Right-to-Life Priority

Thank you, Father Raymond de Souza and the Register for the astute analysis in “The Consistent Ethic of Life and Archbishop Cupich” (Sept. 6 issue). Father de Souza articulated well my own concern how “the consistent ethic of life” is too often misapplied to make it appear that abortion is just one of many equally immoral issues, such as economic injustice. While “the consistent ethic of life” is good and just, its application is distorted when it is used to make the barbaric practice of abortion morally equivalent to a man losing his job or some such other social injustice.

The horrific dismemberment and murder of millions of innocent and defenseless infants in the womb is an evil of far greater magnitude than economic injustice; and the two issues should not be lumped together and made to appear morally equivalent. They are not! As St. John Paul II made clear, the right to life has a priority over all other rights and must be defended first and foremost:

“The promotion of the culture of life should be the highest priority in our societies. ... If the right to life is not defended decisively as a condition for all other rights of the person, all other references to human rights remain deceitful and illusory.”

As for “obsessing” over abortion, John Paul dismissed that fallacy in a 1994 interview:

“It is difficult to imagine a more unjust situation, and it is very difficult to speak of obsession in a matter such as this, where we are dealing with … the defense of the right to life of an innocent and defenseless human being.”

As Father de Souza points out, Archbishop Blase Cupich and others are insistent upon tacking other issues onto abortion, but often are silent on abortion when talking about other social injustices, as Archbishop Cupich said in three recent high-profile addresses. The archbishop’s “consistent ethic of life” should work both ways, but it does not. It is inconsistently applied, and “mainly used to downplay the urgency of abortion.”

It is also worth noting that speaking out against abortion is far more unpopular than speaking out against other social injustices. Fighting abortion quite often brings ridicule, derision and hate from powerful pro-abortionists in the media and the current government. But everybody loves and admires politicians and bishops who speak out against other social injustices.

         Margaret Owens

         Palm Harbor, Florida

 

False Dichotomy

Your excellent article on the Iran “deal” (“Division Over Iran Nuclear Deal,” Aug. 23 issue) was slightly marred by its provocative sub headline: “Must Catholics Back It?” The answer, of course, is certainly not.

The U.S. bishops’ unfortunate letter to Congress posed a false dichotomy: either Obama’s Iran deal or, in the letter’s words, “armed conflict.” More sensible comments are recounted in your article — by Bradley Lewis, Robert Royal and Tom Farr — and are all grounded in the recognition that there are other policy options and, in any event, how we confront Iranian hostility is a matter of prudential judgment, not doctrine as to moral and social teaching.

The Church appropriately teaches principles with respect to self-defense, just war, et al., but, to put it bluntly, the U.S. bishops and the Vatican have no military/political/economic expertise and should not be endorsing this very dubious Obama-Iran “deal.”

         Charles Molineaux

         McLean, Virginia

 

No Support

Bradley Lewis has it absolutely correct: The kind of evaluation of this nuclear deal is beyond the competency of the Vatican and U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). The Holy See and the U.S. bishops have offered steady support for the nuclear deal without having full knowledge of all the components of the deal, especially the “side deals with the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency],” and without questioning the Obama narrative that war is the only alternative. The position on the accord has been labeled by the Holy See and the USCCB as a matter of “prudential judgement.” Unfortunately, the article did not define “prudential judgment” (using your best wits to figure out how, not whether, to obey the Church’s guidance).

With all the facts and the realization that this deal is like a carton of milk with an expiration date — that Russia will sell them their S-300 anti-missile defense system, that part of the $100 billion a year that they will receive by dropping the sanctions will be used to sponsor terrorism, that the new book by the Ayatollah proclaims their first priority is to destroy Israel and death to all Americans, that the king of Saudi Arabia has recently stated that if Iran obtains a nuclear bomb so will we, and the historical fact that the same diplomatic measures were carried out with North Korea, which now has nuclear capability — we can see that the Vatican and the USCCB did not use “prudential judgement.”

We should all recall Pope St. John Paul II’s idea, as expressed by George Weigel: Bad guys behave badly because of who they are, what they espouse and what they seek, not because of what we have done to them. We know who Iran is, what it espouses and what it seeks — and “prudential judgment” tells us that the Vatican and the USCCB should reconsider their steady support of this nuclear deal.

         Joseph Liss, M.D.

         Columbus, Georgia

 

Moral Deterioration

Regarding your political coverage: Contemplating which national candidates to support in the coming elections, we should seriously consider our severe problems with national debt, entitlements, the economy, education, jobs, taxes, regulations, illegal immigration, big government, etc. Even more important, however, is the moral deterioration of our country.

Our Founding Fathers wisely fashioned our Bill of Rights and Constitution after God’s Ten Commandments. Attaining his favor, the United States became the most blessed, prosperous, powerful and respected nation on earth!

In the middle of the 20th century, however, America began officially removing God from its national life. Prayer and Scripture were abolished from public schools — and the Ten Commandments removed from public view.

We now have idols of money, pornography, sexual immorality, same-sex “marriage” and assisted suicide. Abortion, the murder of innocent, defenseless babies, has killed more than 50 million of our children since it became law.

Because we have defied God and his commandments, he has withdrawn his protection and blessings. Without this protection, national tragedies, such as 9/11 and the election of Barack Obama, who is at odds with many of God’s laws, have befallen us. The Lord has recently been warning us, with increased drought, forest fires, tornadoes, floods, etc., of worse calamities ahead if we do not repent and return to his laws.

Returning our country to the right track will require electing God-fearing, trustworthy leaders, repealing bad laws and each of us doing his or her best to redeem our country, while saving our own souls.

We mock the Lord at our own peril!

         Robert W. Degenhart

         Columbia, South Carolina

 

Correction

Regarding the Register’s list of U.S. bishops attending the synod on the family (Oct. 4 issue, Nation), Archbishop Blase Cupich’s ordination year as a bishop in Rapid City, S.D., should be 1998 not 1988. The Register regrets the error. We have corrected it online; we also added Eastern-rite attendees online.