The Pro-Abortion Voter

I keep encountering Catholics, truly an alarming number of them, who voted for President Biden last year, and have consistently voted for politicians at all levels who are unapologetically pro-abortion. 

When asked why they voted for President Biden, I received a variety of responses: "Because I despise Trump," or "Some things are worse than abortion," or "Republicans just support the wealthy and Wall Street," or "The death penalty is just as bad," or "Trump's a racist," and one of my favorites, "Joe Biden's a Catholic." None really addressed the moral theology of behind their voting decision, and I suppose that's to be expected. Most Americans vote based on habit -- "I always vote Democrat (or Republican)" -- on one or two issues that have the greatest or most direct effect on them personally, or even on their personal like or dislike of a candidate.  

I won’t dance around the issue, because it’s obvious: the vast majority of pro-abortion politicians are Democrats. That's not to say all Republicans are pro-life, because some certainly are not; but the "right" to an abortion is a solid plank in the Democrat Party's national platform. Indeed, for a Democrat politician to publicly oppose abortion -- an extremely rare event these days -- is to run the risk of censure by the party and the loss of any financial support from the party's coffers. 

Considering the Church's consistent teaching on abortion, I suppose, then, Catholic voters must answer the question: May I vote for a pro-abortion politician if I disagree with his opponent's stance on other issues? Let's see what the Church teaches on this as well.

Back in 1995, the Holy Father -- now Saint John Paul II -- wrote the following in his wonderful encyclical, The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae, 73):

Abortion and euthanasia are thus crimes which no human law can claim to legitimize. There is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws; instead there is a grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection.

From the very beginnings of the Church, the apostolic preaching reminded Christians of their duty to obey legitimately constituted public authorities (cf. Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet 2:13-14), but at the same time it firmly warned that “we must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).

In the Old Testament, precisely in regard to threats against life, we find a significant example of resistance to the unjust command of those in authority. After Pharaoh ordered the killing of all newborn males, the Hebrew midwives refused. “They did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live” (Ex 1:17). But the ultimate reason for their action should be noted: “the midwives feared God” (ibid.).

It is precisely from obedience to God -- to whom alone is due that fear which is acknowledgment of his absolute sovereignty -- that the strength and the courage to resist unjust human laws are born. It is the strength and the courage of those prepared even to be imprisoned or put to the sword, in the certainty that this is what makes for “the endurance and faith of the saints” (Rev 13:10).

In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to “take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of such a law, or vote for it”

John Paul II went on to write:

"I repeat once more that a law which violates an innocent person's natural right to life is unjust and, as such, is not valid as a law. For this reason I urgently appeal once more to all political leaders not to pass laws which, by disregarding the dignity of the person, undermine the very fabric of society."

St. John Paul teaches us that laws permitting abortion or euthanasia are "intrinsically unjust" or, as the Church consistently teaches, "intrinsically evil." But what does this mean? Briefly, if an act is "intrinsically evil," evil is inherent to that act. In other words, the act is always evil. It is always sinful. It is never good and, therefore, never acceptable. There can be no situation, no place, and no time when it is not evil. There's no compromise here, no shading of good or evil based on the consequences of the act. Intrinsically evil acts may never be done. 

Sounds very absolute, doesn't it? And that's because it is. A lot of folks don't like to hear truths stated so absolutely. They'd much prefer to hear a softer, more malleable opinion; or even better, a bunch of opinions from which they can choose one that best corresponds to their own pliant thought. The world, of course, is more than ready to supply such opinions; but the Church is not. 

In June 2004 the future Pope Benedict XVI, who was then the Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote a letter to all bishops on "The Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion." It's a brief letter, well worth reading, but of particular interest is the final paragraph, words misinterpreted by many:

“A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.”

Many people who vote for pro-abortion candidates use Pope Benedict's final sentence to justify their actions. The question then becomes: what exactly does it mean to be "permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons?" 

I can only assume Pope Benedict used the word, "proportionate" to mean what I've always taken it to mean: that any comparison must correspond in intensity, or amount, or size. Since abortion in our nation results in the deaths of approximately 1.5 million innocent unborn children every year, or about 6 million deaths during a presidential four-year term, "proportionate reasons" would necessarily involve something equally tragic. In truth, though, I can think of no issue germane to the 2020 presidential election that is "proportionate" to such a horrendous slaughter of innocents -- certainly no other intrinsically evil policy of such magnitude.

