Interview: Bishop expands
on why a bishop "would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow to bring about an
end to abortion"...| Home - Latest News | Introduction | Bayside Prophecies | Directives from Heaven | Order Form | Testimonies | Veronica Lueken | Miraculous Photos | Bible | Radio Program |
Interview: Bishop expands
on why a bishop "would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow to bring about an
end to abortion"...
"Every man, woman, and child of the age of reason knows right from wrong, for he has been given an inborn conscience. At the moment of his conception life is within the womb, and at the moment of conception a life is forming, regardless of what the agents of hell now pollute the minds of mankind with, creating murders of the young! I say unto you, life begins at the moment of conception and all who extinguish this light are murderers, and without repentance shall be condemned to hell!” - Jesus, June 18, 1977
LifeSiteNews.com reported on November 21, 2008:
Last week, at the annual fall assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, archdiocesan administrator Bishop Robert J. Hermann stated that for any bishop, it would be a "privilege to die tomorrow to bring about an end to abortion." His comments were picked up by media outlets across the country and have been touted in the blogosphere as a courageous statement in the defense of unborn human life.
St. Louis Review staff writer Jennifer Brinker recently met with Bishop Hermann for an interview, in which he reflected on his statement and also answered several other questions relating to the issue of abortion, the bishops' meeting and the recent presidential election.
Q: Let's delve right into the issue at hand. At the recent bishops' meeting in Baltimore, you said this:
"We have lost 50 times as many children in the last 35 years as we have lost soldiers in all the wars since the Revolution. I think any bishop here would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow to bring about an end to abortion. If we are willing to die tomorrow, then we should be willing to, until the end of our lives, to take all kinds of criticism for opposing this horrible infanticide."
Could you explain a little bit more about the point you were trying to get across?
A: I think that the way abortion has been presented over the past 35 years so often is that this is something that's horrible, and we need to stop it. But it seems to me that people do not realize that it is 50 million children that we have killed. We have campaigned to save the baby whales, and yet we vote in pro-abortion politicians - which doesn't make any sense whatsoever.
I feel we need to be in an awareness-raising campaign to open our eyes to really see the destruction that we've brought about. There should be 50 more million Americans in our midst, and anyone under 35 can look around and say, 'Where are they?' And, 'I'm very lucky to be alive.'
We are grateful for all the soldiers who have died to defend our freedom. But at the same time, we aren't making similar efforts to protect the unborn. And so that's my concern - to raise the consciousness of all people to the atrocities that we're committing.
Q: What was the reaction of your fellow bishops after you said this?
A: The reaction was one or two bishops started clapping, but then we moved on immediately (to other business). I received numerous comments from other bishops, thanking me for making this courageous statement. I said any bishop there could have and probably would have made the same statement.
After I had finished, Bishop (Robert) Finn and Archbishop (Joseph) Naumann and Bishop (Michael) Sheridan commented. Archbishop (Charles) Chaput sought me out and commented. So numerous bishops had come up to me and thanked me for the comment. I said we're only doing what we're supposed to be doing, that's all.
Q: What was the thought process going through your mind in which you said, 'Yes, I would do this. I would lay my life on the line.'
A: Very simply: If American youth are willing to go to war and lay their life down to defend our freedoms, then every bishop should be willing to give up his life, if it meant putting an end to abortion. And if we're willing to do that, then we should be totally fearless of promoting this cause without being concerned about political correctness, without trying to build coalitions with pro-choice people.
Q: Can you tell me about some of the personal criticisms that you might have recently encountered in your role as bishop and your willingness to speak out for a culture of life?
A: First of all, perhaps 95 percent of the responses I have gotten have been very positive, very complimentary and very supportive.
The few negative responses I have gotten have not bothered me one bit, because I see that we're products of a secular society. And what I see very clearly is that the underpinning premise of our society - but unspoken - is that God does not exist. And our culture flows from that thinking.
But we on the other hand, we say, 'Yes God exists, and I believe in God,' but often we act as if he did not exist. We are acting the way we have been conditioned.
I cannot tell you the number of people who have e-mailed me or told me in person, 'This is the first time in my life that I voted contrary to strong feelings.' And there are others asking me how they need to deal with their past voting habits.
