Another Shepherd Shows his Spine

The Boston Globe has the story here. Archbishop O'Malley of Boston has declined an invitation to Catholic Charities' annual Christmas dinner. The reason? He found it more important to take a stand for the Catholic Church's true social doctrine then for the "Seamless Garment" certain foolables still shamelessly promote.

Take a closer look:

Archbishop Sean P. O'Malley has canceled plans to attend the annual Christmas dinner for Catholic Charities next month because the event is honoring Mayor Thomas M. Menino, a supporter of Catholic Charities who has also been an outspoken advocate of abortion rights and same-sex marriage.

O'Malley's decision came after a conservative Catholic group, the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, called on Roman Catholics to boycott the fund-raiser to send a message that Catholic leaders in public office should not be honored if they ignore the Vatican's teachings on major social issues.

Some Catholics had argued that such a boycott would only hurt the poor who are served by Catholic Charities, an arm of the archdiocese that provides discounted fuel, food, and other basic services to 150,000 needy people every year. But O'Malley's decision puts him squarely among those who argued that to honor Menino at the fund-raiser would be to contravene the most basic precepts of Catholicism.

Also yesterday, in a letter sent to the nearly 300 parishes of the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, O'Malley called for Catholics to join in eradicating prejudice against homosexuals. The letter, issued before the Vatican's expected announcement next week of a policy banning gays from entering the priesthood, was sent a day after Catholic Charities announced the archbishop would not be attending their annual dinner.

''In light of the Mayor's past statements concerning abortion and same-sex marriage policies, the Archbishop regrets that he cannot attend the dinner," said a statement dated Tuesday by Catholic Charities. ''In doing this he acts in accord with the US Catholic Bishops policy regarding public officials who are in conflict with Catholic teaching on specific issues, a policy formulated at plenary session of the Bishops' conference in June of 2004."

The bishops' statement said Catholic organizations should not provide honors for Catholic leaders who publicly contravene the faith's teachings. A similar call by Catholic clergy during the 2004 presidential campaign led some church leaders to say that US Senator John F. Kerry should not have been given Communion because he is an active supporter of abortion rights.

Seth Gitell, a spokesman for Menino, said that ''the mayor understands the difficult position the archbishop is in, particularly given the position of the bishops' conference. At the same time, the mayor looks forward to an important, vibrant event that focuses on his core mission and the core mission of Catholic Charities -- helping people."

The Zeitgest of this age has already seduced so many Fools. Polls of Catholics on the issue of abortion sadly reveal few discrepencies between their responses and the answers of the population as a whole. This is especially true of those Catholics that fail to attend Mass at least once a week. That's why the Archbishop's courageous stance will be seen as mere Foolishness by some.

Particularly the Foolable and Reasonable elite:

One commentator said that the notion of trying to uphold the Catholic Church's teachings on abortion and marriage, in this case, appears to undermine the church's mission to aid the poor.

''It seems to be a bit of a contradiction," said Thomas O'Connor, a Boston College history professor who has written extensively on the relationship between the Catholic Church and City Hall in Boston. ''People who are pledged to the right to life are adopting a policy that will, in effect, be denying the raising of money for Catholic Charities, whose function is to prolong life."

How ironic: Professor O'Connor believes that a stance that demands integrity from Catholics is a contradiction of the Catholic mission. He appears convinced that, as long as CC raises money to "prolong life," they should secure cooperation from anyone that antes up. There's a hippopotomus in his argument that demands exposure. It's this: who will take the Church seriously if her works do not reflect her faith? Who will see Christ's presence if those that gather in his name refuse to honor his compassion to the marginalized--beginning with the unwanted unborn? Who will bother to heed the Church's call to live in Christ through the pursuit of a moral life if she won't consistently teach her own social doctrine in word and action? The Professor O'Connors of the world would have all of us pay no attention to the Kennedy-recyler behind the curtain. Unfortunately, most of the world's already looking there.

Archbishop O'Malley should be commended for his decision. His action demands consistency from Catholics in Public life--and from Catholic institutions that honor them. He ensures the legion that observe Bostion that the Church stands by all, and means all of what she preaches. He has allowed everyone to catch a glimpse of Christ through his demonstration of integrity. May more Shepherds follow his example!