Posted on 03/29/2007 6:28:03 PM PDT by Coleus
As the second anniversary of Terri Schiavo's death from dehydration on March 31, 2005, approaches, her brother, Bobby Schindler has released a letter written to Bishop Robert Lynch of the Diocese of St. Petersburg, Florida. "In light of the fact that Bishop Lynch refused my family's pleas for his help in our attempt to save my sister's life, I am posting this "open letter to Bishop Robert Lynch" which I sent to him on March 9, 2007, and to which I have, to date, received no response", Schindler said. "On March 13, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI reasserted that Catholic politicians have a 'grave responsibility' to defend all innocent human life, and a 'non negotiable' duty to oppose the practices of abortion and euthanasia.
"If the Church teaches that such a grave responsibility rests on elected officials who are here today and gone tomorrow, and who hold mere temporal power, what of the successors of the apostles - our bishops - who hold the greatest spiritual authority on earth?", Schindler continued. "Pope Benedict XVI clearly stated, "all Catholics have a duty to uphold the Church's pro-life teachings, but the responsibility is especially incumbent on those in positions of power." (emphasis added)
"Pope Benedict further stated, 'Bishops are bound to reaffirm constantly these values (the pro-life teaching of the Church) as part of their responsibility to the flock entrusted to them.' As Catholic dissenters continue to flaunt their pro-death agenda, and as laws are promoted, especially in the economically progressive world, for the legalization of euthanasia, the bishops have been charged by the Holy See 'with the task of monitoring whether elected officials in their local churches shouldn't be receiving communion because of a violation of the church's pro-life teachings." "Perhaps certain bishops should not consider themselves above such scrutiny as well. As my letter states, 'I beg the Lord to spare us another successor of the apostles who would exhibit the same scandalous inaction and silence by which you remain complicit in my sister's murder via euthanasia'.
Schindler's letter to Bishop Lynch follows:
"Speaking on behalf of my family, my intention was to write you a letter subsequent to my sister Terri Schiavo's death in order to explain to you why I hold you more accountable for her horrific death than Michael Schiavo, his attorney, and even the judge that ordered her to die. "In something of a bitter irony, however, it wasn't until I came across your recent article in the Tampa Tribune, where your own words succeeded in saying much of what I wanted to say, that I was finally motivated to write. "In the opening paragraph of your commentary, "The Homeless Are Challenge To Our Cities And Our Faith," you said "The challenge of the homeless in St. Petersburg has made national news and it has been embarrassing to many people. I am convinced that both on Judgment Day and in history, we will most likely be judged not by the things which we might have considered personally important to ourselves in life but how we took care of others less fortunate." A prophetic statement indeed - and one in complete conformity with the words of our Lord in Matthew 25:31-46.
"You then went on to say in the beginning of the next paragraph, "The faces which may haunt each of us on Judgment Day may well be those of Bishop Lynch, I couldn't have said it better myself. Instead of writing a lengthy letter explaining the hypocrisy of your words, let me just say the following:
"The barbarism and nightmare of Terri's two week death by thirst and starvation will be forever seared into my family's memory. It is incomprehensible to us that a nation supposedly built on basic Judeo- Christian principles would allow something so wicked to happen. That is, until one realizes that just as the Culture of Death made a triumphal entry into our nation in 1973, via legalized abortion, without so much as a whimper of protest from those with the God-given authority to stop it, so now our disabled and elderly are being targeted for death. The bottom line is, when apostolic grace and responsibility are abdicated, innocent people die.
"Fortunately, my family was provided much needed comfort and strength by an enormous outpouring of prayers of support, including the unwavering support of the Holy See, which to this day continues to arrive for our family.
"Even more uplifting are the stories we receive almost daily of how my sister has, in a special way, touched the hearts and changed the lives of so many people, not only in our country, but all over the world. So much so that there are efforts being made by people world-wide to promote Terri's cause for beatification.
"Terri's legacy is one of life and love. Sadly, your legacy will be that of the shepherd that stood silently by as one of his innocent disabled lambs was slowly and needlessly slaughtered by removing her food and water - while you persistently ignored the cries of her family for help ("her family" being the ones who merely wanted to care for her.)
"You should not need to be reminded of the many passages of Scripture that condemn the shepherds that "pasture themselves on their sheep," or Christ's admonition to St. Peter to "feed My lambs," etc. As my family and I dedicate the remainder of our lives to saving other innocent lambs targeted by the Death Culture, I beg the Lord to spare us another successor of the apostles who would exhibit the same scandalous inaction and silence by which you remain complicit in my sister's murder via euthanasia.
"I realize that for the sake of my salvation I must come to a point to at least want to forgive you, Bishop Lynch, for aiding and giving comfort to the evildoers who took my sister's innocent and vulnerable life (and yes, she was objectively more innocent and more vulnerable than perhaps any homeless person.) The Catholic Church however, has spoken on Terri's case, and she has decreed in favor of Terri's right to life and everything our family did to try to save her.
