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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
PASTORAL LETTER PL1
Archbishop Releases Pastoral Letter At the Archdiocese of San Francisco’s monthly pro-life Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral May 1, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone announced the first pastoral letter of his episcopacy, titled “Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You.” The letter focuses on the dignity of the unborn, the reception of Holy Communion, and the responsibilities of Catholics in public life. Archbishop Cordileone said he wrote the letter because he felt the need
to “make a clear statement of the moral gravity of abortion and the basic principles that should guide Catholics, both private citizens and those who have a role in public life.” The full letter is available to read or download at InTheWomb.org, along with explanatory resources and an opportunity to subscribe to receive notice of upcoming related events.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You
A Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion and Catholics in Public Life “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you” (Jer 1:5). A young Jeremiah heard the Lord speak these words to him over 2500 years ago. In these times in which we are living, the scourge of abortion ignores the reality that humans are made in the image of God, known and beloved by God. This pastoral letter addresses all Catholics, but especially Catholics in public life, calling for deep reflection on the evil of abortion and on the meaning of receiving Holy Communion, the Bread of Life.
ARCHBISHOP OF SAN FRANCISCO MOST REVEREND SALVATORE JOSEPH CORDILEONE
There are four pivotal points to this letter:
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The gravity of the evil of abortion: Science teaches that human life begins at conception. The ending of life through abortion deeply wounds the woman and destroys the foundation of a just society; it is a “pre-eminent priority” because it violates the right to life, the foundation of all other rights. As Catholics we must be a voice for the voiceless and the powerless; there is no one more defenseless than a child in the womb.
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Cooperation in moral evil: Who bears culpability when an abortion takes place? It is never solely the mother’s act. Those who kill or assist in killing the child are directly involved in performing a seriously evil act. Someone who pressures or encourages the mother to have an abortion, who pays for it or provides financial assistance to organizations that provide abortions, or who supports candidates who advance pro-abortion legislation also cooperate by varying degrees in a grave moral evil.
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The meaning of choosing to receive the Holy Eucharist: The Church has taught consistently for 2000 years that those who receive the Eucharist are publicly professing their Catholic faith and are seriously striving to live by the moral teachings of the Church. Those who reject the teaching of the Church on the sanctity of human life and those who do not seek to live in accordance with that teaching place themselves in contradiction to the communion of the Church, and so should not receive the sacrament of that communion, the Holy Eucharist. We all fall short in various ways, but there is a great difference between struggling to live according to the teachings of the Church and rejecting those teachings.
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The responsibilities of Catholics in public life: From the three points above it follows that Catholics prominent in public life have a special responsibility to bear witness to the fullness of Church teaching. In addition to their own spiritual good there is also the danger of scandal: that is, by their false witness, other Catholics may come to doubt the Church’s teaching on abortion, the Holy Eucharist, or both. This is becoming increasingly challenging in our time. We are all called to conversion, not only those Catholics who are prominent in public life. Let us understand what is at stake here and work together in building a culture of life. To those who need to hear this message clearly: Turn away from evil and return home to the fullness of your Catholic faith. We await you with open arms to welcome you back with joy.
PL2
PASTORAL LETTER |
CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
PL3
Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone at the altar during the Confirmation Mass Nov. 21, 2020 at St. Mary’s Cathedral
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Before I Formed You in the Womb I Knew You Excerpts from Archbishop Cordileone’s Questions & Answers related to the Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion, and Catholics in Public Life
Q A
Why this Pastoral Letter, and why now?
Abortion and the issues surrounding it have been with us for very many years, and will continue to be with us. I have long felt the need to make a clear statement of the moral gravity of abortion and the basic principles that should guide Catholics, both private citizens and those who have a role in public life. I have been working on this Pastoral Letter for a long time, but did not want to publish it during the election year, precisely to avoid further confusion among those who would misperceive this as “politicizing” the issue. Regardless of which political party is in power at a given moment, we all need to review some basic truths and moral principles.
Q A
In the wake of the recent election advocates of abortion have advanced their cause. Is this Letter directed to any individuals in particular?
I have taken great care to limit my Letter to stating general truths and moral principles. My hope is that this Letter will be helpful to all people in public life, especially Catholics, in understanding how best to advance justice for all.
Q A
Abortion is a complex and controverted issue, both here and around the world. What help can this short Pastoral Letter provide?
The issue of abortion in and of itself is simple: it is the ending of an innocent human life. Certainly, in any particular case the circumstances surrounding it are often indeed many and complex.
The Catholic Church has been dealing with the human condition for 2,000 years, and so has great wisdom in helping people discern God’s will for them in concrete situations. But the fundamental truth that abortion involves the taking of an innocent human life must never be lost sight of. Any options being considered must never for a moment lose sight of that reality.
Q A
But isn’t the question of whether this is a human life itself a matter of debate?
It is not a matter of debate; it is the subject of much obfuscation. Pro-abortion proponents speak of “the product of conception,” or “a potential human being.” I don’t know precisely what they mean, so I do not know if they have entered the world of ethics, metaphysics, or psychology. But they have left the world of science. A living, growing, developing organism with the DNA, cellular makeup, and bodily structure of a human being is a human being. Misleading slogans also muddy the issue: “A woman’s right to choose …” never completes the sentence. If the rest of the sentence is “… to take the life of an innocent human being,” the answer must be, “No, she does not.”
Q A
Your description of the moral evil of abortion is clear and direct. Why the rather complex presentation of the degrees of cooperation in moral evil?
