AmericanPapist Comments
why are we talking about this? it's not going to happen anyway the votes just aren't there. we're wasting time discussing something that is not going to pass instead of figuring out where the efforts of the pro-life movement go from here.
I sure hope you're right, Anonymous. But Good for Bishop Loverde! We need more bishops, priests, and lay people like him who are willing to put their reputations and lives on the line to stand up for what is RIGHT!
Might be only half the impact, if best, if Catholic hospitals stay open. Might be better for His Eminence and his brothers to state: Mr. President, FOCA or full participation for nationalized health care. Choose.
Easy for him to say. There are no Catholic hospitals in the Arlington diocese.
I would hope all the Bishops would have the courage to refuse to allow abortions in the Catholic hospitals and still keep them open.
Perhaps if the people of the parishes were consulted and the people who use those hospitals, and told that the options are universal refusal to allow abortions or no hospital at all.
I suspect the people who need access to these hospitals would prefer a hospital that did not perform abortions over the loss of the medical provider.
I also would like to see Catholic institutions phasing out any money they get from the government and working hard to become self supporting.
The Catholic schools need to work to have enough income without government help to allow Catholic children to attend at a major discount so parents can afford it.
We need to cut the government out of the loop, and have the courage as Catholics to stick to living the faith.
If FOCA were to pass I think the bishops should
consider ignoring it. The hospitals would carry
on until they were seized or forced to close by the
state. In the ensuing controversy, the bishops
would be the guys who wanted to keep the hospitals
open, and the government would be ... the bad guys.
The pro-FOCA folks should be denied the luxury of
having the bishops accommodate them -- let them
at least be seen for the thugs they are.
Wow, epic comment from the good Bishop.
Let's hope and pray FOCA does not pass...
Thanks to the Bishops and priests who have been taking courageous stances.
I do agree with the idea that Catholic institutions should have more non-Government funding to be free to act as we ought; of course that means we need to be donating to these causes.
I don't think that Catholic insitutions ought to be turning down government funding. We should be advocating that if there is government funding available, it ought not come with immoral strings.
Where in the FOCA language is there anything about forcing Catholic hospitals to do abortions? I've read one version of the bill and don't remember seeing that. Not that I'm a supporter of FOCA, mind you, I'm just not clear on that part of it that's been brought up here.
Good for the bishop!
Ooohra! Good for him. God bless our bishops. Our government is going to have to come to grips with the fact that the Church is over the state not the other way around.
Yes! This needs to be the response from every bishop in regards to Catholic Hospitals, Adoption services, and any thing else the libs want to attack the Church on.
Dave --
I think the operative language prohibits "discrimination" against a woman's "right to abortion."
It is likely that a very liberal administration would interpret this language to prohibit medicaid and medicare funds to hospitals or health care providers who refuse to perform abortions.
He's not going to close hospitals he doesn't have to protest a law that won't pass?
This guy has spunk!
YEAH! Thats my Bishop!!!
There is a very real chance that FOCA could pass because the Pro-abortion elements do control Congress now. It might be stopped if enough pressure is brought to bare on so called pro-lfe democrats but it might not be enough.
There is a wealth of information about both the history behind FOCA and recent issues related to the Bill now going before the new Congress at NRLC, www.nrlc.org, under legislation. Do your homework, everybody.
Multiple legal sources do believe that not only would FOCA wipe out current protective laws, it could force Catholic or other religious hospitals to to abortions.
Sadly, I am mnot that impressed with Bishop Loverde's statements. He does like to look very good on the pro-life front, yet even though Virginia has a pro-abortion Catholic Governor, Tim Kaine, there has been no word of admonition by B. Loverde or B. DiLorenzo(Richmond) to address the problem.
Cong. Jim Moran, an outspoken proponent of abortion and a Catholic has been elected repeatedly from the Arlington area, yet again no word has been said about Moran's stand in favor of abortion in Congress.
I wonder if Bishop Loverde understands that he is a shepherd and not a politician himself sometimes.
If the only effect on Catholic hospitals would be to prohibit the use of Medicaid and Medicare there, that may not be that significant. These government insurances reimburse so very little that the real losers would seem to be those who actually are dependant on Medicaid and Medicare, since many hospitals would no longer be allowed to accept their insurances for any medical issues, abortion or otherwise. Hmmm...Lord willing, this will never actually be an issue.
I'm not so sure, Amy. If hospitals are licensed by the state, then the state can withhold renewal of the license (or just revoke it) for, as brassband put it so accurately, "discrimination" against a woman's "right to abortion".
Can unlicensed hospitals be run in a state?
Good for Bishop Loverde! He used to be Bishop of Odgensburg.
I like your post, Ann, too....
I know that bishop-bashing is all the rage, but give it a rest Lili . . . and do your homework yourself.
Bishop Loverde works tirelessly on behalf of life. And let's not forget this incident, as reported in the Washington Times --
The president of the American Life League is praising the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Bishop Paul Loverde and his "faithful priests" for standing up to an outspoken U.S. representative who thinks "it's possible to be pro-abortion and remain in good standing with the Catholic Church."
The praise from Judie Brown referred to an incident involving Rep. James P. Moran, Virginia Democrat, who, according to eyewitness accounts, got into a shouting match May 4 with a priest at Blessed Sacrament Church in Alexandria after a homily touched on pro-life topics. . . .
