By Judie Brown
As if by coincidence, we learned about the latest papal promotion as we read the words of Saint Paul in First Corinthians in 9, “To the weak, I made myself weak, to win the weak. I accommodated myself to people in all kinds of different situations, so that by all possible means I might bring some to salvation. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, that I may share its benefits with others.”
Pope Francis promoted Cardinal Robert McElroy, “known for his aggressive pro-LGBT advocacy,” to lead the archdiocese of Washington, DC. The contrast between Saint Paul’s humble service and clerical arrogance is not lost on us. In fact, it is a thorn in the side of anyone who reveres sincerity and despises arrogance. For us, it takes but a brief visit to McElroy’s history to underscore our dismay.
McElroy’s public call for the radical inclusion of those living an LGBTQ lifestyle into full communion with the Church is an empty invitation, as it fails to distinguish between the repentant and the blatantly sinful. In fact, McElroy wrote, “The effect of the tradition that all sexual acts outside of marriage constitute objectively grave sin has been to focus the Christian moral life disproportionately upon sexual activity. . . . The church has a hierarchy of truths that flow from this fundamental kerygma. Sexual activity, while profound, does not lie at the heart of this hierarchy. Yet in pastoral practice we have placed it at the very center of our structures of exclusion from the Eucharist. This should change.”
McElroy suggests that Catholic teaching on this matter should change so that LGBTQ individuals who live a homosexual lifestyle can receive the Eucharist.
While we find this appalling in light of the words of Canon 915, we fear that in the absence of unified teaching from the pulpit, McElroy is among those bearing the great weight on his own soul for the misdirection he has given to others.
The fact is that when truth is not taught with clarity, the faithful are not fed the good things their souls require to grow in virtue. That is basic Catholicism 101, not an opinion.
So while the secular press is focused on the criticism McElroy has leveled against President-Elect Trump, we remain committed to underscoring the eternal challenge his words represent.
Perhaps the best example of this came about when McElroy wrote that there were “some bishops” who were making abortion a “litmus test” for Catholic politicians. He was critical of these shepherds, saying that taking such a position would reduce the common good to a “single issue.”
Such words, whether uttered off the cuff or otherwise, give the public the impression that abortion is an issue, not a bloody act that causes the death of an innocent human being. And it is here, on this pivotal point, that we establish our stake in the moral ground. For if indeed any shepherd of the Catholic Church is willing to relegate such an act to a mere issue, the battle to end the killing of the innocent ends in deadly silence.
And the killing of the innocent happens by the millions. A professor of ethics recently explained, “Abortion was the leading cause of death globally in 2024, with a record 45 million unborn babies killed in the womb, according to data provided by Worldometer.”
This number is horrifying, yet we know that it does not include preborn babies killed by chemicals or through the practice of reproductive technologies, such as in vitro fertilization. The fact is, nobody really knows the exact number of preborn children slaughtered in a given year.
But this is not a numbers game, it is a matter of life and death. Thus it is that we express our horror that there is even one Catholic prelate who is unapologetic for dismissing this tragedy as a mere political topic.
It behooves each of us to pray for McElroy, not to mention all those who cannot or will not see the truth about what abortion does to a fellow human being.
Cardinal McElroy? Oh my!