2020 Archive
NEWS RELEASE
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
ROE BECOMES LAW
Yesterday, the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted to override Governor Charlie Baker’s veto of the ROE Amendment to the state budget. Today, the Massachusetts Senate joined the House in overriding the Governor.
The legislation has now become law. As it has an Emergency Preamble, it will go into effect immediately.
The amendment will reduce the age of parental or judicial consent for minors seeking abortions, remove born alive protections for infants who survived abortion, lower the medical criteria for late term abortions, and make abortions more dangerous for women by allowing midwifes and nurse practitioners to perform them.
The principal proponents of this legislation were the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts and ACLU Massachusetts.
The vote in the House was 107 to 46. The Senate vote was 32 to 8.
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: “None of the Catholics who voted for this life ending measure will suffer a word of rebuke from any priest or prelate in Massachusetts. There will be no articles or editorials critical of them in the Catholic press. No one will be denied Holy Communion. No one will be expelled from the Knights of Columbus.”
“If any serve on the board of a Catholic institution, they will continue to do so. Like Representative Kevin Honan, they will still be eligible to receive awards from Catholic religious orders. All will be treated by the hierarchy, clergy and religious as respected members of the Catholic community.”
“Silence implies consent. Given the silence of the Church on Catholic participation in expanding the slaughter of the unborn, no rational person can reasonably be expected to take seriously Catholic opposition to abortion in Massachusetts.”
NEWS RELEASE
MONDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
MASS. HOUSE VOTES TO OVERRIDE VETO OF ROE
Early this afternoon, the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted to override Governor Charlie Baker's veto of the ROE Amendment to the state budget.
The measure would reduce the age of parental or judicial consent for minors seeking abortions, remove born alive protections for infants who survived abortion, lower the medical criteria for late term abortions, and make abortions more dangerous for women by allowing midwifes and nurse practitioners to perform them.
The principal proponents of this legislation were the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts and ACLU Massachusetts.
The vote in the House was 107 to 46. The Massachusetts Senate is expected to override the Governor's veto by a comfortable majority. That means the ROE Amendment could become law in the Commonwealth as early as tomorrow, December 29th.
The Catholic Action League called the override "a moral tragedy, which will likely result in even more pre-born children being cruelly killed under the color of law, and which is compounded by the reality that a clear majority of baptized Catholics in the House voted to license this grave evil."
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "Much of the responsibility for the formal cooperation of Catholic legislators with a practice which the Second Vatican Council calls an
"abominable crime," rests with the Catholic hierarchy, clergy and religious of Massachusetts, who have never been serious in their opposition to abortion."
"Prelates make rhetorical noises about abortion, which few people heed, but fail to ensure the pro-life integrity of their own Catholic institutions and never address the scandal of Catholic public officials who support abortion. Instead, they enable, protect and reward those office holders in life and canonize them in death."
"Two lessons ought to be learned from this debacle: The pro-life movement needs to separate itself from the albatross that is the Catholic Church in the Bay State, and, since Cardinal Sean O'Malley has already passed the mandatory retirement age for bishops, perhaps the time has come for new leadership in the Archdiocese of Boston."
"Ironically, this vote came on December 28th—The Feast of the Holy Innocents—the children slaughtered by King Herod in his failed attempt to murder the Infant Jesus."
SPECIAL REPORT
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
CATHOLIC LEGISLATORS VOTE TO EXPAND ABORTION
On November 18th, the Massachusetts Senate voted to pass Budget Amendment 180. The vote was 33 to 7, which is a margin sufficient to override a gubernatorial veto.
This amendment was contrived to exploit the budget process to force through a controversial piece of legislation which has not even been voted out of committee. That legislation is the radical ROE Act, (S.1209/H.3320 An Act to Remove Obstacles and Restore Access to Abortion).
The Senate sponsor of the measure was Senator Harriet L. Chandler
(D-Worcester), but the actual authors of this barbarous aggression against innocent human life were the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts and ACLU Massachusetts.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives voted on November 12th, by a margin of 108 to 49, to pass the measure, which in that chamber, was designated Amendment 759. Any hope of stopping this extremist legislation will now require both a veto by Governor Charlie Baker and a reversal of five votes in the House.
This legislation would reduce the age at which a young woman could procure an abortion without parental or judicial consent from 18 to 16; eliminate the legal requirement that the abortionist preserve the life of a child born alive; lower the medical standard for allowing dangerous, late term abortions; and eliminate, for abortions prior to 24 weeks, the requirement that physicians perform the procedure, permitting physician's assistants, nurse practitioners and midwifes to do so.
As a service to the Catholic community, the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts now presents the voting record of the Catholic members of the State Senate on this evil proposal to expand the killing of the pre-born.
Catholics State Senators who voted for Amendment 180
Catholic State Senators who voted against Amendment 180
I. The Numbers There are 40 members of the Massachusetts Senate. As of November, 2020, there are no vacancies. In a historical departure, Catholics are now, for the first time since 1959, a minority in the upper chamber, perhaps reflecting both the increasing secularization of New England and the severe attrition of membership in the Catholic Church in the United States.
Of the 18 Catholics in the Senate, 15, or 83%, voted to expand abortion in the Commonwealth. That is a ratio of five to one. Of the seven Catholic senators who attended at least one Catholic educational institution, from elementary to graduate levels, five, or 71%, voted to expand abortion.
Of the four senators who are members of Catholic fraternal orders, two, or 50%, voted to expand abortion. Of the two senators who are active in their parish church, both, or 100%, voted to expand abortion.
The vote against the ROE amendment is not revealing of either Catholic integrity or pro-life fidelity. One of the opponents of ROE, Senator Patrick O'Connor, identifies himself as a supporter of legal abortion, but voted against the measure due to the lowered parental consent provision.
Another opponent, Senator Walter Timilty has a mixed record on abortion. Thus, the actual percentage of abortion proponents among Catholics in the Senate is 94%, or a ratio of 17 to 1.
II. The Problem The Catholic community in Massachusetts is influenced in its principles, practises, dispositions and habits of thought—in its entire corporate culture—by a Catholic Church which is radically dysfunctional.
Catholic parishes and schools fail to form Catholics. Catholic colleges, universities, law schools, and elite secondary schools actively promote heresy, and in many cases, sodomy. Institutional fundraising, not Catholic formation, is their priority. They want graduates who will be financially successful cultural conformists, aspiring to be members of the President's Circle of major donors.
Priests and prelates rarely preach or teach against abortion. When they do, their remarks lack force, vigor or clarity, (The Boston Herald reported that, after the Senate vote, the Catholic Church was "concerned.")
The bishops refuse to enforce Canon 915, preferring sacrilegious communions by those with blood on their hands to the opprobrium of the media, while Catholic fraternal orders, like the Knights of Columbus and the Ancient Order of Hibernians, refuse to expel pro-abortion politicians from their ranks.
Defecting Catholic politicians know they have nothing to fear from the Church when they defy Church teaching. Not a word of criticism will be uttered against them in any pulpit, or on any Catholic radio broadcast or television program, or in the pages of any diocesan newspaper.
When they arrive at a Catholic church for some parish function, the pastor will greet them, they will be seated as an honored guests, the master of ceremonies will recognize them, and priests and prominent parishioners will pose for a photo-op with them.
If they are lectors, school board members, or extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, they will remain so. Not only will they suffer no word of rebuke from anyone in the Church, but they will be given awards, invited to speak at Catholic events, have honorary degrees conferred upon them by Catholic institutions and will be given platforms to address Catholic graduates.
III. The Problem in Boston All of this is exacerbated by an Archdiocese of Boston which is unsupportive of such front line pro-life groups as 40 Days For Life, Priests For Life, Operation Rescue: Boston and the Helpers of God's Precious Infants. It has, repeatedly, tried to discourage and frustrate the initiative amendment signature drive of the Massachusetts Alliance to Stop Taxpayer Funded Abortion.
Various major donors, prominent lay officials and important consultants for the archdiocese have close ties to powerful pro-abortion political leaders, including Joe Biden. One of the Cardinal O'Malley’s closest advisers is Father Bryan Hehir, the reputed author of the 'seamless garment' concept, which is intended to neutralize and marginalize the pro-life movement.
Most harmful of all to the pro-life cause in the Bay State has been the culture of betrayal in the Church in Boston, presided over by the Archbishop, Cardinal Sean O’Malley.
There have been repeated violations of the explicit prohibitions of Catholics in Political Life, the statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which says "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions."
Many of these violations involving pro-abortion political figures have entailed the personal participation of Cardinal O’Malley.
IV. The Solution The pro-life movement must recognize, lucidly, that the Church is more of an impediment, than an ally to the pro-life cause. They cannot depend upon it for institutional support.
They must work to reform the Church, but not be constrained by it in their decision making. If the Church is unwilling to do so, then the pro-life movement, itself, must make Catholic elected officials understand that there is a political penalty to be paid for collaboration with the Culture of Death.
Part II of this Special Report will discuss the Catholic vote in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
NEWS ANALYSIS
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
HOW MANY ABORTIONS IS JOE BIDEN RESPONSIBLE FOR?
Many remember, from thirty three years ago, the vile conduct of U.S. Senator Edward M. Kennedy during the confirmation hearings for Judge Robert H. Bork. On July 1, 1987, President Ronald Reagan nominated Bork as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
An Originalist who believed that jurists should adjudicate according to neutral principles found in the text of the Constitution rather than legislate from the bench, Bork was then a member of the nation's second highest court—the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia—to which he was unanimously confirmed. He had previously served as Solicitor General of the United States and as Acting U.S. Attorney General.
Infamous calumnies, malicious lies and shameless demagoguery were the dishonorable means used by a notorious blackguard—the killer of Mary Jo Kopechne—to defeat the nomination, destroy the good name and end the public career of an honest judge.
