Ted Kennedy actively advocated abortion but his Roman Catholic bishop allowed him to receive the sacraments and to have his life commemorated in a lavish public Catholic funeral. Kennedy's fellow senator from Massachusetts, John Kerry, claims his freedom of conscience allows him to be pro-abortion and still receive communion. Nancy Pelosi supports free access to abortion, but remains a member in good standing in her parish. The University of Notre Dame invites Barack Obama to speak at a commencement even though he supports unrestricted abortion, including partial-birth abortion. Partial birth abortion means crushing the skull of a viable infant. Nominally Catholic academics claim abortion needs to be submerged into a more inclusive definition of pro-life that includes health care and economic justice.
How do American bishops and the leaders of American religious orders allow this? Do they not see the cause / effect relationship between their spinelessness and the decline in Catholic membership? The Pope should do a clean sweep and remove every bishop who does not actively speak out in defense of life. What would the Church and the world lose? Nothing! This is the same group of weaklings who allowed seminaries, schools and parishes to swarm with pedophiles and who covered up their sins.
Every current bishop needs to study the life of Joseph Francis Rummel who was Archbishop of New Orleans during the integration of the city schools. His pastoral letters put the faithful on notice where he stood. When politically powerful segregationists opposed him he publicly excommunicated them. When some of their followers descecrated a church and mugged the pastor Archbishop Rummel put Plaquemines Parish (county) under Interdict until the miscreants came forward and did public penance.
Old Archbishop Rummel showed courage, leadership and set an example for his people. Would we had a new generation of Joseph Francis Rummels today instead of the Quislings in miters heading the American Catholic Church