Interestingly, in an interview on EWTN not long before the 2020 election, Cardinal Gerhard Muller, former Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was asked if a Catholic could vote for a candidate who supports the Democrat Party's strong opposition to Church teaching on family and religious freedom. "Can a Catholic support somebody like that, much less vote for them?"

In response, Cardinal Muller stated, "We are citizens in a pluralistic state with religious freedom. I don't support a candidate in Germany because he is Catholic but because he has the right understanding of life and the basics for human rights. And it's better to vote for a good Protestant than for a bad Catholic. We must judge according to what they are doing and not only according to their words. That is biblical criteria. Look to the fruits."

Amen.

The Diplomacy of St. John Paul

I just received the latest issue of First Things, one of the few journals I could not do without. If you don't subscribe to First Things I urge you to do so. You won't regret it unless you dislike being challenged...end of commercial.

Opening this latest issue I turned first to the lead article, Lessons in Statecraft, by George Weigel. Weigel, probably best known as the historian-biographer of the papacy of St. John Paul II, offers the reader a glimpse of the pope-saint as diplomat and statesman. Although this great pope was first and foremost a man of faith, he was also, out of necessity, a world leader who, as Weigel suggests, used a "different toolkit" from that of the typical politician and diplomat. The times, typified by the ongoing cold war waged between East and West, demanded the active presence of a witness who could stand on the global stage and call for the defense of religious freedom. And more than anything else, St. John Paul II was a true witness who, as if responding to Joe Stalin's famous question -- "The Pope? How many divisions has he got?" -- simply says, "The Church doesn't need armies. She has Jesus Christ."

In his article Weigel offers seven "lessons" distilled from the statecraft of this remarkable pope. I'll list them here, along with just a brief comment or two, but I hope you will take the time to read Weigel's entire article. One can only hope that our current generation of politicians and diplomats, who have made such a mess of the world, will also read it and perhaps take a few of these lessons to heart.

Lesson 1: Culture drives history. John Paul rejected the prevailing ideologies that fallaciously assume history is driven by politics, or power, or materialism, or economics, or any other "ism". History, he believed, is driven by culture. As Weigel says, "...at the center of culture is cult, or religion: what people believe, cherish, and worship; what people are willing to stake their lives, and their children's lives, on." I first encountered this lesson many years ago in the writings of Christopher Dawson, one of the last century's greatest historians. If you haven't read Dawson, do so. Perhaps the best overview of his thought can be found in Dynamics of World History.

Lesson 2: Ideas count, for good and for ill. Few of today's politicians seem to understand this truth. Too many see movements like Jihadism and dismiss its stated beliefs, the ideas that brought it to life, as irrelevant and attribute its existence to more convenient and politically correct causes. Pope John Paul took ideas seriously because he realized how powerful they were.

Lesson 3: Don't psychologize the adversary. Trying to change the behavior of ideologues through psychological means -- "If we're nice to them they'll forget about making that bomb" -- will always be perceived as weakness by the adversary who will inevitably take advantage of what is offered. An ideologue is, in effect, a slave to his ideology and will use all available means to advance it.

Lesson 4: Speak loudly and be supple in deploying whatever sticks, large or small, you have at hand. Pope John Paul, probably as a result of his years spent under both Nazi and Communist rule, understood the power of the bully pulpit and used it to perfection. He also knew when to approach a situation as a "quiet persuader" to achieve the ends he sought.

Lesson 5: Listen to the martyrs. For almost two decades the persecuted Christians behind the Iron Curtain were largely ignored in the hope that such appeasement would lessen future persecution. It didn't. Pope John Paul, who had witnessed martyrdom firsthand, realized this and didn't hesitate to publicly acknowledge "the witness of [the Church's] sons and daughters who had taken the risk of freedom and paid the price for it."