Kennedy’s demonization of Bork is memorable for its reckless disregard for the truth: "Robert Bork's America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens' doors in midnight raids, schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution, writers and artists could be censored at the whim of the Government, and the doors of the Federal courts would be shut on the fingers of millions of citizens..."
Bork was branded an extremist, who Kennedy said was part of the "muck of Watergate," and was "hostile to the rule of law."
On October 23, 1987, the U.S. Senate denied Bork's confirmation by a vote of 58 to 42. Believing his ability to continue as an appellate judge had been fatally impaired by the assassination of his character, Bork resigned from the Court of Appeals on February 5, 1988.
Kennedy's Accomplice—What is often forgotten in this tawdry episode in American history, is the role of a second senator, who was Kennedy's accomplice and facilitator. That senator was the Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, who permitted and presided over Kennedy's circus of destruction, who prolonged the hearings while interest groups pressured lawmakers and who then called for the vote which gave Bork a 9 to 5 unfavorable report from the Judiciary Committee. That senator joined Kennedy in defaming Bork and in misrepresenting Bork's record and, like Kennedy, voted against Bork in both the committee and on the floor of the Senate. That senator's name was Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
Biden announced his opposition to Bork before the confirmation hearings began, forsaking the responsibility of an impartial chairman, to assume the posture of a partisan prosecutor. The brief opposing Bork which Biden prepared for the Judiciary Committee was so mendacious that Bork would later say that it "so thoroughly misrepresented a plain record that it easily qualifies as world class in the category of scurrility."
Bork's widow, Mary Ellen Bork, condemned Biden saying he engaged in "vicious political campaigning" and "presided over a rigged hearing full of an unprecedented level of lying and distortion of a man known for his integrity and judicial wisdom."
While Kennedy engaged in polemics, it was Biden who quietly lobbied other senators to vote against Bork. Kennedy was the virtuoso, but Biden conducted the orchestra. The modern politicization of Supreme Court nominations began with the smearing of Robert Bork by Joe Biden and Ted Kennedy.
Biden's Boast—Far from showing remorse over his shabby treatment of Bork, Biden boasts of it as one of the principal accomplishments of his career. In the New Hampshire Democratic debate in February, Biden claimed: "I almost single-handedly made sure that Robert Bork did not get on the Court."
How Many Abortions?—Bork was a skeptic of the invented right to (sexual) privacy, which formed the basis of of both Griswold v. Connecticut and Roe v. Wade. Had he been confirmed, Bork would have been the likely fifth vote on the Supreme Court—along with William Rehnquist, Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Byron White—to overturn Roe in Planned Parenthood v. Casey in 1992. Instead, with the culturally conforming, ideologically malleable and intellectually mediocre Anthony Kennedy as Reagan's ultimate choice for the high court, Roe was upheld and sustained, and remains the law of the land today.
Since Roe was handed down in 1973, there have been nearly 62 million surgical and so-called medical abortions in the United States. The number of chemical abortions of embryonic human beings caused by hormonal contraceptives is potentially higher, geometrically, but the number is known only to God.
When the Casey decision upheld Roe in 1992, the number of surgical and medical abortions was 24.1 million. That means that nearly 38 million abortions have been perpetrated since the missed opportunity to end Roe v. Wade in 1992.
It is speculative to conjecture about how many lives would have been saved had Roe been overturned in the early 1990's. The regulation of abortion would have been returned to the fifty states. Some states would have prohibited or comprehensively restricted abortion, while others would have continued the regime of legalization, lack of restriction and subsidy.
One would also have to take into account the interstate commerce in abortion, as some women would have crossed state lines to procure an abortion, just as thousands of Irish women traveled to England, prior to 2019, to kill their pre-born children.
Nonetheless, it is logical to assume that, if Roe had been undone by Robert Bork 28 years ago, the number of abortions in this country would be less than 62 million, and, in all probability, it would be less by several million.
Joe Biden and the late Ted Kennedy must be judged, therefore, as two of the most lethal enablers of the mass killing of innocent children in modern history.
To answer the question posed at the beginning of this essay: how many abortions is Joe Biden responsible for? We cannot be precise, but the horrific number is likely in seven, and possibly, eight figures. Biden's hands are drenched in innocent blood "which crieth from earth to heaven."
May God save the United States of America!
NEWS UPDATE
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
—CATHEDRAL VANDALIZED
—K OF C COVERS FOR MARTY WALSH
—WESTFORD KEEPS COLUMBUS DAY
Decapitated Columbus statue in the North End of Boston, now removed by Mayor Marty Walsh
Vandalism at Fall River Cathedral—On September 29th, a man was apprehended by police after throwing a cinder block through a window of the Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Assumption in Fall River. He was identified as Bouchaib Hammazy, 29, of Fall River. After undergoing a psychological evaluation, he will face multiple charges in court.
This is the seventh such incident in Massachusetts in 2020, the sixth in the last four months. The 23 such incidents which have occurred in the Commonwealth since 2016, represent a 500% increase over the previous four year period. By League estimates, there have been nearly 100 episodes of arson and vandalism directed at Catholic institutions nationwide since May.
Knights of Columbus give cover to Mayor Marty Walsh—On June 10th, the statue of Christopher Columbus in the eponymous Columbus Park in Boston's North End was decapitated by vandals. This was the fourth time that the sculpture, made of Carrara marble, was targeted by revolutionaries in recent years. The statue was splattered with red paint and the word 'Murderer' was spray painted on it in 2004. In 2006, it was decapitated. In June, 2015, it was doused in red paint and defaced with the words 'Black Lives Matter'.
On June 11, 2020, the City of Boston removed the damaged monument and placed it in storage. At the time, after a tepid, pro forma condemnation of vandalism, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said there would be "conversations" about the future of the statue, effectively rewarding the violent extremists who mutilated the work of art honoring the discoverer of the New World.
Walsh however, faced a seemingly insoluble political dilemma. If he restored the sculpture, he would enrage his left wing electoral base. If he did not, he would grievously offend the large Italian American community in the North End.
On October 6th, the ostensibly pro-life Knights of Columbus came to the rescue of the NARAL "Men for Choice" Mayor, agreeing to host the statue in a new, affordable housing project they intend to build in the neighborhood. Their housing plans, of course, require the approval of the Boston Planning and Development Agency, which, coincidentally, is controlled by Mayor Walsh.
Meanwhile, the Italian American Alliance, which wanted the statue returned to the park, is denouncing the Mayor for breaking his word about a transparent process on the future of the monument.
Until now, no one has seen or heard from the Knights of Columbus in the various controversies throughout the Bay State about Columbus Day, statues of Columbus, or schools named after the explorer. The silence of the Knights reminds one of the famous quip by Mayor James Michael Curley about the city's Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company—"Invincible in peace, invisible in war."
Westford keeps Columbus Day—The Town of Westford in Middlesex County has voted, narrowly, to retain the Columbus Day holiday. At a Town Meeting on October 18th, citizens voted 111 to 108 to defeat a proposal to replace Columbus Day with so-called Indigenous Peoples Day. Congratulations to Republican State Committeewoman Kathy Lynch, whose courageous speech defending the Italian Catholic hero was a decisive factor in the victory for sanity and patriotism.
PRESS STATEMENT
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
STATEMENT BY THE CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE
TO THE BOSTON GLOBE ON THE ENDORSEMENT OF
CIVIL UNIONS BY POPE FRANCIS
In response to an inquiry by reporter Travis Andersen of The Boston Globe, C. J. Doyle, the Executive Director of the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, has issued the following statement on the endorsement of civil unions for homosexuals by Pope Francis:
"In the newly released documentary Francesco, the Holy Father makes the following remarks: 'What we have to create is a civil union law. That way they are legally covered. I stood up for that.'"
"Although this statement is consistent with the position he took as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, it remains a gravely scandalous, profoundly disappointing and utterly unprecedented departure from perennial Catholic teaching, found in Sacred Scripture, Holy Tradition and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which identifies homosexual acts as 'grave depravity.'"
"It also represents a direct contradiction of what was taught by Pope Saint John Paul II in Considerations Regarding Proposals To Give Legal Recognition To Unions Between Homosexual Persons, issued by the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith in 2003, which states that 'all Catholics are obliged to oppose the legal recognition of homosexual unions,' and that opposition is 'a duty' which is 'clear and emphatic.'"
"In analyzing the Pope's remarks, it is important to remember that the Church is not a secular corporation where the CEO determines policy. The Pope has no authority to reverse magisterial teachings or to downgrade Sacred Scripture. He can set a tone, but he cannot change doctrine, which is definitive and irreformable. The media should avoid making extravagant claims about the significance of this event."
"The most likely practical effect of these improvident remarks will be to create confusion about Catholic beliefs, embolden modernist revolutionaries within the Church, and vindicate bigots who condemn traditional Catholic teachings as homophobia. Sadly, faithful Catholics—particularly those in the pro-life and pro-family movements—will, once again, suffer demoralization and betrayal."
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
AUGUST 17, 2020 — Published by the Metrowest Daily News August 23
Letters to the editor
The MetroWest Daily News
33 New York Avenue
Framingham, MA 01701
mdnletters@wickedlocal.com
To the editor:
No one can argue with Arthur McCaffrey's critique of Cardinal Sean O'Malley's disastrous and ill conceived "reconfiguration" policy, which shuttered, arbitrarily and capriciously, so many viable parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston, (Column: Times have changed—or have they?, 8/15/2020).
The approach of the so-called "vigil parishes" however, was wrong headed and doomed to failure. They occupied church buildings to which they had no legal title and began civil appeals which everyone knew they would lose.
The "vigilers" abandoned the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and the Sacrament of Penance, concocted their own do-it-yourself liturgies and separated themselves from the communion of the Church. McCaffrey's invocation of "early, pre-formal Christian communities" only confirms the neo-Protestant character of their theology.
In the end, they converted no one and accomplished nothing. Disaffection and apostasy were the only spiritual fruits of their movement.
