Olmstead responds to critics

I was critical, a few weeks ago, of an op-ed in an Arizona paper that lectured Bishop Olmstead on the error of his decision to exclude speakers to support abortion rights from Catholic churches in Phoenix.  The editorialist wrote:

This society, which treasures religious freedom, also cherishes free speech, and it thrives on open communication and respect for diverse opinions and beliefs.

In these polarized times, people with different opinions benefit from seeing what they have in common. Not from focusing on their disagreements.

I thought, and think, that this was both pablum and presumptuous.  Here is an op-ed by Bishop Olmstead, "Church Must Defend Its Basic Beliefs," defending his own decision:

The right to life is indeed an inalienable one. To stand up for the dignity of every person, then, and to speak out against intrinsic evils such as abortion, euthanasia, racism and sexual acts outside of marriage is a service that God requires of us on behalf of all persons, not only members of our own faith.

To do this by actions as well as by words underlines the seriousness of these teachings and the depths of our convictions. One such action is to prohibit the giving of honors or the provision of a platform in Catholic institutions for those who support actions contrary to these core moral principles.

I trust that this position is not that difficult to understand. Why would we honor or give a platform to someone who radically disagrees with our fundamental teachings? We should instead be criticized if we allowed such things to happen.

This does not mean that we will cease praying for public officials or end our efforts to be in conversation with them and others about these and similar matters.

In fact, the continuity of such conversations is vitally important, precisely because of the serious ramifications of them. There are a variety of appropriate forums for this dialogue to occur, beyond public events at church facilities.

Thanks to Amy Welborn for the link.