Two High Profile Pro-Life Prelates Appointed to Key Vatican Post

ROME, October 19, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com)

Two prelates who are known for their vocal defence of life and family as well as the defence of traditional liturgical practices have been appointed to one of the most critical offices in the Catholic Church. Archbishop Raymond L. Burke and Antonio Cardinal Canizares Llovera and the current leader of the Church in St. Louis, have been appointed to serve in the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops, the group that oversees the selection of bishops around the world.


Archbishop Burke is well known both in the US and internationally as one of the foremost defenders of the unborn in the Catholic Church today. The former head of the archdiocese of St. Louis, Missouri, and now the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican's highest tribunal, was among the handful of US bishops who enforced the Church's Code of Canon Law that says that those involved in abortion have ipso facto excommunicated themselves. Burke informed pro-abortion Catholic politicians that they were not allowed to receive Communion in any of the Catholic churches in his diocese and was vocally opposed to the appearance of President Barack Obama at the University of Notre Dame.

The influence of the new appointees could be long-lasting, with membership renewed every five years. With mandatory retirement from curial offices being 80 years, Burke, at 61, could remain active in the Congregation for nearly 20 years, allowing him to have significant impact on the direction of the Catholic Church worldwide.

Cardinal Canizares, another appointee to the Congregation for Bishops, who is currently the Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments and former head of the ancient archdiocese of Toledo in Spain, told LifeSiteNews.com in an interview in July that the withholding of Communion from pro-abortion politicians is a matter of pastoral concern for their souls.

"I think that the strongest words are found in St. Paul: one who goes to the Eucharist and is not properly prepared, duly prepared, 'he eats his own condemnation'. This is the strongest thing that we can say and what is the most truthful statement," he said.

A friend of Pope Benedict, Canizares has been nicknamed the Ratzingerino, or "Little Ratzinger." In 2006, responding to anti-family and anti-life legislation by the Zapatero socialist government in Spain, Cardinal Canizares took up one of Pope Benedict's themes against moral relativism, saying that without an objective moral standard, societies inevitably slide into totalitarianism.

A Quick History Lesson

On September 25, 1956, The Blessed Mother appeared to Sister Mary Ephrem (Mildred Neuzil) as Our Lady of Lourdes in the Convent of the Precious Blood Sisters at Rome City, Indiana (Sylvan Springs). Our Lady promised "that greater miracles than those granted at Lourdes and Fatima would be granted here in America, the United States in particular, if we would do as she desires.”

The very next day, September 26, 1956, Our Lady again appeared to Sister Mary Ephrem and said, “I am Our Lady of America. I desire that my children honor me, especially by the purity of their lives.” She appeared several more times to Sr. Neuzil over the coming months and gave specific instruction as to what it was She wanted us to do. You can read all of Our Lady of America's messages here: http://www.ourladyofamerica.org/messages.php

Our Lady indicated to Sister Mildred that She had come in response to the United States having recognized Her privilege of The Immaculate Conception, especially through The Shrine of The Immaculate Conception at Washington, D.C., and Our Lady of America came with a message for the United States to focus on the virtue of purity.

Our Lady spoke about the recognition of The Indwelling Most Holy Trinity in the Christian Family, with The Holy Family (Jesus, Mary & Joseph) as a model. On October 5, 1956, Our Lady inspired Sister to write the prayer to "Our Lady of America," which prayer (and the design of a medal of Our Lady of America) subsequently received in 1963 the formal approval of Imprimatur by Monsignor Paul F. Leibold, who was then serving as auxiliary bishop and Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati.

The approval of Archbishop Leibold was reviewed and found to be canonically perfect.

Archbishop Raymond Burke, in his May 2007 letter to all bishops of the United States, says: "What can be concluded canonically is that the devotion was both approved by Archbishop Leibold and, what is more, was actively promoted by him. In addition, over the years, other Bishops have approved the devotion and have participated in public devotion to the Mother of God, under the title of Our Lady of America." The Most Reverend Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop of Saint Louis May 31, 2007.

This opinion letter was further confirmed in an interview given by the now Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, Archbishop Burke, in an interview given to Inside the Vatican correspondent Andrew Rabel published June 13, 2009.
In this article, he states:

"One of the things which struck me as a newly ordained priest and has continued to strike me throughout my entire life as a priest and a bishop is simply the radical decline of the devotional life in general. We know that our faith in the Sacraments needs to have ways to express itself in our everyday living, and at times when we are not, for instance, participating in the Holy Mass or praying before the Most Blessed Sacrament.

Devotions provide precisely very concrete ways to express our love of Christ, of the Blessed Mother and of the saints in our homes and places of work, throughout the day....

