An Open Letter from the Supreme Knight to Senator Joseph Biden
America's Catholic Bishops and other Leaders actively entered the public fray, initiated by Senator Joseph Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, in setting the record straight on true Catholic teaching, especially with respect for life. Supreme Knight Carl Anderson made public his letter to Senator Joseph Biden.
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WASHINGTON (Christian Newswire) - The following open letter from the head of the Knights of Columbus, Carl Anderson, to Senator Joseph Biden was published in major newspapers on Friday, September 19, 2008, including USA Today, the Washington Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Open Letter to Senator Joseph Biden
Dear Senator Biden:
I write to you today as a fellow Catholic layman, on a subject that has become a major topic of concern in this year's presidential campaign.
The bishops who have taken public issue with your remarks on the Church's historical position on abortion are far from alone. Senator Obama stressed your Catholic identity repeatedly when he introduced you as his running mate, and so your statements carry considerable weight, whether they are correct or not. You now have a unique responsibility when you make public statements about Catholic teaching.
On NBC's Meet the Press, you appealed to the 13th Century writings of St. Thomas Aquinas to cast doubt on the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church on abortion.
There are several problems with this.
First, Aquinas obviously had only a medieval understanding of biology, and thus could only speculate about how an unborn child develops in the womb. I doubt that there is any other area of public policy where you would appeal to a 13th Century knowledge of biology as the basis for modern law.
Second, Aquinas' theological view is in any case entirely consistent with the long history of Catholic Church teaching in this area, holding that abortion is a grave sin to be avoided at any time during pregnancy.
This teaching dates all the way back to the Didache, written in the second century. It is found in the writings of Tertullian, Jerome, Augustine and Aquinas, and was reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council, which described abortion as "an unspeakable crime" and held that the right to life must be protected from the "moment of conception." This consistent teaching was restated most recently last month in the response of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to remarks by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Statements that suggest that our Church has anything less than a consistent teaching on abortion are not merely incorrect; they may lead Catholic women facing crisis pregnancies to misunderstand the moral gravity of an abortion decision.
Neither should a discussion about a medieval understanding of the first few days or weeks of life be allowed to draw attention away from the remaining portion of an unborn child's life. In those months, even ancient and medieval doctors agreed that a child is developing in the womb.
And as you are well aware, Roe v. Wade allows for abortion at any point during a pregnancy. While you voted for the ban on partial birth abortions, your unconditional support for Roe is a de facto endorsement of permitting all other late term abortions, and thus calls into question your appeal to Aquinas.
I recognize that you struggle with your conscience on the issue, and have said that you accept the Church's teaching that life begins at conception - as a matter of faith. But modern medical science leaves no doubt about the fact that each person's life begins at conception. It is not a matter of personal religious belief, but of science.
Finally, your unwillingness to bring your Catholic moral views into the public policy arena on this issue alone is troubling.
There were several remarkable ironies in your first appearance as Senator Obama's running mate on the steps of the old state capitol in Springfield, Illinois.
His selection as the first black American to be the nominee of a major party for president of the United States owes an incalculable debt to two movements that were led by people whose religious convictions motivated them to confront the moral evils of their day - the abolitionist movement of the 19th Century, and the civil rights movement of the 20th Century.
Your rally in Springfield took place just a mile or so from the tomb of Abraham Lincoln, who in April 1859 wrote these words in a letter to Henry Pierce:
"This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it."
Lincoln fought slavery in the name of "a just God" without embarrassment or apology. He confronted an America in which black Americans were not considered "persons" under the law, and were thus not entitled to fundamental Constitutional rights. Today, children of all races who are fully viable and only minutes from being born are also denied recognition as "persons" because of the Roe v. Wade regime that you so strongly support. Lincoln's reasoning regarding slavery applies with equal force to children who are minutes, hours or days away from birth.
The American founders began our great national quest for liberty by declaring that we are all "created equal." It took nearly a century to transform that bold statement into the letter of the law, and another century still to make it a reality. The founders believed that we are "endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable rights," and that first among these is "life."
You have a choice: you can listen to your conscience and work to secure the rights of the unborn to share in the fruits of our hard-won liberty, or you can choose to turn your back on them.
On behalf of the 1.28 million members of the Knights of Columbus and their families in the United States, I appeal to you, as a Catholic who acknowledges that life begins at conception, to resolve to protect this unalienable right. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues personally with you in greater detail during the weeks between now and November 4.
Respectfully,
Carl A. Anderson
Supreme Knight
Open Letter to Senator Joseph Biden
Dear Senator Biden:
I write to you today as a fellow Catholic layman, on a subject that has become a major topic of concern in this year's presidential campaign.
The bishops who have taken public issue with your remarks on the Church's historical position on abortion are far from alone. Senator Obama stressed your Catholic identity repeatedly when he introduced you as his running mate, and so your statements carry considerable weight, whether they are correct or not. You now have a unique responsibility when you make public statements about Catholic teaching.
