FL Bishop Rebukes Pro-Abort Catholics, other bishops failing "to rebuke when necessary"

LifeSiteNews.com ^ | May 18, 2004 | LifeSiteNews.com

[Polycarp IV]

Florida Bishop Rebukes Pro-Abortion, Communion Receiving Catholics

Obliquely chastises some bishops for failure "to rebuke when necessary"

ORLANDO, May 18, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Another US bishop has stepped up to the front lines of the battle in the US Catholic Church over the reception of communion by pro-abortion, dissenting Catholics. The coadjutor bishop of Orlando Florida, Thomas Wenski, has published a pastoral statement in which he calls pro-abortion Catholics who demand to receive communion "boorish and sacrilegious." He suggests that they are in a worse moral position than Pontius Pilate after his condemnation of Christ.

The bishop was appointed to Orlando less than a year ago and has already contributed powerful homilies in defense of the unborn on March 14, Respect Life Sunday at the annual Red Mass for public officials. In his most recent statement, published and posted to the diocesan website on May 3, the bishop identifies only three logical possibilities to explain the insistence of some Catholics on receiving communion while refusing to adhere to the teachings of their church. He writes, "Invincible ignorance, culpable willfulness, or ingrained habits of sin might explain why a self-described 'practicing Catholic' might dissent from one or more of the definitive teachings of the Church."

It is extremely rare for Catholic bishops to criticize each other in public. However, bishop Wenski in his statement made a not very veiled reference to the reaction of some US bishops, such as Washington's Cardinal McCarrick and Los Angeles' Cardinal Mahoney, who have said that sanctions and public rebukes may ultimately harm the pro-life cause.

Bishop Wenski compares the failure to chastise pro-abortion politicians with the failure of the bishops in general to protect young people from predatory homosexuals in the priesthood. He writes, "But to fail to rebuke when necessary is to fail in the charity we owe our brethren. (And we bishops will be apologizing for a long time for the failure to rebuke and apply sanctions to those wayward priests who criminally sinned against young people and children.)"

He replies also to the accusations that politics is not the proper realm for churchmen, a criticism often accompanied by polemics about "separation of Church and State." "It is totally within our competence to say that one cannot be complicit in the injustice of denying the right to life of an unborn child or an invalid elder and still consider oneself a good Catholic," the bishop writes.

To read Bishop Wenski's full statement: http://www.orlandodiocese.org/our_diocese/wenski/columns/politics.htm

[TheEaglehasLanded]

This needs to spread, they should condemn these pedophile priests as well.

[Polycarp IV]

However, bishop Wenski in his statement made a not very veiled reference to the reaction of some US bishops, such as Washington's Cardinal McCarrick and Los Angeles' Cardinal Mahoney, who have said that sanctions and public rebukes may ultimately harm the pro-life cause.

Bishop Wenski compares the failure to chastise pro-abortion politicians with the failure of the bishops in general to protect young people from predatory homosexuals in the priesthood. He writes, "But to fail to rebuke when necessary is to fail in the charity we owe our brethren. (And we bishops will be apologizing for a long time for the failure to rebuke and apply sanctions to those wayward priests who criminally sinned against young people and children.)"

WOW!!! AWESOME!!!

Does anyone have a list of which bishops have completed their ad limina visits and which have spoken out forcefully on this issue?

It would be interesting to compare the two lists to see if this is being driven by the Pope.

Ping. (As usual, if you would like to be added to or removed from my "conservative Catholics" ping list, please send me a FReepmail. Please note that some of my ping posts are long.)

[narses]

An interesting question and one I've asked myself. At the very least, a sea change has occurred.

[stainlessbanner]

bttt

[Unam Sanctam]

This man should be made a cardinal.

[Askel5]

=== At the very least, a sea change has occurred.

I pray it outlasts the campaign.

[Askel5]

Wenski's done a magnificent job.

I'll bet my friends at "Faithful Catholics of NE Florida" are beside themselves. Theirs has been a tough row to hoe for years.

[Petronski]

I almost feel as though I can't exhale...I don't want to do or change anything that will wake me up from this dream.

This is a FABULOUS trend, and I'm thrilled.

Now if 'Bishop' Trautman (so called) would only have his road to Damascus moment...

[Salvation]

BTTT!

[NYer]

"Invincible ignorance, culpable willfulness, or ingrained habits of sin might explain why a self-described 'practicing Catholic' might dissent from one or more of the definitive teachings of the Church."

Bears repeating.

Kudos to Bishop Wenski. Another voice of reason crying out in the wilderness. Of course, he will never net the same media attention as McCarrick and Mahony - the poster boys of the agenda driven media.

[NYer]

Does anyone have a list of which bishops have completed their ad limina visits and which have spoken out forcefully on this issue? It would be interesting to compare the two lists to see if this is being driven by the Pope.

