Will Archbishop Hebda Show True Mercy To These Manifest Sinners?

Last week, we shared with you the tragic story about the death of Melissa Hortman and how her bishop, Archbishop Bernard Hebda, failed to prepare her for death and judgment by refusing to exercise corrective remedies prescribed by the Church. While Hortman professed to be a good Catholic, her voting record stood in full support of abortion, homosexuality, birth control, and other grave obstacles to her full communion with the Church.  And with her untimely death, Abp. Hebda’s ability to help her conform to the moral and theological demands of Holy Mother Church has ended.  However, despite missing the opportunity to offer these merciful remedies to Melissa Hortman, he is still in a position to employ these remedies eight other similar politicians operating under his direct authority.  All eight of these lawmakers have publicly declared themselves to be Catholic, but have obstinately supported pro-abortion measures, including the denial of care to infants born alive after a failed abortion.

We humbly suggest that Archbishop Hebda begin with Senator John Hoffman who narrowly escaped death at the hands of the same gunman who took the life of Melissa Hortman and her husband. Hoffman was recently released from the hospital and may be especially open to hearing from Archbishop Hebda, given his near encounter with death.

We encourage all of our readers to earnestly pray for the conversion of these lawmakers and for Archbishop Hebda to have the courage to exercise the remedies of withholding Holy Communion and/or prescribing excommunication in the hopes of calling these manifest sinners back to the faith.  Here again is an excerpt from Cardinal Raymond Burke’s speech cited in last week’s column:

“To ignore the fact that Catholics in public life, for example, who persistently violate the moral law regarding the inviolability of innocent human life or the integrity of the marital union, lead many into confusion or even error regarding the most fundamental teachings of the moral law, in fact, contributes to the confusion and error, redounding to the gravest harm to our brothers and sisters, and, therefore, to the whole nation. The perennial discipline of the Church, for that reason among other reasons, has prohibited the giving of Holy Communion and the granting of a Church funeral to those who persist, after admonition, in the grave violation of the moral law (Code of Canon Law, c. 915; and 1184, § 1, 3º).”

Some claim that the remedies of denying communion, imposing an interdict, or even prescribing an excommunication – disciplines the Church has consistently observed through the centuries – should be abandoned.  The most common reason given for this is that such acts presume to pass judgment on the eternal salvation of a soul, which belongs to God alone. On the contrary, these disciplines are not a judgment on the eternal salvation of the soul in question, but simply acknowledge of an objective truth: The public actions of the soul are in serious violation of the moral law, placing his soul – and the souls scandalized by his erroneous ideas and actions – in jeopardy of losing their salvation. The Church confides every soul to the mercy of God, which is great beyond all our imagining.  But God’s Mercy does not excuse His servants from applying the merciful remedies He has provided through the ministry of the Church throughout the ages for the salvation of souls.

TAKE ACTION: Contact Archbishop Hebda at archbishop@archspm.org or 651.291.4511. Let him know that you are praying for him to have the courage to employ the appropriate remedies to end this public scandal and recall these lawmakers to be in full communion with the Church.