I have great empathy and great compassion for people who are influenced by society and are taken in by the big lie that God does not exist. My job is to raise their awareness to, yes He does (exist), and it does make a difference what you believe. It makes a big difference in what you do.
In addition to this premise that God does not exist, we also have to be aware that our warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities and the powers and the spirits of this world of darkness, as Paul tells us in Ephesians.
Therefore, behind Planned Parenthood, behind the abortion issue, is the evil one. I often see human beings caught up in this as victims of the evil one who need my prayers and who need my compassion and who need my love. We don't only want to save our children from destruction; we also want to save our adult brothers and sisters from eternal destruction.
Q: Why was it important for the bishops to craft a statement directed toward the administration of President-elect B. Odama? It heavily addressed perhaps the most pressing issue that currently faces the pro-life movement right now: the Freedom of Choice Act.
A: What makes this so dangerous is that candidate Odama said that one of the first things he would do would be to sign the Freedom of Choice Act when he becomes president. And that really frightens us, because it would be undermining all the efforts for the past 35 years of trying to limit the destructive effects of abortion.
The other concern that we have in the next four years is that he may very well have the opportunity to place two more people on the Supreme Court, which could secure the Roe vs. Wade case for many, many years.
Q: During his campaign in Pennsylvania, President-elect B. Odama said he has taught his daughters with proper morals, on the other hand, "if they make a mistake, I won't want them punished with a baby."
What do you think about that statement?
A: I am very horrified that he would make such a statement, which in effect is saying that he would be willing to see his grandchild killed for the convenience of his daughter.
When he promotes abortion, he is, whether he knows it or not, targeting blacks, because they have been targeted by Planned Parenthood with abortion information and facilities in their neighborhoods. So he and Planned Parenthood together are helping to reduce the African- American population in this country.
Q: I think there are many people, some Catholics included, who still don't understand why Catholic bishops and priests place such importance on abortion over other issues, such as the economy, immigration and the war in Iraq. Could you explain why Church leadership takes this stance that some have called "single-minded?"
A: Pope John Paul has made it very clear that while some people say that the economy, or the war in Iraq or immigration should be of prime consideration. But he said those rights mean nothing if the fundamental right to life is not guaranteed. Before these other rights mean anything, we have to guarantee the fundamental right to life. When someone is denied life, then all the other rights don't mean anything. That's the reason the Church places such a high priority on that.
For an individual to have a proportionate reason to vote for a candidate who supports abortion would be very hard to come by. The only way I could see that happening is if we had one candidate who supports abortion and another one who may mandate abortion ... as they do in China.
Q: We have noticed in the weeks leading up to the election a surge in the number of priests, particularly our young priests, who have spoken out for a culture of life. Is there anything that you would like to say about the courage these men have shown?
A: I am very edified by the growing number of priests, and in a very special way young clergy, who had the courage to speak out from the pulpit so incisively and effectively against the evils of abortion. I think more and more priests are beginning to realize the seriousness of this cause and also see that taking a strong stance receives such tremendous support from our Catholics.
I encourage all priests to continue to pray about the issue, to study the teachings of Pope John Paul II, and Cardinal (Joseph) Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI) on this issue, and then address it with love and patience and courage. We do not condemn proponents of abortion; we condemn their beliefs and their practices. We pray for them, and we want their salvation as we desire our own. When we preach pro-life from the pulpit, we're doing everyone in the congregation a great favor by presenting the truth of our faith in a very clear, concise and effective manner. The truth shall set you free.
Q: Is there anything that you could offer to our Catholic readers, which would give them hope for the future? What can they do to get involved in better promoting a culture of life, especially during these next four years?
A: I would encourage them to study the Church's documents - perhaps to start with Pope John Paul's, "The Gospel of Life," ("Evangelium Vitae") and then to follow that up with encyclical, "Humanae Vitae," ("Of Human Life") so they can clearly understand the nature of man and woman and the sacredness of God's calling for man and woman.
The more they study that and begin to live those teachings, the more they're going to come into freedom to promote the Gospel of Life, first of all, by the witness of their very lives. And secondly, they will be courageous in sharing their witness to others.
See the St. Louis Review Online here:
http://www.stlouisreview.com
"Our hearts are torn because of the wanton murder of the young by evil man.
Abortion, My children, is murder, the most foulest of deeds, that is punishable
by death! And what is worse than death of the soul?