Mahony is still in Rome for his 'ad limina' visit. Apparently the Holy Father's 'charism' had no effect, judging from the following comment he made.

"If one were to begin cataloguing who should or should not go to Communion, according to the Holy Father's list," he said, one might have to consider supporters of the death penalty and other threats to life.

"The Gospel of Life," Cardinal Mahony said, was written "to encourage a change of heart and mind."

Cardinal: Education on abortion is more effective than sanctions

[HowlinglyMind-BendingAbsurdity]

At least we have some leaders of courage speaking out on this. Which is more than can be said for some of these bishops. The lines are being drawn. Let's hope and pray the tide turns. The challenge for the church is to defend innocent life and to defend the church.

Pro-abortion "Catholics" (i.e., liberals) hurt the church by obscuring and adding confusion to moral issues. The spineless bishops who give aid and comfort to the John Kerry types do a lot of damage to Catholicism. They have a lot to answer for. Interesting that some of the same ones who waffled on priest molestors can't bring themselves to speak out against pro-abortion Catholic politicians. One wonders what the real problem is lurking behind this studied moral ambiguity.... With John Kerry maybe this is not so hard to figure out. Men who can't bring themselves to defend the innocent lives of the unborn usually have deeper moral and spiritual problems. Bishops need to criticize, admonish, rebuke and condemn these types directly.

[cpforlife.org]

God bless Bishop Thomas Wenski for moving this to the next level!

Hopefully his challenge to his brother bishops will encourage them to do the right thing.

But what IS the right thing for our bishops and clergy to do with regards to wicked politicians who prolong (and expand) a mass genocide on an ongoing daily basis—for thirty+ years, with no end in sight? Is verbal chastisement and simply telling these barbarians that they shouldn't receive Communion (when clearly most DO continue) all that can be done by the Shepherds of the Church?

ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!!!

Many people still falsely claim that Pope Pius XII did not do enough to help stop the Nazi holocaust and to help save more lives. For comparison, the worldwide total for (surgical) abortion is approximately 50 million EACH YEAR, with America slaughtering about 1.3 million children annually.

Verbal chastisement is NOT enough! It is an insult to the babies being mutilated and to the Gospel. I believe it amounts to mere lip service when seen in the accurate context of a real ongoing holocaust.

The holocaust WILL NOT END without the vigorous engagement of all Christian leaders. Till then it will only grow worse.

[cpforlife.org]

Howdy Howling!

PING to 14.

[livius]

The new bishop of St. Augustine, while not having made any statements about this issue so far, is also very, very pro-life and is busy getting our local parishes back on track in this area. (Unfortunately, he's also a bit of a wacky peacenik, but I guess you can't ask for everything!)

I'm so happy about these statements. One thing that the pressure does, as well, is permit Catholic pols who are Dems to "just say no" to Dem pressure. Many current pro-abortion Dems were once anti-abortion, but adopted the pro-abortion mania of the more radical Dems because that became a standard party demand. Having the Church tell them they can't do this gives them the spine they may well have been lacking and also provides them with institutional support that will protect them against their own party.

If the Church is firm on this, I think you'll see the Dem party backing off a little on its demand that all Dem pols be raving pro-abortion nuts.

[cpforlife.org]

A person’s rights should never be denied because of age or location.

Sing A Little Louder (Christians and the American Holocaust)

http://www.abortionfacts.com/literature/literature_909sl.asp

The following story entitled "Sing A Little Louder", told by an old weeping "Christian" man, holds a very important message for us today. May its words ring loud and clear, reminding all Christians everywhere the consequences of our [physical and spiritual] uninvolvement. May our L-rd G-d Almighty Who is Israel's Savior, Redeemer, and King, forgive us our sins, and deliver us from that cursed spirit of indifference. May the following poem entitled "The Passenger" also help us to clearly see this truth

"SING A LITTLE LOUDER"
After a speech, Pro-Life activist Penny Lea was approached by an old man. Weeping, he told her the following story:

I lived in Germany during the Nazi holocaust. I considered myself a Christian. I attended Church since I was a small boy. We had heard the stories of what was happening to the Jews, but like most people today in this country, we tried to distance ourselves from the reality of what was really taking place. What could anyone do to stop it? "A railroad track ran behind our small church, and each Sunday morning we would hear the whistle from the distance and then the clacking of the wheels moving over the track. We became disturbed when one Sunday we noticed cries coming from the train as it passed by. We grimly realized that the train was carrying Jews. They were like cattle in those cars! "Week after week that train whistle would blow. We would dread to hear the sound of those old wheels because we knew that the Jews would begin to cry to us as they passed our church. It was so terribly disturbing! We could do nothing to help these poor miserable people, yet their screams tormented us. We knew exactly at what time that whistle would blow, and we decided the only way to keep from being so disturbed by the cries was to start singing our hymns. By the time the train came rumbling past the church yard, we were singing at the top of our voices. If some of the screams reached our ears, we'd just sing a little louder until we could hear them no more. Years passed and no one talks about it much anymore, but I still hear that train whistle in my sleep. I can still hear them crying out for help. G-d forgive all of us who called ourselves Christians, yet did nothing to intervene."