I think it is a very beautiful devotion and especially fitting for our time. Our Lady’s message on the living of the Holy Trinity within us, and its manifestation in the purity of the young is so much needed in our culture, today."

On October 13, 1956, The Blessed Virgin Mary requested that a statue of "Our Lady of America" be enshrined in the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., as a special place of pilgrimage and a special safeguard for our Country. Our Lady promised miracles greater than those of Lourdes and Fatima if her children heeded her warnings and fulfilled her requests. She indicated that this would be accomplished through her loyal sons, the Bishops of the United States.


The Diocese of Fort Wayne/South Bend is dedicated to the Blessed Mother under the title of the Immaculate Conception. The Cathedral in Fort Wayne is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception.

After the war, in 1953, American bishops under the leadership of John Noll, archbishop ad personam of Fort Wayne raised the funds necessary to complete the upper church of the national shrine. He donated profits from the Sunday Visitor, which he started, and some of his personal wealth as a part of his fund raising.

Archbishop Noll spent many prayerful hours at Kneipp Springs (now Sylvan Springs) from his early priesthood through his years as Archbishop. It was two months after his death that the apparitions started in his Diocese at Kneipp Springs. It is believed that Our Lady appeared at Rome City because of the effort put forth by the bishop for completion of the national shrine dedicated to Our Lady under so many titles and especially the Immaculate Conception.

This devotion to the Blessed Mother under the title of Our Lady of America started in Rome City at this facility. Her calling to purity, conversion and the Divine Indwelling is very important to the United States at a time now that it succumbs to rampant sexual immorality, abortion and to materialism.

These grounds in Rome City, IN are also the childhood home of Dr. John Willke who founded The National Right to Life and International Right to Life. His father was the on-site physician and, as a boy, John Willke was the altar boy who served Mass nearly every day in the main chapel where the apparitions of Our Lady of America took place years after he had grown up and moved away to begin his own work.

Archbishop Burke calls Notre Dame Honor of Obama "Greatest Scandal"

WASHINGTON, DC, May 8, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) -

Archbishop Raymond Burke, Prefect of the Vatican's highest court, the Apostolic Signatura, called on Catholics to "give an uncompromising witness" to the dignity of life and sharply criticized the University of Notre Dame for its planned honor for pro-abortion President Barack Obama during an address this morning to the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

The archbishop began his address by noting that he has "the deepest concern for our nation," and later implored Catholics to be aware of the "godless secularism and relativism" that underlie the Culture of Death. He noted that "we would be right to be discouraged if this were just up to us," and talked about the importance of Eucharistic Adoration and praying the Rosary.

Commenting on the ongoing scandal of Notre Dame's planned honor for President Obama, Archbishop Burke received a standing ovation from the crowd of more than 1,200 when he called it "rightly the source of the greatest scandal." He said that Catholic universities and schools "must be beacons of truth and right conduct."

He went on to note that if our Catholic universities are not willing to accept the suffering that is necessary to the witness of the faith "then they are not worthy of the name Catholic."

Patrick J. Reilly, president of The Cardinal Newman Society, which has been spearheading a petition effort against Notre Dame's decision, commented on Burke's remarks, saying, "The faithful in the Church and especially Catholics in America are blessed to have a shepherd such as Archbishop Burke reminding us of our responsibilities as disciples of Christ to always and everywhere proclaim the Truth."

Prominent Canon Law Prof Contrasts Archbishops Wuerl and Burke on Communion for Pro-Abort Politicians

Commentary by Ed Peters, Canon Lawyer
April 2, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) -

I often tell my students, the answer to a canonical question is seldom found in a single canon.

Two prominent American prelates,
Abp. Donald Wuerl of Washington DC and Abp. Raymond Burke of the Apostolic Signatura, are the lead figures in a significant disagreement over admitting certain pro-abortion Catholic politicians to Holy Communion. Wuerl basically believes that, under Canon 916, Catholics, including pro-abortion politicians, should determine their own eligibility for reception of Communion. Burke argues that, beyond Canon 916, Canon 915 requires ministers of Holy Communion to withhold the Eucharist from some pro-abortion politicians if they don't refrain from approaching on their own. Both sides can't be right, and I suspect that the more compelling case is made by reading the two canons together instead of reading one to the exclusion of the other.

Some preliminary thoughts toward sorting this out.

First, awareness of Church history helps contemporary Catholics sleep at night. This is not the first time that upright bishops have differed over important points of pastoral practice; for that matter, strong episcopal conflicts over (unsettled) matters of doctrine are not unknown in the Church. So, let's be confident in the Holy Spirit's power to lead the Church through this issue as He has led us through others.

