Dear Readers,
We knew that one day that it would happen and now it has. An older, physically handicapped pro-life activist was killed in cold blood merely for displaying the visual truth of abortion on a sign. Who knows exactly what prompted Harlan Drake to kill Jim Pouillon for his pro-life views. However, Fr.Thomas Euteneur's blunt editorial today points to some things that very likely at least partly influenced the killer. Euteneur writes that “The pro-choice movement has made murder just a casual pastime now…”
President Obama took a few days, but he finally condemned the murder of Pouillon. Still, it has become very difficult to take seriously anything he says related to the abortion issue. Why? Well, look at all the extreme pro-abortion people he has appointed to high positions in his government who are still there. And to have his message that there will be no public funding of abortion come via pro-abortion extremist (and Catholic) Kathleen Sebelius, stretches all credibility.
Canada's gay activists have very high praise for deceased former Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. So did some elements of Canada's Catholic Church establishment who gave him a very grandiose public state funeral that scandalized all who knew what Trudeau did against life and family and for which he never publicly apologized.
Either abortion and euthanasia are killing, the murder of the most vulnerable innocents, or they are not. And if they are, these are issues of far greater importance than poverty, unemployment, the environment, etc. Not one of those issues, important as they are, always involve the deliberate, massive, ongoing killing of innocents. That is what being “pro-life” has always been about, that is why the “pro-life” movement was formed - to stop murder and restore respect for life.
The other issues are not “pro-life” issues, although they are about life, but in another, different sense. Doing work on those other issues does not at all necessarily make someone “pro-life.” Anti-God, anti-life socialists also place a high priority on those same issues.
Pope Benedict in his recent encyclical Caritas in Veritate (Truth in Love), strongly emphasized that social justice actions are only valid and effective if they give first priority to incorporating “respect for life, which cannot in any way be detached from questions concerning the development of peoples.” He said they must project an ”Openness to life which is at the centre of true development.”
Ted Kennedy engaged in many 'social justice' actions, but there is good reason to question the benefit they had for society given that Kennedy was a leading, active, anti-life extremist. His works therefore could not have incorporated ”respect for life,” no matter how sincere his sentiments might have been. This is not judging Ted Kennedy, it is judging his works.
That leads us to Fr. Tom Rosica's latest outburst against LifeSiteNews and others who expressed serious concerns about the manner in which the Ted Kennedy funeral was conducted and the message that this sent to the world. How much more do all the pro-life organizations and leaders have to write, state, show and suffer for many of our religious leaders to finally, consistently act as though abortion is what it really is? How many more years and how many more millions of dead babies and broken women must we wait for them to finally publicly hold accountable Catholic political and other prominent leaders who actively advance this death culture?
Why is it that outspoken Catholic pro-life leaders are often far more harshly and quickly condemned than the Ted Kennedy's, Nancy Pelosi's, Fr. Drinan's and Pierre Trudeau's who are responsible for thousands, if not millions of brutal deaths of innocents, great harm to women's emotional and spiritual lives and a general collapsing of respect for human life. Something is very much out of order here.
We not only have a right, but also a serious duty to God to speak out. This is an act of true charity and love – even if others do not see it that way. Why others cannot see what we see, we do not know, but we cannot be silent or God will judge us for our negligence.
Regarding the Fr. Tom Rosica issue, LifeSiteNews will refrain from publishing further letters to the editor on it in order to not add further to the controversy. Fr. Tom has made his very public statements and we have made an effort to not respond in kind, but with restraint and charity. Salt and Light television has many wonderful, dedicated staff who are doing good work every day. We do not wish this situation to negatively affect that good work.
Steve Jalsevac
LifeSiteNews.com