[cpforlife.org]

From Dr. Frank Joseph, who sent the article to me:

Dear Friends,

It's about time a bishop has decided to become a good shepherd. I have said many times that the killing of unborn children in the United States will end when the bishops want them to end.

Unless the diseased sheep are removed, the entire flock will continue to be infected. This is why the percentage of Catholic women having their unborn child killed is greater than the Evangelicals, as is the percentage of Catholics voting for pro-abort candidates also greater.

State senator Julie Lassa (D) Wisconsin, came up a dilly of an excuse. She said, "I'm concerned that the bishop would pressure legislators to vote according to the dictates of the church instead of the wishes of their constituents because that is not consistent with our Democratic ideals . . . I appreciate that the bishop has expressed his opinion and I will take that into consideration, but I have to consider what's in the best interest of my constituents . . . But I can't let my religion take precedence over my duties as a legislator."

Whatever happened to having the will of God take precedence?

A more truthful statement would have been, " I am in the Democratic party, and the main plank in our platform is that a woman should have the right to have her unborn child killed, if she so chooses. Now, if I would be a Republican, it would be no problem.

"So, sorry bishop, I have to be pro-abortion if I want to move up the ladder in the Democratic party. Heck, senators Kennedy, Kerry, Harkin, Durbin, Reed, Murray, Dodd, Mikulski, Collins, Daschle, Biden, Leahy and Landrieu are all pro-abortion. The first nine, even voted NOT to ban partial-birth abortions. None of them were threatened with excommunication. Why are you picking on me?

"And if you don't believe me when I say that abortions are the life's blood of the Democratic party, 12 of the above 13 United State senators are Democrats."

Let's face it, the above would have been more truthful. It is not uncommon for members of the "Party of Death" to stretch the truth, or to tell an outright lie. Hence Sen. Lassa's statement that she has to conform to the wish's of her constituents. What she really means is that she has to conform to the wish's of her party. The trend in the United States is on the rise for pro-lifers. It is rapidly approaching 50/50. If you allow abortions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother, then pro-lifers win in a landslide. So, it would seem that Sen. Lassa knows nothing about the wish's of her constituents, nor does she know of all the risks of the mother when she has her child killed, both physical and emotional.

When you have 13 pro-abortion Catholic U.S. senators, who still receive Holy Communion with mortal sins on their souls (for being a party to the killing of 4,000 children of God, every day) then, how can you expect their constituents to make the right moral decisions to save their almighty souls.

These politicians who put their party above the will of God - - "Thou Shalt Not Kill" -- should be given a week to ponder their heretical views. If at the end of that time, they still do not repent their sin and ask forgiveness, they MUST be excommunicated.

If the bishops had been good shepherds, it would not have come to this. The contaminated sheep would have been cut from the rest of the flock years ago and many millions of lives would have been saved.

For bishops to allow these heretics to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in a state of grave sin is beyond the pale.

How the bishops will explain to God, their pathetic actions to rid our country of the American holocaust is beyond me, BUT, they will have to explain.

We have God's Own word on that from the Book of the Apocalypse, 3: 16 "Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will begin to vomit thee out of My mouth."

Frank Joseph MD

[Jaysun]

It IS about time. Bravo.

[cpforlife.org]

St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Hardworking Wisconsin bishop follows Vatican policies precisely
Patricia Rice
Published: Tuesday, Dec. 02 2003

The Wisconsin bishop who will become the archbishop of St. Louis next month is
a staunch conservative who is expected to carry out most of the initiatives
Cardinal Justin F. Rigali introduced during the past nine years.

Archbishop-elect Raymond L. Burke, 55, has been the bishop of La Crosse, Wis.,
for the last nine years. The Vatican announced Tuesday that Burke will succeed
Rigali, who moved to Philadelphia in October as its archbishop and a cardinal.

On Jan. 26, the former Vatican church lawyer will be installed as the St. Louis
archdiocese's ninth bishop and eighth archbishop at the St. Louis Cathedral
Basilica.

St. Louisans will get a hardworking bishop who follows the finest points on all
Vatican directions precisely, from major policies to revisions for bows and
nods at Mass.

"He is a humble man who takes his responsibilities very seriously," said Thomas
A. Szyszkiewicz, former editor of the Catholic Times of La Crosse.

"With the liturgy, he is very concerned about reverence and order. And you can
expect that, on the moral issues, he will be teaching and affirming the church
on such things as abortion and contraception."

