When So-called Pro-lifers Are Hateful

Why would Gonzaga have Carol Keehan at the commencement. It was only to applaud her and make her a hero for her defiance. I guess she got more than a pen for her defiance. I am puzzled as to why they said shame to Cardinal McCarrick. Did this really happen?

Many years ago, a friend and I attended a pro-life conference (albeit one not officially affiliated with the local RTL group). We were trying to start a pro-life group at our Catholic parish. After listening to a speaker or two, my friend turned to me and said, "I have met the enemy, and it is us."

Pro-lifers can sometimes be their own worst enemy.

MSW - excellent points but what do you expect from the catholic version of Glenn Beck and company.

Did you watch EWTN last week and R. Arroyo and his sidekick, Sirico, condemn Sister Carol because she dared to "dissent" from the USCCB stand on Healthcare Reform. As you and others carefully analyzed, Sr. Carol did not dissent nor did she come out against the USCCB publicly.....a slight exaggeration by the dynamic EWTN duo but that is their modus operandi.

What you see in this is fear, mis-guided loyalty, and ignorance aided and abetted by bishops, etc. Actually, some brave bishop (okay, I am dreaming) should go the extra mile and listen/educate folks on why this type of intra-catholic demonstration violated basic catholic rights including the graduates and parents/families of these high school kids. At least, you can bet they got an education about "pro-life" fanatics.

As a graduate of another Jesuit high school (with cousins who went to Gonzaga), let me say this group's behavior is despicable. For those who consider these cretins to be "courageous," I would add that there's a big difference between couage and meanness. Finally, one of those posting on the "Restore DC Catholicism" blog suggested a few alternative commencement speakers, including Clarence Thomas. Is that the same Clarence Thomas who sees nothing wrong with executing juvenilles?

Someone should tell them that the Vatican journal La Civilta Cattolica had nice things to say about the healthcare reform and Sr. Carol. Or maybe they prefer keeping company with the American evangelical right.

http://vox-nova.com/2010/06/07/la-civilta-cattolica-on-american-healthca...

Typical, "by their fruits you shall know them."
That's why I stay far away from so called pro-lifers and their anti-abortion agenda - it is so hate filled and self righteous. How can their cause be of God? My experience with them forces the question....sorry.

Well put, MSW. These so-called "pro-lifers" are often the same people who want policies that push women into poverty that leads to abortion in the first place. They may be pro-birth, but thay are not prolife.

NCR attacks pro-lifers...yawn

If this is the best NCR can do to try to classify pro-lifers as full of hatred, I think the pro-life community is doing a good job. Did anyone actually click on the links and see hatred? are words like shame now hate speech?

I must say those students sure gave them heck....well done guys.

You know, the Jesuits have no business honoring Sr. Keehan.
The Prolifers are not hateful, they are wonderful.

Archbishop Chaput spoke very clearly on this whole issue in 2004

Archbishop Chaput says those who support abortion “rights” cannot be Catholic…
http://www.tldm.org/news7/Chaput.htm

“When a man has stepped over the threshold and allowed himself to fall into mortal sin, he must be purified by trial, but he must also, My children, be purified by the rule of penance and confession.
“What manner of evil is being set now upon mankind that compels him to lose his soul by rejecting the Sacraments, by no longer confessing to his confessor, but coming to receive My Son in sacrifice, while his soul is degraded by sin of mortal nature!” – Our Lady of the Roses, September 7, 1976

LifeSiteNews.com reported on July 14, 2004

Denver’s Catholic Archbishop Charles Chaput was interviewed on Colorado Public Radio about his position in the debate over giving communion for Catholic public officials who support abortion. He wrote a column, one of a continuing series, in which he said that Catholics’ who support abortion are not really Catholics, but “a very different kind of creature.”

A local political candidate accused his archbishop of crossing the line between Church and State and said that Catholic prelates should not preach to Catholic politicians. However, in the interview the Archbishop, defended his statement saying, “If you don’t accept what the Church teaches on issues of faith and morals you can’t claim to be a Catholic.” He went on to say, “I would say if you’re in favor of the choice to kill babies it isn’t compatible with Catholic faith.”

