Friday January 29, 2010
Illinois Bishop Sartain: “To be Catholic Means to be Pro-Life”
By John-Henry Westen
WASHINGTON, DC, January 28, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Speaking with LifeSiteNews.com after the Vigil for Life Mass in the National Basilica of the Immaculate Conception last week, Joliet Bishop Peter Sartain insisted that there is no wiggle room when it comes to being Catholic and holding pro-life values.
Bishop Sartain said he was proud that over 225 youth from his diocese had come to the D.C. March for Life. “They’re a great group from Joliet,” he said. “We’re teaching them the meaning of being truly pro-life.”
Asked about the example Nancy Pelosi gives of being in favor of abortion while calling herself Catholic, Bishop Sartain replied, “Any Catholic who is going to understand our faith and live by the faith seriously must be pro-life.”
The Joliet Bishop explained, “It’s at the very core of our understanding of living a moral life because all life comes from God. It’s a message that we have a responsibility to continue to get out.”
He concluded, “To be Catholic means to be pro-life.”
The bishop’s stand is backed up not only by talk, but also action. In addition to attending the March for Life, the bishop has led his flock in challenging abortion in his diocese. In 2007, when a Planned Parenthood abortion mill was to open in his diocese he responded with a request for the faithful to join him in fasting and prayer. He encouraged peaceful, prayerful demonstration, outreach and political lobbying.