Duluth Diocese cancels nun's talk because of anti-Bush newspaper ad (+ response)

Duluth, MN, Aug. 24, 2006 (CNA) - Sr. Helen Prejean, author of "Dead Man Walking" and a longtime social activist, has been uninvited as the keynote speaker at the Diocese of Duluth education dinner fundraiser in October, reported the Duluth News Tribune.

Bishop Dennis Schnurr of Duluth explained in a letter to parishioners that the decision was based on her name appearing on an Aug. 3 New York Times advertisement calling for President George Bush to be removed from office.

Kyle Eller, communications director for the diocese, said the problem was not the political nature of the issues raised in the ad, but the ad's partisan attack of Bush.

The ad, titled "The World Can't Wait! Drive Out the Bush Regime!" was endorsed by 90 people. The ad organizers are also organizing a mass day of protest against the Bush administration on Oct. 5.

While Prejean was unavailable for comment, she wrote on her website that the ad was justified in criticizing Bush's "reckless pursuit of war in Iraq, which has helped to destabilize the entire Middle East; his approval of torture; his zealous promotion of imprisonment and executions; his fiscal policies which make the wealthy people more wealthy and poor people poorer."

However, Prejean said she would have asked to be removed from the list of signatories had she known that the ad also criticized Bush's stand against abortion.

"There is... one issue addressed in the ad that I cannot endorse, which if I had seen the final version of the ad would have led me to withhold my signature. My stance on abortion is a matter of public record. I stand morally opposed to killing: war, executions, killing of the old and demented, the killing of children, unborn and born,” she wrote on her website.

The ad shows a picture of the earth set aflame and lists seven points of protest, among them: religious belief among politicians, the Bush administration’s “suppressing science that doesn’t fit its religious…agenda” (presumably a reference to the administration’s opposition to embryonic stem cell research and human cloning), and the administration’s opposition to birth control and abortion.

The text of the ad reads: “Your Government is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule. Your government suppresses the science that doesn't fit its religious, political and economic agenda, forcing present and future generations to pay a terrible price. Your government is moving to deny women here, and all over the world, the right to birth control and abortion…People who steal elections and believe they're on a ‘mission from God’ will not go without a fight.”

RESPONSE

Prejean statement. 11 August 2006

On August 3, 2006, an ad titled "The World Can't Wait! Drive Out the Bush Regime!" appeared in the New York Times. The ad carried the endorsement of 90 individuals, including that of Sister Helen Prejean, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille. Since the ad was published, Sister Helen has asked that her name be withdrawn from the ad. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille regret any concerns that this misunderstanding may have caused for those who share in our ministries to bring all people into union with God and with one another.

The text of Sister Helen's statement follows.

Recently my name appeared on a New York Times ad urging citizens to call for the removal of George W. Bush from office. The reasons cited are many, among them:

his reckless pursuit of war in Iraq, which has helped to destabilize the entire middle East
his approval of torture
his zealous promotion of imprisonment and executions
his fiscal policies which make the wealthy people more wealthy and poor people poorer
(During the past six years poverty in the U.S. has risen 17%)

There is, however, one issue addressed in the ad that I cannot endorse, which if I had seen the final version of the ad would have led me to withhold my signature. The statement reads: "Your government is moving to deny women here and all over the world the right to birth control and abortion." The life issues involved in the beginning of life are exceedingly complex. My stance on abortion is a matter of public record. I stand morally opposed to killing: war, executions, killing of the old and demented, the killing of children, unborn and born. As I have stated publicly many times, I stand squarely within the framework of "the seamless garment" ethic of life. I believe that all of life is sacred and must be protected, especially in the vulnerable stages at the beginning of life and its end.

I signed the ad because as a follower of the way of Jesus and a U.S. citizen, I cannot stand by passively and silently as I witness my government wage such grievous oppression and violence. It has been this same spirit of engaged citizenship that has for the past twenty years led me to speak out against the death penalty while encouraging my fellow citizens and my church to deeper reflection on the issue by the books and articles I have written and numerous public lectures.

For me, personally, it would be sinful not to raise my voice publicly in opposition to the life-destructive policies and practices of the Bush administration. That is what led me to sign the ad calling for his removal.

When I signed my endorsement of the ad, the conversation focused on the abuses of the Bush administration. I understood that the draft form of the ad which I signed was an intent of my willingness to sign the ad; however, I expected to be given a final version to critique before affixing my signature. Since that opportunity was not granted, I feel the need to issue this clarification.

Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ

Sister Helen Prejean was born on April 21, 1939, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She joined the Sisters of St. Joseph of Medaille in 1957 and received a B.A. in English and Education from St. Mary's Dominican College, New Orleans in 1962. In 1973, she earned an M.A. in Religious Education from St. Paul's University in Ottawa, Canada. She has been the Religious Education Director at St. Frances Cabrini Parish in New Orleans, the Formation Director for her religious community, and has taught junior and senior high school students.

Sister Helen began her prison ministry in 1981 when she dedicated her life to the poor of New Orleans. While living in the St. Thomas housing project, she became pen pals with Patrick Sonnier, the convicted killer of two teenagers, sentenced to die in the electric chair of Louisiana's Angola State Prison.

