Pro-life leaders must continue to do what they can to transform a culture of death into a culture of life, Cardinal William H. Keeler of Baltimore told a group of pro-life directors from around the country.
More than 100 diocesan and state pro-life leaders gathered in St. Louis Aug. 5-7 to share their ideas, network and talk about their accomplishments and challenges within the pro-life movement.
The annual meeting of diocesan pro-life directors and state Catholic conference directors, sponsored by the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities and the pro-life committee of the St. Louis Archdiocese, was held at the Drury Plaza Hotel Downtown in St. Louis. More than 60 dioceses were represented.
The conference gave directors a chance to talk about timely issues within the pro-life movement, said Mary Jaminet of the pro-life secretariat. Topics included stem-cell research, partial-birth abortion, nutrition and hydration and the participation of Catholics in political life.
Gail Quinn, executive director of the pro-life secretariat, said she was listening in on a conversation at a dinner before the opening of the conference, where she heard participants share their ideas on how to approach post-abortive counseling.
"We hope to share these ideas here," she said.
Cardinal Keeler, chairman of the bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, addressed the group on the first day of the conference.
"The culture in which we live has been impacted greatly," he said. "You're here because you have a commitment to protecting the most weak and vulnerable.
"But there are days we wonder if we are making an impact," Cardinal Keeler said.
He cited the "heavily funded campaign" for embryonic stem-cell research and the efforts of abortion advocates to push Catholic employers to include contraceptives in health care coverage.
He gave further examples such as a European reality show in which male contestants compete, with the winner getting the chance to fertilize a woman's egg via a petri dish. He also spoke of the controversial T-shirt being sold by Planned Parenthood that says, "I had an abortion."
"We must do all that we can to replace the culture of death with the culture of life," Cardinal Keeler said. "A lot of good has happened precisely because of what you are doing."
He cited the thousands of youths who attended this year's March for Life in Washington; a New York Times magazine article that described how young people believe that human life in the womb exists; and how more and more young seminarians are preaching the pro-life message.
He also said the fight to ban partial-birth abortion has brought about a "good debate" in all states. Doctors have been called upon to explain the procedure, Cardinal Keeler said. But for the courts to say that banning partial-birth abortion is a violation of a person's constitutional rights "makes a mockery of our Constitution."
Cardinal Keeler told participants that the Roe vs. Wade decision will be overturned. "But will it take time? Yes. Will our nation ever turn away from capital punishment? Yes. Will assisted suicide end? Yes.
"The road is steep. The issues are many. But we will persevere," he added.
After his talk, Cardinal Keeler joined Bishops William E. Lori of Bridgeport, Conn., and Victor B. Galeone of St. Augustine, Fla., in a dialogue with participants on various issues. These included the bishops' guidelines for elections, encouraging a reciprocal relationship between the pro-life secretariat and diocesan offices, a suggestion to start a national pro-life collection and addressing the post-abortive woman from the pulpit.
After his talk, Cardinal Keeler also answered questions from the St. Louis Review, archdiocesan newspaper, about Catholics and their role in voting.
Asked what Catholics can do to better understand how to make responsible voting decisions, Cardinal Keeler cited two U.S. bishops' documents --- "Faithful Citizenship: A Catholic Call to Political Responsibility," issued in 2003, and "Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics," issued in 1998.
The documents, which can be accessed at the Web site of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, www.usccb.org, "put the proper priorities on the issues our faithful people should consider," Cardinal Keeler said.
"But we don't dare tell our people how to vote," he said. "They need to weigh the issues."
Commenting on the participants at the conference, he said, "What I see is a great enthusiasm and passion for life. That is such a positive force --- a force that is going to prevail." ---CNS |