Palin On Faith, Prayer, Homosexual "Marriage", and Abortion

Says she feels that in giving interviews with mainstream media “you set yourself up to just continually be mocked”

By Jonquil Frankham

Monday, October 20, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin was interviewed this weekend by CBNews correspondent David Brody, answering a variety of questions on matters ranging from her Christian faith to her position on a federal constitutional marriage amendment that would define marriage as being between one man and one woman.

When questioned about the shots the mainstream media has been taking at her for her religious beliefs, Palin told Brody that her faith has “always been pretty personal and that was kind of a surprise in the last couple of months that people would misconstrue and spin anything that has to do with my faith or anybody else's and turn it into something to be mocked. That's very sad.”

“I don't think that there's anything that I can do about it,” the Alaskan senator admitted, adding “no matter what anybody says about it, I'm going to keep plugging away at this and I'm going to keep seeking God's guidance and His wisdom and His favor and His grace - for me, for my family, for this campaign, for our nation.”

Asked why she does not do interviews with the mainstream cable networks, Palin commented on the media “opaqueness” that “filters” and “contorts … a person’s words and intentions,” which “does more harm than good.” She says that this makes her campaign with presidential candidate John McCain more of a challenge, forcing them to travel “hard and fast and aggressively across the US to reach more people.” Palin said she feels that in giving interviews with mainstream media “you set yourself up to just continually be mocked.”

The governor, however, remains unapologetic about her faith. Saying she is concerned about the possible negative effects on her family of the various “political shots” they have been suffering in recent months, Palin asked for prayers for her family, as well as for “God’s hand of protection [to be] … continually over our land – His wisdom, His grace, His favour.” She also discussed her baptism, which occurred in her early teens: “I knew that there was something certainly bigger than I out there.”

”I knew that I wouldn't be able to handle all that was laid out in front of me in life if I did not have strong faith in my Creator,” said Palin.

Saying she “hadn’t really worn it [faith] on her sleeve,” Palin told Brody that it was more important to live faith rather than preach it: “As you're raised up out of the water it's like ‘hey world, this is my confession of faith that I'm going to try to lead, and live my life according to my belief that God as my Creator has good plans for all of us.’”

Palin demonstrated that she was equally unabashed about her ethical stances on controversial issues such as abortion and same-sex “marriage.” She told Brody she voted “along with the vast majority of Alaskans” to amend the Constitution, “defining marriage as between one man and one woman.” She hopes to take this initiative to the federal level as well, stating plainly, “I don’t support gay marriage.”

Palin also said that senator Barack Obama’s stance on abortion is “extreme – … it’s so, so far left that it’s way out of the mainstream.” She referred specifically to his opposition to the Born Alive Infants Protection Act (which would provide legal protection to babies who had survived abortions), to parental consent for out-of-state under-age abortions, and a ban on partial birth abortions. His position, she asserts, is “appalling,” and “should be of concern to voters.”

To see the interview go to:
http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/466923.aspx ;

AA historian Mel B. (sober 1950)

told hisstory at the Michiana Conference in South Bend,Indiana, a year ago, in 2007 Mel B. was the primary author of Pass It On,the conference biography of Bill W., also see: http://www.walkindryplaces.com/books.html <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/books.html> http://www.walkindryplaces.com/articles.html /*Mel B.'s Articles */ * Articles:
1. AA and Jesus <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/AA%20and%20Jesus.html>
2. Love's Ingredients <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Loves%20Ingredients.htm>
3. Let Go and Let God <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Let%20Go.htm>
4. The Search for Self-Approval <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/SelfApproval.htm>
5. AAs Should Be Honest About Sex Problems <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Sex.htm>
6. Gossip <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Gossip.htm>
7. Beware the Sound of Blaring Trumpets <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Beware.htm>
8. Thoughts Are Things <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Thoughts.htm>
9. Memories <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Memories.htm>
10. Those Lost Years <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Lost%20Years.htm>
11. The Will and the Way <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/The%20Will%20and%20the%20Way.htm>
12. The One-Minute Solution <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/One%20Minute%20Solution.htm>
13. The Green Demon <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Green%20Demon.htm>
14. The Dreamer and the Dawn <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Dreamer%20and%20the%20Dawn.html>
15. The Broken Pulley <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Broken%20Pulley.htm>
16. That Day on the Bridge <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/That%20Day%20on%20the%20Bridge.htm>
17. Step Over to the Nearest Barroom <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Barroom.htm>
18. Something About the Eyes <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Something%20about%20the%20eyes.htm>
19. Requiem for a Resentment <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Requiem.htm>
20. Put Yourself in a New Frame of Mind <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/New%20Frame%20of%20Mind.htm>
21. Night Owl Gets Diploma <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Night%20Owl.htm>
22. My Name is...Melvin <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Melvin.htm>
23. The AA Tom Swifty <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Tom%20Swifty.htm>
24. The 12 Symptoms of My Alcoholism <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/12%20Symptoms.htm>
25. AA's Roots in the Oxford Group <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Oxford%20Group.htm>
26. Getting Along With Yourself and Others <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Getting%20Along.htm>*
*27. Easy <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Easy.htm>
**28. Cosmic Consciousness <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Cosmic.htm>
**29. Beyond the Self <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Beyond.htm>
**30. El Sombrero <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Sombrero.htm>
**31. Anger!. . . A Symptom of Wrong Thinking <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Anger.htm>
**32. Humility <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Humility.htm>
**33. More Power to You <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/More%20Power%20to%20You.htm>
**34. Inventory is Today <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Inventory%20is%20Today.htm>
**35. First Law <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/First%20Law.htm>
**36. Ebby <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Ebby%20Article.htm>
**37. Why God Says No <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Why%20God%20Says%20No.htm>
**38. Why I Keep Coming Back <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Why%20I%20Keep%20Coming%20Back.htm>
**39. The Serenity Prayer <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Serenity%20Prayer.htm>
**40. Self-Esteem <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Self-Esteem.htm>
**41. Rejection <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Rejection.htm>
**42. Public Controversy <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Public%20Controversy.htm>
**43. Power to Solve Your Problems <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Power%20to%20Solve%20Your%20Problems.htm>
**44. From Perfectionism to Perfection <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Perfectionism.htm>
**45. People and Principles <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/People%20and%20Principles.htm>
**46. 9th Step <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/9th%20Step.htm>
**47. Mental Depression--Unnecessary Evil <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Mental%20Depression.htm>
**48. Is That Resentment Necessary? <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Resentment.htm>
**49. Let's Talk About Material Things <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Material%20Things.htm>
**50. Open-Meeting Bores <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Bores.htm>
**51. Gentle Drunks <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/gentle.htm>
**52. Leroy's Language <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Leroy.htm>
**53. Long Live the Wimp <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Wimp.htm>
* Website Index: Home <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/index.html>
Mel B.'s books <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/books.html>
How to Order Author's Books <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/orders.html> (Autographed copies, if requested)
Other books author recommends <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/bibliography.html> Author's background <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/bio.html>
Bill W. at Dr. Bob's Gravesite <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/Bill.html>
Links <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/links.html>
*Mel B.4800 Turnbridge CircleToledo, OH 43623419.882.7868**Email Mel B. simply click here. <melb@accesstoledo.com?subject=From%20Main%20page%20of%20Walk%20in%20Dry%20Places%20website>
Home <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/index.html>
About the Author <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/bio.html>
Books <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/books.html>
Ordering <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/orders.html>
Bibliography <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/bibliography.html>
Articles <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/articles.html>
Links <http://www.walkindryplaces.com/links.html>*
http://www.walkindryplaces.com/AA%20and%20Jesus.htmlAA historian Mel B. (sober 1950) told his story at the Michiana Conference in South Bend, Indiana, a year ago, in 2007 Mel B. was the primary author of Pass It On, the conference biography of Bill W., also see: http://www.walkindryplaces.com/books.html http://www.walkindryplaces.com/articles.html
Mel B.'s Articles