A staunch conservative

Burke displayed his religious conservatism in the fall of 2002. His diocese was
one of two U.S. dioceses to pull out of the annual Crop Walks fund-raisers,
sponsored by the ecumenical Church World Services. He told Catholics not to
walk because the agency finances family-planning services and gives out condoms
in developing nations.

A few years ago, Burke took the unusual step of publicly disagreeing with
another bishop, then-Milwaukee Archbishop Rembert Weakland, over the idea of
married men being ordained. Weakland suggested it be discussed. Burke said it
was a bad idea.

Burke drew attention last year when he criticized the popular novels featuring
the English schoolboy-magician Harry Potter. He sent all the schools and the
seminaries in his diocese a letter saying that Potter "may not be suitable for
young Catholic readers."

Open-door policy

Burke said Tuesday that he will bring to St. Louis his open-door policy in
dealing with alleged victims of sexual abuse. He promised to personally sit
down face-to-face with each person who accuses a priest of sexual abuse —
something Rigali had delegated to others and been criticized for by victims'
advocates.

In La Crosse, Burke spoke face-to-face with about 30 victims, he said. During
that time, he removed one priest from active ministry. When allegations of
abuse by two retired priests were brought to him, he removed their right to say
Mass.

Burke said he had never met with any of the groups representing victims. David
Clohessy, national spokesman for the Survivors Network for Those Abused by
Priests, said his group has no chapter in La Crosse but at least one member.

Barbara Dorris, leader of SNAP in St. Louis, will ask Burke for a face-to-face
"so that a genuine dialog can begin."

"His first focus, we believe, should be to encourage victims to contact
therapists, police, prosecutors and our support group so that dangerous
predators can be arrested and children can be kept safe," she said.

Meets with seminarians

Beyond meeting with abuse victims, Burke said his primary duty is to "provide
priests" to lead parishes and to recruit young men for the seminary. On
Tuesday, he had lunch with the seminarians at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in
Shrewsbury.

At a time when most dioceses around the nation have closed high school
seminaries, Burke opened a residence house in La Crosse for boys who are
considering the priesthood. They attend a Catholic coed high school but live in
the seminary-like dorm.

Mater Redemptoris Convent offers a similar program for high school girls
considering to become nuns.

A friend of Rigali

Burke's name had been mentioned in St. Louis as the top candidate to replace
Rigali as early as August. But he was mentioned less frequently inside the
Vatican and by U.S. bishops.

A few other cardinals were pushing for other candidates. Bishop J. Terry Stieb
of Memphis, Bishop George Murry of St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, Bishop
John H. Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Fla., Bishop Thomas Doran of Rockford,
Ill., and Bishop Wilton Gregory of Belleville were mentioned.

For months some bishops said that as the elected head of the bishops
conference, Gregory was never a contender. His duties will be particularly
heavy during the coming months as the audits and academic studies on sex abuse
by priests are completed and made public.

Burke is a longtime friend of Rigali's.

Rigali attended Burke's ordination to the priesthood at St. Peter's Basilica in
Rome in 1975. The two Americans knew each other when both worked in different
offices at the Vatican.

As recently as this fall Rigali had Burke to dinner at the archbishop's
residence on Lindell Boulevard, where some other guests were teasing Burke by
calling him "St. Louis Archbishop-elect."

Rigali said in a telephone interview Tuesday from his Philadelphia office that
he has full confidence that Burke is what St. Louis needs and will administer
the archdiocese well.

"Each bishop has different gifts," Rigali said.

"A most lovable guy"

Burke on Tuesday compared his appointment to a sports swap. In June 2002,
Wisconsin got St. Louis native Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of Milwaukee and
Tuesday St. Louis got Burke.

"I hope that you will not be disappointed with the exchange," Burke told a
group of priests and other archdiocesan workers at the Cardinal Justin Francis
Rigali Pastoral Center in Shrewsbury.

"Ray's a most lovable guy, with a big heart, a ready smile, a balanced man with
great common sense and with a towering intellect," said Dolan, in a phone
interview from Philadelphia, where he is leading a retreat for Rigali's
priests. "When (Burke) speaks of prayer you can tell it comes from a deep well
of personal experience. It's not showy piety."

"Keen on rural life"

Burke said his preaching style is more like Rigali's than Dolan, a dynamic and
popular preacher.

He's also an activist. "I'm keen on rural life," he said Tuesday, wearing a
green ribbon that promotes family farming. The Wisconsin, farm-bred,
Irish-American, is former chairman of the National Catholic Rural Life
Conference, which promotes ethical treatment of the environment and farm
workers.

