Fr. Frank Pavone on George Tiller’s murder

“I am saddened to hear of the killing of George Tiller this morning. At this point, we do not know the motives of this act, or who is behind it, whether an angry post-abortive man or woman, or a misguided activist, or an enemy within the abortion industry, or a political enemy frustrated with the way Tiller has escaped prosecution. We should not jump to conclusions or rush to judgment.

“But whatever the motives, we at Priests for Life continue to insist on a culture in which violence is never seen as the solution to any problem. Every life has to be protected, without regard to their age or views or actions.”

Blogger Geoffrey Miller says quite well my own thoughts on the subject.

I wanted to offer a few reflections on the occasion of Mr. Tiller’s death.

First, I feel that Mr. Tiller’s shooter is guilty of perhaps a greater crime than Tiller ever was–by murdering Mr. Tiller, his killer has expressed a most grievous hatred for God by intentionally denying a soul made in His image the opportunity to repent of grave crimes against humanity and discover real happiness and the power of life.

However we feel about him, whatever his status is now in the afterlife, Mr. Tiller is a brother in Christ, baptized into the name above all names and thus bound to our union of faith forever. I ask that prayers be made for his soul, and indulgences be offered to him. If he did manage to scrape through and join the blessed lambs on Christ’s right hand side–and I believe God is more merciful in these matters than we can ever begin to comprehend–it is my proposal that we should work to ensure his time in purgatory is very brief.

He knows the truth now. If the truth has indeed set him free, he will be a most powerful ally to us through his intercessions.

Perhaps some of you reading these comments will at this point object that justice must be done, that it is proper for Mr. Tiller to meet with damnation, that he got what was coming. I refer you to Luke 13:1-5 and Ezekiel 33:11.

I know what Mr. Tiller deserves. We all know what he deserves. But let’s be frank: no one among our mortal race wants what they truly deserve; no one deserves what they truly deserve. Such is the law of love. Let us hope that he gets not what he deserves, but instead the only thing right and befitting a creature of such high dignity as man: eternal life and unending joy.

Holy St. Mary, Mother of God, come to the aid of Mr. Tiller, your lost child, and bear him on angel’s wings to the celestial realms above this sorrowful existence. May he and those whose lives he took find reconciliation and friendship in the lush glades of the world to come, where the sun always shines and the sea is no more. Amen.

Mark Shea responds “God have mercy on both victim and murderer“

He was a monster who justified what he did by the good ends he claimed he was aiming for.

In that, he was a kindred spirit with the person who murdered him.

In our present cultural climate, it is quite possible that the man who did this just murdered the pro-life movement. It won’t take much more for Caesar to decide that not all terrorists are Islamic and begin to strip prolifers of the protections of law “to keep us safe”. He would be wrong, of course, to do it. But fools who are inclined to cheer for (or, more commonly, makes excuses for) this act of evil should bear in mind the fact that it doesn’t much matter if Caesar is wrong when he owns all the guns, police, and prisons.

I sometimes fear that one of the only consolations of my old age will be sitting in a jail cell as a “suspected prolife theocratic extremist” with other innocent Christians who formerly cheered for consequentialism and saying, “Toldja so.”

“If anyone has an urge to kill someone at an abortion clinic, they should shoot me. … It’s madness. It discredits the right-to-life movement. Murder is murder. It’s madness. You cannot prevent killing by killing.” – John Cardinal O’Connor.

Father Z

I await with anxiety the inevitable capture of the person who shot George Tiller to death.

Tiller will now be lifted up in mockery of authentic martyrdom.

I hope to God his murderer is not Catholic.

I am supposing he will be identified ad nauseum as a “right-wing anti-women’s rights extremist” and a member of “radical anti-social groups”, perhaps even the Catholic Church. “See!”, they will crow. “Homeland Security was right to issue that memo about so-called ‘pro-life’ groups?”
I am just cynical enough to wonder if he will not be identified as Catholic even if he isn’t. I just bet that most news outlets will try to tie this act to the Catholic Church’s teachings and the protests of a handful of extremists who protested … well.. you get the idea.
As despicable as Tiller was, his murder will result in harsh payback against pro-lifers.

Just as bad as the harsh payback will be the adoption of a cool and patient stance on the part of, for example, the Obama Administration – taking a soft and reasonable tone offering opportunities for more dialogue, etc.