With the three politicians seated before him, the Rev. Bryan Belli delivered the sermon, part of which touched on pro-life issues and Catholic politicians who ignore church teachings. Mr. Moran's spokesman, Dan Drummond, was quoted in Roll Call as saying that it is unethical and possibly illegal for Father Belli to attack the Democratic Party from the pulpit.
After the 9 a.m. Mass, according to the newspaper, a "red-faced" Mr. Moran exchanged heated words with the Rev. Michael Dobbins, with Mr. Moran "screaming and pointing his finger at him."
"How can you reconcile yourself as a Catholic with your views on abortion?" the priest is reported to have asked Mr. Moran, who is said to have shot back, "You priests don't know anything about abortion."
"Congressman, put away the talking points. Talk to me as your priest," Father Dobbins told his parishioner. Mr. Moran is reported to have replied that there was "not enough time" and walked off but not before hearing the priest say: "Congressman, one day you will need me, and I will be here."
"That's what these pro-abortion 'Catholics' seem to forget," Mrs. Brown said yesterday. "The pastor is not interested in the politician's voting record but his soul. It is a credit to Bishop Loverde's leadership that his priests are confident enough to boldly proclaim the Gospel, even in the face of elected leaders who claim to have a mandate from the people for their immoral positions on abortion."
Good for the Bishop!
Bender, I am glad when any bishop does something that tries to get a pro-life message out there. And many did this year.
He does do that I'll agree. But his priests are pro-life and faithful because of the legacy of Bishop Welsh, 1st bishop of Arlington.
Arlington has good priests because of the hard work of Fr. James Gould, the previous vocation director.
Vocations have dropped significantly since Bishop Loverde arrived. That's sad.
Now it is coming to light that the VA catholic conference may decide to withdraw it's co-operation from VSHL the state's largest, and oldest pro-life group and the only single issue pro-life group in the state with a PAC, allowing them to endorse good candidates for office. The Church can't do it so why not support the only group that can?
Pray for all priests and thank God in particular for those courageous enough to really teach.
God bless them and the Bishops who work for the good of the pre-born.
OK, I have to pipe up here. I usually remain silent because I am a seminarian in formation for the Catholic Diocese of Arlington, Virginia.
The Diocese currently has 34 men in formation in a diocese with a Catholic population over 400,000. That may not sound like many, but compared to many dioceses, it is huge.
The Archdiocese of Boston has less than half as many per capita. The Diocese of Wilmington, DE has half as many Catholics and a third as many seminarians.
Post 2002, vocations did drop off throughout the country, but Arlington has always been considered a model for vocations. In 2008 alone, nine men entered priestly formation, three were ordained to the priesthood and three to the transitional diaconate. There are three men scheduled for priestly ordination in 2009 and three for the diaconate, and the numbers rise from there.
Bishop Paul Loverde is a tireless supporter of Vocations, of Life and Moral issues. His 2006 pastoral letter, Bought for a Price, tackles the thorny issue of pornography in a world where anything goes.
No bishop is able to please all people, and Bishop Loverde has been under fire from the right, those whom I would call "more Catholic than the Pope" for having the audacity to allow something permitted by the Holy Father - girls on the altar. The horror!
The fact is that Bishop Loverde is not just "blowing smoke" when he speaks on life issues, and neither are his priests. Arlington is a diocese that is strongly Catholic. We neither leap off the Barque to the Left OR to the Right. That's reason enough for people to attack the Bishop, and that's plain wrong.
When it comes to Vocations, no Bishop is more tireless than Bishop Loverde. He personally reviews every application to formation in the diocese. Every year, he travels to every seminary where he has men in formation. I can tell you, attending a seminary with men from 32 dioceses and 3 religious orders, this is highly unusual.
At my seminary, the men hope that their Bishop will be invited to celebrate one of the Installation Masses, so that he will come to see them. Bishop Loverde doesn't need an invitation for a special Mass, he comes anyway.
And he doesn't just show up and say Mass. He meets with the formation advisors for all of his men, discusses their formation and ensures that progress is being made. He then meets with each seminarian individually, as a good father would.
For those who are quick to think that Bishop Loverde isn't a staunch, faithful and spirit-filled pastor and shepherd, for those who think he's playing politics when he speaks in this way, I am here to tell you you are wrong.
He is a fine bishop doing superlatively in a nearly impossible job. His faith and trust in Christ makes it happen. His example, along with the support of his current Director of Vocations and the whole Chancery staff is the reason that Arlington can boast multiple priests per parish and an increase in parishes in the last decade
I am sorry if it seems cross to to some here to crtizaze Bishop Loverde. I do know that some fine statements have been made by him on many themes relevant to the issues of our day.
I also bless the young men that are called to serve God in any and every diocese. I hope that they do get all the help they'll need to become strong, wise, and faithful priests in the future.
I also agree that some folks criticize B. Loverde because they are total traditionalists and some times right of Pope Benedict. I do not fall in that category.
I am grateful to live in the Arlington area and to know many of our great priests. I also know through them that there are problems sometimes with the relationship between what the Bishop does and says. But those are inside matters and best handled inside.
What worries me is why the bishop would now decide to restrict the activities at diocesen events of VSHL.
They are the state's only single issue pro-life group with both a PAC and Educational wing from participating as they have for over thirty years. The Bishops of VA were put out by election activity done by VSHLPAC at some churches so now they have put VSHL in the dog house.
It's a disagreement over legal matters but does not change the standards that have always been at the core of how VSHL works with the Church where it can. It is not a Catholic group so it does operate by it's own guidelines which are usually in total agreement with Catholic ideas so why cut them off now at such a critical moment in our history?
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