Wisconsin Catholic Lawmakers Seek Victim Status In Feud With Bishop

Catholic League For Religious and Civil Rights ^ | December 5, 2003

[EsclavoDeCristo]

December 5, 2003   

 

WISCONSIN CATHOLIC LAWMAKERS

SEEK VICTIM STATUS IN FEUD WITH BISHOP

 

A Catholic congressman from Wisconsin, and two Catholic state legislators, have received a letter from Bishop Raymond Burke of La Crosse objecting to their voting record on life issues.  The bishop, who was named Archbishop of St. Louis this week, said that if the lawmakers continued to vote “anti-life,” he would “ask them not to present themselves to receive the sacraments because they would not be Catholics in good standing.”  The letter has now occasioned a public furor, leading Catholics and non-Catholics alike to criticize Bishop Burke for violating the principle of separation of church and state.

 

Catholic League president William Donohue defended the bishop today:

 

“Raymond L. Burke did not lose his right to freedom of speech when he became a bishop.  He not only has a First Amendment right to speak his mind, he has a moral obligation to do so on matters of life and death.  It is important to note that Bishop Burke did not advise his priests to refuse Communion to anti-life Catholic lawmakers, he simply asked the offending politicians not to seek Communion. 

 

“If the issue were segregation, not abortion, the critics of Bishop Burke would be praising him.  For example, when New Orleans Archbishop Joseph Rummel publicly chastised Catholics in the 1950s for stopping an African American priest from celebrating Mass, he was regarded as a hero.  When he excommunicated three Catholic leaders and two public office holders in 1962 for promoting segregation, he was praised by elites.  In other words, it’s the issue that matters, not the right of a bishop to censure Catholic politicians. 
 

“Regarding separation of church and state, we have a minister running for president and no one complains.  Similarly, no one complained when Senator Joseph Lieberman, an orthodox Jew, opined in 2000 that ‘My religion decides what’s right.  And what’s right for me as vice president will be what’s right for America.’  Now imagine what would happen if Bishop Burke ran for president and said what Lieberman said?”

The Catholic League is the nation's largest Catholic civil rights organization. It defends individual Catholics and the institutional Church from defamation and discrimination.
 

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[kstewskis]

Jay, have you seen this yet, re: WI?

He was on nobody's short list for the appointment. That "hand-picked" connotation by the Pope has a nice ring to it. I'm telling you, Phoenix just might blossom under his care. He has a core of young and upcoming orthodox Priests scattered throughout several parishes to assist his oversight. The future looks bright, very bright!

We can only continue to pray for our diocese's future!

[Northern Yankee]

Hi Karen...

I hadn't been aware of the pope handpicking the Bishop, but am hopeful this will be the case for our Diocease, where Bishop Burke is leaving.

Met with a priest friend of the family today and he's hoping they also bring in someone from the outside.

The new Bishop will have some work to do that Burke didn't quite tidy up. Can't say more than that, but our diocease could be faced with some hard decisions in the not to distant future.

[Desdemona]

His staff. And that guy doesn't do much in advance. In fact he doesn't do much at all.

[RobbyS]

He had better hope he is a safe district.

[BlackElk]

JP II and the Congregation on Bishops have been racking up a terrific stream of appointments to American sees lately. I have noted the appointment of Archbishop Olmstead, who will be a major improvement over his thoroughly AmChurch predecessor.

We now have adjacent dioceses of Chicago, Rockford, Peoria, La Crosse, Madison and Milwaukee under solid prelates, St. Louis helps us to sandwich the remaining AmChurch dioceses in Illinois. Imesch of Joliet should be the next AmChurch soldier to topple. We need to add Green Bay on the north, Springfield in southern Illinois, reach out to South Bend, Indiana and Iowa.

If Bishop Olmstead has a good core of young orthodox priests and develops more, maybe Cardinal Rigali (formerly Vice Chairman of the Congregation on Bishops) can cooperate in establishing a similar Kumbaya-free zone in the southwest, by seeing some of them named as bishops in the area.

Do you know what happened to former Bishop Garner (?) of Wichita who preceded Bishop Olmstead there? He was a pro-life warrior and a relatively young and newly appointed bishop when I became aware of him during trials of pro-lifers at Wichita in 1991.

[Desdemona]

Lacy Clay more or less inhereted his district from his father, Bill Clay. We can't get either one out with dynamite.

[Desdemona]

JP II and the Congregation on Bishops have been racking up a terrific stream of appointments to American sees lately.

Very true. He's also lining up the next group of cardinals. Of the ten metropolitans, at least five will be open in the next 10 years (and none too soon, either). Think of who the archbishops are in places like Denver, St. Louis, Phoenix. We're not going to have them very long, but like Cardinal George did, they have some massive messes to clean up. It's not going to be easy, but these men will stay the course.

[ninenot]

Regrettably, you will have to wait until he finishes his assignment in St Louis, which begins early in January 04.

However, you could move to St Louis and enjoy the fruits of Catholicism...

[ninenot]

The lawmakers need to be "picked on" by this Bishop in order to cast the Bishop as the bad guy.

That's why the legislators and their slimy mouthpieces and attorneys use the term 'political' disagreement as opposed to 'moral' disagreement.

Obviously, the poor little things would lose, big-time, were the issue cast as a moral issue.

[ninenot]

It would seem that these congressmen and legislators have some choices to make.

Their religion

or

a legislative, congressional seat.

Actually, Sal, it's:

their immortal soul

or a legislative/congressional seat.

[RobbyS]

Thewn Clay won't mind being evicted from the Catholic Church. However, I wonder if he/COS will be just smart enough not to make a public response?

[ArrogantBustard]

Uncle Wally's replacement has not yet been named. An orthodox Bishop would be a real blessing to that Diocese, but his job will be very difficult.

[TotusTuus]

Do you know what happened to former Bishop Garner (?) of Wichita who preceded Bishop Olmstead there?

No, I don't. Apparently we have a new freeper from Wichita who might know. His first post here.

Exquisite taste in screen names ;-)

[TotusTuus]

JP II and the Congregation on Bishops have been racking up a terrific stream of appointments to American sees lately. ....
We now have adjacent dioceses of Chicago, Rockford, Peoria, La Crosse, Madison and Milwaukee under solid prelates, St. Louis helps us to sandwich the remaining AmChurch dioceses in Illinois. Imesch of Joliet should be the next AmChurch soldier to topple. We need to add Green Bay on the north, Springfield in southern Illinois, reach out to South Bend, Indiana and Iowa.

We need to contact Milton-Bradley/Parker Brothers. You've led me to an idea for a new version of RISK! ;-)

If Bishop Olmstead has a good core of young orthodox priests and develops more, maybe Cardinal Rigali (formerly Vice Chairman of the Congregation on Bishops) ...

All due to 'Jeff Chandler's Pastor who had been the vocations director.

[dsc]

"JP II and the Congregation on Bishops have been racking up a terrific stream of appointments to American sees lately."

Pardon my ignorance, but is it the case that JP II and the Congregation on Bishops have for decades been pretty much letting the American bishops decide things, but have recently started telling them, "Honk off, we'll appoint whom we think best"?