Cdl. Burke: Bishops, Vatican Have Failed to Defend Morality

by David Nussman  •  ChurchMilitant.com  •  June 8, 2018

‘Prepare to fight, also to suffer’

WARSAW, Poland (ChurchMilitant.com) – Cardinal Raymond Burke says Church leaders have failed to defend Catholic moral teachings. He’s also calling on the faithful to fight against moral evil, and be prepared to suffer.

In an interview with Polish conservative weekly Sieci, Cdl. Burke talked about how the laity need to stand up and defend morality in the modern world.

Above all, be brave. Do not let the idea overwhelm you that we can do nothing. Prepare to fight, also to suffer. This suffering can be both physical and social, eg ridicule, mockery, isolation, indifference. But there may also be persecution and imprisonment. But we must fight for what is our life, which is our eternal life. We cannot allow the Church to go in a false direction.

About the crisis in the Church, the cardinal said, “The situation in the Church is very alarming, first of all, because the fundamental truths of faith are undermined, put into question.”

He went on to lament that “there is no strong leadership from Rome that could explain and clarify these matters.”

Speaking specifically about Ireland’s recent abortion vote, the cardinal said that Ireland’s bishops, and even the Vatican, have failed to lead the laity in the battle to defend the right to life.

“In Ireland, during the pre-referendum campaign to protect the lives of the unborn, and likewise during the previous referendum on so-called same-sex marriages, people fighting in these battles did not receive support from Rome, and the bishops themselves too weakly defended moral principles,” he said.

In the lead-up to Ireland’s abortion referendum, many news stories mentioned the near-absence of Catholic priests and bishops in the fierce debate over abortion.

In the aftermath of the abortion lobby’s victory in the Republic of Ireland, the response from Irish clergy was strong in some cases, but weak in others.

On the one hand, Bp. Kevin Doran of Elphin warned that those who voted in favor of decriminalizing abortion were culpable of grave sin. He said that pro-abortion voters ought not receive Holy Communion unless they repent and go to Confession.

People fighting in these battles did not receive support from Rome, and the bishops themselves too weakly defended moral principles.

On the other hand, Primate of All Ireland Abp. Eamon Martin stirred up controversy by saying that the Republic of Ireland should ensure that abortion is “safe,” “legal” and “rare.”

Saying abortion should be safe, legal and rare has long been a leftist excuse for broad legalization of killing unborn children.

A sneak peek of Cdl. Burke’s Polish interview was published by Polish website wPolityce. The full text of the interview is available to those with a subscription to Polish weekly Sieci.

 

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