La Crosse's mostly rural diocese on the east side of the Mississippi River has
209,400 Catholics spread over seven small cities and mostly farmland in 19
counties across 15,078 miles. The St. Louis Archdiocese has 555,600 Catholics
in the city of St. Louis and 10 counties spread over 5,968 square miles.

Burke is expected to have a long tenure here. At 55, he may well stay here
until at the age of 75, a bishop must give his resignation to the pope.

"We'll miss him"

In La Crosse, there was a sense of loss as the news of Burke's appointment
spread.

"We knew we wouldn't keep him long, because he has such qualifications," said
the Rev. Robert S. Hegenbarth, pastor of St. Leo the Great in West Salem, Wis.
"He was a great listener always concerned with the needs of the diocese, very
traditional, very conservative. We'll miss him."

Archbishop-elect Raymond L. Burke

Born June 30, 1948, in southwestern Wisconsin.

Enters seminary high school in La Crosse, Wis., in 1962 and later attends the
seminary college there and Catholic University of America in Washington.

Attends Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, 1971.

Ordained by Pope Paul VI on June 29, 1975.

Returns to La Crosse in 1975 as associate rector of the Cathedral of St. Joseph
the Workman and to teach at a high school.

Studies canon law at Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome in 1980.

Named vice-chancellor of the La Crosse diocese in 1984 and, later, its judicial
vicar.

Assigned as a lawyer at the church's highest court at the Vatican in 1989.

Installed as bishop of La Crosse on Feb. 22, 1995.

Named archbishop of St. Louis, Dec. 2.


Reporter Patricia Rice
E-mail: price@post-dispatch.com
Phone: 314-340-8221

[cpforlife.org]

Please let me know if you want on or off my Pro-Life Ping List.

[FormerLib]

Very good news! I hope this sort of thing is catching on.

[nickcarraway]

ping

[nickcarraway]

BUMP

[nickcarraway]

ping

[workerbee]

Lassa did not set an appointment and told the Journal Sentinel, "I'm concerned that the bishop would pressure legislators to vote according to the dictates of the church instead of the wishes of their constituents because that is not consistent with our Democratic ideals . . . I appreciate that the bishop has expressed his opinion and I will take that into consideration, but I have to consider what's in the best interest of my constituents . . . But I can't let my religion take precedence over my duties as a legislator."

Translation: Screw you, Bishop. I only use the Catholic schtick when it gets me a vote.

[nickcarraway]

From the Journal Sentinel article:

Rep. Marlin Schneider (D-Stevens Point), whose Assembly District is part of Lassa's Senate district, called Burke's letter outrageous.

"Churches ought not use the pulpit for blatant political purposes," said Schneider, who is Lutheran. "When they start telling legislators how to vote, they've crossed the line."

Peggy Hamill, state director of Pro-Life Wisconsin, said her organization was contacted by Burke's office for assistance in researching Lassa's voting record on abortion issues.

She said Lassa was the only legislator whose voting record was requested by Burke's office.

Hamill applauded Burke's effort to hold Catholic public officials accountable for shaping public policy in ways that are contrary to church teachings.

Pro-Life Wisconsin has organized a campaign urging Catholics with pro-life views who live in U.S. Rep. David Obey's district to write the Democrat to complain that his voting record on abortion issues is not in keeping with his Catholic faith.

Obey's office did not respond to inquires about whether he received a letter from Burke.

The subject of Catholic elected officials and their responsibility to represent the church's views on political issues is of increasing concern to church leaders.

At a meeting this fall of U.S. bishops in Washington, D.C., an initial report was offered by a new task force on Catholics in Public Life organized after the Vatican issued a doctrinal note on the subject.

John Huebscher, executive director of the Wisconsin Catholic Conference, which represents Wisconsin's Roman Catholic bishops, said the subject is under increasing discussion in church circles. But he knew of no organized effort by Wisconsin bishops to send letters to elected officials reminding them of their duty to represent Catholic teachings.

Kathleen Hohl, interim communications director for Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan, said Dolan had not sent letters on this subject to any lawmakers representing districts in the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

"To my knowledge, it's not anywhere on the to-do list," she said. "It has not come up within the Archdiocese of Milwaukee."

[TheAngryClam]

The Bishop of Sacramento did something similar to Gray Davis last year- he didn't allow him to have an inaugural Mass in the Cathedral and even told him to refrain from Communion. It was great.

[NYer]

"As a faithful member of the Catholic Church, you have an obligation to fulfill the duties of your office with regard not only to the laws of the state, but also with regard to the moral law."

Excellent response!

