Is it Unreasonable to Call for Governor Cuomo’s Excommunication?

We ended last week’s radio show with some remarks in regard to the possibility of the canonical penalty of excommunication for Governor Andrew Cuomo of NY. That same day, Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of NY made these comments during a Jan. 29 discussion with Fr. Dave Dwyer on his program, Conversation with Cardinal Dolan:

Fr. Dwyer: …A lot of Catholics were kind of calling out, “What can we,” sort of pointing at you, “why don’t you do something?!” and I thought to myself, last week we have somebody on the show whose full-time job it is to do nothing but advocate at the state level for pro-life issues, among all the other issues that we have.

Cardinal Dolan: Well I’m gettin’…you can’t win, because on the one hand, the left is criticizing me led by the Governor, on the other hand the far right is criticizing me, because they said, “oh that Dolan, he’s too conciliatory, he ought to get rid of the Governor, he ought to excommunicate him, he ought to punish him.” C’mon, now. That would be completely counter-productive, right? Especially if you have a Governor who enjoys this and who wants to represent himself as kind of a martyr to the cause, doing what is right. He’s proud to dissent from the essentials of the Faith. He’s proud with these positions. For me to punish him for ’em, he would just say, “Look at the suffering this prophet has to undergo for this.” This is ridiculous. I say to the people, what are you all looking at daddy here? “(mocking) You better do something.” YOU do something! Okay? I don’t have much clout, some fat, Irish, balding bishop, talking about defending the Church and talking about how hideous this abortion bill is. They’re gonna’ say “Ho, hum. They have to feel that way.” You get committed, thoughtful, compelling lay people who are speaking up. They got votes, folks…”

I find much in that exchange very troubling.

We did follow-up by reaching out to Cardinal Dolan through various means, including multiple calls to his Communications Director, requesting a quick interview to allow the Cardinal an opportunity to further explain his thinking, but unfortunately, we have yet to receive any response.

The first question I would want to ask Cardinal Dolan is: Can reasonable people be calling for the excommunication of Gov. Cuomo? Does that really make someone, as Cardinal Dolan said in the interview, so-called “far right”?

Are you some far right extremist if you think Gov. Cuomo ought to be excommunicated?

The answer is: no, you’re not.

Reasonable people can certainly hold the view that Gov. Cuomo ought to be excommunicated. Canon lawyers themselves are divided on this.

The best I can tell from getting into the weeds on this topic a bit is that there is, in fact, a valid argument for applying canon law in such a way that would allow the excommunication of Gov. Cuomo.

Clearly, that’s not the way Cardinal Dolan reads it, but another bishop could read it differently. And some bishops have said that they would excommunicate Gov. Cuomo if he was in their jurisdiction.

It’s an open question.

What would be appropriate is for Cardinal Dolan to refrain from getting defensive, and simply explain his position: how and why is he reading canon law and applying it the way he is? But instead he’s out there negatively and unfairly labeling faithful people and dismissing their valid concerns. It’s completely unjust.

Personally, I agree with Msgr. Charles Pope who argues that all canonical penalties that can apply should be applied in Gov. Cuomo’s case.

I take this position mainly because it is honest. Actions have consequences, and Gov. Cuomo’s public support for killing children ought to earn him the worst possible consequences.

It is also true that the worst possible consequence rightly given for the worst possible action is an act of mercy, it’s medicinal, as some say. That level of honesty lets the person know even more definitively the seriousness of what he’s done. The hope is that it would spark remorse, repentance, and conversion. And while Cardinal Dolan seems to believe that would be impossible, God says with Him “all things are possible (Matt. 19:26).”

While I do agree it would be unlikely, we still ought to do the right thing and try. We still ought to extend the mercy of the punishment in the hope that it might one day have its intended impact.

Since the actions of Gov. Cuomo are extremely public, applying full possible canonical penalties would also be instructional for all. It would make clear the gravity of what we are dealing with here when it comes to abortion and it would instruct everyone on where the Catholic Church stands in no uncertain terms. Think of how merciful and helpful that would be for the many Catholics who vote for pro-abortion candidates. Some of them might even stop doing that when they realize how serious the Church really is about it.

Therefore, I think it is right to encourage any bishop with jurisdiction over Gov. Cuomo to excommunicate him, or if their reading of canon law does not allow them to, at least apply all possible canonical penalties as a tough love act of mercy toward Gov. Cuomo and for the good of all who are watching. I have seen arguments that both Cardinal Dolan, and Bishop Scharfenberger of Albany, have jurisdiction over Gov. Cuomo.

We’ll see what happens, or unfortunately, what doesn’t happen.