Articles:
1. AA and Jesus
2. Love's Ingredients
3. Let Go and Let God
4. The Search for Self-Approval
5. AAs Should Be Honest About Sex Problems
6. Gossip
7. Beware the Sound of Blaring Trumpets
8. Thoughts Are Things
9. Memories
10. Those Lost Years
11. The Will and the Way
12. The One-Minute Solution
13. The Green Demon
14. The Dreamer and the Dawn
15. The Broken Pulley
16. That Day on the Bridge
17. Step Over to the Nearest Barroom
18. Something About the Eyes
19. Requiem for a Resentment
20. Put Yourself in a New Frame of Mind
21. Night Owl Gets Diploma
22. My Name is...Melvin
23. The AA Tom Swifty
24. The 12 Symptoms of My Alcoholism
25. AA’s Roots in the Oxford Group
26. Getting Along With Yourself and Others


27. Easy
28. Cosmic Consciousness
29. Beyond the Self
30. El Sombrero
31. Anger!. . . A Symptom of Wrong Thinking
32. Humility
33. More Power to You
34. Inventory is Today
35. First Law
36. Ebby
37. Why God Says No
38. Why I Keep Coming Back
39. The Serenity Prayer
40. Self-Esteem
41. Rejection
42. Public Controversy
43. Power to Solve Your Problems
44. From Perfectionism to Perfection
45. People and Principles
46. 9th Step
47. Mental Depression--Unnecessary Evil
48. Is That Resentment Necessary?
49. Let's Talk About Material Things
50. Open-Meeting Bores
51. Gentle Drunks
52. Leroy's Language
53. Long Live the Wimp

Website Index:Home
Mel B.'s booksHow to Order Author's Books (Autographed copies, if requested)Other books author recommends
Author's background
Bill W. at Dr. Bob's GravesiteLinks

Pro-life group launches campaign to pray for abortionists’ conversion

Front Royal, Va, Sep 30, 2008 / 01:15 am (CNA).- The pro-life group Human Life International (HLI) has launched an international campaign to promote praying the St. Michael prayer for the conversion of abortionists.
“The fight against the culture of death is primarily a spiritual battle,” said HLI president Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer. “Human Life International knows that with the aid of St. Michael, abortionists around the world will convert from their cooperation with evil.”
“Nowhere are the words of St. Paul that ‘our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens’ (Ephesians 6:12), more evident or obvious than in the abortion battle,” he continued.
“As a pro-life organization we are naturally concerned with the babies killed by abortion and their mothers who are ravaged by it. But we are also concerned with the eternal souls of those caught up in this evil, the abortionists, and others who promote it. We want to see them in Heaven, and as a priest that is of ultimate concern to me.”
HLI is asking people to sign a pledge of support for the campaign and to pray the St. Michael prayer daily, especially after each Mass. The organization also asks people to send copies of the pledge to parishes to be inserted in the weekly bulletins.
HLI has produced St. Michael prayer cards in English, Spanish, French, Italian, and Portuguese. More information is available at www.hli.org/st_michael_prayer.html.

