Cardinal George & Obama; Patrick & Coroticus

On St. Patrick's Day, how appropriate! This Just In from the White House:

Today the President met in the Oval Office with His Eminence, Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I., Archbishop of Chicago and President of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.
 
The President and Cardinal George discussed a wide range of issues, including important opportunities for the government and the Catholic Church to continue their long-standing partnership to tackle some of the nation’s most pressing challenges. The President thanked Cardinal George for his leadership and for the contributions of the Catholic Church in America and around the world.

Nothing is reported here about the topic of abortion and Cardinal George's pro-life comments about the election in November to his fellow bishops. Nor discussion of what Catholic hospitals might do if the Freedom of Choice Act is passed. Nor conscience clauses protecting Christian medical personnel from coercion in cooperating with abortion. It's hard to believe that the Cardinal did not address these issues, but the official White House isn't saying.

I can't help but think of Fr. Neuhaus at the White House under different circumstances. His pro-lilfe influence was felt there in the previous administration. It's surely coincidental, but today I got my first look at the new First Things issue, with photos of Father Neuhaus with presidents Reagan and George W. Bush, two presidents who certainly would not sign something like FOCA into law, if passed. (Personal note: if you have that issue of FT, this blogger is in the photo, between Fr. Neuhaus and President Bush.)

And is it coincidence that this meeting between Cardinal George and President Obama took place on St. Patrick's Day? Probably. But I hope Cardinal George thought otherwise. I do, for am one to sight ironies and parallels, which helps me with my work. So here it is:

St. Patrick, who was a Briton, and a former slave, wrote a scathing letter to Coroticus, a letter which is extant, rebuking him for the slaughter of innocent civilian Christians in Ireland and for taking slaves in the raid. Coroticus was the "King" (chieftan) of Alt Clut, (now called Dumbarton, which is where my mother was born and where many of my relatives are buried). So: a churchman, faces done a powerful secular ruler, over slaughter and slavery. Oh, that this would immediately sound familiar!

After I heard of the recently trumpeted removal of the ban on federal funding of new embryonic stem cell lines, I couldn't help think that we as a nation are increasingly practicing what amounts to a form of slavery, or is at the very least a violation of the moral principle that shows slavery to be immoral: humans beings and human flesh are not property. The next step is embryo creation and abortion for the purpose of harvesting organs. Isn't that akin to slavery?

From the many centuries before Jesus Christ, to Coroticus and the captors of Patrick himself in 5th-century Ireland and Scotland and slave-dealers in all the world, what is this madness that impels men to treat other human beings as property to be consumed? Patrick called it nothing less than demonic. Dare I hope that on St. Patrick's Day 2009 Patrick spoke through Cardinal George when he met with our President? Lord, have mercy.

Comments

[Aaron W. Calhoun]

Note: For those interesting in joining together against the recently proposed restructuring of the recent Federal Department of Health and Human Services regulations protecting a healthcare provider's right to conscience in matters like abortion, physician assisted suicide, and the like (which would, of course, eliminate much of the current broad protection) you can check out the following site to send a message to the HHS. Both patients (potential and actual) and healthcare providers can sign on. Incidentally, his site is supported by the Christian Medical and Dental Associations as well. Needless to say, as a physician this prospect worries me even more than FOCA. I don't want to ever be put in the position of having to maintain my calling as a physician by basically being an accessory to murder (though if it came to that, the choice is clear. The website is www.freedom2care.org
Aaron W. Calhoun

[dpence]

Christian men who follow the intersecting worlds of American church and government bureacracies should not be surprised or expectant that Cardinal Francis George(pres of national Bishops conference and cardinal of Chicago) would somehow act as a moral authority in speaking to President Obama. Neither should we expect that the cardinal's Chicago bred successsor as president of the USCCB(Bishop Kicanas of Tuscon)will do so in the future. The deposition by Cardinal Francis George and subsequent statements by Bishop Kicanas in the notorious case of Fr Daniel Mccormak should have been enough to depose both of these men from national leadership in the Catholic bishops conference. These men are not protectors of life and the priestly corruption they condone will need first be cleansed before we can expect authoritative sacramental acts by the Catholic clergy aimed at the Catholic Senators and Representatives who have led the civic attack on Christian sexual ethics."Prophetic" or "courageous" prolife statements by Catholic bishops can only be seen as a continued forty year charade of official prolife statments providing cover for the real Catholic house of feminist and homosexual priests and employees who play an essential role in the sexual left's subversion of the democratic party. Personally when I look at the these two elected presidents from Chicago, I consider the election of Francis George as president of my own church's national hierarchy to be a more morally reprehensible election than the civic ballot which gave us Senator Obama over Senator McCain as commander in chief of our national military.

[Don]

I'm sure they'll discuss their mutual concern for climate change. Heh.

[Bill Congdon]

I don't remember who said this (possibly in the pages of Touchstone), but one can take the argument a step further. Owning, using, and >>consuming<< parts of embryonic human beings is worse than slavery. It is, in fact (and not in analogy), a form of cannibalism.