Lesson 6: Think long-term and do not sacrifice core principles to what seems immediate advantage. Pope John Paul understood well the Church's core values and would do nothing to jeopardize them. The Church, for example, cannot be true to its primary mission of evangelization if it enters into agreements with political powers that place severe limitations on its ability to carry out this mission. Or, as Weigel states when describing the pope's refusal to agree to a political accommodation proposed by Poland's communist government, "In John Paul II's ecclesiology, the Church could not be a partisan political actor because that role contradicted the Eucharistic character of the Church."

Lesson 7: Media "reality" isn't necessarily reality. Pope John Paul II knew that the secular media, even those so-called "experts" on Church affairs, really don't have a clue when it comes to the Catholic Church. Almost universally they tend to view and report on the Church through lenses colored by their political and cultural biases. In other words, they are almost always wrong. Because they are largely irreligious, most media types consider religion to be irrelevant and fail to recognize the importance of religious issues to the majority of humanity. 

I hope my brief description of these lessons will lead you to read George Weigel's article and also encourage you to subscribe to First Things. 

Who will elect the new Pope?

Who's Who in the Sistine Chapel. 115 of the Church's Cardinals are expected to take part in the conclave that will elect our next Holy Father. Over the next few weeks, these men will be at the center of the news out of Rome. As the preparations for the conclave continue, we will learn about a few of these men -- specifically, the papabili, or those whom the "experts" believe to be the most likely candidates. I suspect, however, that most Catholics can name only a few of them. But if you click on this link -- Who's Who of the New Pope's Electors -- you will find a nice overview that lists each Cardinal by name, assignment, religious order if applicable, and nationality. It also includes his year of birth and the pope who made him a Cardinal.

Cardinals gather in the Sistine Chapel

Did you know, for example, that of the 115 electors, more than half -- 60 to be exact -- are Europeans? Of the others, 11 come from the United States, 19 from Latin America, three from Canada, 11 from Africa, 10 from Asia, and one from Australia. Of the total 67 were made Cardinals by Pope Benedict XVI and 48 by Pope John Paul II. All very interesting

By the way, should you want to dig a little deeper, you can check out this in-depth website which explores the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, past and present: Catholic Hierarchy.

Cardinal Oswald Gracias (Mumbai)

Adopt a Cardinal. I would hope, however, that your interest in the upcoming proceedings in the Vatican stems less from mere curiosity and more from a desire that these 115 men will be moved by the Holy Spirit to accept God's holy will and act accordingly. And the best way for the faithful to take an active part in this process is through our prayers. To encourage this, one website calls on each of us to adopt a Cardinal to "support through your prayer and intercession during the coming weeks before and during the conclave and for three days following the election" of our next Pope. What a terrific idea! At the time I write this, 265,961 people have already chosen to adopt a Cardinal who is assigned randomly to you when you go to the website and click on the "adopt" button. Check it out here: Adopt a Cardinal.

My Cardinal (I've already become very possessive) is Oswald Gracias of Bombay (Mumbai) India. Interestingly, we are the same age (I'm actually 3 months older than His Eminence who was born on Christmas Eve.), but he's much better looking. I've included his photo above.

I hope all my readers -- all ten of you -- will go to this site and adopt a Cardinal of your own.

Pray for our One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church.

Our Next Pope

The cardinals of the Church have gathered in Rome, and yesterday they began a series of meetings in advance of the conclave that will take place sometime later this month in the world's most spectacular and beautiful meeting room, the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. And as the world watches and the faithful pray and wait for a puff of white smoke, the self-appointed "experts" will question, and speculate, and suggest, and dare even to instruct.

The other day during a TV interview one wag suggested that, "After decades of the authoritarian rule of the last two popes, the cardinals will no doubt turn to someone more pastoral in his approach." I almost fell out of my chair! More pastoral? During the past century no popes have been more pastoral than John Paul II and Benedict XVI. None of their recent predecessors has reached out more lovingly and hopefully to men and women of good will. Yes, these two men were uncompromisingly faithful to the Church's magisterial teaching on faith and morality, but is this not what God wants from His vicar on earth and what the faithful expect? But if the Church is to carry out its overriding mission of evangelization, it must be more than a defensive bulwark against the ever-changing zeitgeist. It must also enter into a dialogue with the world, teaching and listening and learning. As Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman put it, "It is as absurd to argue men, as to torture them, into believing."