Sincerely,
C.J. Doyle
Executive Director
Catholic Action League of Massachusetts
P. O. Box 112
Boston, MA 02131
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
AUGUST 14, 2020 — Published by the Globe August 18
Letters to the editor
The Boston Globe
One Exchange Place, Suite 201
Boston, MA 02109-2132
letter@globe.com
To the editor:
In his fifth column criticizing Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin—this time over a tweet by Tobin suggesting that Joe Biden is not a real Catholic—Kevin Cullen, predictably, returns to a formula which he has used before, (Trump is boring. Thank God for the distraction that is Bishop Tom Tobin, 8/14/2020).
Cullen never makes reasoned arguments against Catholic moral teachings, such as those on the sanctity of innocent human life, which is at the heart of the Tobin/Biden dispute.
Evidently, he finds it less intellectually burdensome to simply belittle, in tones of derision, anyone, like Tobin, who defends those teachings.
Ridicule, not rebuttal, is his preferred method. Ad hominen attacks—“tone deaf self righteousness”—and guilt by association are his tactics. In his column on Tobin, Cullen manages to bring up Donald Trump, Cardinal Law and the Ku Klux Klan.
It is all very Pavlovian. If you are Catholic, and publicly dissent from secular orthodoxy, Kevin Cullen will punish you.
Sincerely,
C.J. Doyle
Executive Director
Catholic Action League of Massachusetts
P. O. Box 112
Boston, MA 02131
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
NEWS RELEASE
MONDAY, AUGUST 3, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
ARSON AT SACRED HEART CHURCH IN WEYMOUTH
Caution tape in front of the Sacred Heart Church where the front doors were charred from what police describe as an arson, which they were investigating on August 3, 2020 in Weymouth, Massachusetts. (Photo By Matt Stone/ MediaNews Group/Boston Herald)
One of the two front doors of Sacred Heart Church. Remnants of a Molotov cocktail were visible at the base of each door. (Photo: Boston 25 News)
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today condemned the arson attack against Sacred Heart Parish in Weymouth. Fire damage was discovered this morning in two locations on the doors of the church. As with recent incidents of arson and vandalism at two Catholic churches in Dorchester, the attack occurred during the overnight period, sometime between 11 pm, Sunday, August 2nd, and 8 am, today, Monday, August 3rd.
According to a report by a parishioner, now confirmed by the pastor, Father Sean M. Connor, the remnants of two Molotov cocktails—broken bottles with burnt rags extending from them—were found. Sacred Heart Church, dating back to 1882, was restored after a devastating seven alarm fire in 2005.
The Catholic Action League called the incident “a vicious crime and an appalling act of violence targeting a faith community which is still recovering from the trauma and loss of a previous fire.”
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: “This depraved act of arson against a house of worship demands an immediate, forceful and effective response from Governor Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey and Norfolk District Attorney Michael Morrissey.”
“This is the sixth time this year that a Catholic church or a Catholic institution in the Commonwealth has been the target of arson or vandalism. There have now been more than twenty such incidents in the Bay State since 2016. These attacks must be stopped. They must be treated as the hate crimes which they are, and the perpetrators must be identified, prosecuted and incarcerated.”
NEWS UPDATE
THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
MASSACHUSETTS BISHOPS
“CELEBRATE LIFE” OF
ABORTION PROPONENT
JOHN LEWIS
The Massachusetts Catholic Conference—representing the Archbishop of Boston and the Bishops of Fall River, Worcester and Springfield—issued a statement today repeating the calumny that American society has a "culture of racism," along with a "culture of discrimination, violence, ignorance and indifference," which requires, among other remedies, so-called police reform.
A State Senate bill effectively stripping Bay State police officers of qualified immunity from civil lawsuits was passed in an overnight session of the upper chamber, but has stalled in the House of Representatives. Liberal and left wing groups are pushing hard for House passage before the end of the legislative session on July 31st. The four Catholic bishops of Massachusetts have now joined that campaign.
In the statement—signed by Cardinal Sean O'Malley and Bishops Edgar M. da Cunha, Robert J. McManus and Mitchell T. Rozanski—the prelates say they "celebrate the life of United States Congressman John Lewis of Georgia and his unyielding commitment to the principal of equality."
Lewis, who died on July 17th, was, during his 33 year career in Congress, an unrelenting proponent of legal, unrestricted and publicly funded abortion, including partial birth abortion. The trade association of the abortion industry, the National Abortion Federation, called Lewis "a hero," as did the American Civil Liberties Union.
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America described him as "a legend," while NARAL Pro-Choice America said Lewis was "an icon,"..."who embodied everything we strive to be."
As a member of the U. S. House of Representatives, Lewis received a 100% rating from both the Planned Parenthood Action Fund and NARAL, and a 0% rating from the National Right to Life Committee.
Lewis also supported so-called same sex marriage, the repeal of the Hyde Amendment, and the recent Supreme Court ruling making sexual orientation and so-called gender identity part of federal civil rights law.
The Catholic Action League called the decision to extol Lewis "a grave, though entirely unsurprising scandal, which tells us everything we need to know about the priorities of the Catholic hierarchy."
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "Congressman John Lewis believed that 62 million surgical and medical abortions since 1973 were not enough. He thought the killing should continue and the rest of us should pay for it."
"The praise of John Lewis by four bishops ought to inform the pro-life community about how little regard our prelates have for the labors, principles and sensibilities of pro-life Catholics. Unlike the corporate donor class, the political establishment, the media or the civil rights activists, the pro-life movement is not a favored constituency of the Catholic hierarchy."
"It ought to be painfully obvious by now that the commitment of Church leaders to the right to life is minimal, nominal and rhetorical. Our major Catholic institutions—colleges and universities, elite secondary schools, and charitable and fraternal organizations—are functionally pro-abortion, and the bishops, clearly, are comfortable with that. Pro-life signature drives are discouraged. Effective, grass roots pro-life organizations are never supported."
"The late Eldridge Cleaver famously said that 'If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.' Perhaps it is time for pro-lifers to view Catholic prelates for what they actually are—part of the problem."
NEWS RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 22, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
WORCESTER KEEPS COLUMBUS
Christopher Columbus in front of Union Station, Worcester
(Photo: masslive.com)
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today is hailing the decision of
the Worcester City Council to retain the statue
of Christopher Columbus in front of Union Station, in the
Commonwealth's second largest city.
The Council voted last night, by a margin of 8 to
2, to file, or effectively table, an order
by District 4 Councilor Sarai Rivera to remove the statue.
The proposed removal was met with overwhelming opposition from
Worcester's Italian-American community.
The statue, erected
to honor "the navigator, explorer, apostle and discoverer of
America," was vandalized on June 23rd. Rivera claimed
the statue represented "complicity in white privilege, colonialism and systemic racism."
In Boston, Mayor
Marty Walsh removed a Carrara marble statue of
Columbus from Christopher Columbus Park in the
city's North End, after it was decapitated on June
10th.
The Catholic Action
League hailed the Worcester vote as "a courageous act, which
preserves this country's heritage and which demonstrates
respect for the sensibilities of Italian American
Catholics."
Catholic Action
League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment:
"Last night's vote was a victory for sanity and
patriotism over rage and hatred for America's past and for
its Christian foundations. Councilor Rivera claims Columbus
represents 'hate.' Despite revisionist assertions
however, there is no evidence that Columbus hated or intended
harm to anyone."
"The only
hatred in evidence is the manifest loathing and contempt which
left wing extremists have for the achievements of Western
Civilization and for the culture and history of the United States
of America. The mob has been resorting to shock and awe
tactics to effect a cultural and political revolution in this
country. Worcester, last night, taught us a different lesson:
Just say no!"
NEWS RELEASE
MONDAY, JULY 20, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
TWO MORE CATHOLIC STATUE DESECRATIONS IN BOSTON
Statue of The Blessed Virgin Mary at Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Dorchester on July 16
There have been two more incidents involving the desecration of a religious statue at a Catholic church in Boston. The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts has learned that during the same overnight period when a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary was scorched by an arson fire at Saint Peter's Parish in Dorchester, a second statue of Our Lady was desecrated at a neighboring parish only a mile away.
Sometime between Saturday evening, July 11th, and 8 AM, Sunday, July 12th, an unidentified person entered the grounds of Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish—also in Dorchester—and emptied the contents of a trash barrel onto a church walkway and then placed the barrel over the head of the statue of the Virgin Mary.
Four days later, the incident was repeated. At 6:20 AM on Thursday, July 16th, a passerby discovered the same barrel over the head of the same statue. Saint Teresa's church is located at one of the busiest intersections in Boston, at the corner of Columbia Road and Dorchester Avenue.
These incidents are the second time in recent years that Saint Teresa's has been the target of vandals. In 2012, a statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on church grounds was decapitated.
Since July 10th, there have been, at least, ten attacks nationwide, against Catholic churches or religious symbols. Churches have been the object of vandalism or arson in New Haven, Connecticut and Ocala, Florida. Statues of Our Lord or of His Blessed Mother have been burned, defaced or decapitated in Boston, Chattanooga, Queens in New York, West Kendall in Florida and Whitefish Mountain in Montana.
A devastating fire of suspicious origin at Mission San Gabriel in California is being investigated for arson by federal law enforcement authorities.
According to statistics compiled by the Catholic Action League, there have now been, at least, nineteen attacks against Catholic churches in Massachusetts since 2016, a more than 400% increase over the previous four year period.
The Catholic Action League is calling upon the Boston Police to undertake a hate crime investigation into these two incidents.
The League called the two most recent desecrations "an appalling, depraved and sacrilegious expression of contempt for Our Lady, for the Catholic Faith and for the Catholics of Boston."
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "It is becoming increasingly clear that these crimes can no longer be treated as a collection of random incidents perpetrated in isolation by disturbed individuals. The number, timing and frequency of these attacks strongly suggest that Catholic churches and religious iconography are being deliberately targeted for culturecide by the same left wing extremists who are committing mayhem against public monuments across the country."
