Catholic Senators & HB 818 Votes

Your Excellencies:

As the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference explains,

• "On Tuesday, June 4, the Senate considered amendments that would have significantly weakened HB 818 [i.e., the Vance and Schwank amendments] and defeated them. HB 818 was passed by the full Senate on Wednesday, June 5 by a vote of 31 to 19.....If your Senator voted 'yes' on the weakening amendments, thus undermining the intent of the bill, please...ask them to cast pro-life votes in the future!"

There are 14 members of the Senate who are identified as Catholic (cf, Project Vote Smart).  Of those 14,

• 5 voted in a manner consistently AGAINST HB 818 (i.e., Boscola, Costa, Fontana, Stack, Wiley) by voting for the weakening amendments and against final passage of HB 818;
• 3 voted to weaken HB 818 before voting for final passage (i.e., Blake, McIlhinney, Yudichak);
• only 6 voted in a consistently pro life manner (i.e., Browne, Kasunic, Pileggi, Rafferty, Scarnati, Ward) by opposing the weakening amendments and voting for final passage of HB 818.

Senators Browne, Kasunic, Pileggi, Rafferty, Scarnati, and Ward deserve our praise and gratitude!  May we count on Your Excellencies to "have our backs," in publicly challenging those other Catholic senators who betray innocent human lives and give scandal to other Catholics?

In 2007, I understand that Jorge Cardinal Bergoglio, Archbishop of Buenos Aries, was primarily responsible for the concluding document of the 5th General Conference of the Bishops of Latin America and the Caribbean - aka, the Aparecida Document.  Unwavering in its proclamation of the dignity of each and every human being from fertilization till natural death, the Aparecida Document provides a look at the mind and heart of our new Holy Father.  He sure strikes me as appalled by the danger of scandal from hypocrisy!

• "We must adhere to 'Eucharistic coherence,' that is, be conscious that they cannot receive Holy Communion and at the same time act with deeds or words against the commandments, particularly when abortion, euthanasia, and other grave crimes against life and family are encouraged. This responsibility weighs particularly over legislators, heads of governments, and health professionals" (# 436). 

In the short time that he has been pontiff, Pope Francis seems deeply concerned about the scandal of "Catholics" in public life, who advocate positions that are opposed to Catholicism. 

• What will be the response from Bishop Bambera of Scranton to Sen Blake and Sen Yudichak?
• What will be the response from Bishop Barres of Allentown to Sen Boscola?
• What will be the response from Bishop Zubik of Pittsburgh to Sen Costa and Fontana?
• What will be the response from Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia to Sen McIlhinney and Sen Stack?
• What will be the response from Bishop Persico of Erie to Sen Wiley?

We must all pray (and urge) that Governor Corbett, who also identifies himself as Catholic, will quickly sign HB 818.

Sincerely,