“Obliged in conscience”

News cycles are thrown all out of whack these days and major stories that absorb the chattering classes one day or week suddenly disappear when the next hairpin curve comes out of nowhere on this wild ride.

A couple of things aren’t going away though. There’s been a seismic shift in this country, and a new dynamic has grown into a great cultural debate over abortion and religion. (The media rage against Sarah Palin that surfaced so fast is further proof.)

Look at all the U.S. bishops who have come out with public statements in response to Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden both misstating Catholic Church teaching on abortion and conscience. They’re still coming out, in fact.

And to the North, bishops are speaking out with courage and clarity, out of duty and yes, conscience.

The Archbishop of Montreal, Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte, today announced that he is returning his Order of Canada Insignia in protest over the Morgentaler decision.

Morgenthaler decision? The bishop explains…

“On May 9th 1996, the office of the Governor-General of the time, Mr. Roméo Leblanc, announced that I had been named to the Order of Canada. I had accepted this honour on behalf of all those who, because of their faith in Jesus Christ, work in the social domain to serve the most disadvantaged of our society.

“I have the greatest respect for the Order of Canada. It is meant to recognize the contribution of persons who help to bring about the progress of our society and who are concerned about the future of our world.

But recently…

“I was away when the Governor-General, Madame Michaelle Jean, announced the nomination of Dr. Henry Morgentaler to the Order of Canada. This announcement generated a great deal of criticism on the part of those who do not share Dr. Morgentaler’s views regarding the respect for human life.

“I must admit that I had hoped that, in light of the large number of protests, the Consultative Council for the Order of Canada would revise its decision. Because it has not done so up to now and because silence on my part might be misinterpreted, I feel obliged in conscience to reaffirm my convictions regarding the respect for human life, from conception to death. We are not the masters of human life; it rests in the hands of God.

Today’s Chicago Tribune op-ed page is completely filled with reaction from readers to the recent column by Catholic scholar Doug Kmiec, an Obama supporter eager to explain why it’s okay to be Catholic and vote for a candidate who supports abortion (which is out of line with Church teaching). The online edition of the Trib doesn’t convey what this page looks like or carries, but here’s a bit of it.

The people behind the new website CatholicVote.com (Fidelis and Grassroots Films), wrestled with the problem of confusion over Church teaching and voting one’s conscience, and how best to serve the cause of informing people without lecturing them or waving lengthy documents that a lot of people just aren’t going to read or absorb.

One of them told me (in a rather profound email) that the Church provides the principles, and it’s up to the laity to put them to use in their lives, and that was their goal.

The question we asked ourselves throughout production was whether the piece faithfully communicated the principles that ought to guide Catholic voting, while at the same time moving their hearts (mind AND heart!). 

He talked about Aristotle and the modes of persuasion. We often get caught in the argument mode, understandably trying to convince through logic and reason. 

Yet it seems we often forget that we humans are really much more dynamic creations, with emotions and hearts that, more often than not, lead us to truth prior to any attraction to a good argument.

Excellent point, Brian.

In the same way, we tried to develop our film in a way that would not simply quote Church authority, but give people a reason to LOVE being faithful.

Great job. It’s all there. The clarity of logic, the beauty of truth…and the love of life.

A truly informed conscience is open to where they lead.