The Cathoholic

Archbishop Dolan of New York: Healthcare Bill "Grave Concern"

Today, as zero hour for Obamacare looms ever closer, Archbishop Dolan of New York added his voice to the growing chorus of opposition to the bill's provisions on abortion funding and conscience protections.

Archbishop Dolan of New York: Health Bill "Grave concern"

As zero hour for health care reform looms ever closer, Archbishop Dolan of New York has added his voice to the rising chorus of opposition to the Senate bill.

Breaking News: Archbishop Dolan Adheres to Doctrine

Got a laugh today as I took note of the New York Times' story about Archbishop Dolan's first Sunday homily. The Times wants to make readers aware of something  noteworthy:  the new archbishop actually "adhered closely to Catholic doctrine" and urged an overflowing congregation of over 3,000 to  “trust in what cannot be seen,” and not only “on empirical, scientific evidence.” 

Readers need to know, you see, that Catholicism encourages some pretty sinister, magical thinking that opposes Progress and turns believers into robots. So who could be surprised by the Times headline that puts readers on alert: "A Call to Catholics to Trust What Cannot Be Seen." 

Not sure about the problem? The Times story spells it out: 

"He [Archbishop Dolan] did not refer to it, but there is conflict between Catholic dogma and scientific conventions on several fronts, including the medical definition of brain death, the legal definition of the beginning of human life and the ethics of embryonic stem cell research."

Interesting point: this conflict between Catholic dogma and scientific "convention." Biology textbooks aside, "scientific convention" that informs guidelines for dealing with brain death, unborn human life, and  embryonic stem cells is at odds with Catholic teaching. And though "scientific convention" is not precisely "scientific fact,"  we should feel free to conclude that Catholic doctrine encourages unscientific thinking. The dogma has to go, or we'll never be able to do real science.

Journalistic balance then requires the Times to present some truly unsetting news: "some" in the congregation "were pleased with Archbishop Dolan." How can that be?  “His focus is on the Catholic point of view,” said Vicki Miano, a registered nurse from the Bronx, “and if he keeps doing that he’s going to bring a lot of enthusiasm to the church.”

It seems the archbishop is all about the "Catholic point of view." How fortunate that we can stay informed through the Times, which 'adheres closely to the [Obama] doctrine' on the liberation of science from faith-based moral absolutes. Just last month, when the president reversed the Bush policy on federal funded embryonic stem cell research, a Times editorial celebrated Obama's decision as the close of "a long, bleak period in which the moral objections of religious conservatives were allowed to constrain the progress of a medically important science."

 

 

  

Archbishop Dolan: Abortion Foe, Same-Sex Marriage Battle Looms

Before a crowded cathedral congregation that included a slew of pro-abortion politicians -- Gov. David A. Paterson, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York City,  and U.S. Senators Charles E. Schumer and Kirsten E. Gillibrand -- the newly installed Archbishop of New York, Timothy Dolan,  established  his commitment to the defense of the sanctity of human life at all stages of development. The New York Times reports:

"In a 20-minute homily at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the biggest and longest round of applause — one that led to a standing ovation — came midway, after he spoke of the church’s mandate to “protect the dignity of every human person, the sanctity of human life,” specifically “the tiny baby in the womb.”He made only a fleeting and indirect reference to another divisive social issue, same-sex marriage, saying the church had at times been “ridiculed for her teaching on the sanctity of marriage.” He had avoided explicit discussion of either issue during an earlier news conference, on Wednesday morning."

The Times story continued:

"In his first mention of social issues, the newly installed archbishop drew sustained applause and a standing ovation — but not from everyone — when he spoke of the need to protect “the sanctity of human life,” specifically “the tiny baby in the womb.” He quoted a predecessor, Cardinal Terence Cooke, as saying that human life is no less worthy just because it is tiny, weak or sick.

“See, what we’re saying is that everybody in this great mega-community is a somebody, with an extraordinary destiny,” he said, continuing, “That’s why the church reaches out to the unborn, the suffering, the poor, our elders, the physically or emotionally challenged, and those caught in the web of addiction."

It's good to know we have a charismatic pro-life leader with a more visible pulpit: the head of Planned Parenthood recently expressed "enormous optimism," now that the Obama administration is in the White House. And though he didn't confront the issue in his homily, the archbishop is also expected to be a major figure in the coming battle for same-sex marriage in New York: today, Governor Patterson presented his bill for legalizing same-sex marriage.

Update: Archbishop Dolan has joined with his fellow ordinaries of  the New York State Catholic Conference to oppose the governor's bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state.

Archbishop Dolan in the "Capital of the World"

Archbishop Dolan introduces himself as the new Catholic leader of "the capital of the world": 

"Being Catholic is not a heavy burden, snuffing the joy out of life; rather our faith in Jesus and His Church gives meaning, purpose and joy to life. I love being a Catholic, I love being a priest, and I fully intend to love being archbishop of New York while loving all of you in the Church in New York.

"Loving the Church here means supporting her indispensable work caring for the poor, the immigrants, the sick and elderly, the lonely, the unborn and the abandoned. It means working hard for her Catholic schools, in many ways the pride of the archdiocese. It means ensuring that our parishes are places where people encounter the Lord Jesus in the Mass, the sacraments and in an authentically Catholic community. It means inviting more young men to become priests and women to become sisters.

"It means speaking from America's most famous pulpit for justice and peace, for religious liberty and the sanctity of all human life. It means teaching the Catholic faith in season and out of season, as a good shepherd must."

And on the eve of his installation, at Vespers at St.Patrick's Cathedral, Archbishop Dolan echoed the words of the late Pope John Paul II and his "theology of invitation":

"God invites us . . . never coerces . . . God invites us to believe in Him, trust Him, accept Him. God invites us to let Him be the Lord of our life; and when we do, our lives are never the same; our lives will last forever!"