Pro abortion protestors attack Catholic young people praying

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mp0oMKGFTyk

Catechism Quiz—Abortion and the Gift of Life

by Friar Jim Van Vurst, O.F.M.
All Life Comes From God
We Christians believe and are convinced that all life comes from God. If there is no God, there is no life. In fact, our life is so different from other life—plant and animal—that we respect. We, as living human beings, are created in God’s image and likeness. In spite of our limitations because of humanity’s fall from grace, we can do things that God can do: We can love, we can forgive sin, we can lay down our life for our brothers and sisters. What is even more of a mystery is that this God who gave us a share in his life through his Son, the Word of God, became man and took on a human nature like ours, though perfect in every way. And this Son of God was conceived in the womb of Mary of Nazareth.
Because of these astounding truths, there is a basic law that is universal and allows for no exceptions: We are not owners of our lives; no human being has power over his own life. We are stewards over the gift of life we have received, responsible for our lives and the lives of others. If we believe life is God’s gift, then we must respect all human life from the moment it begins to exist to the moment of death. And that respect must be extended to all people—from the greatest saint to the worst sinners (at least in our eyes). The reason? It is exactly what God does. Remember: Jesus died for every person who ever existed or will exist. He made no exceptions.
Current Disregard for Human Life
We know there is a great disregard for human life throughout the world today, There are all kinds of reasons given for this attitude, though many consider it unnecessary to offer any reason. An unborn person, an embryo, a fetus is often considered simple tissue or an attachment, an inconvenience or a problem. So many people with human power act as though they actually have God’s power over life and death when, in fact, their actions are so un-godlike. One of the greatest insults to God’s gift of life and his goodness and his will is how many millions of innocent unborn human lives are ended without a second thought.
Our Catholic faith is consistent and the Church is very exact in its teaching about the sanctity of unborn life. Sanctity? Yes, because the unborn share in the life of God almighty. The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states: “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person—among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” (CCC #2270). God’s own revelation in Scriptures speaks this truth beautifully: “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you” (Ps 139:15).
It is interesting that other outstanding individuals from varied religious backgrounds have held the same truth: Martin Luther King, Jr.; Mahatma Gandhi; the Dalai Lama; feminists such as Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul, the author of the original Equal Rights Amendment, and many others.
Human Life Always Produces a Human
We say that when the ovum and the sperm unite, there is human life. A human ovum and sperm will produce only human life, nothing else. It may not be perfect, it may be malformed, but whether this human life develops into a genius or a person who is mentally challenged, no right-minded person would say that one is human but the other is not. My sister is a Sister of Charity here in Cincinnati, and she is director of St. Joseph Home for Children with severe/profound mental and physical disabilities (www.saintjosephhome.com/). Check out this video and ask yourself whether any of these little and lovable humans beings should have had their lives ended at conception.
At conception, a zygote is created by that ovum-sperm union. We don’t say that we “came from a zygote.” No, we were a zygote. We did not come from a fetus; we were a fetus. We did not come from a baby, we were a baby. In other words, when we were conceived, we were!
It is amazing that abortion, the ending of innocent human life, is, in so many people’s minds, “no big deal.” It is indeed a big deal and more, because such an act steps in front of God and does exactly what God does not want done. Not all human life is convenient, not all human life is perfect. But all human life is from God and therefore really belongs to God. No one has the right to deliberately end a life ultimately given by God. God is the creator; we are the caretakers.
Finally, having said all this, can anyone doubt that all these aborted little ones are not with God for all eternity? He made them for eternal life, and, though their earthly lives were cut short, they now enjoy eternal life with their creator.
(Next month: An important word to women who may have had an abortion.)

Priesthooh a Vocation

Archbishop: Priesthood a Vocation, Not a JobSays World Needs Testimony of Men Configured to Christ

ROME, MARCH 31, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The priest is not an employee, but rather a consecrated person chosen by God to serve mankind, says the secretary for the Congregation for Clergy.Archbishop Mauro Piacenza described the priesthood in this way in L'Osservatore Romano earlier this month.

"The priest cannot be plentifully fulfilled if the Eucharist is not truly the center and the root of his life," the prelate said, affirming that the priest's daily efforts must be an "irradiation of the Eucharistic celebration."As the Gospel account of Christ's washing of the feet testifies, the priest's task is found in unconditional surrender, Archbishop Piacenza said. "The priest does not belong to himself. He is at the service of the people of God without limits of schedules or calendars."

"The people are not for the priest, but the priest is for the people, in its totality, without ever restricting his service to a small group," the prelate added."The priest cannot choose the post he likes, the work methods he considers easiest, the people he considers most likable, the schedule that is most comfortable, the diversions -- even legitimate ones -- when they take away time and energy from his own specific pastoral mission."Moreover, even acting in the world, the priest is nevertheless not "assimilated in the world [] ceasing to be transforming leaven," Archbishop Piacenza continued. "Faced with a world anemic from the lack of prayer and adoration, of truth and justice, the priest is above all a man of prayer, of adoration, of worship, of the celebrations of the holy mysteries, 'before man in the name of Christ.'

" A testimony The Vatican official said the priest's commitment is "testimony, understood in its etymological sense as martyr [] in the renewed consciousness that Christ, ordinarily, comes to us only 'in the' Church and 'from the' Church, which prolongs his presence in time." The Church, he said, is "transcendent and mysterious" and "only if it does not deny its own supernatural identity [] can it authentically evangelize the 'natural' realities.

[]The Church has the 'negative' task of freeing the world of atheism and the 'positive' [task] of satisfying the indelible need that man, consciously or unconsciously, has of fulfilling himself, that is to say, of holiness."For this, the priest should "respond to the burning thirst of a humanity always seeking," and to sow a restlessness that is "the holy fear of God."

At the same time, Archbishop Piacenza added, the current vocational crisis can be served by opening the "vast horizons of the whole picture of following Christ," while attempts to reduce the identity of the priest and pastoral ministry brings "everything to languish along the path of a progressive drying out.

"It is the light of the configuration of the priest with Jesus Christ that helps to understand the promises of obedience and chastity lived in celibacy, in the commitment to a path of detachment from things, situations and from themselves, he said.At the altar The archbishop highlighted that "chastity guarantees the spousal dimension and the great paternity" and recalled that "in all of this there are not 'no's' but a great, liberating 'yes.'" "The priest never goes into identity crisis, nor loneliness, nor cultural frustration if, resisting the temptation of losing himself in the anonymous multitude, he never descends -- regarding intention, moral uprightness and style -- from the platform of the altar of the sacrifice of the body and blood of Christ," the archbishop contended.Nevertheless, he acknowledged, faced with "an ever more notable disintegration of the links between persons, in every social environment [] we cannot think that the figure of the celibate priest will not suffer the backlash of these countless solitudes."For this, the archbishop concluded, there is a "need of priests who know how to show the fruitfulness for communion and for the community of their virginal 'solitude.'"

Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast regarding reception of Holy Communion for pro-abortion politicians

By John-Henry Westen

OTTAWA, March 14, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The mainstream media has picked up on comments by Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast regarding reception of Holy Communion for pro-abortion politicians. However, one part of the discussion which has received little discussion is the reason why the Church would deny politicians reception of Communion."The Code of Canon Law says in #915 that 'those whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared, and others who obstinately persist in manifest grave sin," explains the religious leader of Canada's national capital,"are not to be admitted to Holy Communion'.""What is at issue is whether a politician who does not himself or herself participate in an abortion but supports 'a woman's right to choose' (or however else shows support for abortion) is guilty of grave sin and then obstinately persists in this state of grave sin."Archbishop Prendergast stresses that denying Holy Communion is undertaken out of concern for the offending Catholic (politician in the case at hand). "The Church's concern is for anyone who persists in grave sin, hoping that medicinal measures (which is how excommunication and interdict are to be understood) may draw them away from the wrong path to the truth of our faith."The Ottawa prelate points out how Christians from the beginning were told of the need to be in good standing with the faith before receiving Communion. "(St.) Paul said that before receiving communion a Christian should take part in self-examination and only then receive the Body of the Lord after necessary conversion (1 Cor 11:28)."Prendergast has no dislike for politicians, in fact just the opposite. "I deeply admire politicians for their desire to serve the public good and to make the many sacrifices necessary to win public office and to give themselves to public service," he says, adding, "They ought to be motivated by a concern for justice, good order, the public good, etc."He notes however that "One of the greatest areas for effecting justice is the support of life in the womb and through all stages of life. Abortion goes against the Church's understanding, based on the teaching of Jesus, on the inviolability of innocent human life - including the unborn - and of the obligation of public servants to protect the weakest in society. It is hard to see how the support of abortion is not a very grave evil."The decision to take "medicinal" remedies, says the Archbishop, is not taken lightly, and is simply an attempt at direct intervention with the politicians. "Perhaps politicians embrace the support of a woman's right to choose unthinkingly, following party policy; this is where the church with the help of its pastors and through fellow believers needs to come to the assistance of those who serve the public good," he said. "It may take time to work with political figures before one can conclude that they are obstinately persisting in manifest grave sin and that, therefore, denial of communion or of encouraging them not to present themselves for communion is reached as the medicinal remedy to draw them back to the way of Christ, Our Lord, the Way, the Truth and the Life."One other consideration in addressing seriously such grave violations of Church teaching is scandal. "If one were to allow Catholic political (or other public) figures to freely espouse abortion without drawing to their attention that this is a grave evil," explained Archbishop Prendergast, "other believers might be tended to accept this, not knowing any better and be led on the wrong path: that is what 'scandal' is. One must do everything possible to prevent others from falling away from the path of Christ - i.e. from being scandalized."

Pope supports excommunication for pro-abotion policticians

By John-Henry Westen
ROME, May 9, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A reporter aboard the Alitalia plane chartered to transport the Pope to Brazil Wednesday asked Pope Benedict XVI if he supported the Mexican bishops in their warning to politicians who supported legalizing abortion that they would face excommunication. The Pope responded saying, "Yes, this excommunication was not an arbitrary one but is allowed by Canon law which says that the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving communion, which is receiving the body of Christ."Referring to the Mexican bishops, Reuters reports the Pope added, "They did nothing new, surprising or arbitrary. They simply announced publicly what is contained in the law of the Church . . . which expresses our appreciation for life and that human individuality, human personality is present from the first moment".Speaking of the vote on abortion in Mexico City, the Archbishop of Acapulco, Felipe Aguirre Franco, said of politicians who support the legalization of abortion: "They will get the penalty of excommunication. That is not revenge, it is just what happens in the case of serious sins."Continuing on the subject while en route to Brazil, the Pope said such pro-abortion politicians have "doubts about the value of life and the beauty of life and even a doubt about the future". He continued, "Selfishness and fear are at the root of (pro-abortion) legislation. We in the Church have a great struggle to defend life...life is a gift, not a threat. The Church says life is beautiful, it is not something to doubt but it is a gift even when it is lived in difficult circumstances. It is always a gift."Vatican spokesman the Rev. Federico Lombardi later told reporters that the politicians who voted for abortion had automatically excommunicated themselves by their actions. The statements by the Pope have significance not only in Brazil but also in the United States and elsewhere where certain bishops have refused to follow the guidance of Rome in denying communion to pro-abortion politicians.The most notable opposition in that vein came from the now-retired Archbishop of Washington, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, who chaired a committee of bishops on the subject of how to deal with pro-abortion Catholic politicians. McCarrick received direct guidance on the subject from then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The letter indicated that persistently pro-abortion Catholic politicians, once they had been warned, "must" be denied Communion. Not only did McCarrick publicly refuse to follow Ratzinger's directives himself, he concealed Ratzinger's communication from even some of the Bishops who were on the committee. The Ratzinger intervention was later leaked to the media in Rome and confirmed as authentic by Ratzinger's then-office, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Worthiness to receive Holy Communion: General Principles

by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger

Issued June 20041.

Presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion should be a conscious decision, based on a reasoned judgement regarding one’s worthiness to do so, according to the Church’s objective criteria, asking such questions as: "Am I in full communion with the Catholic Church? Am I guilty of grave sin? Have I incurred a penalty (e.g. excommunication, interdict) that forbids me to receive Holy Communion? Have I prepared myself by fasting for at least an hour?" The practice of indiscriminately presenting oneself to receive Holy Communion, merely as a consequence of being present at Mass, is an abuse that must be corrected (cf. Instruction "Redemptionis Sacramentum," nos. 81, 83).2. The Church teaches that abortion or euthanasia is a grave sin. The Encyclical Letter Evangelium vitae, with reference to judicial decisions or civil laws that authorise or promote abortion or euthanasia, states that there is a "grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection. [...] In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to ‘take part in a propoganda campaign in favour of such a law or vote for it’" (no. 73). Christians have a "grave obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God’s law. Indeed, from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil. [...] This cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it or requires it" (no. 74).3. Not all moral issues have the same moral weight as abortion and euthanasia. For example, if a Catholic were to be at odds with the Holy Father on the application of capital punishment or on the decision to wage war, he would not for that reason be considered unworthy to present himself to receive Holy Communion. While the Church exhorts civil authorities to seek peace, not war, and to exercise discretion and mercy in imposing punishment on criminals, it may still be permissible to take up arms to repel an aggressor or to have recourse to capital punishment. There may be a legitimate diversity of opinion even among Catholics about waging war and applying the death penalty, but not however with regard to abortion and euthanasia.4. Apart from an individuals’s judgement about his worthiness to present himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, the minister of Holy Communion may find himself in the situation where he must refuse to distribute Holy Communion to someone, such as in cases of a declared excommunication, a declared interdict, or an obstinate persistence in manifest grave sin (cf. can. 915).5. Regarding the grave sin of abortion or euthanasia, when a person’s formal cooperation becomes manifest (understood, in the case of a Catholic politician, as his consistently campaigning and voting for permissive abortion and euthanasia laws), his Pastor should meet with him, instructing him about the Church’s teaching, informing him that he is not to present himself for Holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.6. When "these precautionary measures have not had their effect or in which they were not possible," and the person in question, with obstinate persistence, still presents himself to receive the Holy Eucharist, "the minister of Holy Communion must refuse to distribute it" (cf. Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts Declaration "Holy Communion and Divorced, Civilly Remarried Catholics" [2002], nos. 3-4). This decision, properly speaking, is not a sanction or a penalty. Nor is the minister of Holy Communion passing judgement on the person’s subjective guilt, but rather is reacting to the person’s public unworthiness to receive Holy Communion due to an objective situation of sin.[N.B. A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for Holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate’s permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favour of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.]

