Fr. Neuhaus is a brilliant writer and a profound analyst of what he has called religion in the public square.
He has long worked with Evangelicals, some of whom write regularly for First Things and are on the staff, and religious Jews. He is a great example of true ecumenicism, not the wishy washing liberal fake kind. It just goes to show that Protestants, Catholics, and Jews who are really loyal to their religion, far from putting them at odds with each other, can work together on their common interests and put aside their differences.
The only thing I would maybe take issue here is his comments on Cardinal Bernardin. He is brave enough to point out, politely, that Cardinal McCarrick lied to the bishops' conference about the contents of Cardinal Ratzinger's letter on how to handle pro-abortion Catholic politicians. But he is too kind to Cardinal Bernardin.
Bernardin was a very, very smart guy. He was too smart to get out into left field with the dumb dissenters like Weakland, who was hung out to dry in the end. But he probably caused more trouble in the Church in America than any other single person. He not only orchestrated things so the bishops responded weakly to Roe v. Wade. He also appears to have been in the middle of the decay of the seminaries and the Lavendar Mafia. It seems as if everything he touched turned sour.
I suppose as a priest Fr. Neuhaus has to be careful what he says. And he has a gift for never raising his voice, so when he does condemn someone, you know they have crossed a line. Still, I thought it was worth mentioning.
What he says about Roe v. Wade, of course, is true. It was one of the most significant turning points in our country's history. It has distorted our entire justice system, leading to all those other bad decisions in areas far from abortion. And, contrary to the deluded expectations of the judges who violated their oaths to vote for it, it will NEVER be simply accepted as a fait accompli. Never.
I certainly agree with that. I think, as you say, he was being politic. For some reason, nobody in the clergy can ever honestly say what Cdl Bernardin really did and what he was really up to. It seems to be something that is just not done.
[the decision] will NEVER be simply accepted as a fait accompli. Never.
An excellent observation, I think you're absolutely correct in that statement.