Archbishop Explains the Pope’s Approach to Opposing Abortion

Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki says, “Until I die, I will be supportive of pro-life efforts.” But does he understand what Pope Francis meant when he said that the Catholic Church was obsessed with issues such as abortion?

Yes, he said, during an “On the Issues with Mike Gousha” program at Eckstein Hall on Monday. The pope, he said, was not talking about the “rightness of the issue” and the church’s opposition to abortion. He was talking about how you spread the church’s message and bring people in.

Speaking of those who are particularly intent on the church’s fighting abortion, Listecki told Gousha, Marquette Law School’s distinguished fellow in law and public policy, “These are my friends. Do they sometimes give me heartburn? Yes, they do.” The way the church’s position is articulated by some can push people away, and that was what Pope Francis meant, the archbishop said. 

“It’s the passion that sometimes surrounds the issue that can create, if you want, the obsession, and I think, basically, that’s what Francis was talking about,” Listecki said. “We have to understand that the issues we have sometimes call us to basically embrace a broader perspective or at least to pull people in, so that our presentation of the truth, our presentation of the doctrine, can be heard.” If you start dealing with people from a standpoint of opposition, you won’t be heard, he said.

Gousha asked Listecki for his thoughts on Cardinal Raymond Burke, once the bishop of La Crosse. (LIstecki was his successor there.) Burke, considered by some to be one of the most conservative leaders of the church, was demoted recently by the pope from the Vatican’s highest court to a philanthropic post considered to be largely ceremonial.

“Let me tell you, whatever is painted in the press about Raymond Burke, [he is] one of the most passionate and sensitive, out-reaching people you will ever meet,” Listecki said. He said Burke understood that a gap had developed between the church’s positions and the practices of many Catholics, and Burke “rightfully kind of caught the passion” of standing for Catholic doctrine.

Others, Listecki said, might want to seek more dialogue. Listecki called it a matter of a style of leadership and not differences over basic doctrine. He said Burke is “a loyal son of the church” who will do what Pope Francis directs.

Listecki described the pope, who is approaching his second anniversary in that position, as someone with “immediate likability,” who loves the poor and those in need, and as someone who sets aside some of the trappings that can come with being pope. Listecki said that Francis is someone who is basically a pastor, and that means sometimes he’s going to say things off the cuff.

On issues related to the Milwaukee archdiocese, Listecki said he was pleased with the results of a synod he called last year and how it has energized involvement in the church.

He also praised the work of those involved in Catholic schools in Milwaukee and throughout the 10-county archdiocese. He said that enrollment had increased here in recent years as it declined nationwide. He said the archdiocese is launching a Catholic urban initiative to work on strengthening Catholic schools and improving student outcomes in urban areas.

Listecki said he is hopeful that the archdiocese’s bankruptcy proceedings will not continue for too much longer, but the case has been a complicated one, including difficult issues of determining what are the assets of the archdiocese and what are assets of parishes or entities such as the Catholic cemetery trust. The bankruptcy filing several years ago was prompted by legal claims from victims of sexual abuse by clergy. Listecki said, “Nothing we can do will end the pain” of victims, but he hoped the church would continue to find ways to help them.

Asked by Gousha what his reaction was to vicious acts committed recently in the name of religion, Listecki said that such things as beheading people or burning  them alive are not the acts of legitimate Muslims but of people involved in “false religion.” The acts, he said, “are nothing but evil. Evil. Simple evil.”

Video of the one-hour conversation may be viewed by clicking here.

 

 

This Post Has 2 Comments

  1. Brad Bruno

    “…Listecki said that such things as beheading people or burning them alive are not the acts of legitimate Muslims but of people involved in “false religion.” To a Muslim, Christianity is a false religion. To an atheist all religions are false. Isn’t it a moot point if it’s false or not – the truth is a specific number of Muslims are killing Christians. And that evil should be stopped.

    1. Mark Tamisiea

      The Abu Dhabi document of Pope Francis that states that God wills a plurality of religions is plainly false. The only reason there are religions other than the true faith of the One, Holy, Catholic & Apostolic Church is because of sin.

      The errors of relativism ought to be common knowledge in a law school, but it’s no surprise that it’s not common knowledge at a modern Jesuit university’s law school.

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