On FOCA: From the Bishops
By Sarah Rozman | November 13, 2008
Cardinal Francis George, Archbishop of Chicago and president of the USCCB, made a strong statement to President-elect Obama and the recently elected members of Congress. The statement was written “at the request and direction of all the Bishops” and was released at the close of their fall meeting.
He offers the bishops’ congratulations to our elected representatives, and he expresses the desire of the Church to continue the work she does in the United States.
Then the Cardinal states the obvious. Or, what should be the obvious. He had to say it, because to so many people, it’s not: “The fundamental good is life itself . . . A good state protects the lives of all. ”
He goes on to clearly, briefly, and unapologetically explain why the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) is bad for America.
I especially like this closing paragraph:
The recent election was principally decided out of concern for the economy, for the loss of jobs and homes and financial security for families, here and around the world. If the election is misinterpreted ideologically as a referendum on abortion, the unity desired by President-elect Obama and all Americans at this moment of crisis will be impossible to achieve. Abortion kills not only unborn children; it destroys constitutional order and the common good, which is assured only when the life of every human being is legally protected. Aggressively pro-abortion policies, legislation and executive orders will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans, and would be seen by many as an attack on the free exercise of their religion.
Give it a read, and pass it along.
Topics: USCCB, Abortion | No Comments »
Blessing for Babies in the Womb
By Sarah Rozman | November 13, 2008
Here’s a neat piece of news from the U.S. bishops’ fall meeting: They have approved a blessing service for children in the womb. Catholic News Service reports:
To fill a gap in existing prayer books, the U.S. bishops Nov. 11 overwhelmingly approved a liturgical service in English and Spanish for blessing children in the womb.
Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., praised the new blessing as “a tangible way to witness pastorally and sacramentally to the life of the unborn child” and said it could also serve as an opportunity for parishes to bring together expectant couples for mutual support. . . .
Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of Paterson, N.J., chairman of the bishops’ Committee on Divine Worship . . . said the blessing, which had been approved both by his committee and by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, “was prepared to support the parents awaiting the birth of their child, to encourage in the parish prayers for and recognition of the precious gift of the child in the womb, and to foster respect for human life within society.”
The blessing can be used in the context of a Mass or outside a Mass, and for an individual mother, a couple or a group of expectant parents.
The blessing needs the approval of the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments before it can be used.
What a great pro-life witness and reminder this could be in our parishes. Let’s hope and pray that the blessing receives approval quickly.
Topics: USCCB, Pro-Life | No Comments »
The Dred Scott Decision and the Unborn
By Mike Sullivan | November 10, 2008
Here in Baltimore, the annual meeting of the USCCB has just begun with an address by Cardinal Francis George, O.M.I., president of the Conference. Here is an excerpt. His comparison between the Dred Scott decision and the legal destruction of human life by abortion advocates is especially striking. [emphasis mine]
(Thanks to Rocco Palmo for posting the text of Cardinal George’s address.)
The Pope invites us to place our hope in what lasts forever. We have recently finished a contest for the presidency in which both candidates invited us to hope in change. Perhaps that is the difference between a vision that looks at what is ultimate and one that, by the very nature of things, is most concerned with what is less than ultimate. No political order conforms fully to the Kingdom of God. Separation is built into our faith itself, yet we can hope and work and pray that things political and economic not impede or contest the things that are of God.
We come to this Assembly in the interim before a new presidential administration takes office in our country. Symbolically, this is a moment that touches more than our history when a country that once enshrined race slavery in its very constitutional order should come to elect an African American to the presidency. In this, I truly believe, we must all rejoice. We must also hope that President Obama succeed in his task, for the good of all. The odds against success are formidable. We are internally divided and, in a global order, we will be less the masters of our economic and political fate. Nevertheless, we can rejoice today with those who, following heroic figures like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., were part of a movement to bring our country’s civil rights, our legal order, into better accord with universal human rights, God’s order. Among so many people of good will, dutiful priests and loving religious women, bishops and lay people of the Catholic Church who took our social doctrine to heart then can feel vindicated now. Their successors remain, especially among those who quietly give their lives to teaching and forming good and joyful children in Catholic schools in African American and other minority communities.
