Cardinal Burke's war against
'false Catholics' who defy
the Pope and Church teaching
by Paolo Rodari
Translated from
Dec. 23, 2010
Whether it was a step back or not [Why would it be 'a step back' in any way, unless Rodari is among those who think that the Pope had a made a doctrinal 'opening' in LOTW, and the CDF now has to draw him back???] one thing is sure: The CDF note affirming that statements made by Benedict XVI in the interview-book Light
of the World, do not change Catholic teaching on sexuality
[not so much on sexuality but on the use of condoms!] ought to calm down those who think that the Pope had gone too far in what he said about condom use, many of them prominent Catholic conservatives in the USA.
Cardinal Raymond Burke, former Archbishop of St. Louis (Missouri) and Prefect of the Apostolic Segnatura's Supreme Tribunal, told
Il Foglio: "The issue became heated in the USA. Too many had misinterpreted what the Pope said. And too few explained that the Pope was not indicating any change in Catholic teaching. Therefore, the CDF has done something that ought to placate polemics and cool down overheated feelings".
In defense of Catholic doctrine, Burke has always been in the frontlines. In 2004, when he was Bishop of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, he asked three prominent Catholics to refrain from presenting themselves for Communion in view of their open support of abortion.
One year ago, he reproached Cardinal Sean O'Malley of Boston for having participated in the funeral rites for Senator Ted Kennedy because "All his life, he chose to defy Church teaching on abortion."
And he continues to come down hard on Catholics "who say they are Catholics but betray the teaching of the Church".
For example?
"In the United States, groups like Catholics for Choice, a lobby that, with the support of the media, has managed to sow confusion among the faithful. They urge impossible reforms on the Church and confuse the simple folk. It is simply absurd that Catholics can declare themselves to be 'pro-abortion'. To them I say, 'Then you are not Catholics'. And that is why the CDF note is important. Without the CDF clarification, the words of the Pope would continue to be exploited at will by progressivist groups for their own purposes".
Who can say who is Catholic or not? Cardinal Burke cites a paradigmatic case - that of St. Joseph Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona.
One year ago, with the consent of Sr. Margaret McBride, a nun administrator of the hospital in behalf of the Catholic Church, an abortion was performed on a woman whom her doctors claimed would otherwise have died.
[I have not read up on the medical merits or demerits of the case.] The bishop of Phoenix, Thomas Olmsted, excommunicated McBride, and a few days later, he withdrew the patronage of the Church from the hospital.
Burke says: "The case is emblematic and must be taken as an example. Because otherwise, anyone can call himself Catholic and openly ignore or violate what the Church teaches. Of course, it is difficult for preogressivists to remain faithful to the Catholic identity. We know, for example, that many nuns and their organizations openly advocated Obama's healthcare bill. We have a problem [with dissident nuns] even if the current apostolic visitation of nuns' orders in the USA is doing well".
One month ago, the American bishops elected Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York as president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops., which many saw as a choice against the liberal line.
Burke says: "Dolan's election is important. The bishops expect him to take strong and decisive actions". He also adds that "Now, many Catholics who voted for Obama have realized they made a mistake".
Paolo Rodari is a very enterprising journalist, but he is often careless with his words, like John Allen is - in a way, for instance, that Vittorio Messori never is, or George Weigel. So much so that five years ago, when I first started reading Rodari, I thought he was another callow beginning journalist because he was prone to imprecisions. Imprecision is just a step away from inaccuracy. Yet, too many journalists these days seem to have little respect for words and the way we say them - in that they write their news reports and commentaries the way most of us talk - using words loosely, imprecisely, and often inappropriately, which is fine for chatting, but not when you are a journalist carrying out your professional task to 'inform'. One does not inform properly by using words loosely, imprecisely and/or inappropriately.
[Modificato da TERESA BENEDETTA 23/12/2010 14:43]