Sharing the Cross: Benedict and John Paul

These two men, then, these two intellectual and spiritual giants, whose pontificates can almost be viewed as conjoined, worked tirelessly to teach and to demonstrate to the world that faith and reason are not in conflict and, indeed, are essential companions on our life's journey. The Church and the world have been blessed by their presence and selfless leadership.

I suspect that what this "expert" really wants is a pope who will go along with whatever moral deviations or liturgical innovations the faithless place in front of him. This, of course, will not happen. Of one thing we can be certain: the next pope, whoever he may be, will continue to defend the Church's unalterable teachings on the sanctity of human life created in the very image of God. The deposit of faith will remain secure. I believe, too, that the College of Cardinals will also elect a pope who is just as committed to the Church's mission of evangelization as were his two predecessors.

We must always remember that it is the Holy Spirit, working alongside these successors to the apostles, who guides the Church through this time of uncertainty and change. He was promised by our Lord and was with the universal Church from its very beginnings on that first Pentecost. He was with the early Church, too, as it confronted its first challenges at the Council of Jerusalem. Recall the words of that encyclical letter sent by the apostles to the universal Church: "For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us..." [Acts 15:28] And because God keeps His promises, the Holy Spirit will remain with His Church, the Bark of Peter, as it navigates today's troubled waters.

Pay little or no attention to what the secular media has to say about these momentous events now unfolding in the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. They inevitably get it wrong because they view the Church through worldly lenses and not through the eyes of faith. They see this selection of a new Vicar of Christ on earth as if it were simply another political event, another election to be covered and probed and dissected, and as fodder for their "insightful" commentaries. Listen instead to the Church and join together in prayer as we await the decision of the Spirit.

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Political Authority and Its Limits

Today, in our own nation, we are confronted by an administration that apparently believes there is little room in the public square for either the pronouncement or the application of religious values, especially those religious values that conflict with the government's ideology, its own view of the world. Not just the Catholic Church, but all faiths have been put on notice that they will be required to suppress their most basic moral beliefs and take actions that directly contradict these beliefs. This, of course, flies in the face of this nation's founding principles and the Constitution in which these principles are enumerated. Our Constitution prohibits the federal government from prohibiting the free exercise of religion and yet this is exactly what the current administration is attempting to do. The Catholic Church, joined by many of other faiths, has come out strongly against these policies and we can hope that this dispute ultimately will be settled by the U. S. Supreme Court in favor of the Constitution and the Church. Until then, and perhaps even afterwards, the Church -- and that includes all of us, not just our bishops -- must resist the implementation of such policies regardless of the personal consequences.

Many Catholics, along with many other Christians, however, seem not to realize what is at stake and view this issue as just another political controversy, one that will have little or no effect on how they vote in November. If this represents your view I suggest you turn to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and take a few moments to review the Church's teaching on political authority and its limitations. The Catechism is one of the few sources of wisdom to which we should turn when confronted by the absurdities and disputes and terrors we encounter in the world. The Church's teachings as found in the Catechism derive not only from Holy Scripture but also from Apostolic Tradition and the Church's Magisterium, the teaching authority it received directly from Jesus Christ.

Addressing this issue (CCC 1901-1904), the Catechism first quotes Pope John XXIII, in his encyclical, Pacem in terris:

"Authority is exercised legitimately only when it seeks the common good of the group concerned and if it employs morally licit means to attain it. If rulers were to enact unjust laws or take measures contrary to the moral order, such arrangements would not be binding in conscience. In such a case, 'authority breaks down completely and results in shameful abuse.'" [Pope John XXIII, Pacem in terris 51]

And so, we are called to resist laws or regulations that are "contrary to the moral order." By not doing so we place the salvation of our own souls in jeopardy.

In this same section the Catechism also quotes Pope John Paul II, from his encyclical, Centesimus annus:

"It is preferable that each power be balanced by other powers and by other spheres of responsibility which keep it within proper bounds. This is the principle of the 'rule of law,' in which the law is sovereign and not the arbitrary will of men." [Pope John Paul II, Centisimus annus, 44]

Here Pope John Paul encourages keeping government authority in check via the application of separation of powers which epitomizes our own constitutional form of government. But he also addresses the necessary presence of "other spheres of responsibility" -- i.e., the Church --to ensure the government does not stray beyond its "proper bounds." The Church, then, must speak out when confronted by the gross usurpation of authority by teaching its members, the community at large, and the government itself. And it must also put its teachings into action by resisting the illegitimate application of authority.