Second, one must avoid "personalizing" the debate. Both archbishops are distinguished thinkers and both have many decades of loyal service to the Church behind them, including some services rendered under very difficult circumstances. In short, each is an attractive figure. But, while it's tempting to rally behind one or the other, personalities are not what's at issue here.

Rather, if we want to resolve the question of Communion admission, we must plainly identify the core of the disagreement. I think it's this: may one rely on a single canon to absolve arch/bishops of any direct responsibility to act when pro-abortion Catholic politicians present themselves for Communion, or must one read both the relevant canons in these cases, even if one of those canons requires ministerial intervention under certain circumstances?

The two relevant canons are not complicated.

Canon 916 expresses the fundamental responsibility of individual Catholics to weigh their conscience before approaching the Holy Banquet and to refrain from receiving Communion if they believe themselves to be in grave sin. Canon 915 requires ministers of holy Communion to withhold the Eucharist from Catholics who, though their public conduct is gravely at odds with Church teaching and/or morals, insist on presenting themselves for holy Communion.

I suggest that, for one to argue that Communion reception by Catholics is a purely personal decision under Canon 916 is to ignore impermissibly Canon 915 and its assertion of ministerial obligations in certain cases.

To be sure, both canons make serious demands on the faithful.

It's not easy for an individual Catholic to refrain from going to holy Communion at Mass. The so-called 'Communion fast' offers no cover for a Catholic with a doubtful, let alone a guilty, conscience. These days, to remain in the pew while everyone else goes to Communion is tantamount to saying "I think I'm in the state of grave sin." Who wants to imply that? But neither is it easy on a minister of holy Communion to withhold the sacrament from a Catholic seeking it. Who wants the responsibility of taking the most august sacrament, the source and summit of the Christian life (1983 CIC 897), into one's own hands, only to say to a fellow Catholic in the Communion line "move along"?

So the question squarely confronts us: is the answer to the canonical problem of admitting notoriously pro-abortion Catholics to Communion found in a single canon, or is it found primarily in two canons? Do we read Canon 916 as if it sufficed to let pro-abortion Catholics decide about their own eligibility to receive holy Communion, or do we read Canons 915 and 916 together, being willing to invoke Canon 915 against certain Catholics who insist on receiving holy Communion despite their public disregard of important points of Catholic doctrine and/or morals?

Wuerl seems to think that one canon, namely 916, settles the question. Burke says that we must read both norms, Canons 915 and 916, together to arrive at the correct answer.


What can I say? I think Burke's right.

Archbishop Raymond Burke Speaks Out On Sebelius and Her Betrayal of Catholic Faith

The head of the Roman Catholic Church's highest office overseeing Church law has slammed the nomination of Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), calling the nomination "the source of greatest embarrassment" to the Catholic Church.

In an interview with Thomas J. McKenna, president of Catholic Action for Faith and Family, Archbishop Raymond L. Burke, Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura, strongly supported the means by which the Governor has been disciplined by her bishop because of her public support for abortion. Kansas Archbishop Joseph Naumann has been strongly critical of Sebelius in the past, publicly admonishing her not to receive Communion, and has called Obama's nomination of the governor "offensive."

"Archbishop Naumann acted with exemplary pastoral charity in the matter, protecting the Body and Blood of Christ from unworthy reception, preventing the Governor from the commission of the most serious sin of sacrilege, and ending the great scandal caused by the Governor's unworthy reception of the Body and Blood of Christ" said Archbishop Burke in the interview.

When asked for his opinion on the nomination of Governor Sebelius as Secretary of Health and Human Services he said, "As a Roman Catholic, her appointment is the source of the greatest embarrassment because she has publicly and repeatedly betrayed her Catholic faith."

"What is more, she has obstinately remained in her moral error after being admonished by, at least, three of her Bishops … Her position on the question of procured abortion is the source of the greatest scandal to Catholics and to all who uphold the natural moral law."
.

"No matter how good Governor Sebelius' record regarding other human life concerns may be, if she is not committed to the safeguarding of human life from its very inception, she should not be entrusted with the questions of health and human services for our nation" he continued

The Archbishop concluded his remarks by saying that "every bishop" is held to the "universal Church discipline" found in Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law, which state that, "Those [...] who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion."

"Whether Governor Sebelius is in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, or in any other diocese, she should not present herself for Holy Communion because, after pastoral admonition, she obstinately persists in serious sin."

In a separate interview with Archbishop Naumann, McKenna asked why the bishop publicly asked Governor Sebelius not to present herself for Holy Communion. "My motivation was primarily to protect the Church and her teaching, as well as to protect our people from being misled" he explained.