"Your behaviors, in contrast, have brought scandal to the Universal Church and to the faithful, particularly here in Florida. Your indifference toward the Truth is appalling, but seems to be indicative of the all-too prevalent corruption of priestly formation in the 1960's and 70's, so perhaps your culpability is somewhat mitigated. Even so, the fact of my sister's murder under your "pastoral care" is a fact you should acknowledge publicly.
"This season of Lent is one well suited to seek public forgiveness and make public reparation for public scandal. At least until that happens, I regret that I must remain, as you said, the face that haunts you as someone that did approach you for assistance and was turned away.
"May God have mercy on you, and may my holy sister Terri pray for us all".
Although Lynch was Terri's bishop, he stood by silent while she was forcibly starved to death----after she struggled to declare that she wanted to live. Bishop Lynch issued a statement directly at odds with church teaching that food and water is basic sustenance and cannot be withheld by private choice. Just days before Terri died on March 31, 2005, Lynch left the country. However, he left a statement posted on the Diocese website before Easter in which he didn't seem particularly concerned about the death decree issued and that it was against the official position of the Vatican and the Pope. "At the end of the day the decision to remove Terri's artificial feeding tube will be that of her husband, Michael", Lynch said. "It is he who will give the order, not the courts of certainly the Governor or legislature or the medical personnel surrounding and caring for Terri. In other words, as I have said from the beginning of this sad situation, the decision will be made within a family".
But not Terri's family. And Michael Schiavo was a husband in name only. Bishop Lynch had called for "mediation" between Michael Schiavo and Terri's parents, saying that Terri's "plight is a complex and tragic situation". Lynch's position was contrary to the official Vatican position. Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in Rome said in a March 7, 2005, statement, "Without the tube, which is providing life-giving hydration and nutrition, Terri Schiavo will die. But it is not that simple. She will die a horrible and cruel death. She will not simply die; she will have death inflicted upon her over a number of terrible days, even weeks. How can anyone who claims to speak of the promotion and protection of human rights - of human life - remain silent?"
Hours after Schiavo's death was announced , Cardinal Martino called it "murder." "When you deprive somebody of food and water, what else is it? Nothing else but murder." Bishop Lynch's position was also directly contrary to "the teaching of the Pope" who had written that food and water is not extraordinary support for life and that it cannot morally be withheld from a dying or incapacitated person. In August, 2003, Lynch had issued a statement on the Schiavo case, saying that the Schindlers should be given more time to see if medical treatment could improve her condition. However, that statement was premised on the explicit belief that the withdrawal of food and water could be morally justified according to Catholic teaching in some circumstances. Bishop Lynch tried to justify his theologically unsound statement by referring to a 1989 pastoral letter of the Florida Bishops' Conference to justify his assertion that food and water could be withdrawn, especially in those cases where the medical experts had concluded that a patient's condition would not improve over time or if a patient's death was deemed to be imminent". 3-27-07 Bobby Schindler now works for The Terri Schindler Schiavo Foundation, Center for Health Care Ethics in St. Petersburg, Florida, an organization dedicated to promoting the Culture of Life, embracing the true meaning of compassion by opposing the practice of euthanasia.
I still wonder myself if Michael didn't have a hand in it. I've never heard a satisfactory explanation.
A persistent vegetative state (PVS) is a condition of patients with severe brain damage in whom coma has progressed to a state of wakefulness without detectable awareness.
The God that made you should decide when you will leave from this "life" and go to the next level. Not a slime-bucket husband, a sleaze-ball lawyer or a judicial crank judge. HE alone dictates the time.
I know there is much bitterness in the results of what happened to Terry. As I have said, the Living Will I have made and filed carries all the weight of my decisions. I will decide if that is what should be done to me, if that is necessary. My wife is the same way, and we both veiw life as being able to give and share. Without that spontaneous action/reaction there is no life, only an existence that is niether who I am or what I want to be.
God bless you, Bobby Schindler. You speak the truth.
I wonder if there is any possible way he did not. I do not find one.
The hospital could find no natural causes for her injuries. All the indices of a crime were present: Michael was the only one present, he had the means, the opportunity and the motive, and he has a violent personality. He has no alibi and no explanation how his sleeping wife suddenly ended up face-down in the hall after he got home late. Domestic violence is the only reasonable explanation. There are no other explanations even being theorized because nothing else fits the facts.
When the police came to investigate, Michael lied to them. Why? They never followed up, never did forensic tests, wrapped it up by 8:55 a.m. that first morning. One can hardly say this was investigated!
Michael Schiavo cold-bloodedly killed his wife in 2005. Why would anyone presume for one minute that he didn't attack her in 1990?
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