"These incidents are chilling assaults against the First Amendment. The first religious freedom right is the right of churches to exist and to be unmolested in their persons and property. Public authorities, most especially Governor Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey and Mayor Marty Walsh, must respond vigorously and forcefully."
"They must condemn these attacks, and must use all of the resources of their offices to identify, arrest, prosecute and incarcerate the offenders. If they do not, these crimes will just continue."
NEWS RELEASE
MONDAY, JULY 13, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE CONDEMNS
ARSON OF OUR LADY'S STATUE—
CALLS FOR HATE CRIME INVESTIGATION
Fr. John Currie leans over to touch the Virgin Mary statue at St. Peter’s Parish which was burned by vandals on July 12, 2020 in Boston, MA. (Photo By Nancy Lane /MediaNews Group /Boston Herald)
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today condemned the arson attack against a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary at Saint Peter's Church in Dorchester. One of the oldest parishes in Boston, Saint Peter's Church dates back to 1884.
At approximately 10:00pm Saturday evening, July 11th, the perpetrator set fire to a display of plastic flowers in the hands of the figure of Our Lady, burning the face, hands and upper body of the statue. This was one of three, possibly four, attacks on Catholic churches in the U. S. over a 48 hour period.
On July 10th, a statue of the Blessed Mother was defaced with graffiti—the word IDOL was painted on it—at Cathedral Prep School and Seminary in Queens, New York. On July 11th, a fire of suspicious origin destroyed the historic, 249 year old Mission of San Gabriel in San Gabriel, California. The Mission was founded by Saint Junipero Serra, whose statues have become the objects of violent destruction by left wing mobs in California.
On July 12th, a man crashed a motor vehicle into the front doors of Queen of Peace Church in Ocala, Florida and then poured gasoline into the church, setting it ablaze.
According to statistics compiled by the Catholic Action League, Saturday's arson was the latest of, at least, seventeen acts of vandalism directed against Catholic churches in the Commonwealth since 2016.
A statue of Our Lady at Saint Gregory's in Dorchester was vandalized four times in 2019. That same year, a statue of Our Lord at Saint Mark's in Dorchester was smashed to pieces. In 2016, statues of the Virgin Mary were decapitated in Burlington and Billerica, while another was defaced in Norwood.
The League is calling for the Boston Police to conduct a hate crime investigation of the incident.
The Catholic Action League called the arson a "lawless and malicious act of violence intended not only to destroy a venerable representation of the Mother of God, but, it would seem, to inflict needless pain and grief on innocent people who never did the malefactor any harm."
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "The object and timing of this attack is suspicious. The number and frequency of these incidents have increased in recent years, particularly in southern New England. Without jumping to conclusions beforehand, a hate crime investigation is, in this case, certainly warranted."
"Given the climate of the country, where violent mobs of extremists are, increasingly, aggressive and emboldened in destroying historic monuments and religious iconography, public officials must remain vigilant in safeguarding the constitutionally guaranteed right to the free exercise of religion, which, necessarily, includes the right of churches to have their property protected."
"The Archdiocese of Boston must make it clear to Governor Charlie Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey and Mayor Marty Walsh that this vandalism is abhorrent and unacceptable."
NEWS RELEASE
THURSDAY, JULY 9, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE HAILS SUPREME COURT DECISION ON CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today welcomed the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Agnes Morrissey-Bellu and its companion case, Saint James School v. Darryl Biel.
By a 7 to 2 majority, the Court upheld the ministerial exception, which guarantees the right of religious institutions to resolve internal personnel questions without government interference, judicial review, or the threat of litigation based upon anti-discrimination law. The cases decided today originated with lawsuits brought by two teachers who were fired by the Catholic schools which had employed them.
Writing for the majority, Associate Justice Samuel Alito said the Free Exercise Clause “does not mean that religious institutions enjoy a general immunity from secular laws, but it does protect their autonomy with respect to internal management decisions that are essential to the institution’s central mission. And a component of this autonomy is the selection of the individuals who play certain key roles. The ‘ministerial exception’ was based on this insight.”
The Catholic Action League called the decision “an important vindication of religious freedom, by upholding the fundamental right of churches and church affiliated institutions to conduct their internal affairs without intrusion by the secular state.”
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: “By Wednesday’s decision, the Supreme Court reaffirmed that civil government must not become entangled in matters which are, properly, part of the constitutionally guaranteed liberty of churches and related faith based organizations.”
“The separation of church and state works in both directions. The state must not insert itself in the internal governance of religious entities. Wednesday’s court decision is a victory for America’s founding principles, and for the just and long established rights of Catholics and of all religious believers”
NEWS RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE APPLAUDS SUPREME COURT DECISION ON CONTRACEPTIVE MANDATE
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today applauded the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Little Sisters of the Poor Saints Peter and Paul Home v. Pennsylvania.
In a 7 to 2 ruling issued this morning, the Court decided that neither religious institutions nor secular employers could be forced to subsidize abortifacients, contraceptives and sterilizations as part of their employee group health insurance plans. Following the 2010 passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in 2011, issued regulations mandating contraceptive coverage as part of the preventive services required by the act.
This was challenged in court by the Little Sisters of the Poor, a Catholic religious order, and others. Following the Sisters’ 2016 Supreme Court victory in Zubik v. Burwell, President Donald J. Trump, in 2017, issued an Executive Order directing federal agencies to devise regulations to protect the religious freedom rights of conscientious objectors to the Obama Care mandate. These Trump Administration regulations, finalizing both a religious exemption and a moral exemption to the mandate, were promulgated in November, 2018.
The Little Sisters of the Poor were dragged back into court however, when the State of California and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, joined by the State of New Jersey, and supported by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, sued to overturn the exemption.
Writing for the majority earlier today, Associate Justice Clarence Thomas found that the Trump Administration’s relevant executive departments—HHS, Labor and Treasury—had the statutory authority to craft the religious exemption as well as the contemporaneously issued moral exemption for commercial business owners.
Thomas also stated that the Court, in its decision in Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, “made it abundantly clear that, under RFRA, [the Religious Freedom Restoration Act] the Departments must accept the sincerely held complicity-based objections of religious entities.”
In their concurrence, Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch went further, stating the Religious Freedom Restoration Act required a religious exemption to the contraceptive mandate, which the court described as “administratively imposed.”
The Catholic Action League called the ruling a “a defeat for coercion and a victory for the liberty of conscience, moral sanity and the First Amendment.”
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: “When birth control was legalized in the 1960’s, liberals lectured Catholics about the need not to impose their values upon others. Those on the political left however, apparently had no scruples about forcing Catholic nuns to pay for other peoples’ contraceptives.”
“Birth control remains legal, inexpensive and ubiquitously available in America. This now defunct, punitive mandate was never about guaranteeing access to health care for women. It was always about imposing ideological conformity upon dissenters from progressive orthodoxy.”
“Some would reduce freedom of religion in this country to the freedom to worship. Yet even the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, in the 1994 Desilets case, maintained that ‘Conduct motivated by sincerely held religious convictions will be recognized as the exercise of religion,’ a constitutionally protected right. Thankfully, the U. S. Supreme Court upheld that principle today.”
NEWS RELEASE
TUESDAY, JUNE 30, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE HAILS SUPREME COURT DECISION IN SCHOOL CHOICE CASE
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today hailed the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue. By a 5 to 4 majority, the Court found that a state program which discriminated against parents who sent their children to religious schools violated the constitutional protections guaranteed by the Free Exercise clause of the First Amendment.
In 2015, the State of Montana began offering tax credits to parents who contributed to a scholarship program to fund tuitions at private schools. In 2018, the Montana Supreme Court, citing the anti-aid provision in the state constitution—Montana being one of 37 states to have so-called Blaine Amendments in their constitutions—struck down the program.
The Montana Department of Revenue then instituted Rule 1, which prevented parents from using scholarship money from the program to send their children to religious schools. Three low income parents then sued.
Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion, was joined in the decision by Associate Justices Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Clarence Thomas. Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor dissented.
In the ruling, Chief Justice Roberts wrote "A State need not subsidize private education. But once a State decides to do so, it cannot disqualify some private schools solely because they are religious."
In a vigorous concurrence, Justice Alito emphasized that anti-aid amendments were grounded in nativism and anti-Catholic bigotry, were supported by the Ku Klux Klan, and used the pejorative "sectarian" to identify and target Catholics for public discrimination and disfavor.
The Catholic Action League called the ruling "a victory for parental rights, religious freedom and equality under the law, which will disproportionately benefit the children of poor and minority families."
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "Today's ruling calls into question the constitutional propriety of every anti-aid Blaine Amendment in state constitutions throughout America, including the 18th, or so-called 'Know-Nothing,' Amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution."
"As the Constitution of the Commonwealth permits, unequally, state assistance to students at colleges and universities with religious affiliations, but not to students at religious primary and secondary schools, it would seem that the court's decision will now make possible litigation to overturn the prohibitions against public aid to the parents, at least, of students who attend religious schools in Massachusetts."
"Today's ruling represents a vindication of former Massachusetts Senate President William M. Bulger, an outspoken and unyielding opponent of the Know Nothing Amendment, who continually and forcefully reminded the public that the Massachusetts anti-aid amendment found its origins in sectarian prejudice against Catholic immigrants."
NEWS UPDATE
MONDAY, JUNE 29, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
MORE BIGOTRY AT THE BOSTON GLOBE
On June 24th, a sectarian comment was posted on the website of The Boston Globe, referencing, in a demeaning tone, the personal religious practices of the Attorney General of the United States, William Barr. Among other attacks, Mr. Barr has been demonized, repeatedly, in the liberal media for his orthodox Catholic beliefs and affiliations.
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle sent the following note to Brian McGrory, the Editor of the Globe:
June 24, 2020
Brian McGrory, Editor
The Boston Globe
1 Exchange Place, Suite 201
Boston, MA 02109-2132
Dear Mr. McGrory,
The following is a quote about Attorney General William Barr, from the comment section after the Eric Tucker Associated Press story on the Appeals Court ruling in favor of Michael Flynn, which was published in today’s Boston Globe:
Terry181
“Barr’s Catholic confessions must be fascinating. No priest should ever forgive him for his sins in defense of trump. His God, may not forgive!”