Those Catholics who are soft on protesting abortion in strong terms will now be energized. They will claim that, yes, their way is better after all. We have lost the debate on abortion in the public square and now we must adopt a moderate tone and hope to get a little of what we would like to achieve. Stubbornness and litmus-tests only create a cycle of violence, after all.

On this Pentecost Sunday remember that when the Apostles broke out of their room into the public square they did not go forth into safety or comfort. Filled with the Holy Spirit and focused on the mission Christ gave them, they went out with a clear identity into the public square at the risk of life and limb and nearly all of the Apostles died as martyrs.

I think we need to get our heads into the right mental places right now so that we can see clearly and bear what the future will bring and God in His providence will permit.

I was quite saddened when I heard this news. First and foremost that Dr. Tiller was murdered and I pray for his soul. I pray for his murderer that he repent of the great evil that he has done. Lastly I pray that this does not setback the saving of innocent life. No doubt pro-abortions forces are strategizing how to use this news to further the destruction of innocent life. The media which sees pro-lifers as the stereotype violent fanatics found tin Law & Order episodes will only have their stereotype confirmed. They will totally miss that millions in the pro-life movement see the murder as an unjustifiable evil act. We love our enemies and nothing could make us happier than that they repent. I can think of the stories of abortion doctors like Dr. Bernard Nathanson who was responsible for the death of thousands and thousands come to the truth and he is not a single statistic in this. I think of of the murderer of St. Maria Goretti who came to repent of his crime due to her intercession.

On this feast of Pentecost, come Holy Spirit and fill our hearts with love and that we persevere in the protection of all life.

Obama/Sebelius apologist Michael Diaz for Vatican Ambassador. No surprise that a faithful Catholic would not be appointed.

As an atheist and a secular kinda guy, I practice moral relativism regularly. Still, I’ve always struggled mightily with the ethics and politics of abortion. Apparently, I’m not alone.

A new Gallup poll claims that for the first time since 1995, when the question was first asked by the organization, most Americans consider themselves to be “pro-life” rather than “pro-choice.”

The straightforward question asked of participants was this: “With respect to the abortion issue, would you consider yourself to be pro-choice or pro-life?” Fifty-one percent responded that they were pro-life and 42 percent said they were pro-choice. These percentages are the reverse found in the same poll in 2006.

What happened? Is it possible that the nation has undergone a gigantic attitudinal shift on the fundamental issue of abortion in only three years’ time? Logically, it seems that the entire framing of the debate has become antiquated and far too simplistic for the questions we face. Anecdotally, I would say it’s possible.

I know I’ve changed my views.

Tip to the reader who sent me this interesting article, the rest of it is well worth reading.

Feedie at Southern Appeal gives his take on the Sotomayor nomination to the Supreme Court.

My take on the appointment? She’s the best of the worst. Judge Sotomayor will almost certainly be a reliably liberal vote on the hot-button social issues, but she’s not going to play a leading role in shaping the jurisprudence of the Court (like Judge Diane Wood almost certainly would have done). She’s a political pick, plain and simple. I think the GOP would be wise not to waste too much political capital (assuming it has any left) on opposing this appointment. Judge Sotomayor will be confirmed, and strongly opposing her will only further alienate Hispanic voters. This is not to say that I don’t think we should expose her for the penumbra lover and radical that she is. Indeed, I am all for it. But the bottom line for me is that the folks waiting on President Obama’s on-deck circle are far, far worse. Think of it like a professional wrestling match: Let’s get in a few blows, and then let Obama have his pick. There are hills to die on, and this seat isn’t one of them (especially given the dems’ fillibuster-proof advantage in the Senate).

She was raised Catholic and so far there is no information on whether she still practices her faith. With the information available so far I think Feddie is right, it could have been worse. But when it comes to the child in the womb one vote upholding abortion on demand is the same as another. Considering what seems to be her judicial philosophy it certainly appears to be one that would hold up the legal fiction of Roe v. Wade. Unlike Republicans, Democrats have been great at picking nominees who don’t “grow in office.” Here’s praying she will be a disappointment for the enemy of the child in the womb.

Update: “Judge Sotomayor was raised as a Catholic and attends church for family celebrations and other important events.” [source]

Cosmos-Liturgy-Sex shows something quite interesting in that “States With Funded “Abstinence Only Education” Show Significantly Less Teen Abortions“

Though I a sure opponents of abstinence education would just shout back “Bristol Palin!”