SECULAR MEDIA DISTORTS CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER EDITORIAL

VANCOUVER, Nov 5 (LSN) – The last couple of days have given further indications that honest reporting is not a priority among the mainstream media when it comes to the abortion industry. The latest controversy involves allegations that the official newspaper of the Archdiocese of Vancouver, B.C. Catholic, is encouraging the murder of abortionists. Selectively quoting from an editorial in the paper by Paul Schratz, various media outlets sought to justify the outrageous accusation by Joyce Arthur, of the Pro-  Choice Action Network, that the editorial justified the killing of abortionist Barnett Slepian.  One refreshing exception was the new National Post in which writers Tom Arnold and Gloria Galloway gave full coverage of the context of Mr. Schratz’s comments as well as his response to the criticism he has received.  The media immediately looked to Archbishop Adam Exner to repudiate Mr. Schratz’s comments. The archbishop,  however, while indicating that the controversial statement could have been more carefully worded,  reiterated to critics the clear anti-violence message of the article. Meanwhile, the Vancouver Sun took the liberty to quote extensively the criticisms of renegade ultra-liberal priest Jim Roberts.  The controversial comment was: “How can anyone help but be pleased that murders of abortionists just might have some positive side effects. Fewer doctors are willing to face the stigma, and now the threat of personal harm, associated with performing abortions.” He continued: “It just goes to show that our all-  powerful and all-loving God can bring good from any evil situation. If there’s a positive outcome from immorality, that’s the Lord’s handiwork. It would be wrong not to notice it.”  It would probably be difficult to find a pro-abort who does not also hope for some good to come out of the killing of Mr. Slepian, though for them, the good would probably be the approval of RU-486 or increased public pressure for expanded bubble zones around abortuaries. It is a natural human tendency to desire good to come out of tragedy and the media has yet to vilify abortion advocates for using this latest tragedy as leverage to lobby for what they see as good.  Mr. Schratz made it clear throughout his editorial that the killing of Mr. Slepian was wrong. For example,  he said: “it’s perverse to take delight from an occasion of violence such as this one.” (referring to Slepian's shooting)  Elsewhere he said: “Our faith teaches us that we cannot intend an evil action in the hope that good might come of it. The Catechism spells it out nicely. And to end a man’s life—because of the depravity that he may perpetrate in his life—is a sinful action. The good that might result—even a decline in the number of doctors doing abortions—shouldn’t blind us to the fact that sin produces more sin.”