Cardinal O’Malley explains the pope’s silence on abortion

The Deacon's Bench ^ | August 7, 2013 | Deacon Greg Kandra

[NYer]

From National Catholic Reporter:

Pope Francis has not mentioned traditional hot-button Catholic issues like abortion because he prefers to emphasize that Catholics “love people” and are not “mean or old-fashioned,” Boston Cardinal Sean O’Malley has said.

O’Malley, the only North American Francis asked to serve on a group of eight cardinals advising him on reforming the church, made the comments during a keynote address Tuesday in San Antonio at the annual convention of the Knights of Columbus.

“Some people think that the Holy Father should talk more about abortion,” O’Malley told approximately 2,000 attendees, according to a copy of the remarks posted online.

“I think he speaks of love and mercy to give people the context for the Church’s teaching on abortion,” he continued. “We oppose abortion, not because we are mean or old fashioned, but because we love people. And that is what we must show the world.”

O’Malley’s focus on explaining the pope’s lack of abortion talk may be seen by some as a reaction by the cardinal to recent reports that some American Catholics have been underwhelmed by the new pope’s emphases, which have also not highlighted other more controversial Catholic teachings on issues like gay marriage or divorce and remarriage.

From text posted on the Knights of Columbus website:

Recently I read about an American relief worker in Africa, who reported on being at a camp for a food distribution line, it was very chaotic, even scary. He could see that they were running out of food and that these starving people were desperate. At the end of the line, the last person was a little nine year old girl. All that was left was one banana. They handed it to her. She peeled the banana and gave half each to her younger brother and sister. Then she licked the banana peel. The relief worker said at that moment he began to believe in God.

We must be better people; we must love all people, even those who advocate abortion. It is only if we love them that we will be able to help them discover the sacredness of the life of an unborn child. Only love and mercy will open hearts that have been hardened by the individualism of our age.

…The Church’s teaching is about loving and caring for everyone. In his talk to the Brazilian bishops last week, Pope Francis said: “We need a Church capable of rediscovering the maternal womb of mercy. Without mercy we have little chance nowadays of entering the world of wounded persons in need of understanding, forgiveness and love.” The Holy Father alludes to Cardinal Kasper’s work on mercy when he says that mercy without truth would be consolation without honesty and is empty chatter.

On the other hand, however, the truth without mercy would be cold, offputting and ready to wound. The truth isn’t a wet rag that you throw in someone’s face, but a warm cape that you wrap around a person, to protect and strengthen them.

Read the rest of the speech.

[kearnyirish2]

“Ironically, one of the bigger problems in the Church is that half of the people in the pews, think it is just hunky dory to vote and support for politicians who are aggressive abortion worshipers.

So, our hierarchy will now be even nicer about the abortion issue.”

You have that backwards; the people in the pews think it is hunky dory because their hierarchy never told them they threaten their immortal souls when they are complicit in abortion (via their votes). This isn’t the laiety leading the clergy; this is the clergy failing the laiety (ever since Vatican II).

[NKP_Vet]

Pope Francis is no different than any other Pope when it comes to abortion, sodomite “marriage” or any other social issue. He also emphasis other social problems like taking care of the poor. That’s the Jusuit in him.

“Because of his personal style, some on the theological left (or just the left in general) have wondered if and hoped that he might “change the Church’s teaching” on issues like abortion or homosexual “marriage.”

Such hopes are bound to be disappointed.

He’s already on record on both.

Abortion

Pope Francis is on record defending the right to life for the unborn. He also has resisted framing abortion as a “religious” issue that could be set aside in favor of religious neutrality:

The moral problem of abortion is pre-religious in nature because the genetic code of the person happens in the moment of conception.

A human being is already there. I separate the topic of abortion from any religious concept. It is a scientific problem.

To not let the development continue of a being who already has all the genetic code of a human being is not ethical.

The right to life is the first of human rights.

To abort is to kill someone who cannot defend himself [On Heaven and Earth].

Homosexual marriage

In 2010, Pope Francis’s native Argentina was in the process of legalizing homosexual “marriage.” The country’s bishops took a very strong line against the measure. A statement made by then-Cardinal Bergoglio was particularly pointed.

According to British journalist Edward Pentin:

He made the statement in a letter addressed to each of the four monasteries in Argentina, asking the contemplatives to pray “fervently” that legislators be strengthened to do the right thing.

He wrote: “In the coming weeks, the Argentine people will face a situation whose outcome can seriously harm the family. . . .

“At stake is the identity and survival of the family: father, mother, and children. At stake are the lives of many children who will be discriminated against in advance and deprived of their human development given by a father and a mother and willed by God. At stake is the total rejection of God’s law engraved in our hearts.”

Cardinal Bergoglio continued: “Let us not be naive: this is not simply a political struggle, but it is an attempt to destroy God’s plan. It is not just a bill (a mere instrument) but a ‘move’ of the father of lies who seeks to confuse and deceive the children of God.”