We can also be truly grateful that our country’s social conscience has advanced to the point that Barack Obama was not asked to renounce his racial heritage in order to be president, as, effectively, John Kennedy was asked to promise that his Catholic faith would not influence his perspective and decisions as president a generation ago. Echoes of that debate remain in the words of those who reject universal moral propositions that have been espoused by the human race throughout history, with the excuse that they are part of Catholic moral teaching. We are, perhaps, at a moment when, with the grace of God, all races are safely within the American consensus. We are not at the point, however, when Catholics, especially in public life, can be considered full partners in the American experience unless they are willing to put aside some fundamental Catholic teachings on a just moral and political order. The hubris that has isolated our country politically and now economically is heard, but not usually recognized, in moral arguments based simply and solely on individual moral autonomy. This personal and social dilemma is not, of course, a matter of ultimate importance, for America is not the Kingdom of God; but it makes America herself far less than she claims to be in this world. . . .
In working for the common good of our society, racial justice is one pillar of our social doctrine. Economic justice, especially for the poor both here and abroad, is another. But the Church comes also and always and everywhere with the memory, the conviction, that the Eternal Word of God became man, took flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary, nine months before Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This truth is celebrated in our liturgy because it is branded into our spirit. The common good can never be adequately incarnated in any society when those waiting to be born can be legally killed at choice. If the Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision that African Americans were other people’s property and somehow less than persons were still settled constitutional law, Mr. Obama would not be president of the United States. Today, as was the case a hundred and fifty years ago, common ground cannot be found by destroying the common good.
Tomorrow’s discussion of Faithful Citizenship should be a lively one. Stay tuned.
Topics: USCCB, Abortion | No Comments »
Fighting FOCA
By Sarah Rozman | November 6, 2008
The Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA; S. 1173, H.R. 1964) is again before Congress, and the results of Tuesday’s elections greatly increase the probability that FOCA will become law. Our president-elect, Barack Obama, has promised to sign FOCA. We need to make sure that he doesn’t have the chance.
The USCCB’s FOCA Fact Sheet (PDF opens in new window) lists six major ways in which FOCA imposes abortion and demolishes individual liberty (emphasis mine):
- FOCA will invalidate laws to protect a woman from unsafe abortion clinics and to ensure that she is informed about abortion.
- FOCA will require taxpayers to pay for abortions.
- FOCA will require states to allow “partial-birth” and other late-term abortions.
- FOCA will require states to allow abortions by non-physicians.
- FOCA will bar laws protecting a right of conscientious objection to abortion.
- FOCA will deny parents an opportunity to be involved in their minor daughter’s abortion decision.
It is “the most radical abortion legislation in U.S. history.”
People have been talking about it, but now we need to act. Let’s make sure that FOCA (S. 1173, H.R. 1964) doesn’t become law. Please contact your U.S. Representative and your two U.S. Senators NOW by fax, email, or phone. Tell them, “Please pledge now to oppose FOCA.” Full contact info can be found at house.gov and senate.gov. You can also call the U.S. Capitol switchboard: (202) 224-3121.
Talk to your friends and family. Encourage them to contact their Representative and Senators. Make sure they know the damage the FOCA will do.
Visit the USCCB page devoted to FOCA for more information, media ads, and action alerts.
Topics: Partial-Birth Abortion, USCCB, Abortion, Pro-Life | 7 Comments »
Dirty Socks
By Sarah Rozman | October 31, 2008
A sweet, creative video from the USCCB’s “For Your Marriage” initiative.
