Two Roman maxims guide the body politic. The first is that the good of the people trumps any other consideration: Salus populi suprema lex. On the day after this year's March for Life in Washington, a great champion of salus populi died. Msgr. William Smith, professor of moral theology at St. Joseph's Seminary, exposed the rhetorical sleights of hand and political demagoguery that couch abortion as "one of many issues," like the nineteenth century accommodationism that let commercial interests and states rights preempt the abolition of slavery. At the march, while Monsignor was on his deathbed, his voice was echoed by an African-American minister of a Protestant church in Maryland, Pastor Luke Robinson: "Every day, Mr. President, people with your ethnic background and my ethnic background die in astounding numbers. Abortion is the number one killer of African Americans in this country…. We make up about 12% of the population and about 34% of all abortions are of black babies. In the last 36 years over 17 million African Americans have died by abortion alone."
If you were not aware of that speech, it was because the media suppressed it. Not one of our city's major newspapers mentioned the march. The Associated Press said that "scores" marched: an underestimation of least 200,000, indicating that the mainstream media have done to mathematics what they have done to professional journalism.
The response of our new president was to reverse the "Mexico City Policy," so that now your tax money will be spent to fund abortions abroad, making our nation the world's leading enabler of the Culture of Death. Vatican spokesmen immediately denounced "the arrogance of those who, being in power, believe they can decide life and death" and said this action "deals a harsh blow not only to us Catholics but to all people across the world who fight against the slaughter of innocents."
The second axiom, Summum jus, summa injuria, means that the most rigorous laws can do the most harm. "Pro-choice" laws are like that. No amount of pious euphemisms can modify the offense of eugenics against human dignity. Herod was the first person in history to say he wanted to worship Jesus. The Holy Child did not really escape Herod's massacre of the innocents: "As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you have done it to me" (Matt. 25:40).
The coming persecution of the Church is hinted at in the retaliatory taxation proposed by the San Francisco assessor's office and attempts by the Albany legislature to suspend the statute of limitations in Church litigation. Threats to Catholic hospitals and free speech will soon follow. The mentality that thinks this is impossible also enabled the present situation in our nation. There is a difference between St. Paul's "fools for Christ's sake" and Lenin's "useful idiots." But these times can also bring out the best: Becket, Fisher, and von Galen now intercede for us. Wolsey, Talleyrand, and Hudal do not.
No comments:
Post a Comment