I was wondering if you thought it was appropriate for someone to post a snarky, invidious and irrelevant comment about the religion of a public official?
If it referred to the Jewish or Muslim religion of a public official, would it have been allowed? If it referred, in a derisive manner, to the sexual orientation of a public official, would it have been allowed?
A fixation on with the Sacrament of Penance is one of the historic, indeed iconic, manifestations of anti-Catholic prejudice.
I hope you will delete this catty, offensive and entirely unwarranted comment, which smacks of bigotry.
Sincerely,
C. J. Doyle
Executive Director
Catholic Action League of Massachusetts
P. O. Box 112
Boston, MA 02131
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
As of today, there has been no response from Brian McGrory.
NEWS RELEASE
FRIDAY, JUNE 26, 2020
Letters to the Editor
Telegram & Gazette
100 Front Street, 5th Floor
Worcester, MA 01608
To the Editor:
The City of Worcester should not be stampeded by extremists into expunging Christopher Columbus from his place of honor in front of Union Station, (City Councilor Sarai Rivera calls for removal of statue of Christopher Columbus, 6/24/2020).
With the desecration and destruction of monuments to abolitionists, Union soldiers, and Founding Fathers, it should be obvious by now that the cultural cleansing of America's history has little to do with sins of the past and everything to do with the present attempt by a violent minority to impose, by force, a political revolution on this country.
The Western Civilization and Catholic Religion which the Italian explorer brought to the Americas saved millions of lives, by putting an end to the gruesome horrors and hideous atrocities of human sacrifice, cannibalism and the endemic warfare which characterized the cultures of pre-Columbian indigenous peoples.
Christopher Columbus should be honored as a hero, not only for the European discovery of America, but for rescuing the people of two continents from pagan societies which practiced and celebrated mass murder.
Sincerely,
C. J. Doyle
Executive Director
Catholic Action League of Massachusetts
P. O. Box 112
Boston, MA 02131
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
MEMBER ADVISORY
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 24, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
Fred Long, Jr.
FRED LONG, JR. — R.I.P.
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today is mourning the loss of one of the founding members of its Board of Directors, Fred Long, who died on June 22nd. He was 92.
One of nine children, and the grandson of Irish immigrants, Fred was born in South Boston in 1927. A proud son of Southie, he lived there for eighty of his ninety-two years. He was married to his first wife, Jean, for thirty-nine years. They had nine children.
Nine years after her death, Fred married Susan (Gallagher) Long. At the time of his death, Fred and Susan, who had retired to Florida, were married for more than twenty-two years.
A pious, orthodox and pro-life Catholic, Fred Long was one of the original petitioners for the restoration of the Traditional Latin Mass in the Archdiocese of Boston. A religious education teacher for thirty-four years, he served on the Board of Directors of the Catholic Action League since 1995.
Fred was a loyal friend, a brave man, and a stalwart supporter of every good Catholic cause. He will be sorely missed. We wish to extend our profound condolences to his wife Susan, to his children, to his brother Ed Long, and to all the members of his family.
A Requiem Mass for Fred will be celebrated this Saturday, June 27th, at 10:am at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston. He will be waked in the cathedral an hour before the Mass.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they might be loosed from sins. — 2 Maccabees 12:4
MEMBER ADVISORY
TUESDAY, JUNE 16, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
MARY BULGER, R.I.P.
Please pray for the repose of the soul of Mrs. Mary Bulger, who died in her South Boston home, surrounded by her family, on June 7th. She was 84.
Mary Bulger was a selflessly kind and gracious lady, a tirelessly devoted mother of nine children, and a pious Catholic. She was married to her husband, the Hon. William M. Bulger, former President of the Massachusetts Senate, and former President of the University of Massachusetts, for sixty years. She leaves, in addition to her husband and children, 33 grandchildren.
We at the Catholic Action League wish to extend our sincere and heartfelt condolences to President Bulger and to his entire family on their grievous loss.
Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen.
May her soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
“The souls of the just are in the hand of God, and the torment of death shall not touch them.” — Wisdom 3:1
NEWS RELEASE
MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE CONDEMNS SUPREME COURT DECISION IN BOSTOCK CASE
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today condemned the decision of the United States Supreme Court in Bostock v. Clayton County. In the ruling, which was released this morning, a majority on the Court held that the prohibition against discrimination based upon sex, contained in Title VII of the U. S. Civil Rights Act of 1964, applied to sexual orientation and so-called gender identity.
In the 6 to 3 decision, Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote the majority opinion, while Justices Samuel Alito, Brett Kavanaugh, and Clarence Thomas dissented. In his dissent, Justice Alito called the majority finding "preposterous," "indefensible," "a brazen abuse of our authority," the arrogance of which was "breathtaking," and compared it to piracy.
The Catholic Action League characterized the ruling as "an absurdly dishonest decision, fabricated and invented, which contradicted the clear meaning and the original legislative intent of the 1964 Civil Rights Act."
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "This morning, in an unlawful exercise in judicial supremacy, six members of the Supreme Court usurped the authority of Congress to legislate. In doing so, they abused their office, made a mockery of the separation of powers, and violated their oath to defend the Constitution."
"Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act prohibited discrimination against women, 'sex' being understood, unambiguously, to mean the biological distinction between male and female. None of the framers of the act, and none of the members of the 88th Congress who voted for it, intended to prohibit discrimination in employment based on same sex behavior or upon 'gender identity,' a concept wholly unknown in 1964."
"Since that time, Congress has refused, repeatedly, to enact employment non-discrimination legislation expanding the definition of Title VII to include homosexuals and the so-called transgendered. Now, the Supreme Court has ruled that the expanded definition existed all along, undiscovered since 1964."
What has happened is that in a decision untethered to the Constitution, and under the guise of interpreting a statute, the court has asserted its right to enact laws in the place of Congress. With this decision, the court has, as it did in Roe v. Wade, effectively claimed the right to function as a kind of paramount national legislature, which can be appealed to when the democratic process fails to produce the results desired by some interest group."
"This decision will have grave implications for religious freedom, and for the integrity and identity of religious institutions. It will be used to narrow and eventually eviscerate the ministerial exception, which guarantees the right of church affiliated entities to control their own hiring, unfettered by the government."
"Congress and the President must take steps to restrain an increasingly imperial judiciary, and return it to the constitutional responsibilities assigned it by the Founding Fathers."
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
JUNE 12, 2020
Letters,
Boston Herald
100 Grossman Drive, Suite 400A
Braintree, MA 02184
To the Editor:
The response of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to the decapitation of the statue of Christopher Columbus was schizophrenic: He said the City does not condone vandalism, but then rewarded the Taliban like vandals by removing the statue, (Beheading, removal of Christopher Columbus statue adds to debate about racism, 6/12/2020).
Amid all the hysterical left wing revisionism about Columbus, it might be useful to remember that the Spanish colonization of the New World, begun by Columbus, put an end to human sacrifice, cannibalism, ritual castration, endemic warfare, and the murder and enslavement of prisoners of war by other indigenous peoples.
Slavery, of course, predated the arrival of Columbus in the Americas.
Sincerely,
C.J. Doyle
Executive Director
Catholic Action League of Massachusetts
P. O. Box 112
Boston, MA 02131
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
Attention: Sandra Kent, Editorial Page Editor
NEWS RELEASE
THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE
SLAMS SOMERVILLE MAYOR
FOR CHURCH RESTRICTIONS
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today is criticizing the Mayor of Somerville, Joseph A. Curtatone, for imposing a limit of only ten congregants for religious services in houses of worship in the city.
Curtatone's directive contravenes the guidelines provided by Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker, which allows churches in the Commonwealth to reopen and operate at 40% capacity.
Curtatone said the cap on worshippers would continue "until further notice." His decision was announced yesterday.
The Catholic Action League is characterizing Curtatone's decree as "extreme, unwarranted, and constitutionally indefensible."
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "Nothing in the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of the Commonwealth, the General Laws, or the Charter and Code of Ordinances of the City of Somerville authorizes the Mayor to inflict such an arbitrary, capricious and disabling restriction on a constitutionally protected First Amendment activity as foundational as the free exercise of religion."
"This is a reckless abuse of executive discretion. It is also unreasonable. Most Catholic churches constructed in the late 19th or early 20th centuries were built to accommodate hundreds of immigrant families. Their surplus capacity today is substantial, as is the capacity of most mainline Protestant church buildings."
"As most church goers are more socially conservative than Somerville's hyper progressive mayor, one wonders if he views them as a disfavored constituency, whose religious practices are inherently 'non-essential.' If he persists, the matter will be adjudicated in the courts."
A MEMORIAL DAY REMEMBRANCE
Monday, Memorial Day, May 25, 2020
As we solemnly commemorate, on Memorial Day, the heroic sacrifice of 1,060,000 Americans who, from 1775 until the present time, gave their last full measure of devotion in the service of the United States, we might also take a moment to recall an old patriotic tradition, now long forgotten.
America's original, de facto, national anthem—Hail Columbia—was composed by Philip Phile in honor of the first inauguration of President George Washington in 1789. Entitled The President's March, its lyrics were written by Joseph Hopkinson in 1798. The song gradually became known by the opening words of its first line: Hail Columbia, happy land!
An elegant piece of music, it was created in the same decade as two other famous and inspiring anthems, Franz Joseph Hayden's sublimely beautiful Kaiserhymne and Claude-Joseph Rouget de Lisle's magnificently rousing La Marsellaise. For 140 years, Hail Columbia was, to both Americans and Europeans, the musical expression of American sovereignty and independence.
