Church Silence on Abortion Would be “Leaving our Young People Vulnerable to Making this Tragic Decision”

Archbishop Joseph Naumann, the incoming head 

of the Bishops’ Committee on Pro-life Activities

By Dave Andrusko
National Right to Life

Pro-lifers of all religious denominations and none were absolutely delighted earlier this year when the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops chose Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City to succeed another pro-life champion, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York, as chair of the conference’s Committee on Pro-Life Activities.

As many people have remarked, Archbishop Naumann is “one of us,” with a long history of pro-life involvement and an unflinching willingness to speak truth to power–including to pro-abortion Catholic politicians who hide behind the “personally opposed” fig leaf.

When I read the interview he gave to Catholic World, I was encouraged all over again. You can read the interview in its entirety here, so let me highlight just some of the fascinating quotes he gave to Jim Graves.

He began by reminding Graves that he doesn’t officially take over until the end of the year and then immediately outlined what the Committee has done over the year (which is music to pro-life ears):

Regarding the work of the committee, the pro-life issue has been, and remains, one of the paramount moral issues that the Church tries to give some guidance on to our own people, as well as society at large. Many years ago, the bishop’s conference developed a pastoral plan for pro-life activities. 

There are four dimensions: 

1) prayer, 2) education (which includes informing people about the issue, working to change minds and hearts), 3) pastoral care (we in the Church providing alternatives to abortion, and post-abortion ministries), and 4) advocacy (supporting public policy to protect human life, helping the Church to have a voice before Congress).

I also learned something about Archbishop Naumann’s background which helps explain why the abortion issue is so personally important to him:

My own father was murdered before I was born. It was in December 1948, and I was just three months along inside my mother’s womb. So, I was part of a crisis pregnancy, in a sense, even though it was a different culture at the time. As the issue evolved, and became an issue in our culture today, my personal background gave me a greater sensitivity to women facing a pregnancy under traumatic circumstances.

Graves then asked him when he preaches on the pro-life issue, “how do you present the topic?”

If I’m preaching a homily focused in this area, I begin with the acknowledgement that there are likely people in the pews who have had a direct experience with abortion. I say to such people that they know better than anyone else what a tragedy abortion is, and ask them to pray for me in my work that I can help others to know about the pain they’re experiencing.

I bring up the Project Rachel ministry, which helps women to heal from abortion. I tell them that that help is there, if they need it. I then talk about why the issue is so important, and that the rhetoric of “choice” is deceptive. People don’t talk about “choice” in other areas when the taking of a human life is involved.

National Right to Life article continues here