Posted on 05/03/2002 6:40:01 PM PDT by Coleus
Dear Friends,
The following is a story about New Jersey, but I think it's typical of the relationships that many Catholic hospitals and Catholic Charities have with pro-abortion politicians upon whom they seem to depend for funding. I hope you find the information contained in this article helpful in speaking out against bureaucrats working for Catholic institutions who fail to defend Catholic values in your area. I would hate to think that Church officials are not more forceful in speaking up for pre-born children in danger of abortion because of the money they're getting from politicians for Catholic institutions, but sometimes it appears that way.
St. Francis Hospital in Trenton, NJ is giving the "Spirit of St. Francis" award to Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman. Assemblywoman Coleman is a pro-abortion extremist who is endorsed and funded by Planned Parenthood. The radical pro-abortion group New Jersey Right to Choose has also endorsed her. This extremist organization would never have supported her if they doubted her support for partial-birth abortion. (See the following link for an explanation of partial-birth abortion
Priest's For Life, Partial Birth Abortion
Assemblywoman Coleman voted against Parental Notification two times. This bill would have required parents to at least be notified before their minor daughter has an abortion. She is the Chairwoman of the Democratic State Committee and the Appropriations Committee Chair.
Please contact:
Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman
DISTRICT OFFICE ADDRESS:
226 West State Street
Trenton, NJ 08608
PHONE NUMBER: (609) 292-0500
Fax Number (609)-633 2179
E-MAIL ADDRESS: Assemblywoman Watson-Coleman
Ask her, politely, to remove her name from consideration for the St. Francis Award.
For St. Francis Hospital to give this award to a pro-abortion politician is an affront to St. Francis who abhorred all killing and is contrary to the stated policy of the Diocese of Trenton. Please contact Bonnie Baker of Community Relations Development at (609) 599-5039 to express your opinion about this outrage.
It is interesting to note that the State Legislature gives money to Catholic Charities. One must also wonder if there are strings attached to this money. More than one director of Catholic organizations has told me that their organizations were denied government grants because they would not refer people to Planned Parenthood. Another interesting fact is that Assemblywoman Coleman's husband William Coleman is on the Board of St. Francis Hospital. Another relative William Watson is also on the Board.
So far the Diocese of Trenton has not issued any statement about this matter. At the end of this email is a copy stated policy of the Diocese of Trenton on pro-abortion politicians from July 24, 1990. Bishop Smith reaffirmed this policy in July 2001. The policy is excellent and should be a model for other dioceses. Too bad it's not being enforced. In his Encyclical Veritatis Splendor Pope John Paul II outlines the responsibility of Catholic Bishops to exercise vigilance over Catholic institutions in their diocese. Section 116 states the following:
"We have the duty, as Bishops, to be vigilant that the word of God is faithfully taught. My Brothers in the Episcopate, it is part of our pastoral ministry to see to it that this moral teaching is faithfully handed down and to have recourse to appropriate measures to ensure that the faithful are guarded from every doctrine and theory contrary to it. In carrying out this task we are all assisted by theologians; even so, theological opinions constitute neither the rule nor the norm of our teaching. Its authority is derived, by the assistance of the Holy Spirit and in communion cum Petro et sub Petro, from our fidelity to the Catholic faith which comes from the Apostles. As Bishops, we have the grave obligation to be personally vigilant that the "sound doctrine" (1 Tim 1:10) of faith and morals is taught in our Dioceses.
A particular responsibility is incumbent upon Bishops with regard to Catholic institutions. Whether these are agencies for the pastoral care of the family or for social work, or institutions dedicated to teaching or health care, Bishops can canonically erect and recognize these structures and delegate certain responsibilities to them. Nevertheless, Bishops are never relieved of their own personal obligations. It falls to them, in communion with the Holy See, both to grant the title "Catholic" to Church-related schools,(179) universities,(180) health-care facilities and counseling services, and, in cases of a serious failure to live up to that title, to take it away." (For the full context see the following link:
Pope's Encyclical Regarding Bishop's Responsibilities
Please contact Bishop Smith and politely ask him to enforce his policy.
Below is his contact information:
Most Rev. John M. Smith, J.C.D., D.D.
