Generally I want to avoid Polemics, but….
It is not my intention for this blog to become a polemical site. I have tried to stick to just sharing things of a more spiritual nature; my homilies, and other spiritual reflections — with a few amusing stories of my family. However, sometimes one needs to just speak up against an injustice.
As I am sure that most of the readers of this blog knows, shortly after arriving in Brazil, Pope Benedict, in answering a questions asked him, stated that politicians who vote to support abortion have excommunicated themselves, and therefore should not receive Holy Communion. Really this is nothing new; it states that in the Code of Canon Law, and it has been taught in moral theology for a very long time. It all has to do with what the Church teaches about the sanctity of human life, and the moral theology principle of cooperation in a moral evil. It is ALWAYS — meaning in EVERY TIME, EVERY PLACE, and EVERY SITUATION — an absolute moral evil to kill an innocent human life, and human life begins at conception. There is a difference between an ABSOLUTE moral evil and a non-absolute moral evil. The death penalty and “just war” are examples of non-absolute moral evils because there are circumstances when they can be morally acceptable.
I read the following from Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt, as he responded to the Pope’s comments in Brazil concerning politicians who support abortion having excommunicated themselves:
“I’ve always thought also that those bishops and archbishops who for decades hid pederasts and are now being protected by the Vatican should be indicted,” he said.
I am not a philosophy major, nor a logician, but I am pretty certain that such a counter-argument is called something like a “red-herring.” The priest sexual abuse scandal has nothing to do with abortion, and the moral formal cooperation with the evil of abortion that voting for abortion rights. Senator Leahy is being diabolical (from the Greek meaning “to throw apart”). Satan always tries to cause division by using lies and half truths. This is what Senator Leahy is doing. He is trying to avoid acknowledging his own objectively evil actions (he is a big time supporter of abortion rights, there is not a situation when he things it is bad to kill a baby in the womb). He is being deliberately dishonest.
The priest sexual abuse scandal was horrible. Obviously the abusive priests did great evil, but many bishops did not respond as a shepherd should. For a long time the Vatican has been saying that bishops are suppose to be shepherds and not CEOs, and in this situation they too often acted to like a CEO trying to limit their liability. Yet we also must be fair to the bishops. Many of these cases of abuse happened when not much was known medically/psychologically about pedophilia and ebophilia. As a psychologist, I can tell you that up until the early 1980s it was thought that people with these conditions could be cured, so the bishops followed the best professional advice and sent them for treatment. We know better now.
Having said all this, I would like Senator Leahy to give evidence as to how the Vatican is protecting bishops who have covered up these crimes. I assume he is referring to Cardinal Law, formerly of Boston. As I understand it, Cardinal Law was interviewed by the legal authorities there in Boston, and they did not press any charges against him. That being the case he is free to leave the USA. He has a very minor, mostly ceremonial position in Rome (which the American press has overblown in importance). As far as I know there has been no further requests from the police or prosecutors in Boston to have Cardinal Law return to Boston for further investigation or even prosecution. The Vatican has not fought any extradition requests. So how are they protecting him or any other bishops?
The Vatican called for obedience to the Church’s teaching, which calls such sexual conduct sinful and criminal. It was the “liberal” priests in America who so often disobeyed the Vatican in so many matters, from the liturgy to sexual morality, who created the terrible situation. The fault does not lie with the Vatican, but with those who did not obey.
Yet all this has nothing to do with what Pope Benedict said about politicians who support abortion rights (well, I guess it does since he says that they need to obey the Church’s teaching). Shame on you Senator Leahy! Own up to your own evil actions and do not try to distract us from them by waving your red herring.
