"Two Irish Catholic guys in an Irish donnybrook here in Bucks County, Pa."

Dear Congressman Murphy,

According to National Public Radio, you have characterized the 8th District Congressional race as "Two Irish Catholic guys in an Irish donnybrook here in Bucks County, Pa."

The life and writings of 20th century Dublin civil servant Frank Duff are in the early stages of investigation for canonization. Mr. Duff was not without sin - he was simply a man who put God first. With an understanding of the apostolate of the laity which anticipated Vatican II and Pope John Paul II's Christifideles Laici, this great Irish Catholic guy was tirelessly involved in the donnybrook of bringing Truth to the public square. Indeed, the Catechism tells us that this is our very calling from God.

Archbishop Raymond Burke is the Vatican's prefect of the Apostolic Signatura. For lack of better comparison, he is akin to "Chief Justice" for the Vatican's "Supreme Court." Regarding those who profess to be Catholic but who work against what the Church proclaims about human life and marriage/family, Archbishop Burke is unequivocal: "It is not possible to be a practicing Catholic and to conduct oneself publicly in this manner." All Irish Catholic guys - indeed all people of good will - are called to the defense of human life and marriage/family.

Some try to intimate that Catholics who defend what their Church teaches are pharisaical. Archbishop Burke notes that "One of the ironies of the present situation is that the person who experiences scandal at the gravely sinful public actions of a fellow Catholic is accused of a lack of charity and of causing division within the unity of the Church....Were he not to experience scandal at the public support of attacks on human life and the family, his conscience would be uninformed or dulled about the most sacred realities."

Congressman, the fact that you self-identify as Catholic mystifies many of us. Each Catholic adult is challenged to look in the mirror and pose this question: If being a Catholic were to suddenly be declared illegal, would there be enough evidence to convict me? And maybe even more difficult than looking into the mirror is looking into the eyes of our own children - attempting to explain why we claim one allegiance and act in a manner which is antithetical to it.