Seeing the True Nature of Things

Probably the most troubling part of the clip from his radio show last week, is when Cardinal Dolan says, “What are you all looking at daddy here?…YOU do something! Okay? I don’t have much clout.”

There are many different ways one could appropriately respond to this. Today, I want to encourage Cardinal Dolan and all bishops.

I remember how Pope John Paul II encouraged the laity in his 1981 Encyclical Familiaris Consortio: The Role of the Family in the Modern World, he said: “Families, become what you are.”

I say to our bishops, “Bishops, become what you are.”

Spend some time reflecting on the faithful texts that explain what a bishop is. What is the dignity of the office you hold? Perhaps, you have forgotten the vision, or the nature of the office, I don’t know, but I do know it cannot hurt to spend some time receiving from the treasury of the Church by reading and reflecting on the nature of your office and the responsibility of your vocation and the task before you.

Bishops, become what you are.

And lay people, it would also be good for us to carve out some time with Familiaris Consortio and reflect on our vocations and take to heart the meaning of those words: “Families, become what you are.”

We must understand the true nature of things, and be often reminded of the true nature of things, in order to fully live according to the true nature of things. This is of especially vital importance when it comes to understanding the true nature of our vocations in Christ.

All are called to answer the universal call to holiness, meaning to be filled with the very life of God, to be full of grace. Jesus extends this invitation to all of us, as a free gift of Himself, in the Sacrament of Baptism, and if we fall into grave sin after that, He invites us back – in the Sacrament of Confession, to be restored to sanctifying grace once more. And after Jesus grants us this forgiveness and freedom from sin, when we’re in that state of grace, in that right disposition, without any mortal sin on our souls, He invites us to live out our Communion with Him and with His spotless Bride, His Holy Catholic Church, by receiving Him, truly present: Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. And from there He sends us out, in union with Him and His mission, to be His hands and feet in the world.

As it says in the Catechism, quoting St. Leo the Great: “Christian, recognize your dignity… (CCC 1691)”

Then Jesus calls us into even greater intimate union with Him by definitively giving ourselves to Him in the vocation He calls each of us to. For most of us, it’s the Sacrament of Matrimony. For some, it’s the Sacrament of Holy Orders: diaconate, priesthood, and the fullness of Holy Orders, the episcopacy (being a bishop). For others, it’s consecrated single or religious life.

And all are members of the one body of Christ. Each vocation meant to perfectly compliment the others, for the building up of all, and to bring Christ to the entire world.

This is who we are.

So I respectfully disagree with Cardinal Dolan: it’s not an either/or. It’s not either he speaks out and acts or some intelligent, well-versed lay people speak out and act. Let’s speak out and act together. Let’s work together.

Cardinal Dolan, you and your brother bishops are still able to call a press conference and get all the media to show up whenever you want. They will come when you ask. You can call major national media outlets and go on their shows when you want to get a message out. That is not how it works for most lay people, even when they are intelligent and well-versed.

Together is the answer. United is where the greatest fruit will flow from.

Here’s my humble plea to Cardinal Dolan:

Have your best pro-life person at the Archdiocese reach out and assemble a team of outstanding lay people working in the pro-life movement and hire them to be your temporary spokespersons. It could be an all-star team, think: Lila Rose, Kristan Hawkins, Abby Johnson, Lauren Muzyka, or about 100 other amazing people, who could basically just go with you on national interviews and convincingly get out the pro-life message. Your clout would get the national media there, their gifts and expertise would convincingly make the case. They are thinking and living this every day. They have heard every argument and question 1,000 times, of course they can make the case more compellingly. And as you say, they’re not a “fat, Irish, balding Bishop.”

If we really want to go after the hearts and minds of the American people, the bishops working hand in hand with smart, faithful laity could get it done…and quickly. 

But to make that happen depends on the initiative of the bishops to allocate the resources to do it. This is a theme we will come back to in future weeks.

The Sidewalk Option

What about Cardinal Dolan’s exhortation to the laity?: “YOU do something!”

It is true, we all have to step up. No excuses.

Regardless of what anyone else does, including our bishops, we are still called to seek out and take effective non-violent action to work toward the end of abortion.

There are various options, but one essential action that needs to take place in every community where abortion exists, is the building out of a robust sidewalk ministry outside every abortion center, every hour they are open, year round, so that no one enters or exits these places without the hands and feet of Christ there in love for them.

In Rochester, NY where I reside we have been helping so many in the past 15 months since we’ve been training up and scheduling prayer partners and sidewalk advocates. I could share many, many stories with you of the real lives God has blessed through us. But in the past week, the Lord has provided the grace for me to personally see the fruit in some particular ways that I would like to share for your encouragement.