Rev. Fr. Thomas A. Lynch New National Director of Priests for Life Canada

OTTAWA, May 14, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Following the sudden death of Fr. James Whalen on Sunday, February 24, 2008 while conducting a parish pro-life mission in Thorold, Ontario, Priests for Life Canada has chosen a new director to lead its twelve-member Board. Rev. Fr. Thomas A. Lynch is not new to the pro-life movement. He has been directly involved in advocating for the rights of individuals for the past 30 years.Priests for Life Canada, an organization of both clergy and laity dedicated to advancing the sanctity of life in Canada, has been a registered charity in operation since 1995. Over its thirteen years of operation, the organizartion has reached out to thousands of clergy, bishops, Catholic students, and parishioners with its message that human life is sacred and worthy of protection from the moment of conception to natural death. Fr. Tom was born in Lindsay, Ontario, on July 29, 1957, and ordained to the Catholic priesthood in the Diocese of Peterborough, Ontario, on May 25, 1984. He brings with him an impressive background of knowledge and expertise to move the organization forward. His extensive understanding of Catholic morality and the ethical issues surrounding it, as well as his wealth of experience in media work will undoubtedly benefit the organization. Fr. Tom was elected to the position of National Director on Thursday, May 8, 2008, a day when thousands gathered on Parliament Hill to bring attention to the lack of any laws protecting the unborn child throughout its nine months of life in the womb. It was this day as well that Campaign Life Coalition, organizer of the rally, dedicated the events efforts in honour of recently deceased National Director of Priests for Life Canada, Fr. James Whalen. One of his first actions as National Director was to take part in the rally and he also wasted no time filling the vacancies that existed on the board. In addition to his role as National Director, Fr. Tom also continues to serve as pastor of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Douro, Ontario, under the direction of the Bishop of Peterborough, Most Rev. Nicola De Angelis. Fr. Tom plans to use his widespread knowledge and resources within the Catholic community to advance the purpose and aims of Priests for Life Canada. Further information on the organization can be obtained by calling 1-888-300-2007 or at: http://www.PriestsForLifeCanada.com.

13th Canadian Bishop Publicly Denounces Morgentaler Order of Canada

By Tim Waggoner
WINNIPEG, August 27, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A month and a half after the Order of Canada was awarded to prolific abortionist Dr. Henry Morgentaler, Archbishop James Weisgerber of Winnipeg has issued a statement to Governor General Michelle Jean condemning the decision.
The nomination of Morgentaler, slated as an attempt to label the abortion issue as non-existent in Canada, backfired on abortion activists after it stirred up a heated national discussion on abortion. In releasing his statement Archbishop Weisberger joins numerous MPs, bishops and Canadians who have already fervently protested the July 1st decision. Several members of the prestigious Order of Canada have already returned their awards, not wishing to be honoured alongside a man who has admitted to killing over 100,000 babies.
"I wish to add my name to the long list of people who have been shocked and outraged by the awarding of the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler," said the archbishop. "It is utterly abhorrent to so many of us that a person who has done so much to promote and facilitate abortion should be given the highest honor of our country."
"I assume that the purpose of creating the Order of Canada was to draw us together as a nation by honoring those whose life and work promote the values and ideals that unite us," he said. "I can assure you that awarding the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler is having the exact opposite result."
The archbishop concluded by requesting that the Governor General reverse the decision and initiate a full "revision of the selection procedures so that this important symbol of Canada can be salvaged."
The list of individual bishops known to have publicly criticized the Morgentaler appointment:
Archbishop Thomas Collins of Toronto

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa

Bishop James Wingle of St. Catharines

Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary

Archbishop Richard Smith of Edmonton

Bishop Ronald Fabbro of London

Bishop Nicola De Angelis of Peterborough

Archbishop Raymond Roussin of Vancouver

Bishop Valéry Vienneau of Bathurst

Bishop Vernon Fougere of Charlottetown

Archbishop Brendan M. O'Brien of Kingston

Bishop Albert LeGatt of Saskatoon

Archbishop James Weisgerber of Winnipeg

Wake Up Call

Why didn't you save the school children at ?
Northern Illinois University
Virginia Tech
Amish Country, PA
Columbine High School
Moses Lake, Washington 2/2/96
Bethel , Alaska 2/19/97!
Pearl , Mississippi 10/1/97
West Paducah , Kentucky 12/1/97
Stam P, Arkansas 12/15/97
Jonesboro , Arkansas 3/24/98
Edinboro , Pennsylvania 4/24/98
Fayetteville , Tennessee 5/19/98
Springfield , Oregon 5/21/98
Richmond , Virginia 6/15/98
Littleton , Colorado 4/20/99
Taber , Alberta, Canada 5/28/99
Conyers , Georgia5/20/99
Deming , New Mexico 11/19/99
Fort Gibson , Oklahoma 12/6/99
Santee , California 3/ 5/01 and
El Cajon , California 3/22/01?
Sincerely,
Concerned Student

