Lay Groups Demand RC Bishops Discipline Pro-abortion Catholic Politicians
by Bill Fancher and Jenni Parker
November 12, 2003
(AgapePress) - At the United States Catholic Bishops Conference, which is meeting on Capitol Hill this week, nearly 300 church prelates are dealing with several controversial matters that have rocked the Catholic community, including the sticky issue of church discipline.Joe Starrs, director of the American Life League's Crusade for Defense of Our Catholic Church, has been challenging the bishops at press conferences outside their meeting regarding 30 years of silence on the abortion issue. He says the bishops have taken no action while Catholic politicians have crafted a pro-abortion culture in America that has killed 43 million innocent unborn children.
In light of the scope of the ongoing tragedy of abortion, Starrs feels it is time the American Catholic bishops finally said "Enough" to pro-choice politicians who claim to be members of the Catholic Church. "Given the ongoing defiance of Catholic politicians," he says, "wouldn't you think the Catholic bishops would say 'No, you cannot be pro-abortion and Catholic'?"
But Starr's group and other Catholic lay organizations are seeing only faint hope in their efforts to get the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference to deal with pro-abortion Catholic politicians. The Crusade's director says church leaders' willingness to discuss the problem is a good start, but they must go farther.
"Words are not enough," Starrs insists, adding, "We need the Bishops' Conference to lead the way to ending the culture of death with substantive action. As members of the laity, we are pleading with our bishops to do the right thing, the courageous thing -- end the scandal of inaction."
The pressure and attention garnered by Starrs's organization and other Catholic lay groups have forced the Conference to address the issue, and under the eye of Rome and the laity, the bishops have already taken tentative action, appointing a committee to study appropriate responses to pro-abortion political figures.
American Life League president Judie Brown applauds the Conference's swift response to the area of concern. She says it gives pro-life Catholics "great hope" to know the bishops are committed to dealing with the situation in a manner that will not only reiterate the truth about Catholic teaching on abortion, but will also give "these errant politicians" the opportunity to repent of their support for the murder of pre-born babies.
"We hope and pray that the commission establishes guidelines with regard to the absolute need to adhere to canon law," Brown says, noting that these laws are meant "to protect the body and blood of Christ in Holy Communion from sacrilege."
Brown says her group is praying for the members of the commission and for all bishops who face the "stunning task of having to properly handle more than 400 pro-abortion Catholic politicians" from across the United States.
