Colorado bishops correct governor’s ‘bad theology’ on Catholic teaching about human dignity

CNA ^ | October 9, 2008

[NYer]

Denver, Oct 9, 2008 / 01:01 pm (CNA).- Archbishop of Denver Charles J. Chaput and Denver’s Auxiliary Bishop James D. Conley have issued a statement insisting that Catholic teaching holds that human life is sacred from the moment of fertilization, calling claims insisting otherwise, reportedly made by the governor of Colorado, “bad theology and bad public policy.”

Governor Bill Ritter, who is Catholic, on Tuesday commented on the Colorado ballot measure Amendment 48, which would define personhood as beginning at conception.

He reportedly said: “My understanding is that there are things about calling a fertilized egg a person that do not square with Church doctrine.”

“This is false,” Denver’s bishops said in a Wednesday statement. “Catholic teaching holds that human life is sacred from the moment of fertilization, commonly called ‘conception,’ to the moment of natural death.  

“Separating a ‘fertilized egg’ from the dignity of human personhood is bad theology and bad public policy. And Catholic public officials should know better,” they wrote.

Archbishop Chaput and Bishop Conley also clarified their approach to Amendment 48, saying it has been “a source of confusion for many Catholics and other members of the Colorado prolife community.”

The bishops said Catholics are free to support or oppose the amendment, calling it a “prudential matter,” adding that the bishops “do not support” the proposal.

They noted that the Colorado Catholic Conference had previously outlined “problems with its strategy,” referencing a June 5 letter from Colorado’s bishops which argued the amendment “does not provide a realistic opportunity for ending or even reducing abortions in Colorado.” The bishops worried the Supreme Court would not hear any legal case concerning the amendment or could even reaffirm the pro-abortion rights jurisprudence of Roe v. Wade.

“Catholics are not required by Church teaching to support Amendment 48.  But they are required to respect the personhood of the developing child from life’s earliest beginning,” Archbishop Chaput and Bishop Conley said in their Wednesday statement.

“In that light, Governor Bill Ritter seriously confused the Amendment 48 debate.”

[NYer]

Catholic Ping
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[blueheron2]

I wish the church would take a much stronger stand against politicians that support abortion. I sure would like to know why they don’t do more to rein in priests and members who go directly against doctrine.

[A.A. Cunningham]

He reportedly said: “My understanding is that there are things about calling a fertilized egg a person that do not square with Church doctrine.”

Ritter has a long of history, which even predates the time he and his wife were working as missionaries in Africa and distributing condoms, of confusion about Church doctrine

[NYer]

I wish the church would take a much stronger stand against politicians that support abortion.

What is the Church's present stand?

I sure would like to know why they don’t do more to rein in priests and members who go directly against doctrine.

That's a blanket statement. Which priests have gone against doctrine? Who has not reined them in?

Ultimately, the person who directs the priests of a given diocese is the bishop. Not all bishops are the same. Archbishop Burke (now serving at the Vatican) holds a degree in Canon Law and has had no qualms in speaking out against catholic politicians, priests and even parish councils. Others, like my bishop, were appointed many years ago and entrusted with a particular task - contemporize the diocese. This has resulted in dismantiling it. Through a process of careful scrutiny, the bishop has only accepted "like minded" men to enter his seminary. The result has been low enrollment. Over the span of his 30+ years at the reins of this diocese, attrition has set in. We are now down to only a handful of priests. The bishop has responded by closing schools and turning parishes over to Lay Ecclesial Ministers. While the number of ordinations in our diocese continues to shrink under this bishop's 'leadership', the applications for seminary in Archbishop Burkes' diocese exceeded the capacity of his seminary. They now have a waiting list.

You are probably wondering why the pope doesn't intervene (the Vatican has a massive dossier of complaints on my bishop from faithful catholics). You will find the answer here.

Why Doesn't the Pope Do Something about "Bad" Bishops?

[Melian]

I live in a diocese that has been wracked with abuse, and cover up of the abuse. Most homilies are a string of feelgood platitudes. It is hard to pay much attention to what priests say these days. They seem so muddled/hurt/distrustful.

I firmly believe the Old Testament years are the age of God the Father; the years since Christ have been the age of the Son, and that we have now entered into the age of the Spirit. It is now up to the laity, inspired by the Spirit, to run the parishes and take charge of their own spiritual well being. Many parishes here don’t have an inspiring priest to lead them. At my last parish, there was a priest who only “worked until 6 pm.” Lord help you if you had an emergency call on his day off.