Reply:
Dear Concerned Student:I am not allowed in schools..
Sincerely,God

How did this get started?....
Let's see,I think it started when Madeline Murray O'Hare complainedShe didn't want any prayer in our schools.
And we said, OK...
Then,
Someone said you better not read the Bible in school,
The Bible that says'Thou shalt! Not kill,Thou shalt not steal,And love your neighbors as yourself,'And we said, OK...
Dr. Benjamin Spock saidWe shouldn't spank our childrenwhen they misbehaved
because their little personalitieswould be warped and we might damage their self-esteem.
And we said,
An expert should know what he's talking about.
So we won't spank them anymore...
Then someone said
Teachers and principals better not
Discipline our children when they misbehave.
And the school administrators said
No faculty member in this school
Better touch a student when they misbehave
Because we don't want any bad publicity,
And we surely don't want to be sued.
And we accepted their
Reasoning...
And the entertainment industry said,let's make TV shows and movies that promote
Profanity, violence and illicit sex...And let's record music that encourages
Rape, drugs, murder, suicide, and satanic themes..
And we said,it's just entertainment
And it has no adverse effect
And nobody takes it seriously anyway,
So go right ahead.
Now we're asking ourselves
Why our children have no conscience,
Why they don't know right from wrong,
And why it doesn't bother them toKill strangers, classmates or even themselves.
Undoubtedly,If we thought about it long and hard enough,We could figure it out.
I'm sure it has a great deal to do with...'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW,'
Pass it on If you think it has merit! But if you discard this thought process,Then don't sit back and complain aboutwhat bad shape this country is in!

Calgary' Bishop Henry

Calls on Premier to Curtail Powers of Human Rights Commissions

Cites "inane stupidity and gross miscarriage of justice" regarding treatment of Stephen Boissoin

By Thaddeus M. Baklinski

CALGARY, June 23, 2008 (LifeSIteNews.com) - Bishop Fred Henry has asked Alberta Premier Ed Stelmach to repeal Section 3(1)(b) of the Alberta Human Rights Act in order to protect the rights of religious freedom and freedom of speech.In a letter to Premier Stelmach, Bishop Henry points out that in the past 18 months he has raised the issue of the Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC) several times with the Premier. "On each of those occasions, you said that you understood the issues and shared my concerns.""However," he continues, "the situation is continuing to deteriorate across our country and the various levels of governments are seemingly non-responsive."In particular, the recent ruling by the Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC) against Christian youth pastor Stephen Boissoin has convinced the Bishop that decisive measures must be undertaken to curtail the powers of Canada HRCs."Each judgment emanating out of our various human right commissions," writes Bishop Henry, "seems to be more brazen and bizarre than the one that preceded it. However, for inane stupidity and gross miscarriage of justice our own Alberta Human Rights Tribunal deserves to take first prize for its treatment of Stephen Boissoin."Boissoin was convicted by the AHRC for hate speech after he published a letter to the editor in the Red Deer Advocate expressing his disagreement with the radical homosexualist agenda. The AHRC ordered him to pay $7,000 in fines, and to refrain from ever again making "disparaging" remarks about homosexuals, in any venue whatsoever. Mr. Boissoin has also had to resign his job ministering to at-risk youth because of the adverse publicity his case brought to the Christian charity that employed him; as well, he has had to carry the cost of his defence himself.In the world of the HRCs, Bishop Henry writes, "The conflict between social pressure and the demands of right conscience can lead to the dilemma either of abandoning a profession or of compromising one's convictions.""Faced with that tension, despite the ruling of the commission, we must remember that there is a middle path that opens up before workers who are faithful to their conscience. It is the path of conscientious objection, which ought to be respected by all, especially legislators.""Every person has the right to have their religious beliefs reasonably accommodated."Bishop Henry also commented on the April Ontario Human Rights Tribunal ruling, which ordered an evangelical Christian charity, Christian Horizons, to rescind its morality code and require employees to undergo anti-discrimination training. Christian Horizons was also ordered to pay $23,000 plus lost wages for threatening to terminate Connie Heritz's employment. Heritz resigned from her position at Christian Horizons after being told she would likely be fired for having violated the terms of the morality code which she signed by openly living in a lesbian relationship. "Every religious institution should have the jurisdictional independence to determine its own confessions, doctrines and ordinances, including conditions of employment," the Bishop stated.Bishop Henry also criticized a recent Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal decision against marriage commissioner Orville Nichols, who was fined $2,500 for refusing to officiate at a same-sex wedding.The letter to Premier Stelmach concluded with a demand to remove provincial human rights legislation that disregards rights listed in the Canadian constitution's Charter of Rights and Freedoms and tramples on freedom of speech."Mr. Premier, we have talked enough about the inadequate provisions of and appointment to the Alberta Human Rights Tribunals. It is time to repeal Section 3(1)(b) of the Alberta Human Rights Act and to protect the rights of religious freedom. Every person has the right to make public statements and participate in public debate on religious grounds."Read related LifeSiteNews.com articles:Bishop Henry Adds His Own to the Voices Crying out Against Canada's Human Rights Tribunals

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jan/08011010.html

Huge Christian Ministry to Disabled Fined $23,000 For Rejecting Homosexual Employee http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/apr/08042512.html

Christian Ministry to Disabled Drops its Code of Conduct Under Human Rights Tribunal Pressure

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/may/08051205.html

Saskatchewan Marriage Commissioner Fined For Refusing To "Marry" Homosexuals http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08060206.html

Marriage Commissioner: "I Couldn't Live With Myself if I Were to Perform Same Sex Marriages"

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/feb/07020107.html

Arbp. Tom Collins

TORONTO, July 1, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Archbishop of Toronto has today called on all Catholics in the Canada's largest city to demand that the award of the Order of Canada to arch-abortionist Henry Morgentaler.

The full statement of Archbishop Collins follows:Canada's highest honour has been debased. Henry Morgentaler has been awarded the Order of Canada. We are all diminished.

A community's worth is measured by the way it treats the most vulnerable, and no one is more vulnerable than in the first nine months of life's journey. No person may presume to judge the soul of Henry Morgentaler, but it cannot be denied that the effect of his life's work has been a deadly assault upon the most helpless amongst us.

Canada glories in the names of Banting and Best, and the other medical heroes who selflessly brought healing where there was disease and suffering. Now it honours with the Order of Canada a medical man who has brought not healing, but the destruction of the defenseless and immeasurable grief. This award must not stand.

