A guest post by commenter Greg Mockeridge:
The response to the Coronavirus pandemic has restricted American life arguably more than at another time in our history. With relatively few exceptions that are considered essential, businesses are shutdown and we are basically under quasi house arrest.
Among those businesses that any honest person would consider non-essential is the abortion industry. But no. The abortion industry is operating unfettered, with the exceptions of shutdown orders from the governors of the states of West Virginia, Ohio, and Texas. It would also stand to reason that whatever ever resources like gloves, masks, and other personal protective equipment (PPE), and even medical professionals these clinics would have be provided to assist in the treating of the virus that has overwhelmed (or come close to overwhelming) hospitals in hot spot states, and cities. Not only has Planned Parenthood not made such an offer, they are actually asking for PPE donations so they can continue the grisly practice.
In addition to businesses being shutdown, all public religious worship has been suspended. Every diocese in the U.S. has suspended public masses and other social gatherings.
Given all this, the Catholic faithful have every right to expect their shepherds to issue a loud and clear public statement condemning this. But to date, there hasn’t been one. Especially given the bishops being cooperative with civil authorities in the enforcement of social distancing, they would be in an even greater position to pressure these same authorities to shut down these abortion clinics.
Back at the last General Assembly of the USCCB, there was a dispute among certain bishops as to whether opposition to abortion was to be the preeminent moral imperative. Among the bishops who led in in the affirmative were now-retired Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia and Bishop Joseph Strickland of Tyler,Texas. I haven’t heard anything from either of them about this. You would think if they felt that strongly about the abortion issue they would be all over this. But thus far silence. I remember figures in the Catholic media like Raymond Arroyo treating Chaput and Strickland like heroes for the stand they took. That gets to another issue, where is the Catholic media urging the bishops to take a stand in condemning the favoritism being shown to the abortion industry during this pandemic? This would provide well deserved support to the governors of West Virginia, Ohio, and Texas who are facing fierce legal opposition from the pro-abortion industry.
This is something we ought to consider the next time we want to complain about pro-abortion politicians still receiving Holy Communion and the votes of many Catholics.
The bishops are all cowards or do not believe. Every single one of them. I was just explaining to my daughter that the bishops do get together in 5 star hotels, in pretty locations, in air conditioning and eat wonderful meals. What they don’t do is march in unison against the ongoing holocaust. Why? Please see my first statement above.
Apropos of everything and nothing: one of the communion antiphons (and the only noteworthy thing) sung during the lackluster tv mass today:
“It is better to take refuge in The Lord than to trust in men.”
It’s time for this whatever it is to end.
Here are the situations at the four closest diocese to myself:
#1: Masses cancelled until May 4th. Last message from the Bishop on April 8th, though he has posted videos of weekly mass.
#2: Masses cancelled until May 15th. Last message from the Bishop on March 18th. No masses posted.
#3: Masses cancelled “until further notice.” Weekly masses are cancelled and the Bishop has given a weekly address every Friday, but no indication of when masses will resume.
#4: Masses cancelled “until further notice.” Weekly masses have been posted along with weekly statements from the Archbishop. No information on when masses will resume. And notably this the only one of the 4 that actively encouraged Churches to close their doors through the duration of the crisis (despite the local government not shutting down most “non-essential services”).
Vote the abortion advocates out of office next election. The newly begotten innocent souls created by “their Creator” are the standard of Justice for the nation…”We, the people…”. The procreated children of man are brought into existence and suffer concupiscence. They are morally and legally innocent and are the standard of Justice for all men. The devil wants all innocence eradicated. Those who do the work of the devil go to hell.
None of this is surprising. It was all foreordained as a result of Vatican II and its Liberal Catholicism, i.e, closeted Protestantism. The point of Vatican II was to turn our attention from eternal life to making life on earth more heavenly.
Thus we have our “Pope” in full support of Bill Gates and his population control agenda. The so-called Catholic media is nothing more than a propaganda arm of the USCCB just as the MSM is in full support of the evil Democrat agenda. For all intents and purposes the “Catholic” media and the MSM are on the same page. That’s why we turn to blogs like The American Catholic to find the truth.
To my knowledge, Trump hasn’t made an issue of abortion mills remaining open. I find that very disappointing as well.
Tucker Carlson lit into Gov. Whitmer (PP-Mi) the other night.
https://video.foxnews.com/v/6150431702001#sp=show-clips
The thought crossed my mind last night that just as “extraordinary” ministers of Holy Communion have become commonplace we may have some Bishops decide that watching a mass online should meet the Sunday obligation even outside of times of crisis, and that spiritual communion should be sufficient for the laity.
I pray that I am wrong.
That would be contrary to both the literal and figurative spirit(s) of Vatican II.
I suspect infrequent reception, however, would mark a return to historical norms. Probably also the concomitant resurgence in clericalism.
Update: The Michigan Catholic Conference lead by Archbishop Allen Vigneron, has now spoken out against Governor Whitmer.
https://www.breitbart.com/health/2020/04/21/michigan-catholic-conference-slams-governor-whitmer-as-removed-from-reality/
Better late than never, to be trite.