"I say unto you, as your Mother, that any man or woman who performs or
takes part of this abomination of the murder of the unborn shall be given a
heavy penance upon earth, or if this penance is not given upon earth, that
person found guilty in the eyes of his God shall suffer eternal damnation in the
fires of hell."
- Our Lady of
the Roses, December 28, 1976
The awesome
Bayside Prophecies...
https://www.tldm.org/Bayside/default.htm
These prophecies came from Jesus, Mary, and the saints to Veronica
Lueken at Bayside, NY, from 1968 to 1995:
SIN OF OMISSION
"The
sin of omission shall condemn many to hell, be they layman or Hierarchy. I
repeat: not the sin of commission, but the sin of omission will commit many to
hell. Among them there will be also mitres." - Our Lady, October
6, 1980
U.S. SHALL BE FIRST STRUCK
"One of the
reasons the Eternal Father chose your city and your state for My appearance was
because of abortion, the murder of the holy innocents. Your nation, without
repentance, shall be the first struck." - Our
Lady,
March 15, 1978
THE UNITED STATES SHALL FALL
"How can a great country like the United States fall, you say, My child? You
ask Me in your heart. I read your heart. I will tell you why. Because they
have given themselves over to satan. When a country has lost its morality and
seeks the pleasures of the flesh, giving over, themselves over, to all manner of
abominations, like homosexuality, and condoning this up the highest courts of
the land, then that country shall fall." -
Our Lady of the Roses, November 1,
1985
DOCTORS
"Doctors now are profaning their profession, those who have given themselves
over to destroying human life in abortions." -
Jesus,
June 6, 1987
FOULEST OF DEEDS
"Our hearts are torn because of the wanton murder of the young by evil man.
Abortion, My children, is murder, the most foulest of deeds, that is punishable
by death! And what is worse than death of the soul?
"I say unto you, as your Mother, that any man or woman who performs or
takes part of this abomination of the murder of the unborn shall be given a
heavy penance upon earth, or if this penance is not given upon earth, that
person found guilty in the eyes of his God shall suffer eternal damnation in the
fires of hell." - Our Lady,
December 28, 1976
DESTROYED
"All who become part of or condone abortion, the murder of the young, shall be
destroyed!" - Jesus, June 2, 1979
HUMAN LIFE IS SACRED
"The Eternal Father command that you stop these murders at once! You will not
destroy the lives of the unborn. Human life is sacred in the eyes of your God.
No man has the right to destroy a life. The Father, He sends this life to you,
and only He will decide when it will return back to the Kingdom.
"Do not, My children, be deceived by the words of the evil ones about you
who cry to you of no space left for man. There is space, for My Father has a
plan for every life He sends." - Our Lady, August 5, 1971
WILL NEVER BE CONDONED
"You will remember, My children and My child, to guard the young. Your clergy
have fallen into darkness. Abortion will never be condoned. But We must have
others who fervently will go forward and bring out to the minds of those who
have actually seduced the country and the children--bring them the knowledge of
Heaven, hell and purgatory. Then they will not have free license to sin."
- Our Lady,
May 28, 1983
GOVERNMENT
"For that one reason among many, the United States will suffer unless there is
placed into your government a group that fears the Lord if they cannot love the
Lord. They will fear Him and find measures to stop the slaughter of the unborn."
- Our Lady,
April 14, 1984
NUNS
"That is what makes My heart ache, My child. That is one of the reasons Theresa
is crying constantly when she looks into the convents and sees what is going on.
Many now believe in abortion, the murders of the children; and many have
committed this act upon themselves." - Jesus, October 1, 1988
SIXTY
MILLION
"I say this for this reason: the Eternal Father is much disturbed at the numbers
of abortions being committed throughout your country and the world. These
numbers go upwards to fifty to sixty million in one year throughout the world."
- Our Lady,
June 18, 1986
TREATED AS GARBAGE
"O My child, My tears fall upon you all when I see all of the innocent little
babies being slaughtered . . . cast into garbage pails like nothing but dirt and
scum. They are living human beings! And all murderers shall get their just
recompense." - Our Lady,
March 18, 1983
BOMBS IN THE UNITED STATES
"These interlopers upon the serenity of the United States have dark skins....
With their plans there will be bombs placed in strategic places and many shall
die at the hands of these ruffians....