Catholic Ping - let me know if you want on/off this list

[Mr. Silverback]

To paraphrase Bill Cosby: "Kick 'em out, boot 'em out, waaaaaaay out! [Boom!] Kick 'em out, boot 'em out, waaaaaay out! [Boom!]"

ProLife Ping!

If anyone wants on or off my ProLife Ping List, please notify me here or by freepmail.

[matrix2225]

About time. Excommunication is the worst thing that can happen. But after all, if they have corrupted their life, they should pay consequences of their actions.

[Digger]

Right On! When are they going to stop supporting ILLEGALS.

[CyberCowboy777]

Ping - This is why I work with my Catholic Brothers.

You and I may disagree - about some important things, but we can work together to bring Christ to the World.

[cpforlife.org]

Bishops may punish politicians

Proabortion position of Catholic lawmakers a source of frustration

By Michael Paulson, Globe Staff, 11/11/2003

WASHINGTON -- Frustrated that so many Catholic politicians support
abortion rights, the bishops of the United States said yesterday that
they will begin evaluating whether they can impose sanctions against
elected officials who vote contrary to church teachings.

In a freewheeling discussion reflecting years of concern, some bishops
suggested that the church should consider punishments ranging from
denying honorary degrees to elected officials, refusing to allow them to
speak at Catholic institutions, or even excommunicating them.

"I am tired of hearing Catholic politicians say, `I am personally
opposed to whatever, but I can't impose my moral judgment on others,' "
said Bishop Joseph A. Galante of Dallas. "That's nonsense. They do it on
other issues . . . That's a weaseling out."

The bishops said they were prompted to act by a document issued in
January by Pope John Paul II. That document outlined the
responsibilities of Catholics actively involved in politics. Cardinal
Theodore E. McCarrick, the archbishop of Washington, suggested that the
bishops examine how they should deal with Catholic politicians who do
not heed the Vatican's urgings.

No names were mentioned, but some Catholics have long lamented the
support for abortion rights voiced by Massachusetts Senators Edward M.
Kennedy and John F. Kerry, both Catholics. In January, after the pope's
statement was issued, both men cited church-state separation as their
guiding principle. Kerry, who is running for president, declared at the
time, "As a Catholic, I have enormous respect for the words and
teachings of the Vatican, but as a public servant, I've never forgotten
the lasting legacy of President Kennedy, who made clear that in
accordance with the separation of church and state, no elected official
should be `limited or conditioned by any religious oath, ritual, or
obligation.' "

The bishops have created a task force to examine the church's
relationship with Catholic politicians. A member of the task force,
Bishop John H. Ricard of Pensacola-Tallahassee, Fla., said the group
will try to come up with a set of guidelines that examine issues such as
"honors for politicians."

"We face a serious pastoral challenge," Ricard said. "Some Catholic
politicians defy Church teaching in their policy advocacy and
legislative votes, first and most fundamentally on the defense of unborn
life, but also on the use of the death penalty, questions of war and
peace, the role of marriage and family, the rights of parents to choose
the best education for their children, the priority for the poor, and
welcome for immigrants."

Ricard accused some lawmakers of choosing "their party over their faith,
their ideology over Catholic teaching, the demands of their contributors
over the search for the common good."

The discussion about Catholic politicians occurred at the end of the
first day of the annual fall meeting of the bishops' conference. At the
start of the day, the conference president, Bishop Wilton D. Gregory,
reflecting on the clergy sexual abuse crisis, said that "We can do
better talking with and listening to one another as members of the
church" and that "even we bishops need to reflect on our own need to
accept just criticism, to apologize, and to forgive."

Outside the conference, a variety of organizations offered suggestions
to the bishops. Voice of the Faithful, a lay organization, praised some
bishops for meeting with its members, but criticized others for barring
its organization from meeting on church premises. Members of Soulforce,
a gay rights organization, and the Survivors Network of Those Abused by
Priests, held silent vigils alleging inattention to their concerns.

The bishops have been increasingly focused on political matters as the
presidential campaign intensifies. They recently published a guide for
Catholic voters, urging them to consider Catholic moral teachings when
deciding how to vote. But the document says that neither political party
in the United States is a perfect fit for Catholics, who are supposed to
oppose the death penalty as well as abortion and to make helping the
poor a priority.

During yesterday's discussion, some bishops made it clear they support
punishing politicians who vote against church teachings on abortion.

"It's a constant source of scandal that the most prominent proabortion
people are Catholics . . . who seem to go unreproved," said Bishop
Fabian W. Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb.