From twenty centuries of spiritual guidance the Catholic Church has developed a very nuanced understanding of human culpability in wrongdoing. A moral principle itself can be
(PHOTO BY DENNIS CALLAHAN/CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO)
simple (e.g., killing an innocent human being is gravely wrong), but the degree of personal guilt is affected by many factors, above all the knowledge that something is wrong and the free decision to do the wrong. These factors do not change the objective reality, but they do mitigate subjective blame. This is why spiritual guidance and confession play such an important role in our moral tradition. The basic distinction between formal and material cooperation touches on the importance of the will: if I know something to be wrong and still freely choose to do it, I both intend and commit a moral evil. This is formal cooperation. Material cooperation, on the other hand, can be altered by the seriousness of the act and the proximity of what I do in connection with that act. If I believe abortion to be wrong but help perform abortions, this is immediate material cooperation. Very clearly: formal cooperation and immediate material cooperation in an evil act can never be condoned. But, given the interconnectedness of the world in which we live, it is very difficult to avoid at least some very remote cooperation in moral evils (for example, purchasing goods from businesses that employ underpaid workers laboring in inhumane conditions). This nuanced approach can be helpful to Catholics in public life in determining where and how to stand up in defense of human moral values.
Read the full Q&A and Pastoral Letter at InTheWomb.org
Q A
How does this understanding of cooperation in moral evil apply to the question of the reception of the Holy Eucharist?
The starting point, of course, is that none of us is ever truly worthy to receive the Eucharist, which is the very Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ. Christ has given us this precious Sacrament precisely so that we can make progress on the path to holiness and grow ever more deeply in our union with Him. However, receiving the Eucharist is a public act by which the recipient affirms that he or she believes what the Church teaches in matters of faith and morals, and is regulating his or her life accordingly. In the case of a public figure who is Catholic and actively promotes abortion, there is a fundamental disconnect: to affirm Catholic faith and at the same time to actively oppose one of the Church’s most fundamental moral teachings (the sanctity of human life) is a contradiction. This is not a matter of one’s subjective spiritual state, but
of persistent, obdurate, and public rejection of Catholic teaching.
Q A
What is the bishop’s authority in this matter?
The Eucharist and the bishop are intimately united, because from the time of the New Testament to our own day the communion of the Church has found its fullest expression in the community of believers sharing in the Eucharist with its bishop, who is the successor of the apostles. Already at the beginning of the second century St. Ignatius of Antioch wrote to the Church at Smyrna: “Nobody must do anything that has to do with the Church without the bishop’s approval. You should regard that Eucharist as valid which is celebrated either by the bishop or by someone he authorizes. Where the bishop is present, there let the congregation gather, just as where Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church.” If a bishop has members of his flock who are erring and causing others to wander from the truth, he has a moral obligation to call them to account. This should be done privately at first, and with great patience. However, if every other medicine fails, it may be necessary for them to refrain from receiving the Holy Eucharist until they repent. See full Q&A at InTheWomb.org.
PL4 PASTORAL LETTER |
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CATHOLIC SAN FRANCISCO | MAY 6, 2021
A Response to Archbishop Cordileone’s Pastoral Letter on the Human Dignity of the Unborn, Holy Communion and Catholics in Public Life I am very grateful to our Archbishop for addressing this serious matter in a forthright and sensitive way. Abortion continues to be an extremely emotional and divisive issue here and throughout the world, and it is necessary for us as Catholics to defend the sacredness of human life at every stage of its development. Our people work diligently to help those in need, provide housing, shelter, and education, and protection to immigrants, victims of violence and oppression. All of these other concerns stand or fall on the basic dignity of every human being, made in the image and likeness of God. It is also very helpful to have the nuanced moral teaching of the Church regarding cooperation in evil presented. We live in an increasingly complex, interrelated society, and the Archbishop’s articulation of how our basic moral principles should be applied in a variety of situations provides much-needed guidance to my fellow Catholics. The members of our Archdiocese, whose generous service to the nation is deserving of our gratitude, need this kind of guidance as much as the rest of us. I hope they will heed carefully what their Shepherd is saying. All of us who approach the altar to receive the Blessed Sacrament only do so after first saying, “Lord, I am not worthy ... say but the word and my soul shall be healed.” We are all pilgrims and struggling to be good disciples. As a pastor, I rejoice to see how the Eucharist brings healing into the lives of my parishioners. At the same time, it is essential to acknowledge that there is a fundamental contradiction in professing communion with the Church, the Body of Christ, while rejecting an important moral truth that the Church has taught for two thousand years. I pray that this letter be for all of us an occasion for conversion of heart and for renewed and meaningful reception of our Blessed Lord in the Eucharist.
Reverend Raymund M. Reyes Pastor | Good Shepherd | Sunday, April 25, 2021 The full Pastoral Letter is available to read or download at InTheWomb.org.
THE TEACHING OF THE CHURCH Then:
Now:
“You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born” (Didache, ch. 2).
“Among the vulnerable for whom the Church wishes to care with particular love and concern are unborn children, the most defenseless and innocent among us…. This defense of unborn life is closely linked to the defense of each and every other human right. It involves the conviction that a human being is always sacred and inviolable, in any situation and at every stage of development. Human beings are ends in themselves and never a means of resolving other problems. Once this conviction disappears, so do solid and lasting foundations for the defense of human rights, which would always be subject to the passing whims of the powers that be.” Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, n. 213
“You shall not kill the child by obtaining an abortion. Nor, again, shall you destroy him after he is born” (Epistle of Barnabas, ch. 19). Dated between AD 70 and 130, these two documents are considered by many scholars to be among the oldest surviving extrabiblical Christian texts.