"One big reason for permitting this disaster in New York
would be the abortion mills throughout the city and the country."
- Jesus,
October 1, 1988
HOLY SPIRIT
"At the time of conception, the Holy Spirit makes the child, and the breath of
the Almighty gives it life." - Our Lady,
June 18, 1991
LIMBO
"And what, My children, are We going to do with all the aborted babies? O My
child, I know you feel as I do, for I can see the great distress on your face.
What are We going to do, My child? Do you understand when they come to Us, they
must go to Limbo? They are in Heaven, a happy place, but they cannot see God." -
Our Lady, October 2, 1987
SORROWFULLY
"Sorrowfully, the penance that is to come upon the world for the murders of the
unborn shall be a chastisement far greater in severity than man has ever
witnessed in the past nor ever shall pass through again. Your world is plunging
into a deep chasm of suffering and destruction." -
Our Lady,
May 20, 1978
OATH
"Your once loyal to the oath of a doctor, your once loyal doctors are now
butchers! For money they kill the young!" -
Our
Lady,
February 10, 1978
WOE TO THE WOMAN
"Know, My child, this simple lesson, that in these days of the latter times,
women will seek to cast off their role as mother and a woman. Women will cast it
off under the direction of satan, and murder her children. Woe to the woman who
does not repent of this vile abomination! She has walked the road to eternal
damnation and hell. Repent, O woman, or forever be lost!" -
Our Lady, March 18, 1975
Directives from Heaven... https://www.tldm.org/directives/directives.htm
D23 - Abortion
D142 - Sin of Omission
D196 - Life Begins at Conception
Articles...
Pope Benedict to bishops: Make everyone understand the "evil of the crime of abortion"
https://www.tldm.org/News8/PopeBenedictCrimeOfAbortion.htmPope Benedict: Abortion, divorce, homosexual unions "are evident signs of de-Christianization"
https://www.tldm.org/News9/PopeSignsOfDe-Christianization.htmSleep disorders increase after abortion, says new study
https://www.tldm.org/News9/AbortionSleepDisorders.htmPro-abortion scientist finds abortion causes, rather than prevents, serious mental disorders
https://www.tldm.org/News9/AbortionMentalDisorders.htmAbortion: the ultimate exploitation of women
https://www.tldm.org/news6/exploitation.htmAbortion and the contraceptive mentality
https://www.tldm.org/news4/contraception_abortion.htm'Non-persons' in U.S. history
https://www.tldm.org/News9/AbortionNonPerson.htmArchbishop Chaput says abortion is "central social issue of this moment" in U.S. history
https://www.tldm.org/news6/Chaput3.htmArchbishop Chaput says those who support abortion "rights" cannot be Catholic
https://www.tldm.org/News7/Chaput.htmCatholics who vote pro-abortion commit a mortal sin
https://www.tldm.org/News6/VotingPro-ChoiceJohnKerry.htmSeparation of Church and State: "a fatal theory"
https://www.tldm.org/News6/separation.htmFull text of Cardinal Ratzinger's letter to U.S. bishops, that they must refuse Communion to pro-abort politicians
https://www.tldm.org/News7/Ratzinger.htmCardinal Ratzinger says that refusing Holy Communion to pro-abortion politicians is a "doctrine of the Church"
https://www.tldm.org/News7/Ratzinger3.htm
Your names have been written in Heaven… "It is not by accident that you are called by My Mother, for your names have been written in Heaven.... But with this great grace you have great responsibility to send this Message from Heaven throughout the world, for if you are able to recover just one more for Heaven, an additional star shall be placed in your crown." - Jesus, August 5, 1975
A great obligation to go forward... "It is not by accident that you are called by My Mother, for it is by merit and the prayers that have risen to Heaven for your salvation. For those who have received the grace to hear the Message from Heaven, you have a great obligation to go forward and bring this Message to your brothers and sisters. Do not expect a rest upon your earth, for you will have eternal rest very soon." - Jesus, June 12, 1976
The sin of omission... "The sin of omission shall condemn many to hell, be they layman or Hierarchy. I repeat: not the sin of commission, but the sin of omission will commit many to hell." Our Lady of the Roses, October 6, 1980
We encourage everyone to print or email copies of this web page to all the Bishops and all the clergy. Also, email or send this web page to the news media and as many people as possible.
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