Well, Her Big Mouth Has Gotten Some Bishops to Actually Say Something

Sadly her bishop isn't 1 of them. The good news about her whole foot in mouth action is that it is finally getting a few bishops to speak out that have remained way too silent before now. Unfortunately, they still aren't taking the step that they should by enforcing Canon 915.

Meanwhile, & no surprize, San Francisco Archbishop Niederauer (her bishop) seems to be taking a cue from DBQ Archbishop & staying silent. According to a post on her blog, Julia Duin, assistant national editor/religion, The Washington Times reports that Niederauer "wants to write "a larger, more thoughtful look on the issue," his press people tell me. The date it will go up on the archdiocesan Web site Sept. 5." I suspect he is hoping it will blow over & he can get away with a wimpy statement that won't say anything. Otherwise how do you explain his silence. If so many other bishops could respond quickly, why hasn't he done so?

If Niederauer had said something by now, then maybe Pelosi would have been forced to retrack her error. Instead she has issued the following statement through her spokesman Brendan Daly: "Her views on when life begins were informed by the views of St. Augustine, who said, 'The law does not provide that the act [abortion] pertains to homicide, for there cannot yet be said to be a live soul in a body that lacks sensation.'" (Pelosi camp responds to archbishop's critique) Maybe she better pay a little more attention to what the bishops & a lot of theologians are saying rather than putting the foot deeper in her mouth.

"The Rev. Douglas Milewski, a Seton Hall University theologian who specializes in Augustine, said Pelosi seems to be confusing church teaching on abortion with the theological debate over when a fetus receives a soul.

"Saint Augustine wondered about the stages of human development before birth, how this related to the question of ensoulment and what it meant for life in the Kingdom of God," Milewski said.

Questions about ensoulment related to determining penalties under church law for early and later abortions, not deciding whether the procedure is permissible, according to the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

Augustine was "quite clear on the immorality of abortion as evil violence, destructive of the very fabric of human bonds and society," Milewski said." (Pelosi gets unwanted lesson in Catholic theology)

Here are some of the other recent statements by various bishops over the last few days.

Bishop David Zubik, Diocese of Pittsburgh posted a statement on the main page of the diocesan website. On it he said that Pelosi "stepped out of her political role and completely misrepresented the teaching of the Catholic Church in regard to abortion.She said that Church teaching condemning procured abortion is somehow new and therefore unsettled. She could not have been more wrong."

He went on to give a short summary of the Church's 2000 years of teaching on the subject. He concluded with this statement: "The teaching of the Church on abortion is settled. And as old as the Gospels."

Archbishop Donald Wuerl, Archdiocese of Washington, DC, put a statement up on the diocesan website. He retated the same things so many other bishops have said. The heart of the statement says: "We respect the right of elected officials such as Speaker Pelosi to address matters of public policy that are before them, but the interpretation of Catholic faith has rightfully been entrusted to the Catholic bishops. Given this responsibility to teach, it is important to make this correction for the record." OK a little wimpy & non-confrontational, but at least he spoke out.

After Pelosi's spokesman issued his statement, Archbishop Wuerl responded with the following: "“As the Catechism and early Church documents make clear, abortion is always an evil. That is an unchanging teaching. The question on when the soul enters the body was a philosophical question that grew out of a lack of scientific data at the time of St. Augustine. We have the data today which shows the embryo is human. There no longer is any discussion of whether the unborn is human and so the philosophical discussion of St. Augustine’s time is not relevant today.”" (Pelosi’s feud with archbishop escalates)

Edward Cardinal Egan, Archdiocese of New York, also issued a statement. His statement was a powerful slap on the wrist: "Like many other citizens of this nation, I was shocked to learn that the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America would make the kind of statements that were made to Mr. Tom Brokaw of NBC-TV on Sunday, August 24, 2008. What the Speaker had to say about theologians and their positions regarding abortion was not only misinformed; it was also, and especially, utterly incredible in this day and age.