It was just 89 years ago, in 1931, that Congress passed, and President Herbert Hoover signed into law, an act making The Star Spangled Banner the official national anthem of the United States. Lobbying by the Maryland congressional delegation, the embrace by organized baseball of Francis Scott Key's song, and a 1916 Executive Order by President Woodrow Wilson ordering the armed forces to play the Star Spangled Banner at official ceremonies, all brought about the replacement of an anthem so closely associated with the person and presidency of General George Washington.
In 1977, President Jimmy Carter designated Hail Columbia as the Vice-Presidential March. A composition to honor the Father of Our Country became the fanfare for Walter Mondale.
There are two noteworthy cinematic presentations of Hail Columbia. The first is 7:45 minutes into the 1926 silent film classic Old Ironsides, when the gallery of the U. S. House of Representatives bursts into song when Congress finally authorized the construction of the Eagle of the Sea, the U.S.S. Constitution.
Perhaps the best instrumental rendition of Hail Columbia occurs 1:46 minutes into the 1947 Jimmy Cagney movie 13 Rue Madeleine, about U.S. intelligence operations against the Nazis in World War II.
####
As this year is the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Europe and the end of the Second World War, let us pay, on this Memorial Day, a special remembrance, most especially in our prayers, to that generation, now departing from us, which defended their country from totalitarian aggression, and in doing so, freed a continent from tyranny.
ACTION ALERT
FRIDAY, MAY 15, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
CATHOLICS PETITION FOR SACRAMENTS
WILL PRAY BEFORE CATHEDRAL TO REOPEN CHURCHES
On Sunday, May 17th, at 3:00pm, faithful Catholics will gather before the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston to pray for the reopening of our churches and to petition the Archbishop of Boston to restore the life giving sacraments to the abandoned and suffering laity.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, promulgated by Pope Saint John Paul II in 1992, states that the laity “have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and they have a right to make their opinion known to the other Christian faithful...”
The Code of Canon Law, also promulgated by John Paul II, states that “The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires.”
The Code goes on to say that “The Christian faithful have the right to receive assistance from the sacred pastors out of the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the word of God and the sacraments”and “have the right to worship God.”
Please support this worthy and vital effort! The following is the notice which we received from the organizers of this historic prayer rally:
Please join a few faithful Catholics on Sunday, May 17th at 3:00 pm at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, 1400 Washington Street, Boston for outdoor prayer. We’ll be reciting the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Holy Rosary. Our Lady of Fatima, pray for US! Wherever you are on Sunday at 3pm, PRAY!!!
Bring your rosary, chair, mask/face covering (signs aren’t necessary since this is a prayer rally).
####
Open letter and invitation to Catholics of Greater Boston:
Many of you are frustrated and angry about the loss of Mass and the sacraments due to the Corona Virus Pandemic. Churches are closed while many stores, Home Depot, Lowe’s, Job Lot, Target, liquor and marijuana stores, and worst of all, abortion facilities, are open. There is talk of the “new normal” (read that to mean changes to prevent things from going back to normal in the near and distant future!). Word from the Archdiocese has very much parroted the secular recommendations. We have heard nothing of our “Constitutional right to freedom of religion.”
As our Shepherd, it is Cardinal O’Malley’s job to lead the fight for our rights to our sacraments. To date, he has not done so. It is time for the laity to make our wishes known to him.
There will be a peaceful and prayerful rally of Catholics to let him know our wishes.
Please join us on Sunday, May 17th at 3:00 pm at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, 1400 Washington Street, Boston, MA. Numbers are important. Please extend this invitation to everyone you can. The time for silent compliance is over.
— A Faithful Catholic
For more information, contact Anne Kane at:
annie.kane4@verizon.net
A BLESSED AND HAPPY EASTER FROM THE CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE
SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
Resurrection of Christ, 1520
At that time, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome, brought spices, that they might go and anoint Jesus. And very early on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb, when the sun had just risen. And they were saying to one another, “Who will roll the stone back from the entrance of the tomb for us?” And looking up they saw that the stone had been rolled back, for it was very large. But on entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a white robe, and they were amazed. He said to them, “Do not be terrified. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified. He has risen, He is not here. Behold the place where they laid him. But go tell his disciples and Peter that He goes before you into Galilee; there you shall see Him, as He told you.”
— The Holy Gospel of the Mass on Easter Sunday (Mark 16, 1-7)
Laus tibi Christe!
NEWS RELEASE
TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE HAILS ACQUITTAL OF PELL
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts today is applauding the news that the High Court of the Commonwealth of Australia has unanimously overturned the sexual abuse convictions of Cardinal George Pell, ordering that the "convictions be quashed and judgments of acquittal be entered in their place."
In its Disposition, the court stated it is evident that there is "a significant possibility that an innocent person has been convicted because the evidence did not establish guilt to the requisite standard of proof."
Pell was the target of an investigation by the Victoria Police—entitled "Operation Tethering"—which began without a complaint or a complainant. He was charged based on the uncorroborated testimony of a single accuser. A second alleged victim, who was supposedly molested at the same time as the first accuser, died before the trial, telling his mother before his death that the abuse never occurred.
The accuser's story was marked by striking similarities to a fictional account published in Rolling Stone.
The first attempt to prosecute Pell ended in a mistrial on September 20, 2018, as a consequence of a hung jury, reportedly split 10-2 against conviction. In a second trial ending on December 11, 2018, Pell was convicted of five counts of sexual abuse. He was sentenced to six years in prison on March 13, 2020.
An appeal by Pell was rejected by the Victoria Supreme Court, upholding his conviction in a two to one decision on August 21, 2019. In his dissent however, Justice Mark Weinberg said that the accuser’s story "contained discrepancies, displayed inadequacies and otherwise lacked probative value..." He went on to state that he could not exclude the possibility that the charges were "concocted" and that the complainant's account was “entirely implausible and quite unconvincing.” The Australian High Court, apparently, concurred with Justice Weinberg.
The Catholic Action League is characterizing the ruling as "a victory for justice, a triumph for the due process of law, and the vindication of an innocent man."
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "The initial miscarriage of justice inflicted upon Cardinal Pell was the result of a poisoned well of public opinion Down Under. This was created by a reckless campaign of demonization, for political and ideological motives, directed against Pell by some elements of the Australian media, which was abetted by the unscrupulous willingness of victim groups to exact vengeance on someone, anyone, for the derelictions of the Catholic hierarchy."
"As others have pointed out, the motives and conduct of the Victoria Police and Crown Prosecutors also merit scrutiny. Nonetheless, the decision in favor of a Catholic prelate by the judiciary of a country far more secularized than the U. S. should remind both journalists and prosecutors here that not all calumnies against the Catholic Church ought to be accepted at face value."
OUR LADY OF DOLOURS,
PRAY FOR US
FRIDAY, APRIL 3, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
Our Lady of Dolours
Today, Friday in Passion Week, is one of two days in the traditional liturgical calendar dedicated to the Seven Dolours of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Septem Dolorum Beatae Mariae Virginis). Each day of the year, faithful Catholics recite, in their morning prayers, in their Angelus, in their Rosary, and in the Leonine prayers after the Tridentine Low Mass, the Ave Maria of Saint Dominic — the Hail Mary.
On this day, however, it has been a pious custom to recite, while contemplating the Seven Dolours, the Ave Maria of Saint Bonaventure.
It reads as follows:
Hail Mary, full of sorrows, Jesus crucified is with thee. Tearful art thou among women, and tearful is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus crucified, give tears to us, crucifiers of thy Son, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
The Seven Dolours are:
1. The prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:25-35)
2. The flight into Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus for three days in the Temple (Luke 2:41-50)
4. The Ascent of Calvary, the meeting of Our Lord and Our Lady on the Via Dolorosa (Luke 23:27-31; John, 19:17)
5. The Crucifixion and Death of Our Savior (John 19:25-30)
6. The body of Jesus is taken down from the Cross (Psalm 130; Luke 23:50-54; John 19:31-37)
7. Jesus is laid in the Tomb (Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42; Mark 15:40-47)
This devotion was revealed to Saint Bridget of Sweden. It commemorates the spiritual martyrdom of Our Lady, who stood at the foot of the Cross. The feast was extended to the entire Latin Church by Pope Saint Pius X.
Let us pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Dolours, as Catholics seek the protection of Almighty God in this time of pandemic.
Our Lady of Dolours, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Saint Simeon, pray for us.
Saint Bridget, pray for us.
Saint Pius X, pray for us.
You may also pray the Litany of Our Lady of Dolours.
NEWS RELEASE
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
THE CONQUEST OF IRELAND COMPLETE:
ABORTION NOW LEGAL IN ULSTER
Yesterday, March 31, 2020, the Culture of Death completed its conquest of the Island of Saints and Scholars. Abortions began in the six counties of British occupied Northern Ireland.
Unlike the once Catholic Republic of Ireland, public and parliamentary opposition to legalized abortion in the Protestant majority province has remained prevalent. No popular referendum or devolved legislation brought abortion to Ulster.
It was the United Kingdom Parliament in Westminster, lead by the Conservative government of former Prime Minister Theresa May, which ignored the Northern Irish Assembly in Stormont, and repealed the Offences Against the Person Act of 1861, which had prohibited child murder in the North.
The repeal legislation, entitled the Northern Ireland Executive Formation Act of 2019, received the Royal Assent on July 26th and became law on October 21st. Before abortions could begin however, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was required to promulgate regulations deemed “necessary or appropriate for the purpose of complying” with the Act, which was to go into effect on March 31, 2020.
Those regulations—the Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020—were published on March 25th. They contained the usual deceits, euphemisms and contrivances.
Elective abortion is entirely unrestricted for up to 12 weeks. Between 12 and 24 weeks, it is permitted “in cases where the continuance of the pregnancy would involve risk of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.”
After 24 weeks, abortion is still allowed in cases of fetal abnormalities which could result in the post natal death or disability of the child, or when there is a risk, not just of injury, but of grave permanent injury to the physical or mental health of the woman, including cases of “immediate necessity.”