Cardinal Francis E. George of Chicago said the bishops' task force
should address "the whole question of sanctions, which we're challenged
from time to time to apply."

But George said bishops are not only supposed to speak the truth, but
also to "keep unity."

"It's that charism of unity that causes many of us to pause," he said.
"It's not a lack of courage, it's an act of understanding our role."

At a news conference, Galante said the bishops will scour canon law to
find options for sanctioning politicians. Those sanctions could include
excommunication, which denies politicians participation in the
sacraments. He said that such a step would be "the extreme" and that
there is debate about whether it could be justified. Galante said some
bishops already refuse to allow some elected officials to speak on
Catholic properties.

Michael Paulson can be reached at mpaulson@globe.com.

[ninenot]

I suspect that there are far more letters-sent-to-wayward-politicos than have been reported. This one came up through a leak, but the Milwaukee Journal had to use the Open Records law to unscrew the letter from Lassa's files.

The other two recipients are not admitting they got one, but we have reason to believe that one of them is Obey (D-WI) who has been in Congress since ---Idunno, since Lincoln was shot??---a very long time.

Since the Church offices are usually silent on such matters, and since politicos REALLY don't want it known that they've been told off by the Catholic Church--you get the picture.

[Salvation]

The Deadly Dozen

Canadian Prime Minister Taunts Church: "I Am A Catholic And For Abortion"

Catholic Church asks Tom Daschle to stop calling himself a Catholic

On Catholic Politicians and Faith

Vatican Urges Catholic Politicians to Vote Along Church Lines

Senator Santorum on Being Catholic and a Politician

William E. Simon, Sr. and Jr. Devout Catholics, Philanthropists and Politicians

Deadly Dozen senator taken to task over claims of Catholicism

THE BISHOP AND THE SENATOR [author links to FR thread regarding Daschle in her online column]

Blood On Their Hands: Exposing Pro-abortion Catholic Politicians

MI Gov Granholm Proclaims June "Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month"

Colorado Governor To Media:'WE LOVE OUR CHURCH' [Gov. Bill Owens

U.S. Senator Brownback and Commentator Dick Morris Join Catholic Church

PRIEST REFUSES COMMUNION TO KNEELING PRO-LIFE POLITICIAN [Richard Black, Virginia]

Kerry [Catholic} says he'll filibuster Supreme Court nominees who do not support abortion rights

Pope to MPs: Stop gay marriage

Vatican - Considerations regarding ... homosexual persons

CONFUSIONS ABOUT POLITICAL JUDGMENT AND THE MORAL LAW

Prelate says politicians who back abortion shouldn't go to Communion

Bishop draws fire for targeting Chrétien

Kennedy likens Vatican stance on gay unions to 'bigotry' (oh, go get a job, you little creep)

Ignorance or Malicious Intent? "No religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to..."

George Weigel on Authentic Catholic Citizenship, and the Duty of Catholic Politicians to Behave as Catholics

Conservative Catholics urge Church to challenge "dissenters"

[Robert F., Jr.] Kennedy to speak at Festival of Faiths (Environmentalism as religion)

Faithful Catholic Politicians

Catholic Bishops Eye Possible Crackdown of Pro-Abortion Pols

PETITION TO EX-COMMUNICATE PRO-ABORTION CATHOLIC ELECTED OFFICIALS

It is Time to Excommunicate the Politicians

Church vows to fight gay marriage: Catholics pressure pols

Should politicians toe their church line?

Church May Penalize Politicans

Catholic politicians facing dogmatic threat

Bishop appeals to Catholic lawmakers [Wisconsin]

New St. Louis Catholic Archbishop Warns Pro-Abortion Catholic Politicians of Excommunication.

[Snuffington]

Lassa did not set an appointment and told the Journal Sentinel, "I'm concerned that the bishop would pressure legislators to vote according to the dictates of the church instead of the wishes of their constituents because that is not consistent with our Democratic ideals . . . I appreciate that the bishop has expressed his opinion and I will take that into consideration, but I have to consider what's in the best interest of my constituents . . . But I can't let my religion take precedence over my duties as a legislator."

That statement by itself comes pretty darn close to self-induced excommunication. And this isn't exactly a subtle matter of Canon Law, it's a blatant violation of the First Commandment. Maybe she ought to set up that appointment as her bishop instructed.

[Boot Hill]

"But I can't let my religion take precedence over my duties as a legislator."  -- Sen. Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point,Wis.)

God's law versus man's law? The "Age of Reason" summed up in one sentence.

--Boot Hill