killing of the unborn, euthanasia or the recognition of a same-sex relationship as a legal marriage. The respect for the inviolable dignity of innocent human life and for the integrity of marriage and the family are so fundamental to the common good that they cannot be subordinated to any other cause, no matter how good it may be.

24. In the present situation of our nation, a serious question has arisen about the moral obligation of Catholics to work for the overturning of the Supreme Court decisions in Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. There are those who would tell us that such work is futile and, therefore, is to be abandoned, so that we can devote ourselves to help prevent individuals from choosing abortion. As Catholics, we can never cease to work for the correction of gravely unjust laws. Law is a fundamental expression of our culture and implicitly teaches citizens what is morally acceptable. Our efforts to assist those who are tempted to do what is always and everywhere wrong or are suffering from the effects of having committed a gravely immoral act, which are essential expressions of the charity which unites us as citizens of the nation, ultimately make little sense, if we remain idle regarding unjust laws and decisions of the courts regarding the same intrinsic evils. We are never justified in abandoning the work of changing legislation and of reversing decisions of the courts which are anti-life and anti-family.


Conclusion

25. As we gather this morning to pray for our nation, let us draw courage and strength from the glorious pierced Heart of Our Lord Jesus. Let us not give way to discouragement in our exercise of patriotism but rather be confident of the essential contribution which our Catholic faith makes to the life of our nation.

26. May the courage and strength which comes to us from the Sacred Heart of Jesus enlighten our minds to see more clearly the gravity of the situation of our nation and inflame our hearts to do our part to transform the life of our nation, in accord with the natural moral law, that is, with what is just and serves the good of all. Let us draw courage and strength from the Sacred Heart of Jesus through prayer and the Sacraments, especially the Sacraments of Penance and the Holy Eucharist. May the courage and strength of Christ guide our reflection on the state of our nation and lead us to that just action, taught to us by our faith, which serves the good of all.

27. Invoking the intercession of Mary Immaculate, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mother of America, let us pray today and everyday that we as Catholics, true to our faith and, therefore, patriotically devoted to our nation, may promote respect for all human life, safeguard the sanctity of marriage and the family, and, thereby, foster the good of all in the nation and in the world.

Thank you. God bless you.

(Most Rev.) Raymond L. Burke
Archbishop Emeritus of Saint Louis
Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Cardinal Rigali: Notre Dame's defense of Obama inviite evades common sense

Add Cardinal Rigali to the list of bishops - now at 53 - speaking out against Notre Dame's decision to give President Obama an honorary degree, and a platform against the will of the USCCB.

Go read: Exclusive Interview: Cardinal Rigali Says Notre Dame Defence of Obama Honor "Evades Common Sense"

In related news, Tom Peters has a good piece up worth reading: Cardinal Rigali: "The truth is the opposite" in response to Doug Kmiec column in CNS. Unbelievable.


Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!

Go Welcome Ave Maria Radio Host, Al Kresta, to the Catholic Blogosphere!

I just learned that Al Kresta, the host of Kresta in the Afternoon on Ave Maria Radio, carried also on EWTN, now has a blog.

He starts out with a bang, blogging the story on Dr. Mary Ann Glendon, the former US Ambassador to the Vatican. She backed out of the Notre Dame commencements where she was expected to speak, and was to receive the presitgious Laetare award.

Drop in on Al at the Kresta in the Afternoon Blog

Te Deum Laudamus! Home

The obedient are not held captive by Holy Mother Church; it is the disobedient who are held captive by the world!