Effectively, it will mean abortion on demand up until the moment of birth. The Northern Irish law will actually create a more permissive abortion regime than that which prevails in the rest of the United Kingdom. Anticipating conscientious objections from the medical profession, the Act requires only one physician, instead of the two needed in Britain, to certify the legal grounds for the abortion.
The Catholic Action League called the tragic conquest of these pro-life Protestants “the inevitable consequence of the apostasy of Catholic Ireland, which was, in turn, brought about by the malign confederacy of conciliar modernism and clerical sodomy.”
Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: “For the Culture of Death, the imposition of abortion upon Ulster was always a mopping up operation. Once the Catholic bastion had fallen, it was just matter of time before the last pockets of resistance were overrun. That has now been accomplished.”
“This Luciferian movement is entirely agnostic about tactics—a Supreme Court decision in America, a referendum in Ireland, ‘Imperial’ legislation in Ulster. All that matters is the effusion of innocent blood.”
“Through abortion, the Adversary, who hates the human race, gains possession of the souls of the perpetrators, while effecting the cruel death of the bodies of the victims. This is a spiritual battle which, ultimately, must be won by spiritual means.”
NEWS RELEASE
THURSDAY, MARCH 26, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
THE LEAGUE IN THE NEWS, AGAIN
Reporter Charlie Butts of American Family Radio, interviewed League Executive Director C. J. Doyle on March 16th. Doyle discussed the slap on the wrist administered by Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins to Hartman Deetz, the left wing militant and serial thug who slammed 76 year old sidewalk counselor Judy Morse to the pavement in front of Planned Parenthood in Boston last April.
His victim, Judy Morse, was hospitalized with a concussion and endured months of recovery. Deetz received a Continued Without a Finding disposition, provided he completes eighteen months of probation and pays a little under $1,000 in court costs.
Despite perpetrating an act of political violence, Deetz was never charged with constitutional rights violations.
Doyle called the outcome “an affront to justice” and “grossly disproportionate to the gravity of the offence, the savagery of the deed, the suffering of the victim and the threat to civil liberty and religious freedom.”
The interview aired on March 17th.
Doyle was also interviewed live on the 17th by Mike Church, host of The Mike Church Show on the Veritas Radio Network. They discussed the celebration of Saint Patrick’s Day in Boston. Doyle mentioned that because of the cancellation of the parade, for the first time since 2014, the venerable name of a Catholic saint was not exploited on the streets of South Boston by those who reject and despise Christian morality. You can listen to the interview here.
Finally, many thanks to The Boston Broadside for publishing on their website the League’s request for prayers for Father Richard Bucci, the courageous West Warwick, Rhode Island pastor who suffered life threatening injuries in a car crash. Father Bucci endured a firestorm from the news media and the Rhode Island political establishment after he announced that he would no longer administer Holy Communion to legislators who voted to expand abortion in the Ocean State.
Update on Bob Joyce--The Catholic Action League is gratified to learn that Attorney Bob Joyce, former President of the Pro-Life Legal Defense Fund and a longtime Bay State pro-life leader, has been moved out of intensive care at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston and is now able to consume solid food. Bob had been stricken with the corona virus and pneumonia. We were pleased and privileged to receive a message from Bob himself today.
Thank you to all who offered prayers for Bob, and please continue to keep him in your prayers.
A REQUEST FOR PRAYERS
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2020
Feast of the Annunciation
Bob Joyce
Please pray for the speedy and successful recovery of Attorney Robert W. Joyce of Roslindale, who has been admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Boston. Bob, one of the foremost and longtime leaders of the pro-life movement in Massachusetts, has been infected with the coronavirus and is suffering from pneumonia.
Bob is the former President, and is a current Director and officer of the Pro-Life Legal Defense Fund. For many years now, Bob has been an active supporter of Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, Operation Rescue: Boston and the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts.
One of the many important contributions to the pro-life cause, and perhaps the most memorable, which has distinguished Bob's long career, was a famous speech he gave some years ago to the Interfaith Assembly For Life, in which revealed the fact that over one million Massachusetts children have become casualties of surgical abortion.
Please storm heaven with petitions that Bob will overcome, quickly and completely, this dread affliction and will be able to resume his vital work in defense of the right to life. Please also remember in your prayers, during this difficult time, Bob's sister Eileen.
Omnipotent and eternal God, the everlasting Salvation of those who believe, hear us on behalf of Thy sick servant, Robert, for whom we beg the aid of Thy pitying mercy, that, with his bodily health restored, he may give thanks to Thee in Thy church. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Prayer for the Health of the Sick
NEWS UPDATE
TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
GOVERNOR BANS ELECTIVE SURGERIES
—ABORTIONS EXEMPTED
—CHURCH SILENT
On March 15th, the administration of Governor Charlie Baker, in an effort to maximize the number of hospital beds available for coronavirus patients, announced a ban on "non-essential" surgical procedures in the Bay State. This decision was enforced by a formal Order of the Commissioner of Public Health, Doctor Monica Bharel, canceling, effective March 18th, the performance of "non-essential, elective, invasive procedures" at all hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers in the Commonwealth.
A Guidance Memorandum however, also issued on the 15th, by the Bureau of Health Care Safety and Quality, determined that "DPH defines nonessential, elective invasive procedures as procedures that are scheduled in advance because the procedure does not involve a medical emergency; provided, however, that terminating a pregnancy is not considered a nonessential, elective, invasive procedure for the purpose of this guidance."
While abortions are now judged essential, cancer fighting procedures, such as excision and deep cryotherapy for malignant lesions are listed as examples of "non-essential" health care.
Both Planned Parenthood and NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts praised the Governor's decision to exempt abortions from the elective surgeries ban.
The Catholic Action League called the privileged and unwarranted exemption for abortions "further and compelling evidence of the complete and unembarrassed subservience of the Baker/Polito administration to the abortion industry."
Catholic Action League of Massachusetts Executive Director C. J. Doyle made the following comment: "As we have said before, the abortion lobby is, for both political parties and for both the Legislature and the Executive branch, the single most powerful special interest in the state."
"While the Baker policy is thoroughly appalling, it is also entirely predictable. What is, perhaps, more disturbing, is the pervasive silence of Church leaders to this corrupt exercise in political pandering on behalf of the child killing industry. As of today, neither the Archdiocese of Boston, nor the Dioceses of Fall River, Worcester and Springfield, nor the four diocesan newspapers in the state, nor the Massachusetts Catholic Conference have made any response to this latest aggression against innocent human life."
"The Archdiocese of Boston has been unsupportive of 40 Days For Life, Helpers of God’s Precious Infants, and Operation Rescue: Boston. It has, repeatedly, tried to discourage and frustrate the initiative amendment signature drive of the Massachusetts Alliance to Stop Taxpayer Funded Abortion."
"Various major donors, prominent lay officials and important consultants for the archdiocese have close ties to powerful pro-abortion political leaders, including former Vice-President Joe Biden. One of the Cardinal’s closest advisers is Father Bryan Hehir, the reputed author of the ‘seamless garment’ concept, which is intended to neutralize and marginalize the pro-life movement."
"Catholic institutions in the archdiocese have a long history of providing, unlawfully, awards, honors and platforms to pro-abortion public figures, sometimes with the personal participation of the cardinal. Now, no one in the Church speaks out about the abortion exemption in the elective surgeries ban."
"At some point, inevitably, Catholics are going to start drawing logical conclusions about the difference between what our prelates say, and what they actually believe, regarding the right to life."
SAINT PATRICK’S DAY GREETINGS
FROM THE CATHOLIC ACTION LEAGUE
MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
Perhaps nowhere else in Christendom can an entire nation and its vast diaspora of descendants trace their Catholic Faith and culture — and their prospects for eternal salvation — to a single saint. Our debt of gratitude to Saint Patrick is immense and unmeasurable.
Saint Patrick (+461) is the Apostle of Ireland and was the first bishop and archbishop of Armagh. He is also the principal patron saint of the Archdiocese of Boston. Sent by Pope Saint Celestine I, Patrick, in a single lifetime, transformed the people of Ireland from bondsmen of death dealing Druids to disciples of the Author of Life.
As a consequence, a small island upon whose soil no Roman Legionary ever trod, would help form the character of Christendom by its leadership in the two great civilizational movements of the early Middle Ages—the preservation of the learning of Classical Antiquity, and the evangelization of Europe, known to history as the Conversion of the Barbarians.
The feast of Saint Patrick is not "a municipal festival," as Judge Hiller B. Zobel erroneously asserted during the Saint Patrick's Day parade case twenty-eight years ago. Nor is it merely a communal celebration of ethnic pride, as one low wattage, nominally Catholic, ex-state senator tried to tell us.
We commemorate the feast of our patron saint because he brought the Catholic Faith to Ireland, delivering that nation, and us, from the darkness of paganism, and showing us the fountains "that rise in the heart of Our Savior above."
Only two Catholic organizations in Massachusetts in the last quarter of a century, the Immaculate Heart of Mary School and the Catholic Action League of Massachusetts, have publicly defended the venerable name of our patron saint from sacrilegious exploitation and coarse trivialization by the enemies of Catholicity. The silence of our bishops, priests, deacons, and religious is a terrible betrayal, which speaks to cowardice, the loss of Faith, the desire for human respect, and the malign influence of effeminacy in the ranks of the Church.
As the contemporary forces of paganism continue their assault against the Christian character of March 17th, and attempt to deform and de-Christianize our feast day, let us never forget that Saint Patrick’s Day is a Catholic holy day in honor of a Catholic Saint. Sancte Patrice, Ora pro nobis.
O God, You deigned to send Blessed Patrick, Your Confessor and Bishop, to preach Your glory to the Gentiles; grant by his merits and intercession, that those things which You command us to do, we may be enabled to accomplish by Your mercy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Ghost, God, world without end. Amen.
