Since the Supreme Court's decision to outlaw partial birth abortion this week, the battle for life seems to have intensified one hundred fold. The South Dakota Legislature has voted to make abortion a felony, while states like New York seek to tighten their already deadly pro-abort laws. While FIT is happy to report that most states seem to be moving in the direction of life, we must also sadly note that Mexico, our neighbor to the south, has for the first time since the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, gone back to allowing human sacrifices, voting to legalize abortion during the first twelve weeks of pregnancy. And in the midst of these struggles, an old champion for the right to life, St. Louis Archbishop Raymond Burke, has not only spoken out against the appearance of the very talented pro-abort entertainer Sheryl Crow (pictured at top right) at a benefit for a Catholic medical center in his town, but stepped out by resigning as its chairman of the board when they would not cancel her performance.
“This Saturday, Sheryl Crow is scheduled to perform at the Bob Costas Benefit for the SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center. Ms. Crow is well-known as an abortion activist. She has lent her celebrity status to the promotion of legislation, such as Missouri’s Amendment 2, that creates legal protection for human cloning and the destruction of human beings who are embryos. Her appearance at a fundraising event for Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center is an affront to the identity and mission of the medical center, dedicated as it is to the service of life and Christ’s healing mission.”
Archbishop Burke, of course, would (like Mother Teresa) rather clean toilets than speak out in front of the secular media, and only did so after he first confronted CMC's board of governors and they refused to act in this matter. “When there is a significant risk that others could be led to evil … I am obliged in justice to act … When, for economic gain, a Catholic institution associates itself with such a high profile proponent of the destruction of innocent lives, members of the Church and other people of good will have the right to be confirmed in their commitment to the Gospel of Life … by the one responsible for their spiritual and moral well being."
Since the center's board of governors reiterated that the show will go on, Archbishop Burke asked that his name be removed from any materials promoting the event, and handed in his resignation as chairman of the board of SSM Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center (which was founded by the Archdiocese and is run by the Franciscan Sisters of Mary) effective immediately.
Archbishop Burke, you may recall, previously made the national news when he announced during the 2004 presidential campaign that he would refuse Holy Communion to Senator John Kerry should the situation arise. While St. Francis is no doubt rolling in his grave and Mary is rolling her eyes and shaking her head in heaven over the Franciscan Sisters of Mary's decision to allow this pro-abort performer at their benefit, you can bet those saints are happy they have a man in charge who, like St. Louis himself, is not afraid to lovingly lay down the law for his subjects. Now is the time we must all, like Archbishop Burke, stand and be counted for life, for if we don't, the gains we have made will fail to take root and the dark days predicted in Revelation will soon fall upon the earth. Remember O Most Gracious Virgin Mary …
JimAroo contributed to this report.
