By Judie Brown
Think about these words and ask yourself if something is awry: “In a renewed appeal, Pope Francis called for the worldwide abolition of the death penalty, arguing it ‘attacks the inviolability and dignity of the person,’ contrasting against traditional Church teachings that defend capital punishment.”
We have no disagreement with the pope’s politics on the question of capital punishment, though we prefer Catholic teaching on abortion, as the Church teaches that the act of abortion is murder.
Such insights help us understand the pope’s comments, but at the same time they raise a fine point of doctrine. The direct murder of a person is a crime against God, who creates each human being in His image and likeness. And to be clear, aping or demeaning such teaching is always and in every case wrong.
As we think this through, we note that even the body of Christ is subject to the wiles of the evil that lurks in our midst. The headline “Silent and Smiling, Pope Offers an Opening to ‘Transgender’ Advocates” gives us a hint of why it has become easy for even simple truths such as the moral poverty of abortion to become putty in the hands of some prelates.
Sadly, the same can be said of ordinary people, including those in public office. Why else would the Michigan governor insult Christ by publicly offering a mock Eucharistic host—a Dorito—to a feminist? Of course, Governor Whitmer subsequently apologized for her action, but the sting of her action remains.
The wisdom of the Catholic World News editor explains:
After infuriating Catholics with a video in which she seemed to ridicule the Eucharist, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer issued a statement claiming that she “would never do something to denigrate someone’s faith.”
Whitmer recorded a video in which she “administered” a Dorito chip to another woman, who received it on the tongue, kneeling in a reverential posture.
Among the many Catholic leaders who objected, Paul Long of the Michigan Catholic Conference said that the video was “not just distasteful or ‘strange;’ it is an all-too-familiar example of an elected official mocking religious persons and their practices.”
The governor responded, implausibly, by saying that the video was intended to promote an employment bill, and “has been construed as something it was never intended to be.”
You see, this is the problem with intellectual comprehension today. Something is terribly amiss when a pope can evade fundamental moral wrongs and public officials can excuse themselves after insulting Christ.
Whether we are talking about respect for the innocent preborn child, whose murder by abortion is worse than capital punishment, or the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist being denigrated by a political stunt, we are as a society plunged into the abyss of amorality.
The challenge before us is to set aright the ship on which humanity sails by insisting on clarity, whether provided by the pope, his bishops and priests, or the Catholic public at large.
In the United States, where statistics tell us that 20 percent of citizens describe themselves as Catholics, nobody knows how many truly believe Catholic teachings and fervently practice their faith. Yet even among those who do, not everyone believes in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist.
And so we are left to ask this serious question: Why aren’t Catholics at the forefront of battling against the act of abortion in our nation? The answer lies in the recent papal plea to end capital punishment because it attacks “the inviolability and dignity of the person.”
Perhaps the pope would consider asserting that until the direct murder of the preborn child is ended, there can be no discussion about the penalties exacted on ruthless criminals.
Please, Pope Francis, first abolish murder!