One of our more courageous bishops, Bishop Thomas Paprocki of Springfield, Ill, in a recent column in his diocesan newspaper, encouraged Catholics to approach the upcoming election responsibly and not vote for candidates who support intrinsic evils. As he stated in his column, “My job is not to tell you for whom you should vote. But I do have a duty to speak out on moral issues.” You can read the bishop's column in its entirety here. (A video of his comments is also available on the same website.)

As Bishop Paprocki told the people of his diocese, we must all “think and pray very carefully” about our votes in the upcoming election.

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John Paul II to be listed in Guinness Book of Records

Pope John Paul II -- a record-setter...

Miscellany

Just a few items that might interest the readers of this blog:

Pope John Paul II Beatification Website: As you probably know, Pope Benedict XVI will beatify his predecessor, Pope John Paul II, on May 1 of this year. I would love to go to Rome for the beatification, but I expect the hotel and related prices will be through the roof, putting it well outside our meager budget. Much better to visit Rome during the off-season when both the prices and the crowds are way down. 

In anticipation of the event, a website devoted to John Paul's cause is now up and running. It's quite comprehensive and accessible in several languages, including English. I spent a little time this morning browsing the site and learned all sots of things I didn't know. Here's the link: John Paul II Beatification

Cause of Jacques and Raïssa Maritain. A beatification cause that I wasn't aware of is that of Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) and his wife Raïssa (1883-1960). Maritian, one of the preeminent Catholic philosophers of the twentieth century, was raised a Protestant but was strongly influenced by the writings of St. Thomas Aquinas. Raïssa, both a philosopher and a poet, was raised a Jew in a Russian-Ukranian family. She emigrated to France and met Maritain while studying at the Sorbonne. Both she and her husband converted to Catholicism in 1906, two years after their marriage.Their cause is being promoted as an example to the faithful of a holy marriage. The below video provides an overview of the cause for this couple's beatification.




Another Anglican Bishop Ordained in the Catholic Church. The Anglican Ordinariate continues to expand as Anglican priests and bishops come into the Church. The latest is Anglican Bishop Edwin Barnes who was ordained a deacon this past Friday, and will be ordained to the priesthood next month. Here's a link to a related article by Deacon Keith Fournier published on Catholic Online: Anglican Ordinariate Grows.

Newly ordained Deacon Barnes (right)

Blessed Pope John Paul II

In the unlikely event that you missed it, here's some wonderful news! Pope Benedict XVI has announced that he will declare Pope John Paul II "Blessed" in Rome on May 1 of this year. Preparations are already underway for the event which will likely draw a few million of the faithful to Rome. This will be the first time a pope will beatify his immediate predecessor. I would love to be there, but Diane and I simply can't afford to make another trip to Rome so soon. That's one thing about traveling to Europe these days: You have to use so many of those pesky (and increasingly worthless) dollars. Perhaps, should we live so long, we will be able to travel there for his eventual canonization. That would be nice.

Pope John Paul II in Jerusalem (2000)

Here's a link to an article on the upcoming beatification: Pope John Paul II.

And I have also included a news video below...

Also, here's a wonderful little video on the highlights of John Paul II's life:

Pray to this saintly man for his intercession.

God's peace...

Beatification of Pope John Paul II...Next Year?

The beatification process for Venerable Pope John Paul II is apparently moving forward and the late pontiff could be beatified as soon as next year.

Right now a miracle cure attributed to his intercession is being investigated. The case involves a French nun who had suffered from Parkinson's disease for a number of years and was apparently cured just a few months after Pope John Paul's death. It's all addressed in the following brief video:

The beautiful Diane -- she who must be loved -- will undergo surgery tomorrow morning, so in my prayers I have been asking Pope John Paul II to intercede for her to guide the surgeon's hands and ensure the surgery is successful. I ask that you join me in this.

God's peace...