On NBC's Meet the Press, you appealed to the 13th Century writings of St. Thomas Aquinas to cast doubt on the consistent teaching of the Catholic Church on abortion.
There are several problems with this.
First, Aquinas obviously had only a medieval understanding of biology, and thus could only speculate about how an unborn child develops in the womb. I doubt that there is any other area of public policy where you would appeal to a 13th Century knowledge of biology as the basis for modern law.
Second, Aquinas' theological view is in any case entirely consistent with the long history of Catholic Church teaching in this area, holding that abortion is a grave sin to be avoided at any time during pregnancy.
This teaching dates all the way back to the Didache, written in the second century. It is found in the writings of Tertullian, Jerome, Augustine and Aquinas, and was reaffirmed by the Second Vatican Council, which described abortion as "an unspeakable crime" and held that the right to life must be protected from the "moment of conception." This consistent teaching was restated most recently last month in the response of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to remarks by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Statements that suggest that our Church has anything less than a consistent teaching on abortion are not merely incorrect; they may lead Catholic women facing crisis pregnancies to misunderstand the moral gravity of an abortion decision.
Neither should a discussion about a medieval understanding of the first few days or weeks of life be allowed to draw attention away from the remaining portion of an unborn child's life. In those months, even ancient and medieval doctors agreed that a child is developing in the womb.
And as you are well aware, Roe v. Wade allows for abortion at any point during a pregnancy. While you voted for the ban on partial birth abortions, your unconditional support for Roe is a de facto endorsement of permitting all other late term abortions, and thus calls into question your appeal to Aquinas.
I recognize that you struggle with your conscience on the issue, and have said that you accept the Church's teaching that life begins at conception - as a matter of faith. But modern medical science leaves no doubt about the fact that each person's life begins at conception. It is not a matter of personal religious belief, but of science.
Finally, your unwillingness to bring your Catholic moral views into the public policy arena on this issue alone is troubling.
There were several remarkable ironies in your first appearance as Senator Obama's running mate on the steps of the old state capitol in Springfield, Illinois.
His selection as the first black American to be the nominee of a major party for president of the United States owes an incalculable debt to two movements that were led by people whose religious convictions motivated them to confront the moral evils of their day - the abolitionist movement of the 19th Century, and the civil rights movement of the 20th Century.
Your rally in Springfield took place just a mile or so from the tomb of Abraham Lincoln, who in April 1859 wrote these words in a letter to Henry Pierce:
"This is a world of compensations; and he who would be no slave, must consent to have no slave. Those who deny freedom to others, deserve it not for themselves; and, under a just God, cannot long retain it."
Lincoln fought slavery in the name of "a just God" without embarrassment or apology. He confronted an America in which black Americans were not considered "persons" under the law, and were thus not entitled to fundamental Constitutional rights. Today, children of all races who are fully viable and only minutes from being born are also denied recognition as "persons" because of the Roe v. Wade regime that you so strongly support. Lincoln's reasoning regarding slavery applies with equal force to children who are minutes, hours or days away from birth.
The American founders began our great national quest for liberty by declaring that we are all "created equal." It took nearly a century to transform that bold statement into the letter of the law, and another century still to make it a reality. The founders believed that we are "endowed by [our] Creator with certain unalienable rights," and that first among these is "life."
You have a choice: you can listen to your conscience and work to secure the rights of the unborn to share in the fruits of our hard-won liberty, or you can choose to turn your back on them.
On behalf of the 1.28 million members of the Knights of Columbus and their families in the United States, I appeal to you, as a Catholic who acknowledges that life begins at conception, to resolve to protect this unalienable right. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss these issues personally with you in greater detail during the weeks between now and November 4.
Respectfully,
Carl A. Anderson
Supreme Knight
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Thank you Mr Anderson for your outstanding and succinct letter. It bolstered sagging spirits for sure out here in CA, where liberalism, formally known as Modernism, could infect a Pastor to such an extent that he could refer a parishoner to an article in the LA Times by a secular pro-life politicist, who proposed a rationale that one can vote against Pro Life platforms and a candidate like Obama, or Pelosi, or Biden?!? No direction to the Pope's words or any other Bishops teaching?!?...I have to add to your eloquent instruction to Patrick. First, I must agree with him when he says "'we' should open our eyes" ... "to do what the Christioan thing to do here is," especially if he is looking within. But! I adamently disagree that Jesus taught us to look past our brothers sins and leave them to God's judgement. Yikes!! This is patently false. Jesus taught "Woe" to those who fail to apprise their brother of his sin or wrong-doing, and allow him to lose his soul. We will suffer the greater portion of his condemnation.. He taugt that we will, in fact, insure our own salvation if we bring a sinner back, restoring him to the Truth and affecting his repentance in any way... Patrick, any others of like mind about this single issue, I extol to consider as Patrick wrote, what is the Christian thing to do? You are making a serious mistake in supporting anti-life positions and candidates, especially when there are clear alternatives; (espectially when ballots provide direct opposition to fight against legitimising abortion or a candidate or initiative that firmly opposes it). People are putting their very salvation and eternal life at dire risk when supporting other issues or groups of issues or candidates and not first and formost supporting Life. The absolute nature of Life trumps any other consideration prompting our support. Thank you for considering my deep concerns. God give us Life always and in all ways....