I think the underlying issue is that it hurts that our priests don’t seem to love their parishioners anymore. They will only be with us for a couple of years and don’t bother bonding with us. Nor we with them. The bishops have messed things up royally.

[Salvation]

Ritter is a CINO, it would seem. Sorry, Bill, but the cafeteria is closed.

[Salvation]

Guess you haven't see these for Pelosi, Biden et al. All in all something like 56 bishops have come out correcting them. This is only a partial list.

Updated: American Bishops who have spoken against Pelosi

Here is the complete list of American bishops who have responded to Nancy Pelosi's comments so far:

1. Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver was the first American bishop to respond
2. ... Bishop James Conley, his auxiliary, joined him
3. Archbishop Donald Wuerl of Washington DC responded twice, first in a press release and second in a statement to The Hill. He has also appeared on Fox News, I am told.
4. Cardinal Justin Regali of Philadelphia, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities, issued this statement through the USCCB website...
5. ... Bishop William Lori of Bridgeport, chairman of the Committee on Doctrine, joined him
6. Cardinal Edward Egan of New York publised a strongly worded statement of his own
7. Bishop Samuel Aquila of Fargo issued a letter correcting Pelosi's claims
8. Bishop David Zubik of Pittsburgh and...
9. ... Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs have chimed-in
10. Archbishop Jose Gomez of San Antonio, CNA reports has added his voice ...
11. ... Bishop Oscar Cantu, his auxiliary bishop, has joined him
12. Bishop William Murphy of Rockville has published an extensive letter
13. Bishop Edward Slattery of Tulsa has a detailed response
14. Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas has joined the USCCB's efforts
15. Bishop Gregory Aymond of Austin is on-board
16. Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston mentions the USCCB on his blog
17. Bishop Thomas Wenski of Orlando has written at length
18. Archbishop John Nienstedt of Saint Paul/Minneapolis challenges Pelosi's statement
19. Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, President of the US Bishops, has weighed-in
20. Bishop Robert Vasa of Baker, OR publishes in the Catholic Sentinel
21. Bishop Jerome Listecki of La Crosse, WI responds in a word document
22. Bishop Richard Lennon of Cleveland, OH will comment in his September 5th column (PDF)
23. Bishop Ralph Nickless of Sioux City, IA has one of the very best responses I've read
24. Archbishop George Niederauer of San Francisco has invited Pelosi to a "conversation"
25. Bishop Glen Provost, LA: "Catholic Church clear on when human life begins"
26. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of Brooklyn: "Judging the Candidates"

{Last updated on September 10th.}

Notes:

• Previous #23 has been removed. Bishop Joseph Gossman of Raleigh, NC is actually the bishop emeritus, and the new bishop, Michael Burbidge has not, to my knowledge, made a personal statement.
• Previous #16 has also been removed, it was an erroneous duplication of current #13.
• #26 was added September 10th, although he published his column September 6th

[Salvation]

Have faith. Pope Benedict is replacing those "so-so" bishops with orthodox ones!

1:

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2271  (618 bytes )  preview document matches 1 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2271.htm

97%

2:

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2272  (580 bytes )  preview document matches 2 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. "A URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2272.htm

96%

3:

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2322  (290 bytes )  preview document matches 2 From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a "criminal" practice (GS 27 § 3), URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2322.htm

96%

4:	CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2274  (554 bytes )  preview document matches gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2274.htm

[dsc]

“Why Doesn’t the Pope Do Something about “Bad” Bishops?”

Are you completely satisfied with those arguments?

[dsc]

I was in Denver on that day. The local news showed a protestor being arrested and frog-marched off, but they didn’t say what crime he had committed.

I wondered if he had been arrested just for shouting during the governor’s press conference.

[NYer]

Are you completely satisfied with those arguments?

Do you have better ones to offer?

[dsc]

“Do you have better ones to offer?”

What would happen if the Holy Father began speaking out strongly, publicly, and often against the abuses we all abhor?

In Boise, Joe and Mary Catholic don’t even seem to know what is correct. On the feast of the Transfiguration, the priest gets up at Mass and says it didn’t really happen. Not a ripple of surprise, much less shock. They plunk down a hot tub in front of the altar for full-immersion baptisms...”Oh, this is all the rage in Catholicism today.”

Doesn’t the Holy Father have some sort of duty to do everything he can to keep bad clergy from perpetrating this kind of abuse?

What would happen if he suddenly appeared at Mass in LA, marched up the aisle in full vestments, and began to strike Mahoney about the head and shoulders with his crozier?

And yes, I do think such extreme measures are called for.