Respect Life

This weekend is the only time of the year that as a Church we look to our preborn brothers and sisters that are being aborted at unprecedented rates in the name of “Choice”.  We at the Reporter always want to be fair to Bishop Ed and when we checked on the diocesan website yesterday for this weekend’s events, we noticed that 40 Days for Life was prominently featured.  This is good and right.  For this we applaud Bishop Ed.

The Reporter does have questions though regarding the commitment of the Diocese on pro-life issues.  Where is the support of the pro-life movement, in the last meeting that the Diocese had on pro-life matters (nearly two years ago), pro-life coordinators were told that the budget was infinitesimal for the Respect Life Office?  Why????

Don’t get us wrong, +Ed is better than his predecessor on the issue (not hard) but there is never any tangible support.  Where are the pro-life bulletin inserts, where is the pro-life literature from the Diocese, where’s the coordination with the pro-life movement???  Staff at the Diocese will tell you they don’t have the money for these types of projects but again, where are the priorities of Bishop Scharfenberger.  There always seems to be money for the liberal causes  (see Autumn Gathering) of the progressives at 40 N. Main but the pro-lifers and orthodox Catholics always get the short shift.

Everything is done by the pro-life community.  The Rosary Walk for Life is a lay initiative, 40 Days for Life is a lay initiative, and the PP demonstrations are done by the lay faithful.  See a pattern here.  When is the last time we saw full cooperation from the Pastoral Center on anything to do with pro-life issues?

The pro-life movement in the Capital Region thrived for many years despite the open hostility of Hubbard.  Again, we are glad that Bishop Ed has made some symbolic gestures to the pro-life movement but it is time to take the next step and fully embrace this community and take it out of the shadows that his diocesan staff has relegated it to.

If I may be so bold Bishop Ed, I would convoke a diocesan wide dialogue on pro-life issues and ask Priests for Life to come and share with our wonderful pro-life community and your staff successful strategies on defending life.  Bet you more people would come to this sort of meeting than say your autumn gathering.  – Martin Malachi