Faithful Citizenship in Pa's 1st Congressional District and the Central Garden State: Pope Francis' Homily at the Conclusion of the World Meeting of Families and Where Do We Go From Here?

Sunday, September 27, 2015

Pope Francis' Homily at the Conclusion of the World Meeting of Families and Where Do We Go From Here?

Pope Francis' 9/27/15 Homily at the Conclusion of the World Meeting of Families

"....how beautiful it would be if everywhere, even beyond our borders, we could appreciate and encourage this prophecy and this miracle! We renew our faith in the word of the Lord which invites faithful families to this openness. It invites all those who want to share the prophecy of the covenant of man and woman, which generates life and reveals God. May he help us to participate in the prophecy of peace, of tenderness and family affection. May he help us to participate in this prophetic gesture of caring for our children and our grandparents with tenderness, patience and love.]

"Anyone who wants to bring into this world a family which teaches children to be excited by every gesture aimed at overcoming evil – a family which shows that the Spirit is alive and at work – will encounter our gratitude and our appreciation. Whatever the family, people, region, or religion to which they belong!
May God grant to all of us [to be prophets of the joy of the Gospel, of the Gospel of the family, of the love of families. To be prophets], as the Lord’s disciples, [and grant us] the grace to be worthy of this purity of heart which is not scandalized by the Gospel! [Amen]"

Pope Francis Highlights....

Where Do We Go From Here?

To aid us in applying the law of the Lord to our modern world, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference offers "alerts" and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offers "Alerts Central." The USCCB notes that "Action alerts for pro-life issues can also be found through our partner organization, the "National Committee for the Human Life Amendment" (NCHLA), and that "Action alerts for issues related to immigration reform can be found through the USCCB-led Catholic coalition, "Justice for Immigrants."

The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference warns that Pennsylvania HB 1510/SB 974, the so-called "Fairness Act" would "jeopardize many churches and their charitable outreach if they continue to adhere to their religious beliefs. In other states, this law has closed Catholic adoption agencies and violated religious liberty. These bills could mean that Catholic agencies would no longer be able to make our contributions to the common good of Pennsylvania without violating our religious beliefs....Simply put, this legislation is intolerant and prejudiced against people of faith."
HB 1510/SB 974 has received a surprising amount of support among state legislators who identify as Catholic or who have received Catholic schooling. From Bucks County, Representatives Steve Santarsiero (D), Tina Davis (D) John Galloway (D), Scott Petri (R) Marguerite Quinn (R), and Kathy Watson (R) are among the 84 co-sponsors of HB 1510. While Galloway identifies as Catholic, the others have studied at Catholic schools (i.e., Santarsiero, MEd, Holy Family; Davis, Bachelors, LaSalle; Petri, JD, Villanova; Quinn, BA, St Joseph's, and Watson (studied at Villanova).). Senator Chuck McIlhinney (R), who identifies as Catholic, is among the 26 co-sponsors of SB 974.
"Stand for true tolerance: oppose Senate Bill 974 and House Bill 1510" (Pa Family Council).

As per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "The First Amendment Defense Act (H.R. 2802, S. 1598) would bar the federal government from discriminating against individuals and organizations based upon their religious beliefs or moral convictions that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage. The Act provides broad protections against adverse federal actions directed toward individuals and organizations that act on such beliefs." Representative Fitzpatrick is NOT among the 148 co-sponsors of HR2802; NEITHER Senator Casey NOR Senator Toomey are among the 37 co-sponsors of S1598. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has an alert for contacts to Fitzpatrick, Casey, and Toomey, re: the First Amendment Defense Act (HR2802 / S1598): http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/make-a-call?0&engagementId=113753
As per the USCCB, "Urge Congress to Reauthorize the US Commission for International Religious Freedom."

WE MUST PROTECT GOD'S LITTLEST ONES, but with our avowedly pro-abortion governor and our avowedly pro-abortion president, pro life bills will more than likely be vetoed. The key to stopping Planned Parenthood at this moment in time is in budgeting processes. NOT ONE DIME FOR PLANNED PARENTHOOD!

Thirty-one members of the U.S. House have pledged ''that we cannot and will not support any funding resolution — an appropriations bill, an omnibus package, a continuing resolution, or otherwise — that contains any funding for Planned Parenthood, including mandatory funding streams.'' Some "pro life" representatives and senators have been fearful of being blamed for a government "shutdown." Email Representative Fitzpatrick, Senator Casey, and Senator Toomey, to urge them to get on board with a moratorium. Please also ask pro life Representatives Joe Pitts ((202) 225-2411), Pat Meehan ((202) 225-2011), and Ryan Costello ((202) 225-4315 ) to back a moratorium.

On the state level, the Pennsylvania Family Institute tells us that "the Administration, following what can only be described as a cursory review of Planned Parenthood abortion sites in Pennsylvania, stated that the organization’s hands are clean in the burgeoning nationwide scandal involving the gruesome procurement and trafficking in the remains of unborn children aborted in Planned Parenthood clinics....the taxpayers of Pennsylvania can have no confidence that Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration can or did conduct a fair and thorough probe, given his close ties with Planned Parenthood before, during and after his campaign for Pennsylvania Governor." Email all of Bucks County's representatives and senators in Harrisburg, to urge a state moratorium on monies for Planned Parenthood.

The apostolate of the laity involves engaging the culture, which includes the struggle to defend all human life, marriage/family, religious liberty and conscience protections. So, what are we to think of "Catholic" hospitals in our own archdiocese?

Among OBGYNs with privileges, there is a paucity of NFP-only physicians!
There are privileges for IVF specialists!
There are privileges for associates of a practice involved with so-called fetal reduction!
Holy Redeemer's Making Your Own Health Care Decisions (http://www.holyredeemer.com/Main/AdvanceDirective.aspx) fails to specify Catholic teaching with regard to nutrition and hydration, and that health care services cannot honor advance directives (e.g., non-specific directives to forego nutrition and hydration) opposed to Catholic teaching.

Email Archbishop Chaput.