Burke's short list

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Due to a production error, "the pledge of faithful Catholics" appears on page 9 of the issue without the accompanying commentary.

Pledge.

Commentary:
I Pledge Allegiance to the Archbishop’s Short List

Beyond the usual familial cat-pawing that precedes elections, there does appear a mild civil war looming among the Catholic faithful in St. Louis. The conservatives, on the one hand, wave Archbishop Burke’s “pastoral letter” like a flag while moderates on the other insist that issues like access to healthcare and the war in Iraq are legitimate issue. (The liberals have long since left the reservation.)

Following Burke’s lead, some parishes are circulating something akin to a pledge of allegiance. It asks faithful Catholics to affirm Burke’s world-view which comes off as that of a detached philosopher/bishop. Its dependence on moral abstractions to navigate the world borders on inhumane. One must be blind to obvious suffering of our fellow human beings to declare same sex marriage a graver and more pressing moral issue than hunger, homelessness or the war.

Additionally his teaching that the death penalty is sometimes justified is a half-reading of Church doctrine. According to Catholic teaching the death penalty is only justified if society lacks the resources to imprison the offender for life. In other words, in the United States of America in the 21st century, the death penalty is always wrong. But it still doesn’t make the short list.