Replies

Good work as usual, Coleus. Here's my letter to Bishop Rodimer, sent by email:

"Your Excellency:

I understand that Our Lady Queen of Peace in Hewitt has invited someone from the so-called “Million Mom March” to speak in favor of gun control. Since gun control is neither wise nor mandated by any Catholic doctrine, I respectfully submit that it is improper for any Catholic parish to sponsor speakers from the Million Mom March.

The Million Mom March (the "MMM") is a political group advocating principles that are controversial at best and dangerous at worst. By focusing their wrath on inanimate and socially useful objects, namely guns, as opposed to focusing on criminals and their free choice to sin, the MMM has everything precisely backwards. MMM would disarm honest citizens, leaving the weakest and most vulnerable members of society without the means for self-defense. Women are particularly vulnerable to MMM's policies, given their smaller size and lesser strength in relation to most men.

Moreover, MMM's beliefs are not compelled by Catholic theology. The Catholic Church has always recognized an individual's right to self-defense. In 1994, the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace stated: "In a world marked by evil and sin, the right of legitimate self-defense by armed means exists." The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: "Legitimate defense can be not only a right but a grave duty for someone responsible for another's life, the common good of the family or the state." (CCC at 2265.) Finally, the Church honors Saint Gabriel Possenti, renowned for defending a village and his monastery from Garibaldi's mercenaries with his astonishing marksmanship.

The Bible expressly supports the right of self-defense. Jesus does not rebuke the Apostles for carrying swords on their missions (Luke 22: 36-38). When Our Lord admonishes Peter for defending Him with his sword in Gethsemene, He does not condemn the instrument used by Peter, but the effort to frustrate God's will. (John 18:10; Luke 22: 49-51.) Examples of God's approval of self-defense in the Old Testament are too numerous to catalogue. (See, e.g., Exodus 22:2.)

Nor is there any factual basis for MMM's claims of the "dangers" of gun ownership. As documented by Professor John Lott of Yale, guns are used by Americans over 2 million times per year for self-defense. The Centers for Disease Control show that more children under age 15 die accidentally from drowning in plastic 5-gallon water buckets (40) or in bathtubs (80) than from accidental discharge of firearms (21). Yet there is no hysteria over either buckets or bathtubs. Socially useful objects, from automobiles to vitamins, sometimes injure people. We don't ban them, we don't subject them to expensive "safeguards" that render them socially useless, we don't let the government take steps to confiscate them, and we don't demonize those who disagree with us about the objects. The Million Mom March does all of the above in their hysteria over guns.

Gun ownership is a revered right of Americans, enshrined in the Second Amendment. Good Catholics can, and do, disagree with this controversial group's views.

Your Excellency, I respectfully urge you to consider taking steps to prevent Our Lady Queen of Peace from sponsoring, promoting, and otherwise getting itself entangled in this political issue. The invitation to the Million Mom March should be withdrawn.

Sincerely, [D-BACK]"

Great letter, you sure did your homework and hit the main points. I forgot the name of the saint, Gabriel Possenti, even though I did a FR link about him, I guess I should start saving my threads. Let me know if the Bishop responds. I forgot to post an editorial about the MMM written by the Editor of their Diocesan Newspaper. There are about 3 or 4 columnists, ALL are left wingers. Also, you may want to fax or mail your letter since the Bishop isn't internet literate. Who knows if the stuff is printed up for him to read, I hope it is. Once again, thanks for the letter, I hope it wakes up some people.

Supporting the Million Moms March
Page Address: http://www.patersondiocese.org/article.cfm?Web_ID=130

May 11, 2000 - by Richard A. Sokerka

Mother's Day is always thought of as a Hallmark kind of day. Moms are honored with expressions of love as their children give them special greeting cards and small tokens of their appreciation for all they have done for them.

This Mother's Day on Sunday, May 14, a determined group of mothers hope this will be a different kind of hallmark day for them as they take part in the Million Mom March in Washington, D.C., to raise awareness about gun violence.

These mothers have marshalled their efforts to show Congress the need to take action and pass common-sense gun laws such as requiring that all gun owners be licensed, including mandatory safety training.

The march has drawn across the board support including the U.S. Catholic Conference which supports all of the policies advocated as part of the march, the National Council of Catholic Women, Pax Christi, Bishop Rodimer, religious and many mothers across the Paterson Diocese who will make their Mothers Day one to educate a nation about the life-threatening danger of guns, and to show that the proliferation of firearms for one purpose only  killing another human being  has become untenable.

When we consider that every day 12 children die from gunshot wounds, this Mother's Day march deserves our support, our prayers and our call to our legislators to act now to save lives.

Only a mother knows the heartache of losing the child she bore. May the efforts of these mothers marching on Mother's Day make a difference so that not one more mother will suffer the loss of her child from gunfire.