A Quarter Century of Catholic, Pro-Life Leadership in New York City

Archbishop Timothy Dolan met the problem and the occasion head on Thursday holding a press conference to address a report released by the NYC Department of Health that stated a horrific statistic that 41% of all pregnancies in the 5 burroughs of NYC end in an abortion:

"For the first time in my happy twenty-one months as a New Yorker, I am embarrassed to be a member of a cherished community I now — usually with a lot of pride — call home.

That 41% of New York babies are aborted — a percentage even higher in the Bronx, and among our African-American babies in the womb — is downright chilling.

This New York community is rightly celebrated for its warm welcome to immigrants, for its hospitality, sense of embrace and inclusion, and gritty sensitivity for those in need.

But we are tragically letting down the tiniest, most fragile and vulnerable: the little baby in the womb.

We have to do more than shiver over these chilling statistics!

I invite all to come together to make abortion rare, a goal even those who work to expand the abortion license tell us they share.

A quarter century ago, Cardinal John O’Connor publicly stated: “Any woman who is pregnant and in need can come to the Church and we will help you,” a pledge Cardinal Egan, and now I, reaffirm. Through our Catholic charities, our adoption services, our lobbying on behalf of pregnant women and mothers of infants, our support for life-giving alternatives to the decision all call tragic — abortion, — in our education of youth for healthy, responsible, virtuous sexual behavior, our health care, — we have done our best to keep that promise, … and these haunting statistics only prod us to keep at it.

Mother Teresa remarked that the worst poverty was to take the life of a baby so we could live, as we want. New York does not deserve the gravestone, “Abortion capital of the world.” Our boast is the Statue of Liberty, not the “Grim Reaper.”

Bravo, Archbishop, thank you for your leadership.

Archbishop Timothy Dolan: Anti-Catholicism is America's Pastime

New York's Archbishop showed me something here, no mincing words. Maureen Dowd finally held accountable for her incoherent rants. Click on the above link, a very worth-while read.

"...Finally, the most combustible example of all came Sunday with an intemperate and scurrilous piece by Maureen Dowd on the opinion pages of the Times. In a diatribe that rightly never would have passed muster with the editors had it so criticized an Islamic, Jewish, or African-American religious issue, she digs deep into the nativist handbook to use every anti-Catholic caricature possible, from the Inquisition to the Holocaust, condoms, obsession with sex, pedophile priests, and oppression of women, all the while slashing Pope Benedict XVI for his shoes, his forced conscription -- along with every other German teenage boy -- into the German army, his outreach to former Catholics, and his recent welcome to Anglicans.

True enough, the matter that triggered her spasm -- the current visitation of women religious by Vatican representatives -- is well-worth discussing, and hardly exempt from legitimate questioning. But her prejudice, while maybe appropriate for the Know-Nothing newspaper of the 1850’s, the Menace, has no place in a major publication today."

10/31 Post note: Archbishop Dolan confirmed he submitted this piece to the New York Times and they declined to print it.

More Insight on Archbishop Timothy Dolan

Here is a very telling Op-ed piece written by Archbishop Dolan last September. The piece is to answer a column by writer Brian Smith saying that the two bishops who publicly corrected Nancy Pelosi were "meddling" in state affairs. I think there are some very telling points to this piece.

First, Dolan is a very serious student of U.S. history, not only Church history which he has a degree in. I believe he will reference historic events frequently during his tenure.

He also gently corrects people with a soft demeanor. He does not take the black and white approach of an Archbishop Chaput, which this blogger prefers. I believe Chaputs strategy is more vital these days because the truth is so buried in our society, and a gentle approach does not always sink in to an A.D.D. society. In a past article, Dolan said he was unsure of the issue on refusing Communion to pro-abortion politicians.

He also frames the abortion issue as a civil rights issue first, and a Church teaching second. He might do this to neutralize the argument that being pro-life "is a religious belief."

"But church tradition is equally clear that bishops are the authentic teachers of the faith. So, when prominent Catholics publicly misrepresent timeless Church doctrine - as Biden and Pelosi regrettably did (to say nothing of erring in biology!) - a bishop has the duty to clarify. Cardinal Justin Rigali and Bishop William E. Lori were thus hardly acting as politicians, "telling people how to vote," but as teachers.

Even more significantly, when all is said and done, abortion is hardly a religious issue at all. Women and men of every religion, or none at all, express grave reservations about our abortion-on-demand culture, insisting that it is not a theological matter but a civil rights one."

We Have An Archbishop! It's Official; Archbishop Timothy Dolan to Replace Cardinal Egan in New York

The Vatican has confirmed Archbishop Timothy Dolan will be New York's new Archbishop.

Here is one of Archbishop's Dolan's hometown newspapers on his appointment with a really good summary on the Archbishop.

Whispers in the Loggia is reporting that Dolan is on route to NYC and will make an appearance at the 8AM Mass at St. Patrick's along side the retiring Cardinal. This will be followed by a press conference at 11AM.

We offer Archbishop Dolan our prayers as he accepts this very influential position in the Roman Catholic Church within our country.

As a side note, here is a description of Archbishop Dolan's Coat of Arms. I usually take note of these because it is how a prelate defines himself. The coat strongly incorporates his heritage and his many stops along the way (St. Louis and Milwaukee) and the motto is "Lord, to whom shall we go?". This crest defines someone with a strong appreciation of history and where he came from, but also defines someone with a singular future focus that is always reflected upon; that Christ is the one true Savior. The motto phrase he chose also underscores the Primacy of Peter/Rome.

It is likewise reassuring that the coat has a reference to the Immaculate Conception.

"It bothers me if any politician, Catholic or not, is for abortion. Because in my mind, we're talking about a civil right, we're not talking about a matter of Catholic Church discipline. We can't allow the noble pro-life cause to be reduced to a denominational issue." - a 2004 AB Dolan interview with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Archbishop of New York: Cardinal Egan to Archbishop Dolan?

An 80 year tradition has the Holy Father taking a Lenten retreat usually within the first week of Lent.

Here is last year's notice:

"Continuing an 80-year-old papal tradition, Pope Benedict XVI is canceling regular audiences and clearing his calendar to make a weeklong Lenten retreat. The spiritual exercises not only shut down the normal business of his pontificate, but also place the pope in the unusual position of doing all the listening and none of the talking."

This year's retreat is scheduled from March 1st through the 7th.

I do not believe the Holy Father will be making any announcement on the Archbishop of New York appointment during this time. It is not business as usual, the normal business is "shut down." In addition, I do not believe he will make the announcement from Ash Wednesday, February 25th, to March 1st, as it is might prove too distracting for beginning of the Lenten season. This would also be considered a celebratory announcement, which would be in conflict with the traditional Lenten theme.

So we are left with early next week, or after March 8th. Early next week would make sense as the Catholic Church in America would have heighten exposure going into Ash Wednesday, and the Vatican probably wants to clear it work load before shutting down for a week.

Archbishop of New York: Cardinal Egan to Archbishop Dolan?

Since I have had so many visitors on the Archbishop Timothy Dolan rumor, here is the Vatican web page that will announce which shepherd will lead that very important Archdiocese.

Check this page early each AM, by clicking the current day's link, then checking the "Other Pontifical Acts" section where they announce all appointments.

A New Shepherd for New York?

Paolo Rodari, a Vatican correspondent for the Italian daily newspaper, Il Riformista, has reported that Milwaukee's Archbishop Timothy Dolan has been selected to replace Cardinal Edward Egan to run the Archdiocese of New York. We will see how accurate Rodari is.