Collect of the Feast of Saint Patrick from the Missal and Breviary of Saint Pius V
There are only two writings of Saint Patrick extant. The first is his
Confession, while the other is his Letter to the Soldiers of Coroticus. The latter bears a prophetic relevance to the modern crisis of abortion. In it, our patron saint exhorts Catholics to avoid all fraternization with those who participate in the willful murder of the innocent: "Therefore I ask most of all that all the holy and humble of heart should not fawn on such people, nor even share food or drink with them, nor accept their alms, until such time as they make satisfaction to God in severe penance and shedding of tears..." He goes on to warn that "The Most High does not accept the gifts of evildoers."
When you see our modern priests, prelates, and Catholic schools giving, unlawfully, awards, honors or platforms to politicians who promote the mass killing of the unborn, please remind them of the words of Saint Patrick!
Once again, we are happy to present the good Sisters of Immaculate Heart of Mary School, who lightheartedly memorialized their departure from the South Boston parade with this melody to the air of "The Leaving of Liverpool," entitled "The Leaving of Boston."
Christ be with me, Christ within me, Christ behind me, Christ before me,
Christ beside me, Christ to win me, Christ to comfort and restore me.
Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ in quiet, Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me, Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
—from the Breastplate of St. Patrick
NEWS UPDATE
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
PRO-LIFE PRIEST EXCORIATED
In January, a few days after the 47th anniversary of the infamous Roe v. Wade ruling by the U. S. Supreme Court, a pro-life priest in Rhode Island did something which was extraordinary, unprecedented, entirely warranted and long overdue. His action proceeded from the theological virtues of Faith and Charity, and exemplified the cardinal virtues of Justice and Fortitude.
He announced in his parish bulletin that all state legislators who voted for the 2019 Reproductive Privacy Act—which repealed fetal homicide laws and eliminated all remaining restrictions on abortion in the Ocean State—would not be allowed to receive Holy Communion in his church, and would no longer be permitted to serve as godparents, marriage witnesses or lectors in his parish.
This courageous priest is Father Richard A. Bucci, Pastor of Sacred Heart Church in West Warwick in the Diocese of Providence. Father Bucci called abortion the slaughter of innocent children.
His resolute action is consonant with the clear warnings of Sacred Scripture, with Holy Tradition, with the sacramental theology of the Fathers and of the Saints, and with the teachings of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. His decision is not only consistent with, but is actually mandated by, the explicit provisions of Canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law.
By withholding the sacrament from those with innocent blood on their hands, this parish priest will put an end, in his church, at least, to a grave scandal and will prevent the sacrilegious reception of the Holy Eucharist. This will be charity to the offenders, who will no longer incur the guilt of mortal sin which comes from receiving Communion while not in a state of grace.
Predictably, the reaction by the media and the political class was a mixture of hysteria, malice and mendacity. The Providence Journal began their story on the issue, which was also carried by The Standard Times of New Bedford, with an irrelevant reference to a sexual abuse case dating back to 1957.
The Journal story also ran comments from legislators complaining, disingenuously, that the pastor's action violated the separation of church and state, and claiming, ludicrously, that the priest's real agenda was to punish lawmakers who voted to extend the statute of limitations for sexual offences.
Members of the General Assembly were so enraged by the priest's decision, and by his not unreasonable suggestion that the mass murder of 61 million innocent human beings since 1973 might actually be worse than the admitted evil of sexual abuse, that they held a news conference in the Rhode Island State House to denounce Father Bucci and demand his suspension by the Diocese of Providence.
The Washington Post, CBS News, CNN, NBC News, and the New York Daily News all joined the feeding frenzy. The Providence Journal went on to publish an angry letter to the editor demanding that the priest be "permanently defrocked."
The priest did have some defenders, besides the Catholic Action League. Rhode Island Citizens for Life and the Rhode Right to Life Committee denounced the hypocrisy of the nominally Catholic politicians who castigated Bucci. Former Providence College Professor Anthony Esolen spoke out, with blistering force, against the media lynch mob. Articles favorable to Father Bucci were published by Church Militant, Get Religion and LifeSiteNews.
Those defenders did not include, however, the Diocese of Providence, the diocesan press in New England, or the Catholic clergy. The diocese began by dodging the issue, claiming it was the priest's decision on how to enforce canon law in his own parish. It then issued a second statement, adopting what amounted to a neutral position, urging "all parties to refrain from unhelpful, inflammatory rhetoric."
Father Richard Bucci is to be commended for his bravery, fidelity and zeal for souls. The failure of others in the clergy to imitate him, and the refusal of the hierarchy to embrace him and defend him, is the scandal and the shame of the modern Church in the face of the most murderous evil in recorded history.
If you wish to to send a message of support for Father Bucci to the Diocese of Providence, you may reach Bishop Thomas Tobin's Secretary, Velia Lisi, at vlisi@dioceseofprovidence.org. You may also reach the Vicar-General, Msgr. Albert Kenney, at akenney@dioceseofprovidence.org.
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
FEBRUARY 7, 2020
Letters Editor
The Providence Journal
75 Fountain Street, Suite 200
Providence, RI 02902
To the Editor:
The Katherine Gregg article on Father Richard Bucci—the West Warwick priest who said he would withhold Communion from Rhode Island legislators who voted for the Reproductive Privacy Act—began with an invidious and irrelevant reference to a sexual abuse case from fifty-five years ago, (Priest: No Communion for R.I. lawmakers who supported abortion law, 2/1/2020).
What possible purpose was served by mentioning, in the lead sentence, priestly sexual abuse, other than to prejudice readers against Father Bucci? What Gregg did not tell her readers was that the molestation occurred between 1957 and 1965.
Bizarrely, Gregg then went on to begin another paragraph with the words "In his own defense, Father Bucci..." as if he was accused of misconduct or malfeasance.
Reading Gregg’s story, a reasonable person might conclude that when a Catholic priest offends liberal sensibilities, there are some in the media who would exploit the scandal of clerical sexual abuse to malign him.
Sincerely,
C. J. Doyle
Executive Director
Catholic Action League of Massachusetts
P. O. Box 112
Boston, MA 02131
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
FEBRUARY 6, 2020
Letters Editor
The Standard-Times
27 Elm Street
New Bedford, MA 02740
To the Editor:
Father Richard Bucci should be commended for his courageous decision to withhold Holy Communion from Rhode Island legislators who voted to eliminate restrictions on abortion and repeal fetal homicide laws, (Priest: No Communion for R.I. lawmakers who supported abortion law, 2/3/2020).
Father Bucci merely restored the perennial Eucharistic discipline, found in Sacred Scripture and upheld in both canon law and the Catechism, that only those without serious sin may approach the sacrament. This necessarily precludes those who collaborate in the taking of innocent human life.
This return to tradition prevents scandal and sacrilege, and is a charity to the offenders, who will no longer incur the guilt of mortal sin which comes from the unworthy reception of Communion
Sincerely,
C. J. Doyle
Executive Director
Catholic Action League of Massachusetts
P. O. Box 112
Boston, MA 02131
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
ACTION ALERT
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
TELL YOUR LEGISLATORS:
STOP ROE BARBARISM!
Please contact both your state senator and your state representative today and urge them to oppose the radical ROE Bill (S.1209/H.3320 An Act to Remove Obstacles and Restore Access to Abortion).
The Joint Committee on the Judiciary of the Massachusetts Legislature will likely vote on Wednesday, February 5, 2020 on whether to favorably report this savagely evil measure out of committee, which would pave the way for a full floor vote in both chambers.
The ROE Bill would would eviscerate all remaining restrictions on abortion in the Commonwealth, maximize the ease and convenience of third trimester abortions, and resurrect the hideous, pagan, pre-Christian practice of infanticide through exposure.
Although presented as the codification of Roe v. Wade in Massachusetts law, the proposed ROE Act far exceeds the language and findings of that U. S. Supreme Court decision, by abolishing any state interest in the regulation or limitation of abortion. If this malign proposal is enacted into law, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts would have one of the most permissive and dangerous abortion regimes in the world.
You can obtain the email address and telephone number of your senator and representative by clicking on Find My Legislator and entering your home address. You can also call the main number of the Legislature at (617)722-2000.
After you have contacted both of your legislators, please make known your opposition to this cruel and regressive measure to the Senate and House Co-Chairmen of the Judiciary Committee.
The Senate Chairman is James Eldridge, who can be reached at 617-722-1120 or James.Eldridge@masenate.gov.
The House Chairwoman is Claire Cronin, who can be reached at 617-722-2396 or Claire.Cronin@mahouse.gov.
Please contact them today!
Thank you.
MEMBER ADVISORY
MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2020
CONTACT: C. J. DOYLE
(617) 524-6309
catholicactionleague@gmail.com
ROY SCARPATO R.I.P.
The Catholic Action League of Massachusetts is mourning the loss of Roy R. Scarpato, who died on January 22nd at the age of eighty-two. A faithful Catholic, a Vietnam veteran of the U. S. Air Force, and an engineer with distinguished academic attainments, Roy was one of the founding fathers of the pro-life movement in Massachusetts, who fought to defend the sanctity and dignity of innocent human life for nearly half a century.
In 1973, Roy Scarpato joined with the late Doctor Joseph R. Stanton and others to establish Massachusetts Citizens For Life, which he would go on to lead as President and Chairman of the Board. Although not an attorney, Roy was one of the founders and organizers of the Pro-Life Legal Defense Fund in the Commonwealth, and was the 2016 recipient of their Thomas More Award. He also held positions of leadership in the National Right To Life Committee.
Roy was a supporter of the Catholic Action League, and its predecessor organization, the Massachusetts Chapter of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, since 1992.
Please pray for the repose of his soul. The League wishes to extend its condolences to Roy's wife Anne, to his children, and to all of his family.
A Mass of Christian Burial for Roy Scarpato will be celebrated today at Good Shepherd Parish at Saint Zepherin Church, in Wayland at 11:00 am. Interment will follow at Saint Zepherin Parish Cemetery.
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace. Amen. May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
It is a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they might be loosed from sins.— 2 Maccabees 12:4
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