When asked about the sin of scandal he explained, "I am very concerned about the governor and others like her leading individuals to think that it is not really so bad if you support abortion. What I think is even more deadly, especially for our young people, is for them to think that if the law permits abortion it must not be all that bad for me to procure an abortion either."

Both interviews can be read in their entirety on Catholic Action for Faith and Family's web site, http://www.CatholicAction.org

Pro-Life People Must Not Lose Heart with Obama Election Says Vatican Archbishop

Says the movement must never stop trying to overturn Roe v Wade

By Hilary White - Rome Correspondent

VATICAN CITY, January 30, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) –
In an exclusive interview with LifeSiteNews.com earlier this week, Archbishop Raymond Burke sent a message of support from Rome to those in the U.S. who defend human life and the traditional family, telling them not to give up the fight, even though things may seem dire with the election of Barack Obama. The Archbishop particularly urged pro-life people to continue the political and legal battle against the 1973 US Supreme Court decision, Roe vs. Wade, that legalised abortion.

“We are in a very dark period for the pro-life movement, which means that now we have really to re-double all of our efforts,” he said.

The new president, Archbishop Burke said, must hear from the American people “who I believe are, in the end, pro-life, above all else.” But the time has come, with the election of the man who is being called by pro-life advocates the “most pro-abortion president” in US history, to announce clearly and firmly the message of the sanctity of life and family more than at any other time.

“There can never be any let-up on the effort to overturn Roe versus Wade,” he said, “because there is, at its deepest core, our most unjust judicial decision. It has to be overturned.”
He agreed that people of good will could work with the Obama administration to provide improved services to women in crisis pregnancies and pointed out that the Catholic Church has “above all, been in the forefront of that.” But, he said, “that can never exempt us from the duty” to overturn Roe vs. Wade.

Despite the difficulties ahead, he urged the pro-life people to be the “tough who get going when the going gets tough.”

“It’s going to depend upon the pro-life movement to make that voice heard, and to get people to express to the president their dismay with what he’s doing, so that he understands that the people of the United States are not for the murder of infants in the womb.”

LifeSiteNews.com spoke to Archbishop Burke, who is regarded as a hero by many in the pro-life and family movement, at his offices in Rome, where he was recently appointed by Pope Benedict XVI as head of the Catholic Church’s highest tribunal, the Apostolic Signatura. The office of Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura is normally regarded as a “red hat” position that brings with it appointment as a Cardinal. It is widely expected among Vatican watchers that Pope Benedict will name Archbishop Burke a Cardinal at the next consistory.

He told LifeSiteNews.com that he is becoming “very concerned” at the number of people who have written to him to say that the election of Obama is a sign that the pro-life movement has definitively failed to overturn Roe vs. Wade. He particularly denounced the idea, put forward by some in the pro-life movement in the US, that the time has come to abandon the fight against Roe and turn exclusively to “education” and to cooperate with the new administration in “reducing abortions” by improving welfare and health services for women.

Archbishop Burke responded, saying, “To me this is a form of self-deception because the law itself is one of the principle teachers in any culture, and you have a law, a decision of the Supreme Court of your country, which says, in effect, that an infant in the womb can be destroyed right up to the time of birth and even in the act of birth.”

Until Roe vs. Wade is overturned, he said, “that law remains a teacher in the culture” and “represents a direction given to the life of the society, of the nation.

“So I’m very concerned that some of the dedicated pro-life people don’t fall prey to this false reasoning, and then not continue their work for the repeal of this Supreme Court decision.”
Archbishop Burke is known in the US as one of the most outspoken members of the US hierarchy on the Church’s teachings on the sanctity of life. He was the first among a very small number of US Bishops who enforced can. 915 of the Code of Canon Law, saying that pro-abortion Catholic politicians are not to be given Holy Communion. His position was confirmed by a letter of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in June of 2004.Upon the announcement of his transfer to Rome, Judie Brown, the president of the American Life League, said, “Archbishop Burke's contributions to the Church go beyond anybody's imagination. He is among the most courageous bishops that I have known in my entire life.”

The archbishop said, “I have been for years very much in the heart of the pro-life movement as I believe that I should be as a bishop.”

“It was painful for me to leave the United States because of my strong conviction about the importance of strong leadership, a prophetic leadership on the part of the bishops in the whole work of promoting the respect for human life.”

He particularly urged pro-life and family people to be on guard against becoming discouraged. “Discouragement is itself a prime temptation that Satan uses to get people to stop working for the good,” he said. “But the minute you give into discouragement he can get you to do whatever he wants. But if we are people of life, if we are people who honour the dignity of every human life, then we also are necessarily people of hope.

“I understand, from a human point of view, why people are discouraged and why they want to give up or try some radically different approach, but as people of hope we don’t have any choice in this matter. We have to continue the battle.”