Church Flaws Don't Cancel Santity of Unborn

The Boston Herald

The church I grew up in was authoritarian. There were rules and the rules were to be obeyed. No questions asked. Same thing at home. A child's ``Why do I have to?'' was answered by a parents' “Because I said.”

Different world today.

In the confessional when I was 10, the pastor, a stern man, made me cry. ``I missed Mass,'' I said.

“Why?'' he asked.

My excuse? ``Because my mother didn't take me.’'

“Don't blame your mother. You walked to church today, didn't you? You missed Mass because you were lazy.’'

Bingo.

The church of my youth didn't pull any punches. The path to hell is paved with good intentions was its mantra. And the road to Heaven, though well-marked, is narrow.

To say that much has changed over the years is to understate the obvious. But this truth remains: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Most of us mean to do the right thing most of the time. It's just that right and wrong so often get blurred.

The church knows this firsthand and has been through terrible times, choosing wrong over right, and could, like many who are at fault, slink quietly out of sight for a while.

But the church is bigger than the follies of its men. And so its bishops are convening to decide what to do with Catholic politicians who support policies the church condemns.

The church met with contempt last year when it trial-ballooned denying communion to Catholics who support abortion. What would Jesus do? Clearly not this. But the church, unwavering in its support of life, has to do something. The sanctity of human life is the engine that drives Catholicism: All life is precious. Rich man, poor man, beggar man, thief.

And life in the womb is no exception. 

And so Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop of Washington, is in Boston this weekend meeting with leaders of Catholic institutions - hospitals, colleges, social service agencies - to discuss withholding honorary degrees from Catholic politicians who vote in opposition to church doctrine. It's a slap on the hand, and justifiable, not a slap in the face, like denying communion was.

Maybe tonight's airing of ``In the Womb,'' a National Geographic special that has nothing to do with the Catholic Church, will help those who are still in the gray area of the abortion debate decide where they stand. The ``4-D'' scan gives a live view of the womb and a three-dimensional view of life growing within it. A doctor operates on a fetus. Out of sight out of mind is how it has worked. But now?

The Catholic Church has its flaws. There are too many rights and wrongs, too many rules, and too much made for way too long of many little things.

But working to protect the life of the unborn isn't a little thing and it isn't a flaw. It's the mission and the moral obligation of a church that cherishes and supports all human life.