I earnestly appeal to all who are tempted to resort to an abortionist, or are pressured to do so by those around them. I urge you to contact organizations such as Birthright, and others who will support you and love you and your precious child. Contact your parish. We are here for you. I pledge to you the support of the Catholic Church. Look to our archdiocesan website at http://www.archtoronto.org for information concerning places where you may find loving help.For those who have had an abortion, and bear within your heart the fearful grief, I urge you to contact us, to find love and support in your anguish, and in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, to find the gift of inner peace.

I ask the faithful of the Archdiocese of Toronto, and all people of good will, to protest this act of dishonour. Write, phone, or e-mail the Governor General, the Prime Minister, and your Member of Parliament. Ask that this action be revoked.

This coming Sunday will be a day of special prayer in the Archdiocese of Toronto, for an end to the evil of abortion. I have asked that the following prayer be inserted in the Prayer of the Faithful in all the churches of the archdiocese:"That the scourge of abortion be lifted from our land, that those who promote it may be brought to a change of heart, that all who are tempted to abortion may be lovingly helped to protect the precious gift of life, and that all who have experienced an abortion may be comforted with the healing gift of love."

Interview with Toronto Archbishop Collins

"pray with fervor for Dr. Morgentaler"
By John-Henry WestenTORONTO, July 2, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com)

- In a press conference today, Henry Morgentaler, Canada's most notorious abortionist, accused the Catholic Church of stirring up violence against abortionists, while hostile reporters questioned Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins on whether he was encouraging people to "yell and scream" about the conferral of the award on Morgentaler.However, while the pro-life movement is indeed outraged by Morgentaler being named to the Order of Canada, there has also been to call to pray for a change of heart for the abortionist such as happened to prominent US abortionist and abortion activist, Dr. Bernard Nathanson. On Sunday Pope Benedict XVI inaugurated the Jubilee Year of St. Paul. The author of several books of the New Testament, Paul was at one time a prominent persecutor of Christians and was responsible for numerous killings, most famously that of St. Stephen. After a dramatic conversion, however, Paul went on to become one of Christianity's greatest champions.Campaign Life Coalition President Jim Hughes has called on all pro-lifers to pray that Henry Morgentaler may have a conversion like that of St. Paul. Sources have informed LifeSiteNews.com that these prayers are urgently needed as Morgentaler is said to be gravely ill with perhaps only weeks to live. That appears to explain why his supporters on the Order of Canada Advisory Committee were so determined to sneak his award through over long holiday weekend, by passing normal process and offending millions of Canadians.Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins, who yesterday issued a statement strongly opposing Morgentaler being awarded the Order of Canada, told LifeSiteNews.com in an interview today that he would "earnestly support" such a prayer campaign."I certainly think we should always pray for that (Morgentaler's conversion)," said the Archbishop. "I think that is really where our great concentration should be."The Archbishop added, "Certainly we should be helping and providing alternatives for women who are being pressured and tempted to an abortion, and giving great love and care for those who have had them so we can reach out in love and help. But prayer is at the heart of it all. The most important thing is to pray."Praying for his conversion is no sign of weakness, nor does it prohibit speaking out strongly against Morgentaler's actions, indicated the Archbishop. The Toronto Archbishop told LifeSiteNews.com, "Henry Morgentaler represents something that is a great tragedy in our nation. This honoring of him is something which is so sad - how have we come to this? What he has pursued in his life, his life's work, represents such a terrible affliction for our nation as a whole, when those who are most vulnerable are treated that way and it is celebrated. What does it say about our nation?"Nevertheless, the Archbishop said, "I think we should really pray with great love and great fervour for Dr. Morgentaler and others who are, for whatever reason, are so intent on advancing this terrible reality (abortion) that they may turn back from that. And there are cases where this has happened in the States - Dr. Nathanson and others who have turned away from that."

Pastors' Reservations and Coordinator'sResponses

(1) Pastor: My brother, God has called you to prolife, but He has called me to soul winning.Royce: Pastor, God has called each of His sons and daughters to join you in winning souls-and, similarly, He has called each of us to be a good neighbor, to aid those in urgent need, and to embrace what He called "undefiled religion"- caring for orphans and widows. Inasmuch as fathers have no legal voice to prevent abortions, preborn Americans have no father defender and are legal orphans, with only the Church, you and me, to look to for a defense. Thousands of them, the most innocent of our fellow citizens, die daily, and what is our response to their silent screams? Is not their blood crying out to us, as innocent blood cried out to Biblical Israel? On our soil, what was God's eventual solution when the Church refused to expose and confront institutional slavery? A catastrophic Civil War ended that evil practice. [Today, brutal terrorists from the same region that subdued ancient Israel and (later) Judah may inflict unspeakable suffering and loss on our nation. Has not America, on our watch, become a violent, terrorist nation against the unborn?]

Thus, what duties do we have, pastor, that are more compelling than our firm resolve to end the most evil and deadly siege our nation has faced? How can we hope for revival in the Church if we do not strive to "rescue those led away to slaughter"? Will not God strengthen our evangelistic labors if we have heart for the defenseless unborn and their mothers? The churchmen on the Samaritan road, who passed on the other side, were unmindful of God's priority. Are we not committing the same spiritual blunder?

(2) Pastor: Mr. Dunn, we're a praying church, and we believe prayer, rather than public demonstrations, is the solution to legalized abortion. Don't you agree?

Royce: Pastor, kindly permit me to disagree. Would God use our prayers to feed our starving neighbors when we have the food but will not deliver it? In fact, given our record of apathy, God may already deem our prayers a stench in His nostrils, much as He did Israel and Judah's prayers, as related to us by the prophets. If we care to know where unwanted local children are killed, we can go to the death centers and see the mothers enter and then exist in despair, without their babies. Across our nation, the killing centers are often within earshot of multiple churches, yet few pastors have gone or asked their people to go to the centers to pray and counsel.