"Their screams tormented us . . . If some of their screams reached our ears we'd just sing a little louder."

Now, so many years later, I see it happening all over again in America. God forgive you as Americans for you have blocked out the screams of millions of your own children. The holocaust is here. The response is the same as it was in my country - SILENCE!"

Have you ever wondered HOW people could have stood by and let the holocaust just happen? Do you wonder why the Christians in this story chose to just sing their praise to God a little louder to drown out the victim's cries?

The old man's story is in the past. The past cannot be changed. It is easy to think we would act differently now. But the old man's last words are haunting "It's happening all over again in America with abortion. The Holocaust is here."

As American Christians, we have become so comfortable in our lovely buildings and padded pews. We have beautiful fellowship halls for our many banquets. We have the latest sound equipment for our praise and worship. We have computers to keep our records. We gather together each week and shut ourselves inside our buildings. We raise our voices as loud as we can, all in the name of God.

And yet, in the heavenly realm, our voices raised in praise are drowned out by screams of agony from millions of babies who are being executed before they are born. We can't see them. We can't hear them. But it is happening right now!

Babies are being aborted UP UNTIL THE DAY OF BIRTH in this country. Their organs and brains are "harvested" for use in medical experimentation. In Wichita, Kansas, the smoke stack from the furnace of Dr. Tiller's abortion clinic belches out black smoke and the sickening smell of burning flesh. These are the bodies of 7th, 8th and 9th month old babies being "disposed of".

If the Christians in the old man's church had done something, they would have probably been killed. That is not the case with us. We don't even have that as an excuse for our silence.

Years from now will you be like that old man trying to explain your apathy as millions were led away to slaughter in abortion clinics? Or will you raise your voice and cry out in protest for those who have no voice! The choice is YOURS!

THE PASSENGER Penny Lea

"I found myself in anger, I cried out in despair. I prayed, "L-rd let them hear me! Let just one person care!" I raised my voice to heaven as the train kept moving on, as we passed behind the church yard! I could hear the worship songs. I cried out all the louder to the Christians there inside, but they raised the chorus louder not hearing me outside. I knew they heard the whistle and the clacking of the tracks. They knew that I was going to die and still they turned their backs. I said, "Father in heaven how can your people be so very hard of hearing to the cry of one like me? I shouted, "Please have mercy! Just a prayer before I die!" But they sang a little louder to the Holy One on High. They raised their hands to Heaven but the blood was dripping down. The blood of all the innocent their voices tried to drown. They have devotions daily, they function in My Name, and they never even realized it was I upon that train.

FACTS ABOUT ABORTION

Fact: In the United States it is legal to abort a baby up until the day of birth.

Fact: In the D&X procedure babies are "partially aborted" so the head is still in the cervix but the body is out. While in this position the live baby is still considered an "abortion" therefore a non-person. The live baby's brains are sucked out and the other organs are harvested and sold to "researchers". The baby receives no anesthesia and is alive until the procedure kills him.

Fact: Every day in America about 4,400 babies die painful deaths by dismemberment, chemical poisoning, lethal injections into the heart, being torn limb from limb and now, being partially delivered and having their brains sucked out and their organs sold.

Fact: Abortion has two victims - the baby and the mother. Many women who have abortions suffer both physically and mentally. Depression, anxiety, grief, infection, sterility and even death are not uncommon as a result of the abortion.

Fact: Only 1% of abortions are performed as a result of rape or incest. Most abortions are done as a form of birth control because the baby is "inconvenient", "too expensive", or a "burden".

------------------------------------------------------------

Prayer is very important - but action MUST accompany prayer. (Unless physically unable)

There are some 175-200 MILLION "Christians" in America. If we each did 1-hour of pro-life a month, just sixty damn minuets a month, we would end "legalized" abortion/child murder quickly--and change the world in the process.

I firmly believe that the solution to ending the culture of death does not realistically lie with changing the minds of pro-abortion adults; it lies with preserving the 99+ % of children that are naturally pro-life on their first day of school.

Comprehensive sanctity of life before birth education is
THE MISSING KEY OF THE PRO-LIFE MOVEMENT

[Aquinasfan]

He writes, "But to fail to rebuke when necessary is to fail in the charity we owe our brethren. (And we bishops will be apologizing for a long time for the failure to rebuke and apply sanctions to those wayward priests who criminally sinned against young people and children.)"

Bump for excellence!

[Aquinasfan]

Have you ever wondered HOW people could have stood by and let the holocaust just happen?

I use this perfect analogy all the time. Some people get it. Others "sing a little louder."

[Desdemona]

Bump for a man of courage and truth.

Hopefully, there will be a few more on this bandwagon shortly.