Upon Sonnier's request, Sister Helen repeatedly visited him as his spiritual advisor. In doing so, her eyes were opened to the Louisiana execution process. Sister Helen turned her experiences into a book that not only made the 1994 American Library Associates Notable Book List, it was also nominated for a 1993 Pulitzer Prize. Dead Man Walking: An Eyewitness Account of the Death Penalty in the United States was number one on the New York Times Best Seller List for 31 weeks. It also was an international best seller and has been translated into ten different languages.

In January 1996, the book was developed into a major motion picture starring Susan Sarandon as Sister Helen and Sean Penn as a death row inmate. Produced by Polygram Pictures, the film was directed and written by Tim Robbins. The movie received four Oscar nominations including Tim Robbins for Best Director, Sean Penn for Best Actor, Susan Sarandon for Best Actress, and Bruce Springsteen's "Dead Man Walking" for Best Song. Susan Sarandon won the award for Best Actress.

The book was the basis for a new opera. It was presented by the San Francisco Opera and premiered in October 2000. The libretto was written by Terrance McNally. Jake Heggie composed the music.

Sister Helen and Dead Man Walking have been the subject of numerous media stories and reviews in the U.S., Canada, Spain, Holland, England, Scotland, France and Australia. She has been featured in the New York Times Magazine, Vogue, Good Housekeeping, the St. Anthony Messenger, the Ligourian, the Chicago Tribune, the Atlanta Constitution, the Times Picayune, the San Francisco Chronicle, the New Orleans Magazine, the Tablet, Sisters Today and numerous other print media.

Her broadcast appearances include 60 Minutes, NBC's Today Show, ABC World News Tonight; the Tom Snyder Show on CNBC, Larry King Live (radio), the Phil Donahue Show, BBC World Service Radio, National Public Radio's Weekend Edition and Fresh Air, an NBC Special on the Death Penalty, the Canadian Broadcast Company Man Alive, the BBC's Everyman, ABC's Prime Times Live, and PBS' Frontline.

Fifteen years after beginning her crusade, the Roman Catholic sister has witnessed five executions in Louisiana and today educates the public about the death penalty by lecturing, organizing and writing. As the founder of "Survive," a victim's advocacy group in New Orleans, she continues to counsel not only inmates on death row, but the families of murder victims, as well.

Sister Helen has served on the board of the National Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty from 1985–1995, and has served as Chairperson of the Board from 1993–1995. She is also a member of Amnesty International and an honorary member of Murder Victim Families for Reconciliation. She presently is the Honorary Chairperson of Moratorium Campaign, a group gathering signatures for a world-wide moratorium on the death penalty. On December 18, 2000 S. Helen, Paul Hoffman, board member of Amnesty International and Mario Marizziti, representative of The St. Egidio Community in Rome, Italy presented Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the U.N. with 2.5 million signatures from people all over the world who are calling for a moratorium on the death penalty.

Her book Dead Man Walking was on the New York Times bestseller list for 31 weeks. It was also on the International bestseller list. It has been translated into ten different languages.

S. Helen’s second book, The Death of Innocents: An Eyewitness Account of Wrongful Executions, was published in December 2004. In it, she tells the story of two men, Dobie Gillis Williams and Joseph O’Dell, whom she accompanied to their executions. She believes both of them were innocent. In The Death of Innocents she takes the reader through all the evidence, including evidence the juries never heard either due to the incompetence of the defense lawyers or the rigid formalities of court procedure. S. Helen examines how flaws inextricably entwined in the death penalty system inevitably lead to innocent people being executed and render the system unworkable.

I posted about this on my blog yesterday. One interesting thing is that this group is headed by a Devout Moaist.

The statement "YOUR GOVERNMENT suppresses the science that doesn't fit its religious, political and economic agenda, forcing present and future generations to pay a terrible price." obviously applies to embryonic stem-cell research so once against the sister's statement is totally at odd's with what the statement supported. This group is extrement pro-abortion. Just check out this ad on the Casey-Santorum Race.

World can't wait is the typical loony liberal site where Israel is guilty of war crimes, but the actual war crime of firing rockets that can land anywhere is not mentioned. Under Today's Reason to Drive Out the Bush Regime they list the The Minuteman Project organizing volunteers to patrol the border. This just shows how stupid they are. This project has got zero support from the Bush administration and they would prefer that it just go away. It is also a volunteer project of civilians that has nothing to do with the government, yet since they exist Bush must be driven out. My toast landed butter-side down, another reason to drive out bush.

Last but not least, this is how they want to drive out the President.

"Let's drive him out of office ourselves. Instead of depending on Democratic politicians to start impeachment hearings, let's take to the street in mass, nonviolent protest and shut the whole country down until the entire Bush regime is driven out of office along with their whole program. Let's demand that the Patriot Act be repealed not reformed. Let's demand that they shut down the concentration camp at Gitmo. Let's demand that Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, Condelezza Rice, Richard Perle, Scooter Libby, and Paul Wolfowitz be led away to The Hague in leg irons. As long as any of these people are free, as long as Christian fundamentalists have access to our tax money, as long as the beginnings of the fascist state Bush as worked so hard to construct over the past 5 years is allowed to stand, nobody in the world is safe, no American can be free, and no Democratic president or congress will mean anything more than changing the furniture in the White House."

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