Bishop Malooly Responds to Delaware Joe

A week ago I wrote a post entitled But Which Pope John XXIII? about Delaware Joe's latest bit of hoof-in-mouth heretical rantings. Since then W. Francis Malooly of the Diocese of Wilmington has responded. I am printing the response below.

Basically, he repeats what has been said time & time again since Pelosi did her foot-in-mouth performance. At this point, it should be obvious that they are going to thumb their noses at authentic Catholic teaching, even if Jesus would come down from Heaven to correct them. OK, maybe that might convince a few of them who haven't totally sold out. I suspect Biden is too far gone for this to do any good. He'd probably shove his Rosary down Jesus' throat.

It is time for his Bishop to do something stronger. However I suspect, as do many others, that he won't. Why? In part based on a statement made by Bishop Malooly in September. In the diocesan paper he said the following: "I do not intend to get drawn into partisan politics nor do I intend to politicize the Eucharist as a way of communicating Catholic Church teaching."

Bishop Malooly, with all due respect, Biden, Pelosi et al have already done that. That have twisted & turned Catholic teaching to justify a political stand that they know is straight out of Hell.

He says a little later: "I think I will get a lot more mileage out of a conversation trying to change the mind and heart than I would out of a public confrontation. That might not make some people happy who feel there ought to be a confrontation but I have to follow my own conscience and try to do what I can for the long term."

OK, call Biden in for a conversation, NOW. Don't make a vague offer like Pelosi's Bishop did. You notice that the meeting still hasn't taken place. Call Biden in, talk to him. Maybe you will finally face the fact that, barring the always possible miracle, his heart is so hardened that it is far beyond talking.

As for "the long term" concerns, I have to ask "What do you mean?" What about the long term damage that is being done to untold number of souls who see no consequences in flaunting God's law as well as God's Church. Do you not care about the potential eternal consequences for their souls? Isn't eternity in Hell more than "long term" enough for you? What about all those unborn being killed by abortion? Isn't all that we have lost from what they have to offer in the years & decades ahead long term enough?

Bishop Malooly, while I am happy to see you continue to pray the Litany of St. Thomas More in the diocese, I have to honestly wonder why? Esp when you yourself refuse to follow the example of St. Thomas in doing the right thing. You call on all statesmen and politicians to "be courageous and effective in their defense and promotion of the sanctity of human life." Shouldn't you be doing the same thing? I am sorry to say that as of right now I see very little courage & even less effectiveness. I hope I am reading things right, but fear I am right.

Bishop Malooly responds to Senator Biden's comments

Most Rev. W. Francis Malooly, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington, responds to statements made by Sen. Joseph Biden published in the October 19, 2008 edition of the News Journal.

October 24, 2008

In his interview with the News Journal published on October 19, 2008, Senator Biden presents a seriously erroneous picture of Catholic teaching on abortion. He says, “I know that my church has wrestled with this for 2,000 years,” and he goes on to claim repeatedly that the Church has a nuanced view of the subject that leaves a great deal of room for uncertainty and debate.

This is simply incorrect. The teaching of the Church is clear and not open to debate. Abortion is a grave sin because it is the wrongful taking of an innocent human life. And the Church has always opposed abortion. The Church received the tradition opposing abortion from Judaism. In the Greco-Roman world the early Christians were identifiable by their rejection of the common practices of abortion and infanticide. The “Didache,” probably the earliest Christian writing apart from the New Testament, explicitly condemns abortion without exceptions. It tells us that there is a “way of life” and a “way of death” and that abortion is a part of the way of death. This has been the consistent teaching of the Church ever since. It was also the position of Protestant reformers without exception. It was the teaching of Pope John XXIII as well as Pope John Paul II. It is the teaching of Pope Benedict XVI and the bishops of the universal Church, including myself as shepherd of this diocese.

Some ancient and medieval theologians did see a difference between early abortions and ones that occurred later in term because under the limited medical knowledge of the time they did not know then what we scientifically know now—that a fetus is a living human being from the time of conception. Nevertheless, they universally condemned all abortions.

And of course we now know that a fetus is a living human being from the very start. Thus abortions take innocent human lives no matter when they occur. Since there is no “gradation” in the Church’s teaching on abortion, there is no way that the medically obsolete division of pregnancy into three trimesters by Roe v. Wade can have any bearing on the rightness or wrongness of abortion. Taking an innocent life in the womb is equally wrong at any stage of pregnancy.

The Declaration of Independence lists as God-given rights life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Life is listed first and it is the principal function of the state to protect the lives of its citizens. This understanding of the state’s primary obligation to protect human life is also fundamental to the Catholic social doctrine to which the Senator points. Without life all other rights are meaningless.

This Sunday all the parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington will pray the Litany of St. Thomas More, martyr and patron saint of statesmen, politicians and lawyers. In that litany we will ask St. Thomas More to intercede so that all statesmen and politicians may be courageous and effective in their defense and promotion of the sanctity of human life. We hope that Senator Biden will carefully listen to the Church’s 2000 years of testimony on abortion and that he will join in the defense and promotion of the sanctity of life.

Most Rev. W. Francis Malooly

Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington