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2 EDITORIAL
Catholic Voice
21st May 2021
The Medicine of Excommunication powerful argument for the dignity of human life but he also directly identifies “another source of scandal that pertains specifically to Catholics in public life: if their participation in the evil of abortion is not addressed forthrightly by their pastors, this can lead Catholics (and others) to assume that the moral teaching of the Catholic Church on the inviolate sanctity of human life is not seriously held.” Anthony Murphy In a new pastoral letter the Archbishop of San Francisco, Salvatore Cordileone, is powerfully leading the way in setting a serious challenge to those Catholics who support abortion. In particular it is a letter which should be read and reflected on by every Irish bishop and priest.
Church leaders cannot dodge the challenge by saying that no politician is perfect. As Archbishop Cordileone puts it, “We all fall short in various ways, but there is a great difference between struggling to live according to the teachings of the Church and rejecting those teachings.”
The archbishop reminds Catholics that the killing of innocent unborn children in the womb is one of the greatest evils and is the pre-eminent public issue of our day.
Along with his pastoral letter, Archbishop Cordileone released a very useful “Questions Answered” section explaining aspects of the document. He disclosed that he had been drafting this pastoral “for a long time, but did not want to publish it during the election year, precisely to avoid further confusion among those who would misperceive this as ‘politicizing’ the issue.”
The pastoral letter is powerful and much needed because the archbishop not only makes a
But eventually the issue had to be addressed, the archbishop explained:
“I tremble that if I do not forthrightly challenge Catholics under my pastoral care who advocate for abortion, both they and I will have to answer to God for innocent blood,” writes Archbishop Cordileone.
CatholicVoice
Editor: Anthony Murphy editor@catholicvoice.ie Telephone: 059 8627268 ROI 00353 59 8627268 Outside ROI Keep up to date with news and articles via The Lumen Fidei website www.lumenfidei.ie
If a bishop has members of his flock who are erring and causing others to wander from the truth, he has a moral obligation to call them to account. This should be done privately at first, and with great patience. However, if every other medicine fails, it may be necessary for them to refrain from receiving the Holy Eucharist until they repent.
This is perhaps the most significant section of the pastoral letter with the archbishop making a strong public case for taking the next step, so if public figures ignore the call to repent and continue to support abortion then the only medicine which can correct their obstinacy in sin is that of excommunication. The full pastoral letter will be available for download on the Lumen Fidei website and we will be sending a copy to every Irish bishop urging them to reflect on the content and to consider issuing a similar response to the pre-eminent public issue of our day. In the meantime here is the Executive Summary of the Pastoral Letter: A Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion, and Catholics in Public Life Executive Summary “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you” (Jer 1:5). A young Jeremiah heard the Lord speak these words to him over 2500 years ago. In these times in which we are living, the scourge of abortion ignores the reality that humans are made in the image of God, known and beloved by God. This pastoral letter addresses all Catholics, but especially Catholics in public life, calling for deep reflection on the evil of abortion and on the meaning of receiving Holy Communion, the Bread of Life.
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EDITORIAL 3
21st May 2021 Catholic Voice There are four pivotal points to this letter: 1. The gravity of the evil of abortion: Science teaches that human life begins at conception. The ending of life through abortion deeply wounds the woman and destroys the foundation of a just society; it is a “preeminent priority” because it violates the right to life, the foundation of all other rights. As Catholics we must be a voice for the voiceless and the powerless; there is no one more defenceless than a child in the womb. 2. Cooperation in moral evil: Who bears culpability when an abortion takes place? It is never solely the mother’s act. Those who kill or assist in killing the child are directly involved in performing a seriously evil act. Someone who pressures or encourages the mother to have an abortion, who pays for it or provides financial assistance to organisations that provide abortions, or who supports candidates because they advance proabortion legislation also cooperate by varying degrees in a grave moral evil.
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3. The meaning of choosing to receive the Holy Eucharist: The Church has taught consistently for 2000 years that those who receive the Eucharist are publicly professing their Catholic faith and are seriously striving to live by the moral teachings of the Church. Those who reject the teaching of the Church on the sanctity of human life and those who do not seek to live in accordance with that teaching place themselves in contradiction to the communion of the Church, and so should not receive the sacrament of that communion, the Holy Eucharist. We all fall short in various ways, but there is a great difference between struggling to live according to the teachings of the Church and rejecting those teachings. 4. The responsibilities of Catholics in public life: From the three points above it follows that Catholics prominent in public life have a special responsibility to bear witness to the fullness of Church teaching. In addition to their own spiritual good there is also the danger of scandal: that is, by their false witness, other Catholics may come to doubt the Church’s teaching on abortion, the Holy Eucharist, or both. This is becoming increasingly challenging in our time. We are all called to conversion, not only those Catholics who are prominent in public life. Let us understand what is at stake here and work together in building a culture of life. To those who need to hear this message clearly: Turn away from evil and return home to the fullness of your Catholic faith. We await you with open arms to welcome you back with joy.
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12 SCANDALIZING CHILDREN
Catholic Voice
21st May 2021
Whosoever Therefore Shall Humble Himself As This Little Child, He Is The Greater In The Kingdom Of Heaven. John Lacken Let us pause for a moment to offer up one Hail Mary for our bishops so that they will have the courage to boldly proclaim the Gospel message and be a light in these darkening times. Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum. Benedicta tu in mulieribus, et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus. Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, ora pro nobis peccatoribus, nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen. I would like to thank all of those who have sent in donations to our recent appeal where we are offering a complimentary copy of ‘Ireland’s Loyalty to the Mass’. The response has been great and people have contacted me to tell me how much they have enjoyed the book and of how it has given them a sense of courage when they read of how our ancestors stood firm in the face of persecution. We will keep this offer running until the end of June so if you would like to receive a copy of ‘Ireland’s Loyalty to the Mass’ whilst supporting our apostolate to promote and defend our Catholic Faith, then please fill out the form at the end of this article and return it with your donation to the address listed. Catholics are going to need both courage and fortitude in these times when it is clear that the Irish government is seeking to rid our country of the influence of Catholicism once and for all. Our government has sought to interfere in the renewed celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass by re-iterating their instructions for religious services on 28th April, 2021. When it comes to distributing the Body, Blood, Soul & Divinity of Jesus Christ our secular government says:
Irish Government Blasphemes Jesus Christ
• “Communion should be distributed into the hands and NOT onto the tongue. The host should be placed in the hand of the recipient in such a way as to avoid hand contact. Priests and Ministers should be trained in the technique of placing the host in the recipient’s hand in a manner that avoids hand contact. Communicants should be told how the Communion host will be delivered.” The norm for distributing Holy Communion in the Catholic Church is on the tongue whilst the communicant is kneeling and Catholics always have the right to receive Holy Communion on the tongue. The Irish government is contradicting the norm of the Catholic Church by forbidding Holy Communion on the tongue and the government is going beyond their lawful authority. The Irish Government also reiterates their blasphemy against Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the altar when they state in their guidance for Religious Services that:
• “The elements of Communion can also be placed in individual disposable cups or containers and left separated on a tray or table for collection. Communicants could then approach and pick up an individual container for themselves while making sure not to touch any other hosts. The disposable cups or containers should be placed in a designated receptacle afterwards.” To speak of the Holy Eucharist in such disrespectful terms is blasphemous. The Irish Government is Hell bent on eradicating our Catholic culture which is transmitted primarily by way of the traditional Catholic family. The Catholic Primary Schools Management Association recently launched an RSE programme called Flourish. I have not studied the programme and so I cannot say whether the content is good or not, but it hit the headlines because while it mentions that “Children in the senior classes in primary school will be aware of
21st May 2021
Catholic Voice
SCANDALIZING CHILDREN 13
the existence of LGBTQI and some may question their own identity in this regard.”, it also says: “However, the Church’s teaching in relation to marriage between a man and a woman cannot be omitted” This led to some questions in the Irish parliament. I am once again indebted to Séamus de Barra for providing me the text of these exchanges. The first came from Deputy Roisín Shorthall addressed to Tánaiste Leo Varadkar on Thursday 29th April, 2021. Deputy Róisín Shorthall: “A new relationships and sexuality education, RSE, programme for Catholic primary schools was published this week, as the Tánaiste knows. It was developed by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference. The programme, in its introduction, states that when discussing LGBTQ+ plus issues with children, “the Church’s teaching in relation to marriage between a man and a woman cannot be omitted”. We know what that teaching is. Relationships between men and women are natural. LGBTQ+ relationships are “intrinsically disordered”. As recently as last month, incredibly, the Vatican reaffirmed that the Catholic Church cannot bless same-sex unions because God “cannot bless sin”. That is the church’s position. Let us not pretend otherwise. However, it is not the State’s position or the public’s position. We had a marriage equality referendum in this country in 2015 which passed by a huge majority. Same-sex marriage is every bit as valid as a heterosexual marriage. My God, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee. I beg pardon of Thee for all those that do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee. Amen. Angel to the Children of Fatima 1916
Teaching children that relationships can be placed in a hierarchy depending on sexual orientation should be an anathema in any modern republic. Do we really want LGBTQ+ children, who may be struggling with their sexual orientation, to be taught in schools that their relationships are in any way less worthy, meaningful, loving or deserving of respect than their heterosexual peers? That is the inference of this programme. This is an issue that does not just affect children. Speaking at the INTO’s annual conference at the start of the month, its vice president Joe McKeown said that up to 4,000 LGBTQ+ teachers are hiding their sexual orientation because they feared their jobs or promotion prospects would be harmed if their school patrons discovered their true identity. The Tánaiste may say that Catholic schools have an ethos, but sex education needs to be fact-based. Facts do not have an ethos. Can he tell me why, in 2021, RSE for Irish children is being developed by Catholic bishops and not the National Council for Curriculum Assessment? Why has the Minister for Education remained silent on
this? What is the Government going to do to ensure pluralism in our schools and that we teach our children mutual respect?” There is no surprise here from Róisín, and Catholics should pray for her conversion. She is probably sincere in her beliefs and she means well, but she is in error. Many of those who contradict Catholic teaching on human sexuality do so in the name of science and facts, however they ignore true science and the facts. It is a fact that two men cannot pro-create children together. It is a fact that two women cannot pro-create children together. It is a fact that only a man and a woman can procreate children together, whether married or not. Therefore, it is also a fact that heterosexual relationships are not equal to homosexual relationships. It is a fact that born children are regarded by society as a great good. There was a time when unborn children were also regarded as a great good, but modern Irish governments, allow unborn children to be murdered. Given that children are a great good, it is a fact that the great