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Distinguished Theologian, Moral and Medical Ethicist Monsignor William B. Smith Dies At Age 69

YONKERS, New York, January 26, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - After the recent deaths in New York of Fordham University theologian Avery Cardinal Dulles, and prolific pro-life activist and intellectual giant Rev. Richard John Neuhaus, the pro-life and pro-family movements and the Catholic Church are mourning the passing of another brilliant star.

Monsignor William B. Smith died on Saturday, January 24, at St. Joseph's Hospital in Yonkers.

Monsignor Smith was Professor of Moral Theology at Saint Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers since 1971 and one of the leading Catholic voices in the U.S. on moral and medical ethics.

Smith was born and raised in Yonkers, ordained a priest in 1966 by Francis Cardinal Spellman and, after being chosen by Terence Cardinal Cooke to pursue a doctorate in moral theology at the Catholic University in Washington, assumed his position at St. Joseph's Seminary. While at the seminary, apart from being a teacher or mentor to most of the priests serving in the Archdiocese of New York today, he was an adviser on questions of moral theology and ethics to Cardinals Cooke, O'Connor and Egan.

Msgr. Smith was a regular presence on EWTN where he was well known for his ability to clearly explain difficult theological and ethical concepts, as well as for his direct and expansive sense of humor.

An example of Msgr. Smith's straightforward approach to ethical questions was his reproof of the New York State Catholic Conference's endorsement of the use of abortifacient "emergency contraception" in Catholic hospitals for rape victims.

Msgr. Smith emphatically ruled out the use of abortifacients at Catholic hospitals. "It's wrong to say you can use anything that has abortifacient properties. Emergency contraception is double talk. It's what I call verbal engineering. Catholic hospitals are not free to proscribe or provide anything with abortifacient properties without contradicting their witness."

Monsignor Joseph Giandurco, who served with Msgr. Smith on the seminary faculty for 12 years and is now pastor of Sacred Heart Church in Suffern, NY, commented in a Journal News report, "He was a top-notch moral theologian, highly regarded in the United States and in Rome. He corresponded with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is now of course Pope Benedict XVI, on a number of sensitive issues over the years."

"I feel, and other priests have said, that we lost another clear teaching voice that will be extremely hard to replace," Giandurco said. "Monsignor Smith was always cool, calm, and collected and sharp as a tack. He had such great knowledge of the teachings of the church."

A wake will be held for Monsignor Smith from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 pm on Monday, January 26, and from 2 to 4 pm on Tuesday, January 27, at the chapel of St. Joseph's Seminary, on Seminary Avenue in Yonkers.

The Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 10 am, Wednesday January 27 at Immaculate Heart of Mary Church, 8 Carman Road, in Scarsdale, NY.

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