Bishop, Diocese of Trenton
P. O. Box 5147
Trenton, NJ 08638-0147
(609) 406-7400
Bishop Smith's communications are handled through the Office of Media Relations. Below is their contact information:
Office of Media Relations
Diocesan Pastoral Center
PO Box 5147-0147
701 Lawrenceville Road
Trenton, NJ 08038-0147
(609) 406-7538 Fax: 609-406-7423
E-mail: Diocese of Trenton
Also, the Francis Dolan of Catholic Charities of Trenton and New Jersey Catholic Conference praised Governor McGreevey's budget without mentioning the fact that it funds of the killing of pre-born children. Francis Dolan's praise of Governor McGreevey is contained in an article in the Monitor under the headline "Catholic Charities Gives Thumbs UP For Proposed Budget". His praise was also reported in the Trenton Times on Monday April 29 under the headline "We Applaud the Governor's Budget". Governor McGreevey voted twice against banning partial-birth abortion as a state senator.
Below is a link to the statement praising McGreevey by the New Jersey Catholic Conference that represents the Bishops of New Jersey:
NJ Catholic Conference Praising Pro-Abortion, Catholic Governor James E. McGreevey, BARF
While there are many positive aspects to Governor McGreevey's budget, the fact that it funds the killing of children is unconscionable. Catholic Charities and the New Jersey Catholic Conference should not have praised Governor McGreevey without expressing at least some disappointment in the funding of the killing of the unborn.
I saw a letter to the Editor in the Catholic Advocate. Most likely it appeared in all of the New Jersey diocesan papers. If you would like to express your opinion on this matter below is the contact information for all five diocesan papers in New Jersey.
Diocese of Camden
Catholic Star Herald
1845 Haddon Ave.
Camden NJ 08101
Tel: (856) 756-7900; FAX: (856) 756-7938
E-mail: Catholic Star Herald
Published weekly, circulation 35,000
Diocese of Metuchen
The Catholic Spirit
PO Box 191
Metuchen NJ 08840
Tel: (732) 562-1990; FAX: (732) 562-0969
E-mail: The Catholic Spirit
Published weekly, circulation 12,000
Archdiocese of Newark
The Catholic Advocate
171 Clifton Avenue
Newark NJ 07104-9500
Tel: (973) 497-4200; FAX: (973) 497-4192
E-mail: The Catholic Advocate
Published bi-weekly, circulation 128,600
Diocese of Paterson
The Beacon
PO Box 1887
Clifton NJ 07015-1887
Tel: (973) 279-8845; FAX: (973) 279-2265
E-mail: The Beacon
Published weekly, circulation 31,650
Diocese of Trenton
The Monitor
PO Box 5147
Trenton NJ 08638-0147
Tel: (609) 406-7404; FAX: (609) 406-7423
Published weekly, circulation 20,000
You may want to incorporate some ideas from the Bishop's Pastoral Plan for Pro-life Activities. In this plan issued in November 2001 the Bishops of the United States say:
"To focus on the evil of deliberate killing in abortion and euthanasia is not to ignore the many other urgent conditions that demean human dignity and threaten human rights. Opposing abortion and euthanasia "does not excuse indifference to those who suffer from poverty, violence and injustice. Any politics of human life must work to resist the violence of war and the scandal of capital punishment. Any politics of human dignity must seriously address issues of racism, poverty, hunger, employment, education, housing and health care" (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 23).
We pray that Catholics will be advocates for the weak and the marginalized in all these areas. "But being 'right' in such matters can never excuse a wrong choice regarding direct attacks on innocent human life. Indeed, the failure to protect and defend life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect any claims to the 'rightness' of positions in other matters affecting the poorest and least powerful of the human community" (Living the Gospel of Life, no. 23). (For the full context see Living the Gospel of Life, no.23
The press release of the New Jersey Catholic Conference lists Marlene Laó-Collins as a contact person. She is Associate Director for Social Concerns.
Her email address is
Marlene Lao-Collins
Her phone number is
(609) 599-2110.
The Executive Director of the New Jersey Catholic Conference is William F. Bolan, Jr., J.D.. Below is his contact information:
211 North Warren Street
Trenton, NJ 08618-4894
(609) 599-2110
Fax (609) 392-3094
William F. Bolan
The President of the New Jersey Catholic Conference is Archbishop John J. Myers.
