After five years of exhaustive research, whether heaping praise or burning coals, The Broken Path makes clear not only what can be done, but what must be done to restore our nation’s character, to return our society to a Culture of Life, and to reclaim both the Church and country that Catholics love! The Broken Path names names and pulls no punches. It is sure to be called controversial by some and praised by others—but definitely a must read.

THE BROKEN PATH

How Catholic Bishops Got Lost in the Weeds of American politics

A Review by Father James Buckley, FSSP
Spiritual Director, American Life League

Judie Brown’s latest book, The Broken Path: How Catholic Bishops Got Lost in the Weeds of American Politics, is an indictment of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as an institution and of many individual bishops—mentioned by name and deed—who have, by commission or omission, betrayed Catholic teaching on the sanctity of life.

It is also a panegyric for those bishops whose words and actions deserve thanks, loyalty, and respect from faithful Catholics. Among the latter, Judie singles out Bishop Thomas Tobin of Providence and Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix. Bishop Tobin’s private letter admonishing Congressman Patrick Kennedy for his rejection of the Church’s teaching against abortion was not only presented unfairly by CNN, but was not supported by the USCCB. And when Bishop Olmsted announced that Sister Margaret McBride, who obstinately refused to seek pardon for approving a surgical abortion, had thereby automatically excommunicated herself, he was portrayed in both the secular and much of the Catholic media as heartless.

Intrinsic evils met with silence and acquiescence

Abortion confronts our bishops on several fronts, and their reactions to this holocaust reveal that too many of them address it in a way that minimizes Catholic teaching. Moreover, as Judie writes, “When state legislatures are pressured to pass pro-assisted suicide laws that would, in essence, decriminalize the taking of the lives of the ill and the vulnerable, the USCCB remains aloof.” Human personhood legislation would protect the right to life of such persons and all others who are now vulnerable. “So, why is it,” she asks, “that whenever a personhood proposal is considered by a state legislature, or as a state or federal constitutional amendment, Catholic bishops find it necessary to publicly oppose it?”

Catholic bishops are also confronted by abortion when it comes to voting for pro-abortion candidates and denying Holy Communion to “Catholic” pro-abortion legislators. Prior to the 2004 election, the USCCB strongly opposed the Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics, a Catholic Answers booklet that explains that Catholics, “to the greatest extent possible,” should not vote for candidates who support abortion, euthanasia, human embryonic stem cell research, human cloning, or homosexual “marriage.” On the other hand, the USCCB’s guidelines, Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship, state, “[A] voter should not use a candidate’s opposition to an intrinsic evil to justify indifference or inattentiveness to other important moral issues involving human life and dignity.”

“Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion: General Principles,” a memo sent to the USCCB by Pope Benedict XVI in 2004 (then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, prefect of the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith), clearly states that a Catholic politician who manifestly and obstinately supports abortion must be denied Communion. Nevertheless, Cardinal William Keeler of Baltimore told the Baltimore Sun that “he opposes the attempt by some bishops to politicize Communion and deny the sacrament to politicians who support abortion rights” (“Cardinal Keeler calls for keeping politics out of Communion,” May 28, 2004). Archbishop Daniel Pilarczyk of Cincinnati, Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany, New York, and Bishop John Kinney of St. Cloud, Minnesota, issued similar statements to the press.

The following examples of Catholic bishops shrinking from their duty to uphold Catholic moral teaching, when that teaching is aggressively attacked in institutions under their own jurisdiction, are shocking.

San Francisco’s Archbishop George Niederauer remained silent when Susan Sarandon, an abortion advocate and Planned Parenthood supporter, spoke at a March 2011 fundraising event at Notre Dame de Namur University in Belmont, which is in his diocese.

Cardinal Justin Rigali, then archbishop of Philadelphia, made no comment when “Catholic” pro-abortion commentator Chris Matthews gave the commencement address at Philadelphia’s St. Joseph’s University in 2009.

In Buffalo, Canisius College “helped ’maximize [the] personal and company performance’ of Planned Parenthood of Buffalo and Erie County, according to the college’s website” (“Jesuit college’s management, fundraising programs benefited Planned Parenthood,” http://www.CatholicCulture.org, Dec. 4, 2009), but was not rebuked by Bishop Edward Kmiec. (As of May 5, 2011, the Cardinal Newman Society had reported at least 121 links between the websites of Catholic colleges and Planned Parenthood—a situation involving at least 43 Catholic colleges.)

Even more appalling was the action of Bishop Howard Hubbard and the neglect of Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg, Florida. In 2010, Bishop Hubbard approved a proposal from his diocesan Catholic Charities organization to distribute free needles to drug addicts, and Bishop Lynch refused the Schindler family’s entreaties to aid their effort to save Terri Schindler Schiavo’s life when a Florida circuit judge ordered her death by starvation and dehydration, which occurred in 2005.

Wreaking havoc

An entire chapter of The Broken Path is devoted to the USCCB, whose existence is not doctrinally required, but which, nevertheless, wreaks widespread havoc in Catholic dioceses.

For example, we are still plagued by the deleterious effects of the dissident group Call to Action, which is the product of the 1976 conference by the same name that was organized by the U.S. bishops.

Catholic Charities, which has very close ties to the USCCB, receives two-thirds of its funding from the federal government and is, therefore, reluctant to criticize immoral aspects of certain federal programs.

The Catholic Campaign for Human Development is a USCCB program that has conned millions of dollars from unsuspecting Catholics and used them for operations inspired by the unethical teachings of radical organizer Saul Alinsky. Moreover, American Life League’s researchers have revealed that large amounts of the CCHD’s annual parish collection have been used to support pro-abortion organizations.

Another cause for concern is that the USCCB’s Safe Environment program is overseen by Teresa Kettelkamp (executive director of its Secretariat for Child and Youth Protection), who has served on the advisory board of the militantly pro-abortion Feminist Majority Foundation’s National Center for Women and Policing. Moreover, diligent research reveals that the “safe environment” concept originated in the radical homosexual movement’s relentless campaign to promote its agenda on school and college campuses.

The book also details the USCCB’s active cooperation in the passage of the disastrous Obamacare bill and the failure of most bishops to openly oppose the University of Notre Dame’s selection of rabidly pro-abortion President Obama as its 2009 commencement speaker.

The facts speak for themselves

In The Broken Path, Judie does not reveal any hidden faults of members of the American hierarchy. Rather, she calls attention to their transgressions simply by using the public record, reminding her readers of reported events that many will themselves recall. Her purpose is to help erring bishops become what they are called to be: courageous and faithful shepherds of the flock Christ Himself has entrusted to them.

Rev. James Buckley, FSSP, is American Life League’s spiritual advisor and the director of spirituality for the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter’s Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary in Denton, Nebraska.

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