You may have missed it call On the first day of the Democratic National Convention last month, Cardinal Blaze Cupich, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Chicago, prayed for peace, hope and love in vague, un-Christian terms.
The problem wasn't the content of the prayer, but the context in which it took place, a pro-abortion festival. Mobile clinics offered free abortions and vasectomiesPro-abortion activists staged an even stranger parade. White Mifepristone Tablets,and A giant, 18-foot-tall inflatable intrauterine device.
Should a cardinal of the Catholic Church remain silent about the destruction of millions of unborn lives in order to support other moral issues?
Several speakers praised abortion and in vitro fertilization, but made little mention of the struggles of the working class and the broader plight of the downtrodden — issues Democrats were once known to champion.
But Democrats' behavior outside the Democratic National Convention has been even worse. During Joe Biden's term, the Department of Justice Persecution of pro-life activistsMothers are often sent to prison for simply protesting peacefully outside clinics where they are being offered abortions — the most recent target was 89-year-old Eva Edor, who survived Communist death camps in Yugoslavia as a child and later fled to the United States.
Given all this, how can the Archbishop of Chicago be justified? Himself — bless an obviously immoral and anti-religious event?
Cupich would argue that instead of supporting the Democratic Party's pro-abortion policies, he supports other policies that align with Christian teachings, such as caring for the marginalized, advocating for social justice, and welcoming the stranger. After all, “A consistent life ethicAccording to “pro-life” theory, also known as the “seamless garment” theory, there are many different ways to be pro-life, all of which are equally valid. If traditional Catholics interpret the prohibition against murder to include opposition to abortion, progressives can interpret it as granting welfare rights to illegal immigrants.
Cupich said: The Example of Pope Francis We must avoid placing too much emphasis on issues such as abortion and homosexuality. Christians should therefore see abortion as a complex issue in an increasingly complex world. Now is the time for greater emphasis on listening and dialogue, rather than judgment and action.
The political dimension complicates the issue. Although the Catholic Church should not be affiliated with any political party, it is expected to work within the various political systems and serve its communities. Thus, the presidential election campaign The Most Anti-Catholic Candidate Cupich still believes he should engage with the roughly half of the nation that supports Kamala Harris in recent memory.
And simply Careful What does it mean for a respected clergyman to speak out to encourage a party that may come to power? Wouldn't accepting the archbishop's invitation increase the chances of Christians being included at the negotiating table?
Moral ambiguity
With all due respect to Mr. Cupich, these arguments miss the point and will only do harm to the Christian community. They are ultimately nothing more than rhetorical ploys that turn Christianity, evangelism, and progressive politics into their exact opposites.
Prayer is not a politically harmless and neutral act. Under the circumstances, it is a de facto endorsement. Therefore, applying the idea of “seamless garments” to this case only justifies moral ambiguity.
Seamless garments should affirm a coherent and holistic ethical framework, rather than a zero-sum, relative, utilitarian one: being pro-life in one sense (e.g., protecting the unborn) should not preclude being pro-life in another sense (e.g., protecting the poor and vulnerable). The two positions are fully compatible in practice and should be supported in theory.
Cupich's appearance at the Democratic National Convention suggests that the Catholic Church has been forced to compromise: to support those on the margins, it must embrace a party that holds that it is legal to kill a fetus at any stage of pregnancy, even after birth. Such a compromise amounts to tarnishing certain partisan touchstones rather than maintaining a consistent ethical position.
As a result, he has positioned himself to ignore the Democratic Party's de facto idolatry of abortion and contraception. But why should a Catholic cardinal remain silent about the destruction of millions of unborn lives in order to support other moral issues? If the Democrats and their progressive allies had not idolized the murder of babies, Christians might have aligned themselves with them without compromising their faith.
As for political arguments that seek to influence potential ruling parties and build relationships with them, this almost always backfires: the Church becomes more secular and corrupt, and the State becomes less Christian.
Signal of surrender
As historian Tom Holland recounts in his masterpiece Dominion, beginning with Pope Gregory VII's refusal to ordain laypeople (the appointment of clergy by secular leaders) in the 11th century, the Catholic Church has traditionally functioned best when it acted on its own terms and demanded that political powers submit or be rejected (i.e., excommunicated), resulting in government officials either paying at least lip service to Christian teachings or showing a great deal of tolerance for the church.
When the teachings of the Catholic Church are compromised to satisfy political ideology, the Church inevitably loses its vitality and public presence. Look no further than Western Europe, where the Church is currently in decline or being absorbed by government authorities.
Cupich's prayer clearly indicates surrender to secular modernity, the culture of death, and the primacy of the state. This act represents an unforgivable and irrevocable concession to the enemies of Christ. Experience and common sense teach us that Cupich and other progressives of his ilk are in fact “casting their pearls before swine,” who will trample them and tear faithful Christians to pieces.