Throughout the interview Chaput avoided the question of whether he would directly refuse someone like John Kerry communion if he should present himself in a Denver-area Catholic church. [read more on the U.S. bishops and sacrilegious Communion] “One cannot be a pro-choice catholic,” he said. “There are Catholics who don’t understand that and think they’re Catholics… We believe that if you don’t accept what the church teaches in the grave matters of faith and morals, and we know what those are in the Catholic Church, then you’re not in communion with what the Church teaches and therefore you shouldn’t go to communion. Communion isn’t about personal worthiness, it’s about faith, what you believe.”

When asked about the issue of separation of Church and State that is frequently used to attempt to silence Catholic or other Christian voices, the Archbishop became emphatic. He said that the tactic was unscrupulous and un-American and would never have been used against Church leaders who spoke out against slavery or segregation. “(Separation of Church and State) doesn’t mean that the Church should be silent. It doesn’t mean that a politician should tell me to shut up. It doesn’t mean that any member of the Church can’t talk about the issues that are important to the Church.”

“Abortion is a matter of human dignity and human rights,” Chaput said.

He then became more blunt. “It’s not a religious principle; we’re not against abortion for religious reasons. We’re against it because it kills babies. No one should tell us to be quiet about that any more than we were quiet about segregation. It’s very important that we’re active; we encourage our people to vote their conscience. That’s not interfering with the government.”

MSW,

Here is the Churches teaching on abortion, taken directly from the USCCB website.
It is called , The Catechism of the Catholic Church.
After reading your blog, I'm beginning to believe that your not even aware that the catechism even exists.

http://www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt3sect2chpt2art5.shtml
Abortion

2270
Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person—among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life.72

Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you.73

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately wrought in the depths of the earth.74
2271
Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law:

You shall not kill the embryo by abortion and shall not cause the newborn to perish.75

God, the Lord of life, has entrusted to men the noble mission of safeguarding life, and men must carry it out in a manner worthy of themselves. Life must be protected with the utmost care from the moment of conception: abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.76
2272
Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. "A person who procures a completed abortion incurs excommunication latae sententiae,"77 "by the very commission of the offense,"78 and subject to the conditions provided by Canon Law.79 The Church does not thereby intend to restrict the scope of mercy. Rather, she makes clear the gravity of the crime committed, the irreparable harm done to the innocent who is put to death, as well as to the parents and the whole of society.

2273
The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation:

"The inalienable rights of the person must be recognized and respected by civil society and the political authority. These human rights depend neither on single individuals nor on parents; nor do they represent a concession made by society and the state; they belong to human nature and are inherent in the person by virtue of the creative act from which the person took his origin. Among such fundamental rights one should mention in this regard every human being's right to life and physical integrity from the moment of conception until death."80

"The moment a positive law deprives a category of human beings of the protection which civil legislation ought to accord them, the state is denying the equality of all before the law. When the state does not place its power at the service of the rights of each citizen, and in particular of the more vulnerable, the very foundations of a state based on law are undermined. . . . As a consequence of the respect and protection which must be ensured for the unborn child from the moment of conception, the law must provide appropriate penal sanctions for every deliberate violation of the child's rights."81

You promised President Obama would reduce abortions. All we got so far is bailouts debts predator drones wars body bags and jobless.

I agree with Mr. Winters comments about what the "pro-lifers" did at Gonzaga
High School graduation was disgraceful. Instead of marching around the protesters would have done more good by going to another church and praying for the Holy Spirit to help the world understand that abortion is not something that should be used as "birth control." The Catholic Church does allow it in certain situations and if they would be the only times it would happen we would all be better off.

Pro-lifers who behave in this way give life a bad name.

Christ unambiguously asks us to approach disagreement, conflict, and how we view those we think are not only wrong but sinful, differently. Rather than the usual hateful and violent manner which humans traditionally approach these things, Christs message is different, and would truly lead us to a better way. Falling back on the old ways of addressing conflict in the name of Christ is close to blashphemy, and at the very least does not lead to a better outcome, and reveals a mistrust in Christ's message.

EWTN has become a hellhole of violent obnoxious deviationism masquerading as pro-life action. It is quite disgusting to hear these veritable fanatics talk and even demonstrate on behalf of this cause. Operation Rescue is a terroristic organisation. The ideas are sickening. This is so bad and comes on youth ministry regularly that I have boycotted the station for years. I want none of this madness standing in for faith, delivered in Latin that sounds like Tom Lehrer on speed and those awful attempts to sing plainchant with Americanised intonation and prayers delivered like saints going to finishing school. It's theatrically unbalanced !