Posted on 11/24/2008 4:34:35 PM PST by wagglebee
St. Louis, MO (LifeNews.com) -- While leaders of the Catholic Church met last week in Baltimore to discuss abortion and other important issues, most of the attention focused on their remarks concerning incoming president Barack Obama. But one bishop said he would give the ultimate sacrifice -- his own life -- if it meant ending abortion.
St. Louis, Missouri archdiocesan administrator Bishop Robert Hermann made the comment that is drawing worldwide acclaim.
"I think any bishop here would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow to bring about an end to abortion," he said at the meeting.
"If we are willing to die tomorrow, then we should be willing to, until the end of our lives, to take all kinds of criticism for opposing this horrible infanticide," he added.
Jennifer Brinker, a staff writer with the St. Louis Review, a Catholic newspaper, caught up with Bishop Hermann to have him expand on his comments.
"The reaction was one or two bishops started clapping, but then we moved on immediately," Hermann said about the response he received. "I received numerous comments from other bishops, thanking me for making this courageous statement. I said any bishop there could have and probably would have made the same statement."
Hermann singled out Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann and Bishop Robert Finn along with Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput as some of the "numerous" bishops who sought him out to thank him for what he said.
Asked about the thought process that led to the remark, Hermann said, "Very simply: If American youth are willing to go to war and lay their life down to defend our freedoms, then every bishop should be willing to give up his life, if it meant putting an end to abortion."
"And if we're willing to do that, then we should be totally fearless of promoting this cause without being concerned about political correctness, without trying to build coalitions with pro-choice people," he added.
"And if we're willing to do that, then we should be totally fearless of promoting this cause without being concerned about political correctness, without trying to build coalitions with pro-choice people," he added.
Perfectly stated!
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Amen to that.
I’m not catholic, but God bless you Bishop Hermann.
I honor and respect the statement. I am a practicing Catholic and not trying to be cynical or critical. Dying wouldn’t change anything, though. Being willing to say, “We’re not going to shut up and don’t care a whit about the threat to our tax-exempt status”. That would change something.
So would I.
Who wouldn’t?
Me, too. And I’m not even Catholic.
I hope many more men of God stand up and fight for the not yet born.
I think the Bishop came close to saying that.
This is a good opening statement, but until the Bishops convert rhetoric into actions it will be nothing more than posturing. As long as Church leaders and Catholics act like and are recognized as an amorphous glot and not a homogeneous voting block based upon dogma and values they will be disrespected and abused. Rather than represent 40% of the US population with no real identity or values I would rather excommunicate half of the wayward "cafeteria" Catholics starting with the most visible public officials/ We would wield a solid block of 20% of the population. That would constitute a voting block greater in numbers and economic powers than blacks, Jews, homosexuals, and feminists combined.
"Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality which guarantees all others." Winston Churchill
...no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country.
-General Patton
Good post.
There is nothing more precious than innocent new life....
On one thing scripture is very clear. God hates the shedding of innocent blood. There is no blood more innocent than that of the unborn.
Being Southern Baptist I have no right to say anything about Roman Catholic polity. However, as an outsider, I applaud these few courageous Bishops that take their our beliefs seriously....not just give them lip service. Would that more Southern Baptists do the same - the SBC has been very clear that abortion is wrong, but too afraid to discipline (publically remove them from the convention) those churches that harbor nominal high visibility Southern Baptists like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.
What would have been a class act for the Bishops at this conference is to acknowlege the PRO LIFE STATEMENT MADE BY SARAH PALIN BY THE ACTIONS OF HER AND HER FAMILY TO NOT ABORT THE DOWN SYMDROME BABY AND HER DAUGHTER’S BABY OUT OF WEDLOCK!!!
Has anybody heard of any Bishop ever acknowlege this ACTION OF SARAH PALIN?
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