Below is his contact information:
Most Rev. John J. Myers, J.C.D., D.D.
Archbishop, Archdiocese of Newark
P. O. Box 9500
Newark, NJ 07104-9500
973-497-4005
The Archbishop's communications are usually handled through Jim Goodness, the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Newark. He can be reached at the Archdiocesan address above. His phone number and email address are below:
(973) 497-4186
Jom Goodness>
Below is the statement from the Diocese of Trenton referred to above. It can be found at
Diocese of Trenton, Pro-Life Policy
DIOCESE OF TRENTON
POLICY STATEMENT ON PRO-ABORTION POLITICIANS
Most Rev. John M. Smith, J.C.D.
Bishop of Trenton
July 24, 1990
Reaffirmed July, 2001
"Some Catholic elected officials have adopted the argument that, while they personally oppose evils like abortion, they cannot force their religious views on a wider society. This is seriously mistaken on several key counts: First, regarding abortion, the point when human like begins is not a religious belief, but a scientific fact. Second, the sanctity of human life is not merely Catholic doctrine but part of humanity's global ethnic heritage, and our nations' founding principle. Finally, democracy is not served by silence…Real pluralism depends on people of conviction struggling vigorously to advance their beliefs by every ethical and legal means at their disposal." --Living the Gospel of Life, U.S. Catholic Bishops
POLICY STATEMENT ON PRO-ABORTION POLITICIANS
It would be misleading to assist pro-choice politicians with a platform to promote their views for fear that others would falsely conclude that the Church at least tolerates their position.
Therefore:
1. Public honors of any type should not be bestowed on such persons, by any parish or diocesan institution;
2. Invitations are not to be offered to such persons to be speakers at public events or in educational programs, nor given recognition or approval by parishes or diocesan institutions;
3. Such persons should not be proposed to exercise any ministry, or hold any office in the Church or in any parish, even as an honorary chairperson.
It is incumbent upon us as moral guides and pastors to make certain that the Church's teaching is proclaimed clearly, and is explained by presenting the theological and rational arguments against abortion.
Rising above other issues is our moral responsibility to respect and sustain human life from conception to natural death. In this context, we know that support and promotion of abortion is always wrong and can never be justified. The Church's teaching about the sacredness of human life must be a priority for all Catholics.
Most Reverend John M. Smith
Bishop of Trenton
Life and Dignity of the Human Person
"Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. The conviction that human life is sacred and that each person has inherent dignity that must be respected in society lies at the heart of Catholic social teaching. Calls to advance human rights are illusions if the right to life itself is subject to attack. We believe that every human life is sacred from conception to natural death: that people are more important than things: and that the measure of every institution is whether or not it enhances the life and dignity of the human person."
-- Faithful Citizenship, National Conference of Catholic Bishops
"Now the word of the Lord came to me saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I consecrated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you."
-- Jeremiah 1:5
"We urge those Catholic officials who choose to depart from Church teaching on the inviolability of human life in their public life to consider the consequences for their own spiritual well being, as well as the scandal they risk by leading others into serious sin. We call on them to reflect the grave contradiction of assuming public roles and presenting themselves as credible Catholics when their actions on fundamental issues of human life are not in agreement with Church teaching. No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on innocent human life…No appeal to policy, procedure, majority will or pluralism ever excuses a public official from defending life to the greatest extent possible."
-- Living the Gospel of Life, U.S. Catholic Bishops
OFFICE OF FAMILY LIFE/RESPECT LIFE
Diocese of Trenton
701 Lawrenceville Road
Lawrenceville, NJ 08648
609-406-7400, Ext. 5592
Reverend Jeffrey E. Lee, Director
Reverend Michael Manning, M.D., Coordinator, Respect Life Ministries E-mail: Rev. Michael Manning, M.D.
END OF STATEMENT OF DIOCESE OF TRENTON
Well, I guess one good thing to come out of all of these scandals is that they put to rest the myth that the Church is a highly centralized, right-wing authoritarian institution.
When I visited Boston College in January, I noticed that a production of the Vagina Monologues was going on. Pope Clement XIV was right to abolish the Jesuits after all!
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