Truly prayer is vital to Christian living. Christ, our divine model, prayed all night. We are to "pray without ceasing." Moses prayed and fasted 40 fays. But prayer cannot substitute for action God requires of us. You know the 25th Chapter of Matthew, Pastor. Christ will one day judge the nations and separate the sheep from the goats. By what criteria will He distinguish a sheep from a goat? Important as prayer is, it is not referenced in Matthew 25. Rather, Christ tells us, "I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. I was naked and you clothed me." The sheep give heart to urgent human needs, to loving their neighbors as themselves, as did the Good Samaritan. Thus, we who endeavor to follow Christ are defined most not by what we say but by what we do. Proverbs, as you recall, commands us to "rescue those led away to slaughter" and cautions us not to say we did not know about their oppression, else God will repay each of us according to what we have done. We must not "pass by on the other side." Please stand with us the laity. Your pastoral leadership is desperately needed.

(3) Pastor: Royce, we're just a small church, and we can't do everything a large church can do. We're with you in spirit and we'll pray for you, but we can't take on more tasks at this time.Royce: Pastor, another minister told me last week that because his church was large and growing rapidly that he could not possibly add abortion to his duties. Are we talking here about church size or about church purity? Did not Gideon consider his clan too weak and small to achieve a great victory for God? Did God adopt Israel because of her population and might? "Can any good come out of Nazareth?" Who can know how God wants to use you and your congregation to be a giant killer. "'Not by might nor by power, but by my spirit,' says the Lord Almighty." God may choose one of your members to turn an abortionist away from his savage practice. He may use you to reach other pastors and, ultimately, to liberate a nation from legalized abortion. The fact that you pastor a small church may prompt you to rely firmly on Christ and be a man He can use mightily. Please join the battle with us and urge other pastors to join with you. The killing must end in Yuba-Sutter. In closing: Dear friend, When meeting with pastors, your responses and mine will differ because we are different individuals. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit knows our personality, our emotions, and the guidance we each need. Let us read God's Word, commit it to our lives, and be assured God will accompany us to the churches. Yes, we pro-life activists face strong opposition, but our salvation purposed us to battle Satan's forces, as Arthur Matthews reminds us in Born for Battle. Today, our culture faces formidable enemies, both spiritual and physical. Our children, grandchildren, and friends are at serious risk. Let's do all we can to awaken the Church and preserve hope.

Most gratefully,Royce Dunn, Director of Life ChainPhone: 530-674-5068

Royce@NationalLifeChain.Orgwww.NationalLifeChain.Org and www.LifeChain.Net

Ministering to Pastors about Prolife

Satan has targeted our nation's pastors, to keep them occupied with duties beneath the priority of massive child killing. Most pastors do not comprehend the toll of legalized abortion unless someone, usually a layperson, witnesses to them, to help them discern the gravest curse and destroyer ever to invade our country and neutralize the Church. Pastors assume they are "prolife" and lead "pro-life" churches, which Satan quietly accepts as victory. How tragic the current spiritual stronghold!

As most Coordinators know, I experienced failure early in prolife. Not one of the 82 pastors I wrote a passionate three-page letter regarding six local abortionists (in 1985) responded initially to our small ministry's plea for help. Astounded, I went out to talk with the clergy, usually without appointments, and within 18 months each of the 82 pastors, plus other clergy, had signed a letter supportive of our mission. Not all of the pastors were firmly committed to Life, but all did sign a letter, and about half of them attended our first Life Chain in 1987. By 1991, the six local abortionists had either closed their abortion practices or moved (two of them) from our bi-county area.

What did I learn while meeting with the pastors? That they do not realize the gravity of abortion on demand and the Church's drift into détente. Yet, I also learned that pastors are willing to listen and receive ministry from passionate lay people. As a result, my mission was mainly a reply to pastors' unexamined reasons for not joining the abortion battle. Some of their reasons are entered below, with my responses. Be encouraged that a single response may win a pastor's support for your Life Chain.

Seven Reasons Why Christians should attend

1) To join a national prayer chain that seeks God's grace, mercy, and forgiveness. "If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray... [2Chron.7:14]." The 9/11 attacks and continuing threats on America are surely linked to the catastrophe of legalized abortion, as the innocent blood of America's youngest citizens-victims of unspeakable terrorism themselves-cries out for mercy and justice. If God used a horrendous civil war to end institutional slavery in America, what might He use to end legalized abortion, which threatens our nation far more severely than all foreign terrorists combined? America, currently, is one of the earth's most violent nations and will continue to be so until we the Church confess our denial and humbly defend "those led away to slaughter."

2) To better understand the impact that legalized abortion is having on our country and why the Church must unite to end it. The first and primary purpose of Life Chain is to minister to its own participants. We the Church can end legalized abortion and defeat its spiritual allies-homosexuality, pornography, cohabitation, addictions, divorce, sexual disease, etc.-in any year we commit to do so. We must move beyond abortion as "an issue" and truly value unborn children at risk. The Church's prevailing indifference to their deaths grieves God, who assured Jeremiah that He would "make" Judea captive of Babylon because "They do not plead the case of the fatherless to win it [Jeremiah5:28]."

3) To move the Church, under pastoral leadership, from the pews to the "city gates" and "market place." For decades, we have remained in our sanctuaries and either relied on rhetoric or surrendered to silence and apathy. Thus the essentiality of pastoral exhortation and guidance. Wrote Afro-American pastor Clenard Childress, Jr. in No Shepherds Cry: "The pew cannot do what the pulpit is suppose to do."

4) To both receive ministry and to minister, empowered by the Holy Spirit. If, through the Life Chain, the Church accepts the ministry God intends for His followers, He will empower us His Church to witness truth to the public with conviction, humility, and compassion.

5) To honor the many millions of preborn citizens who have perished. They have endured their brutal deaths most often alone and within earshot of church bells and pulpits. Does not their blood cry out unceasingly? Does not bloodguilt pursue us who call Christ our Lord?

6) To help build a bold and committed army of Christians who seek to be Prolife in word and deed. Let us engage the enemy until the curse of legalized abortion is vanquished from our land and America is once again a "land of the free" for preborn citizens.

7) To provide God a witness to anoint and use to save lives and change hearts in our local area. God wants to work through willing vessels, who will defend and honor His Little Ones. Let us rediscover the cardinal virtues mercy and justice-which are far greater defenders of our homeland than are our most powerful military weapons.

Coordinators: Use this as a handout, for posters, to extract quotes, or for media purposes. Canadian Coordinators will want to edit appropriately for their nation.