The people of St. Louis are getting themselves a good one. Archbishop-elect Raymond Burke, on his way out of La Crosse, Wisconsin, to St. Louis, isn’t leaving his duty as bishop undone. He has sent a letter to two Catholic state legislators and a congressmen to warn them about their pro-abortion stances and the consequences if they do not profess the Truth as found in the Church’s teachings.
“If they were to continue to do that, I would simply have to ask them not to present themselves to receive the sacraments because they would not be Catholics in good standing,” Burke said in an interview.
The newspaper makes the snarky remark that Burke didn’t include the death penalty in the list of “anti-life” practices, as if they know the Church’s teachings better than the bishop. In fact, the death penalty is not forbidden by the Church, but it is a prudential judgment of civil authorities as to whether it should be the law in a particular place.
The letter itself says:
“As a faithful member of the Catholic Church, you have an obligation to fulfill the duties of your office with regard not only to the laws of the state, but also with regard to the moral law,” Burke wrote. “You have failed to restrict the evil of abortion when the opportunity presented itself.”
Of course, the politicians give the same old tired excuses, like they have to represent the wishes of their constituents rather than that of the Church. And if the majority of her constituents wanted her to vote for a law to ban racial preferences or were in fsavor of the death penalty or something like that? Or, God forbid, the majority of constituents were racists? Would she appeal to democratic ideals then?