As Fr. Frank Pavone has repeatedly pointed out over the years, the issue of life is not one issue among many, but the issue that undergirds all the others. If we do not protect the unborn, we are ultimately saying that their lives are of no value. If their lives have no value, where do we draw the line? If even one life can be treating as having no value, then no one is safe. That is why we must always defend life: the life we save could be our very own.
To Patrick, Jesus judged. God judged. We are not making judgments, we are simply carrying out that which they have already judged; "Do not kill". However, when Jesus spoke those words, he was telling us that we are not to decide who would enter Heaven and who would enter hell. The Church is not doing that; She is simply telling us, and Biden as a member, that we are to uphold the truths of the Catholic Church, or not call ourselves Catholic. Yes, there are other issues, but all of them together do not weigh as heavily as the abortion issue. We are all bound to uphold the Catechism of the Cathoic Church, not just those under public scrutiny. I suggest you read the CCC where you will find the teachings about abortion, and how we are all called to live the faith. The killing of thousands of unborn Americans in their mother's womb EVERY DAY is not a human flaw, it is an abomination. Anyone defending it already stands before God in judgment. There should be nothing more important to you or any of us than to fight the shedding of innocent blood.. the blood of thousands a day.. more than all the wars put together. It is not possible to be "overly concerned" about ripping human flesh from a woman's womb.
By the way, not only should all men who vote pro-abortion be expelled from the Knights, a pro-life group, but from the Holy Eucharist as well.
God bless Carl Anderson and all prolifers!!! I totally agree with him.
Why is that when a Roman Catholic is in the spot light, he/she never seems to meet our standards, and inevitably is held to more scrutiny than anyone else? Because of this, we tend to ostracize these leaders rather than give them our utmost support in their times of need. Rather than backing a Roman Catholic who's opinion on an issue (although a very important one), we as a church are urging Catholics to support another candidate, who's platform contains much more of a threat to the well-being human life. In society today, I think we need to be careful not to be overly concerned with the needs of unborn children as far as to forget the needs of those who are born, living, and whose lives may be in jeopardy. That is not to say that issue of abortion should not be addressed. I think we need to open our eyes a little wider, let some more light in, and simply think about what is most important to us? We also need to think about what the Christian thing to do here is. Did Jesus not teach us in his parables "Judge not, lest ye be judged" and "For he who has not sinned, cast the stone"? Jesus' words. Isn't he the reason for what we do? Did he not teach us to look past each others human flaws and save judgment for his Father in Heaven?
As a 4th degree Knight of Columbus. I believe that any Knight that is pro-life and supports same sex marriages should be expel from the Knights of Columbus. Its a disgrace to KOFC.
If the letter above from John O'Gorman is true it is very puzzling. This MUST be addressed and it ought to be addressed NOW. What is going on?
Does Biden know the importance of the angel Gabriel? How he appeared to Mary to announce her conception of Jesus and the salvation of the world? And are his understandings of what a child is based on this important message to parents in the gospel "Whoever receives a child such as this receives me." - Jesus
This NOT about pro-choice or Government! This is about a different authority, one that we and Biden hopefully adhere solely to, the Gospel message of God.
Dear Sir,
Carl Anderson’s open letter of 19/Sep/2008 to Sen. Joe Biden criticizing him for his support for Roe v. Wade - which has led to the death of 50 million innocent unborn children since 1973 - is most welcome and timely (KofC.org). Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, also mentions the response of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to remarks by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
These politicians are only 2 of the 90 pro-abortion Catholics in Congress known to Anderson. There are also many other politicians at state and local level who are pro-abortion. Many politicians, members of the K of C, support abortion and same-sex marriage. These individuals have repeatedly been brought to the attention of Anderson and the K of C by many people, including myself. If Anderson and the K of C - the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world - are to be taken seriously they must expel from their ranks the pro-abortion politicians and members.
They must also expel from their ranks the 16 or more pro-homosexual K of C politicians in the Massachusetts State House who caused the defeat, on 14/June/2007, of the measure by 170,000 signatories to put traditional marriage on the ballot in November 2008. K of C politicians voted in July 2008 to repeal a 1913 law, thus allowing same-sex couples from all 50 states to marry in Massachusetts. Seven of these K of C politicians have the highest ratings from Planned Parenthood, the USA's biggest abortionists, who performed 289,000 abortions in 2006 (PlannedParenthood.org).
Yours Sincerely,
John O’Gorman
They think there are more pro-choice people, than pro-life. Hope they are wrong. They love to be free to "murder", which is really not freedom at all.