Topics: USCCB, Marriage | No Comments »
Faithful Catholic, Faithful Citizen
By Leon Suprenant | October 31, 2008
At their semi-annual meeting November 10-13th in Baltimore, the United States bishops will discuss the “practical and pastoral implications of political support for abortion.” Some might question the timing of this discussion, coming days after a national election featuring a candidate whom Princeton professor Robert George described as being the most extreme pro-abortion candidate ever to seek the presidency. At the same time, better (barely) late than never, and perhaps the timing will allow for a candid discussion relatively free of USCCB-speak (read “Faithful Citizenship”) or charges of partisanship.
In my own discussions with bishops regarding this issue in the weeks leading up to the November meeting, I have urged them to consider these three concerns: Read the rest of this entry »
Topics: Evil, Canon Law, Politics, Abortion, Bishops | 9 Comments »
Voting Resources at CUF.org
By Sarah Rozman | October 29, 2008
Something new at CUF.org. . . . head on over and check out CUF’s collection of recommended resources for the 2008 general election.
You’ll find information on forming your conscience, the idea of “proportionate reasons,” and faith and politics.
You can also sign up to receive a FREE copy of Bishop Thomas Olmsted’s booklet “Catholics in the Public Square.” Who doesn’t like good, free stuff?
Topics: Voting | No Comments »
CUF on EWTN
By Sarah Rozman | October 29, 2008
Tune in TONIGHT at 8 p.m.!
CUF President Mike Sullivan and past CUF president Madeleine Stebbins (and wife of CUF’s founder H. Lyman Stebbins) will join Fr. Mitch Pacwa on EWTN Live. They’ll be talking about CUF’s 40-year history and the essential role of the laity in the Church today.
And remember, it’s live TV, so you can call in with your questions!
Update: Miss the show? You can still watch it online. It should be available for about a week. 2 connection speed options: 100K and 300K. (opens in Windows Media Player)
Topics: Catholics United for the Faith | No Comments »
Bishop Vasa: Strong Praise for CUF
By Sarah Rozman | October 28, 2008
Bishop Robert Vasa, who was a special guest and speaker at CUF’s 40th Anniversary Conference, has begun a 4-part series on CUF in his diocesan newspaper. A snippet:
The fact that the establishment of Catholics United for the Faith coincided with the rejection of Humanae Vitae by many in the Church is no coincidence. Just as Pope Paul VI’s encyclical was a courageous act, so also the founder, H. Lyman Stebbins, took a bold and courageous step in standing up and clearly stating: We accept and embrace this counter-cultural teaching, we are Catholic, we are united, we affirm our faith, we affirm our faith in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we affirm our faith that Christ is with His Church and we affirm this teaching of Pope Paul VI because he is Peter upon whom Christ has built His Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against Her.
Click here to read the rest: Courage in the Catholic Church is nothing new
Thank you, your Excellency!
Hat tip to Jeff Ziegler.
Topics: Catholics United for the Faith | No Comments »
From the CUF Conference Paparazzi
By Sarah Rozman | October 17, 2008
Just a few photos from the CUF conference . . . to whet your appetite for the Jan/Feb issue of Lay Witness, where we’ll publish more.
Votive Mass for the Laity. Left to right: Archbishop Charles Chaput, Bishop David Zubik, Bishop Thomas Olmsted, and Bishop Robert Vasa.
Archbishop Charles Chaput on “Courageous Families: Humanae Vitae 40 Years Later.”
Bishop Roger Foys (Diocese of Covington, KY) processes with the Blessed Sacrament.
Front: Madeleine Stebbins (wife of CUF founder H. Lyman Stebbins) talks to a participant. Center back: CUF President Mike Sullivan speaks with Melda Townsley, a longtime CUF member who coordinates CUF’s New Zealand chapters.
For those of you who missed the conference . . . you missed a lot! But never fear, the talks from the conference (including those by Archbishop Chaput, Bishop Olmsted, and Bishop Vasa) will be available for purchase on CD and DVD. Contact CUF for more information. (www.cuf.org/contact or 740.283.2484)
Topics: Catholics United for the Faith | No Comments »