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Posted on 01/27/2007 6:29:58 AM PST by NYer
BUFFALO, January 25, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Catholic deacon has been reprimanded for taking a pro-abortion Congressman to task on his voting record during a homily on “Respect Life Sunday.”
Deacon Tom McDonnell pointed out that Democrat Rep. Brian Higgins, in attendance with his family, had voted in favour of legislation allowing federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and suggested that parishioners could talk to him about his vote. The Congressman and his family walked out of the church.
Rep. Brian Higgins was endorsed in 2006 by the National Abortion Rights Action League and Planned Parenthood for his support of abortion and related legislation.
He complained that the homily was a “cheap shot” and designed to “drive a wedge” between him and the Church and implied that the Church, after the clergy sex abuse scandals, ought to remain silent on any political issue.
“The lesson here is that the Catholic Church has enough problems and should take greater care before allowing nonpriests [sic] to use the church as a forum to advance what clearly was a political agenda," Higgins said.
The pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rev. Art Smith, competed with the bishop of Buffalo, Edward U. Kmiec, in the haste and abjectness of the apologies. Fr. Smith said he felt “horrible” that Higgins, with whom he is on a first-name basis, was moved to walk out of the church with his family. He complained that he had been turned away from a reception at Higgins’ house over the incident.
Rev. Smith said, “I'm hoping the deacon will somehow express his regret. He could have done the whole [homily] without publicly embarrassing Brian." Fr. Smith did not say whether, as Higgins’ pastor, he had in the past or planned in the future to speak to the Congressman about his moral obligations in voting.
“I can't tell you how terrible I felt,” Smith told Buffalo News on Tuesday. “While we have to always uphold the church's teachings regarding life, I don't think it's ever fair to publicly criticize someone who serves our community and our parish so well.”
In addition to his support for federal funding for embryo research, Higgins has voted for allowing abortions in military hospitals, for funding to organizations that promote abortion, and against making it a federal crime to transport a minor across state lines for an abortion to evade parental notification laws.
Bishop Kmiec quickly issued a public statement saying, “The pulpit is not the appropriate place for confronting a member of the congregation. It is my belief that in situations like this, we are more effective when we have substantive, one-on-one conversations with individuals outside the context of the Mass.”
Although Bishop Kmiec declined to mention whether he had himself ever addressed the life issues in private meetings with his Congressman, Higgins’ comment to the Buffalo News suggested otherwise: “I think the letters and e-mails speak for themselves and show the inconsistencies in what the church leaders have said.”
Buffalo Right to Life, however, had no difficulty with their message to Rep. Higgins, Fr. Smith, Bishop Kmiec and Deacon McDonnell.
“God bless the deacon a thousand times. He did his job. If every bishop, every clergy member of all faiths did their jobs, we wouldn't have the shedding of innocent life in our country,” said Stacey Vogel of the Buffalo Regional Right to Life Committee.
Vogel said that Deacon McDonnell was “doing his duty” and was owed an apology from the priest and bishop for their lack of support. “You shouldn't care so much about Brian's feelings so much as Brian's salvation,” she said.
Although there are no statements on record as to his position on pro-abortion politicians receiving Communion, early in 2005, Bishop Kmiec declined to cancel a speaking engagement by Hilary Clinton, the leading pro-abortion politician in the US at Canisius College.
He said although the diocese was not involved in the planning or promotion of the lecture, he wanted to “maintain channels of communication with Senator Clinton” and he was confident she knew and would “respect and be sensitive to” his “sentiments” on the life issues.
Fr. Smith told local news that he regretted that Brian Higgins was not given the same warm welcome as that shown to Senator Clinton by Buffalo’s previous bishop, Henry J. Mansell during a prior visit at a Catholic venue in 2001.
Brian Higgins told the press that messages to his office were running 4 to 1 in his favour.
Link to NARAL endorsement rating of Brian Higgins:
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_detail.php?sig_id=004...
Rep. Higgins’ voting record can be found here:
http://www.vote-smart.org/issue_rating_category.php?can_id=C...
Messages to Deacon McDonnell may be sent to
St. Thomas Aquinas Parish:
450 Abbott Road
Buffalo, New York 14220
Ph: (716) 822-1250
Fax (716) 822-2594
To contact Bishop Kmiec:
Diocese of Buffalo
795 Main Street
Buffalo NY 14203
Ph: (716) 847-5500
Fax: (716) 847-5557
Email: dob@buffalodiocese.org
To contact Brian Higgins:
Washington, DC Office
431 Cannon HOB
Washington, DC 20515
Phone: 202-225-3306
Fax: 202-226-0347
Erie County Office
Larkin at Exchange
726 Exchange Street
Suite 601
Buffalo, NY 14210
Phone: 716-852-3501
Fax: 716-852-3929
Catholic Ping List
Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list
Ping!
