Members of Operation Rescue Boston have none-too-subtly and quite publicly called-out not only Seán Cardinal O’Malley, but also all the other Catholic bishops of Massachusetts (the Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield, and Worcester).
But first a bit of background of the foundation of the Operation Rescue accusation.
In a commentary written by one of the few orthodox Catholic Cardinals alive today, Raymond Cardinal Burke penned in regards to Canon 915 of the Catholic Church’s Codex Iuris Canonici, it is made clear what actions any given cleric must follow when confronted with “pro-choice” alleged Catholics in public office;
The gravity of the sin of procured abortion and of the sins involved in the commission of other intrinsically-evil acts seemed to place the Catholic politicians among those who obstinately persevere in manifest grave sin, about whom can. 915 treats.
Furthermore, Cardinal Burke also noted;
Those under the imposed or declared ecclesiastical penalties of interdict and excommunication, and those who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be given Holy Communion. The text makes it clear that the Church has the responsibility to deny Holy Communion to those who are known to be under the imposed or declared penalties of excommunication and interdict, and to those who are known to persist obstinately in manifest grave sin.
Operation Rescue Fires A Shot Across The Bow…
The open letter signed off on by Catholics and non-Catholics alike of Operation Rescue, very matter-of-factly gives example after example of the four highest ranking Catholic clerics in the Bay State blatantly violating the teachings and dogmatic truths of their own Church.
We the undersigned – comprising Catholic and non-Catholic individuals – address this statement to the Catholic bishops of Massachusetts, most especially to Cardinal Sean O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston and Metropolitan of the Ecclesiastical Province of Boston.
To publicly criticize bishops is not something that we do lightly, but the weight of this matter requires a commensurately strong statement. All of the signatories have been actively involved in pro-life efforts. As such, we value and need the support of the bishops.
Unfortunately, in recent years a disturbing trend has emerged. While there is still rhetorical and material support for the pro-life cause from Catholic prelates, too many of their actions belie their words, to the detriment of the Gospel of Life.
A recent such action is the ban on signature gathering on Church property, just as another effort to end state abortion funding gets underway.
The bishops claim that an “overwhelming” number of parishioners opposed the collection of signatures, presumably during the 2015 signature drive on the same issue. But compared to the 28,891 people who signed the petitions, which number is really overwhelming? Do those who complain about relatively rare pro-life petitions represent truly Catholic thinking, and should their objections be the basis of Church policy?
Adding to the gravity of this new policy is the context in which it resides: it follows upon the many occasions that Catholic prelates, most especially Cardinal O’Malley, have violated their own polices as set forth in the 2004 document from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholics in Political Life, which says, “The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions.”
From 2014 to the present, there have been at least nineteen occasions in Massachusetts at which honors or platforms were given to notorious supporters of abortion by Catholic institutions with either the personal participation of or authorization by Catholic bishops.
The damning indictment by Operation Rescue against the cited Catholic prelates come complete with researchable and verifiable examples of said bishops not only non, but also quite anti-Catholic actions;
For example:
- On May 27, 2014, Jesuit administered Boston College conferred an honorary doctorate of laws on then U.S. Secretary of State John F. Kerry, who was also the commencement speaker. Kerry not only had a 100% pro-abortion voting record as a U.S. senator, but furthered his presidential ambitions by pandering to a key Democratic Party constituency with a cheap, demagogic attack on Pope Saint John Paul II. In 2004, Kerry accused the gravely ill Pontiff of “an inappropriate crossing of the line,” violating the American separation of church and state, for urging Catholics in public life to defend traditional marriage. The Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Sean O’Malley—who was appointed by John Paul II—gave the benediction, was photographed smiling and shaking hands with Kerry, and then posed for another photograph with him.
- In October, 2014, the Missionary Society of Saint James the Apostle, whose President is Cardinal O’Malley, conferred the “Cardinal Cushing Award for Excellence in Service to Humanity” on Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a proponent of legal abortion. Walsh would go on to receive the 2016 “Men for Choice” Award from NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, defend the public funding of Planned Parenthood, and call for Boston to become a sanctuary city for abortion, should Roe v. Wade be overturned. In 2017, he named a square in Boston after the infamous late-term abortionist, Dr. Kenneth Edelin.
- On May 7, 2017, Cardinal O’Malley attended the Profile in Courage Award ceremony at the Kennedy Library in Boston, where the award recipient was Barack Obama, who had, as a U.S. senator, a 100% pro-abortion rating from both Planned Parenthood and NARAL. Obama’s administration waged a war on the Catholic Church by unjust HHS mandates imposed by Obamacare legislation, requiring Catholic entities to fund abortifacients, contraceptives, and sterilizations, in violation of the religious freedom rights of Catholics.
On repeated occasions, Cardinal O’Malley has been not merely amicable, but laudatory to those who promote abortion. This is corrosive to pro-life work and disheartening to those involved.
Many other examples could be given. An extensive list is contained in the Special Report of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts.
Operation Rescue referenced Cardinal O’Malley honoring pro-abortion “Catholic” politician Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, front row, third from left.