The cardinal also noted that “today the country, in this particular situation, needs the special assistance of the Holy Spirit to bring the light of truth on to the darkness of error, it need this advocate to defend us from being enchanted by many fallacies that are tried at all costs to justify this bill and to confuse and deceive the people of good will.”

http://www.catholic.com/blog/jimmy-akin/pope-francis-on-abortion-and-homosexual-marriage

[Dajjal]

“kumbaya” bumpus ad summum

[NKP_Vet]

“I think he speaks of love and mercy to give people the context for the Church’s teaching on abortion,” he continued. “We oppose abortion, not because we are mean or old fashioned, but because we love people. And that is what we must show the world.”

O’Malley’s words, not Pope Francis. But I think what O’Malley was saying is Catholics love the baby who was aborted but also love the girl who had the abortion. His thoughts on abortion are contained in the Cathecism of the Catholic Church. They are the same as all Pope’s before. No abortion is ever acceptable. Give him some time. I’m sure he’ll say more about the evils of abortion. All Pope’s do.

[detective]

“one of the bigger problems in the Church is that half of the people in the pews, think it is just hunky dory to vote and support for politicians who are aggressive abortion worshipers”

This is not true. It has been shown that Catholics(and all Christians) who attend church regularly and follow the teachings of the Church do not support “aggressive abortion worshipers”. Catholics who do not attend church, do not support their parish and do not live by the teachings of the Church are the ones who support abortion.

Almost everyone who is active in the Church opposes abortion and politicians who promote it.

[rbmillerjr]

I dont think this is the case at all. I know plenty of uber liberal abortion lovers who attend Mass and think they are correct.

[Sun]

“..In this kind of story, you can expect media distortion in the headlines, the captions, and the first 15 words (which is all some people ever read.)”

Distortion is not surprising from the “Catholic” Reporter, since they are not really Catholic. I’ve heard they have been asked by Church leaders to not call themselves Catholic.

[Sun]

“Pope Francis is on record defending the right to life for the unborn. ..”

Pope Francis also has a record of LEADERSHIP:

Recently Pope Francis surprised 40,000 pro-lifers in Rome by joining them in the March for Life (from LifeSiteNews.com). But don’t expect to find these kind of accounts in the leftist “Catholic” Reporter.

[Mrs. Don-o]

They were told by the bishop of Kansas City, oh, 30 years ago or more, and by every one of his successors, to stop using the word "Catholic," but they just blow it off.

It seems the bishops don't know what we as parents know: that unless you require obedience -- unless you make it stick --- you'll never be able to get any kind of compliance, based on filial love or loyalty or religious vows or anything else.

There should not be a single priest or vowed religious writing for them, and yet there they are, page after page.

It's pathetic, when you come right down to it.

[detective]

“I know plenty of uber liberal abortion lovers who attend Mass and think they are correct.”

This is not the case in my parish. But I don't doubt what you say.

This is yet more reason for the priests and others to firmly restate that human life is precious and a gift from God. It must also be taught that the killing of an innocent unborn child is sinful and an abomination.

[Sun]

“..They were told by the bishop of Kansas City, oh, 30 years ago or more, and by every one of his successors, to stop using the word “Catholic,” but they just blow it off.
It seems the bishops don’t know what we as parents know: that unless you require obedience — unless you make it stick -— you’ll never be able to get any kind of compliance ..”

Thanx for your informative, and right-on, post.

It’s a shame so many are angry with the Catholic Church, because of spin by pseudo “Catholics” like the National “Catholic” Reporter.

[irishjuggler]

Pope Francis is no different than any other Pope when it comes to abortion, sodomite “marriage” or any other social issue.

We'll see. Sure, he's 'no different' in the sense that he's certainly not going to explicitly approve any of those things. However, where he IS different is in his apparent view that it's unnecessary for him, in his current position of Pope, to vocally express his disapproval for those things. Don't tell me what he said or did years ago in Buenos Aires. We're talking about NOW. When he asked on the plane from Rio why he hadn't mentioned Brazil's impending legalization of abortion. His response was troublesome:
"The Church has clearly spoken about that, it is not necessary to go over it again, as it’s not necessary to talk about fraud, lying or other things about which the church has a clear doctrine. It is not necessary to talk about that, but about positive things that open the road for the young ones. Besides, young people know perfectly well what is the Church’s position about this."


I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The attitude of 'okay, we can shut up about all this social issue stuff now because everyone already knows what we think' is a dream come true for the Left. They've been wishing and hoping for a pope and a Church like that for a long, long time.

[NKP_Vet]

I’m a Catholic and Pope Francis does not worry me. Are you a Catholic?

[irishjuggler]

I’m a Catholic and Pope Francis does not worry me. Are you a Catholic?

Yes. And, believe me, I'd like nothing more than for you to be right about this.

[NKP_Vet]

Give him time. He’ll put out FIRM guidelines on abortion and same-sex “marriage”. He’s trying to get the curia cleaned up right now and weed out all the “gay lobby” in the Vatican.

[Fedora]

The lead’s summary of O’Malley’s quote doesn’t match his actual quote a few paragraphs down.

[Fedora]

I agree—saw your post after I posted mine.

[ebb tide]

“He’s trying to get the curia cleaned up right now and weed out all the “gay lobby” in the Vatican.”

By appointing a gay priest to head the Vatican Bank?

[NKP_Vet]

That’s being investigated too. When the Pope get the final report this priest will be history.

[ebb tide]

Don’t hold your breath. The Pope has already said (in regards to homo priests), “Who am I to judge.”