As lay people, we do have to go do something when it comes to responding to the reality of abortion, and we can see God’s grace working in us to do great things when we step forward in faith and show up in love of God and love of neighbor.

Last Thursday morning, I was out on the sidewalk and a young father, who must have arrived before I got there, came out to smoke a small cigar. I invited him to come over and he came. He told me the mom was already in the back for the abortion appointment.

He shared a bit with me about the difficulty they were going through and I told him about all the local help available for them. He didn’t know about it and he looked surprised when I told him. I could see his conviction rise as he realized in the course of the conversation that his child was about to be killed and the pregnant mom he came there with was in great danger. It all became real to him.

I told him the recent story, from the same location, of another dad who called the mom who was inside and she came out, saving the twins they were about to kill. He decided to take action and do the same, but when he called, it went to voicemail.

I encouraged and empowered him the best I could to go back inside as a hero to that mom and to their child, and do his best to get back to the mom’s room to share this new info with her that she did not yet have, especially for him to tell her that he wants to have the baby, and then get her out of there.

He literally ran back inside, knowing he was on a mission to save their baby’s life and to save both he and the mom from a lifetime of regret and every second mattered. 

I knew it would take a miracle as I have seen this general scenario play out several times before, where, armed with new information from a sidewalk advocate, the dad gets convicted while the mom is already back in her appointment, and I have never seen the Planned Parenthood staff allow the father back to see the mom after she is already in her abortion appointment.

But I knew God could work a miracle, so I prayed with my sidewalk prayer partner that Jesus would make a way. I also sent out a call to prayer and a bunch of people said they were praying. We all continued to pray for God to provide a path for him.

About 20 minutes later, they came out and chose life! All Glory to God!

I talked with them once more, made sure they were equipped with the help and support they need, gave them my phone number, and gave them the commitment that we will walk with them and help them as much as they will allow.

One thing the dad said to me on the sidewalk after I shared all the info with him and his eyes were opened, before he went back in: “Why didn’t you stop us before we went in?” 

I said, “We’re out here. We’re trying.”

We need to remember, there are moms and dads in our local communities going into abortion centers who desperately want someone to stop them and help them. And there is often no one is there. We need to rise up Church!

Even if the bishops will not lead us or work together with us in this ministry, even if they will not publicly affirm our good work and invite others to join with us, we need to go anyway.

Remember the empty sidewalk. We are all responsible. No excuses.

May no one enter or exit any abortion center without the hands and feet of Christ reaching out to them in love!

Let’s Get to Work

Finally, yesterday morning, outside of a different local Planned Parenthood abortion facility, I was prayerfully present, reaching out in love, and about four of five people refused to talk to me, some refusing even to look at me, as they walked past me and went inside.

As I often do, I simply asked God what He wanted me to say on that particular day. I sensed the following:

Ask, “Do you know all the help and support that is available for you?” And give a big smile.

Then, extend the pamphlet of info and say, “Here, take this…”

So when then next young woman exited her car, I said and did it just like that.

She was immediately receptive and came right over. She told me she thought she was pregnant and that she was coming to confirm the pregnancy, but she also said she wanted to choose life for her baby.

“You’re in the wrong place,” I advised her, “Planned Parenthood is an abortion business, you want to go somewhere where you’ll be given all the information about your pregnancy and where you will be sincerely loved and cared for.”

I asked her if I could call a local medical pregnancy help center and put her on the phone to schedule an appointment. She agreed and scheduled an appointment for the following day.

We talked for a few minutes more, I shared a bit more info she had never been given, texted her my phone number, and let her know we will be here to love and support her no matter what.

She got back in her car and left, without ever entering the Planned Parenthood for her appointment.

Glory to God!

These are real people, real lives we are talking about.

We can make a real difference by just showing up with a prayerful presence and a loving outreach. God will always work through us there, and sometimes we even get to see the fruits.

Certainly, if He will work through me, He will work through anyone willing to participate with His grace.

I highly recommend working to build a prayerful presence year round, outside of every abortion center in your community. 40 Days for Life is an excellent place to begin.

I also highly recommend working to train up and schedule sidewalk advocates to offer a loving and effective outreach to everyone going in and out of every abortion center in your community, every hour they are open, year round. Sidewalk Advocates for Life is an outstanding place to begin.

At least one prayer partner, and one trained sidewalk advocate, in peaceful prayer and loving outreach, every hour each abortion center in open, year round. That’s the vision.

Let’s get to work fulfilling it.

Hopefully, with the help of our bishops.

But either way, let’s get to work.