Clarifications On Cardinal Stafford’s Remarks

And now the rest of the story…Yet again, a Catholic leader’s words get taken out of context.

Cardinal Stafford recently gave a strong speech on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae. Speaking just over two weeks after the election, he would have been remiss to not address the incoming presidency of the most extreme pro-abortion president ever. John Allen has an excellent piece that sheds light on the Cardinal’s talk. I have long admired John’s talent for presenting things in their context and offering, on many occasions, transcripts of his own interviews.

The Cardinal was not soft on the abortion issue by any means. At the same time, he was not making a personal attack on President-elect Obama, but rather the situation that will follow if FOCA and other extreme abortion policies are implemented. (The President-elect has yet to name or appoint a “moderate” or pro-life candidate for a position in his administration.)

So, to give things context, here is specifically the text of the talk that was misquoted/misrepresented in the press:

Our exploration this weekend takes place in the context of Nov. 4, 2008. On that date, a cultural earthquake hit America. Senator Barak Obama was elected President of the United States. He appears to be a relaxed, smiling man. His rhetorical skills, as I mentioned, are very highly developed. He has a way of teasing crowds, and, from all reports, even individuals one-to-one. Under all of that grace and charm, there is a tautness of will, a clenched jaw, a state of constant alertness to attack and resist any external influence that might threaten his independence. A ‘state of alertness,’ yes … that’s putting it mildly. Beneath each word he speaks, he carries on sapping operations against the enemy city. His clenched jaw was seen at his talk before the Planned Parenthood supporters July 17, 2007. There he asserted, and I’m quoting somewhat out of context but not out of his meaning: ‘We are not only going to win this election, but also we are going to transform this nation. … The first thing I’d do as president is to sign the Freedom of Choice Act. … I put Roe at the center of my lesson plan on reproductive freedom when I taught constitutional law. … I don’t want my daughters punished by a pregnancy. … On this issue, I will not yield.’ Note the way the president-elect wished to describe the killing of his unborn grandchild. His daughters must not be ‘punished,’ ‘punished,’ by pregnancy. His rhetoric is post-modernist, and marks an agenda and vision that are aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic. Catholics weep over these words. We weep over the violence concealed behind the rhetoric of our young president-to-be. What should we do with our hot, angry tears of betrayal? First, our tears are agonistic. We must acknowledge that. For the next few years, Gethsemane will not be marginal. We will know that garden.

To be honest, I find the last four lines the most moving. If you want to hear the Cardinal, John’s article provides a link to a YouTube clip.