Oh...so if someone points out the hypocracy of a Catholic politician, who is following NARAL's doctrine instead of the church's doctrine, the true Catholic has to apologize?
It's that kind of sell-out to the rich and famous that has been a deep flaw in the Catholic Church down through the ages and enables Ted Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi, and Mafia dons to be buried from the church.
Had Jesus been preaching, Brian Higgins and his family would have walked out and demanded an apology. Unbelievable how church officials grovel to appease the unrepentant. What lesson for the observants?
Unless he's willing to single out every sinner and publicly air their sins at Mass then he's wrong.
I agree.....the deacon shouldn't have NAMED him BUT he did and the Priest should tell the Congressman to get right with the Lord's teachings!!
Gasp! How horrible for him. A true martyrdom...
Why stop there? Why not demand excommunication?
I don't think so just yet.....he needs help and prayers and counselling!
The Congressman sins publicly and causes scandal, and failure to point this out leads others to the same sin. One of the problems in modern American society is that the non-gov institutions have relinquished the power of shunning.
God bless the Deacon!
Rep. Brian Higgins was endorsed in 2006 by the National Abortion Rights Action League and Planned Parenthood for his support of abortion and related legislation. He complained that the homily was a “cheap shot” and designed to “drive a wedge” between him and the Church and implied that the Church, after the clergy sex abuse scandals, ought to remain silent on any political issue.
“The lesson here is that the Catholic Church has enough problems and should take greater care before allowing nonpriests [sic] to use the church as a forum to advance what clearly was a political agenda," Higgins said.
what a jackass.
The pastor of St. Thomas Aquinas, Rev. Art Smith, competed with the bishop of Buffalo, Edward U. Kmiec, in the haste and abjectness of the apologies. Fr. Smith said he felt “horrible” that Higgins, with whom he is on a first-name basis, was moved to walk out of the church with his family. He complained that he had been turned away from a reception at Higgins’ house over the incident.
Rev. Smith said, “I'm hoping the deacon will somehow express his regret. He could have done the whole [homily] without publicly embarrassing Brian." Fr. Smith did not say whether, as Higgins’ pastor, he had in the past or planned in the future to speak to the Congressman about his moral obligations in voting.
Smith is a true embarrassment.
This is the text of an email I just sent to Bishop Kmiec:
I just finished reading the article concerning Rep Higgins and his “outing” by the deacon at St. Thomas Aquinas in Buffalo. What happened to sincerity in the Church? I do not question your belief in the value of all life, but if the Church isn’t sincere in exercising those beliefs, who can we rely on to do so? As I read the article, I was hoping to read how the Church stood behind the Deacon although he could have done it with more tact. That was not forthcoming. Rather, the leaders of my Church reprimanded him, and appeared to apologize to this supporter-of-murder politician for the purpose of being invited to political events. Where is your sincerity? Better yet, what would Jesus do when faced with such a situation? What lesson are you teaching the next generation Catholic? You missed an excellent opportunity to show the world how strongly the Catholic faith holds to its core values. Be ashamed.
Amy Welborn admits that she was surprised by the volume of the reaction. She made a quick comment on a controversy in Buffalo, New York, where a deacon had openly rebuked a pro-abortion politician during a homily-- and the deacon in turn was rebuked by the bishop.
So Amy took note of this dispute, and-- kapow!-- her com boxes nearly exploded with the incoming comments, of which a remarkable number were insightful and a still higher percentage were very heated.
Says Amy:
My intuition... is that what we have here is a great deal of frustration bubbling to the surface...
And Amen to that.
Matt 18:15 “If your brother sins, go and show him his fault when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother.
18:16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established.
18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector.
The Catholic church has a history of turning a blind eye toward pro-abortion, pro-homosexual Catholic politicians. Has one EVER been held account?
Exactly right. It's all "I'm ok - you're ok"
Dear Suzy Quzy,
"I agree.....the deacon shouldn't have NAMED him BUT he did and the Priest should tell the Congressman to get right with the Lord's teachings!!"
I think that those who argue that the rotting piece of wasted human flesh shouldn't have been mentioned by name... but I'm having a hard time working up any sympathy for the apostate traitor to God.
sitetest
Knowing about that particular bishop, I'm sure they did not talk to him first, but there is no way that he could not have known the position of the Church on abortion and the fact that he was PUBLICLY opposing it.
The public nature of his action is what makes all of this different, and in fact what makes the situation of politicians different. They are publicly advocating, from a position of leadership, for something that is opposed to the teaching of the Church. And they know it perfectly well.
Maybe if more of them were called on it publicly, they might think twice.
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