We are blessed in the 21st century with crystal-clear photographs and action films of the living realities within their pregnant mothers. No one with the slightest measure of integrity or honor could fail to know what these marvelous beings manifestly, clearly, and obviously are, as they smile and wave into the world outside the womb. In simplest terms, they are human beings with an inalienable right to live, a right that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is bound to defend at all costs for the most basic of ethical reasons. They are not parts of their mothers, and what they are depends not at all upon the opinions of theologians of any faith. Anyone who dares to defend that they may be legitimately killed because another human being “chooses” to do so or for any other equally ridiculous reason should not be providing leadership in a civilized democracy worthy of the name." (emphasis mine)

Bishop Samuel Aquila, Diocese of Fargo, issued a short letter. In it he makes it clear she doesn't know what she is talking about: "As many of you are aware the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, made comments this past Sunday on "Meet the Press." Her comments on the subject of abortion and Catholic teaching were misinformed. By her statement in a public manner she has created confusion in regard to Catholic teaching. People of good will who have studied the present day Catholic teaching as given in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, John Paul II's Encyclical, The Gospel of Life, and have read the fathers of the Church, can easily recognize the flaws in her remarks on the teaching of the Church concerning when human life begins. The right to life from conception is the pre-eminent social justice and human rights issue of our time. As your bishop, I have the responsibility to present to you the authentic teaching of the Church, to correct the misinformation she has given, and finally to warn you that those who oppose the true teaching are not in good standing with the Church."

His concluding paragraph is a statement that succinctly states my feelings on the subject: "I pray that each one of us may continue to build a culture of life and that our nation may return to the truth that our forefathers recognized. A truth enshrined in the Declaration of Independence is that there are certain rights which are self-evident, bestowed by the Creator, and are inalienable. Those rights are “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Unless the right to life is guaranteed, the pursuit of liberty and happiness is severely frustrated."

Bishop Michael Sheridan, Diocese of Colorado Springs, issued a Statement Regarding The Evil of a Procured Abortion. He calls her statements "confusing". He goes on to say: "Speaker Pelosi’s outrageous attempt to present what she considers the teaching of the Catholic Church regarding abortion is simply wrong and should be disregarded by every faithful Catholic."

He next reminds us that: "All other rights are useless if one is denied the right to live. Our founding fathers recognized this they enumerated life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as unalienable human rights. They also recognized that these three rights are not equal in importance. Pursuing happiness means little is a slave. And freedom means nothing to someone who has been denied the right to life."

Later he says: "The teachings of the Church on abortion are consistent and unambiguous, and it is very disturbing to hear someone who claims to be a Catholic distort these teachings and sow seeds of confusion among the faithful by attempting to relativize the right to life."

His concluding statement might ring a littlt truer if the Bishops would actually enforce it. But, at least he did say it. "There can be no compromise on this issue. “Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church 2272). “Those who are excommunicated . . . and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion.” (Code of Canon Law 915).
Those Catholics who take a public stance in opposition to this most fundamental moral teaching of the Church place themselves outside full communion with the Church, and they should not present themselves for the reception of Holy Communion."

Archbishop Jose Gomez & auxiliary Bishop Oscar Cantu posted the USCCB statement on the Archdiocese of San Antonio website with the following preface: "We are taking this opportunity to call the attention of the faithful of the Archdiocese of San Antonio to a statement issued by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops in response to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi’s misrepresentations of Church teaching on abortion. We agree whole heartedly with the statement issued by Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities and Bishop William E. Lori of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine. Below is the text of their response."

Bishop William Murphy of the Diocese of Rockville Center issued a statement that takes on bothe Pelosi & the Democratic platform. "My aim is not in any way to discredit anyone. Speaker Pelosi, however, objectively misstated the Catholic Church’s teaching and claimed as fact things that are not. I am sure she is a fine person and I know she is a woman of talent. The platform of the Democratic Party stands or falls on its own words, although it has eliminated the word “rare” as one of their goals about abortion and it continues to propagate the false idea that more contraception leads to fewer abortions. The fact is exactly the opposite, as Pope Paul VI correctly foresaw."

The Diocese of Tulsa has published the letter by Congressman John Sullivan & 9 other Congressmen that I mentioned in my post the other day. While not exactly a seperate statement by Bishop Edward J. Slattery, it clearly endorses what was said in the letter.

Of the 4 Iowa Dioceses, only the Des Moines Diocese has a link to the USCCB statement. I don't expect anything from Archbishop Hanus as that would hilight his silence on Planned Parenthood. I've done a random check of a few other diocese, a couple have a link to the USCCB statement, most don't have anything.

Many of these Bishops who have had the courage to speak up have put their statement on the main page of their diocesan website or at least withj a highly visible link. That is to be applauded. As I said earlier, the fact that so many Bishops have been able to come out quickly makes Niederauer's silence all the more suspect.

Nancy Pelosi has probably done more to hilite how far from authentic Catholic teaching the Democratic stands really are than anyone else. She has shot herself in the foot. There are a lot of CINOs that support what she said. To them, she is still a hero. But by forcing the Bishops to issue a statement, she has put them in a position where they will have to undercut a lot of wiggleroom that they would have prefered. They are going to have to come down stronger & clearer. & some may finally stand up & tell the Pro-Aborts "No Communion!"