The following is a letter to me from Kevin Gavin, Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. I asked his permission to publish it here, which he kindly gave.
Dear Deal, I read your recent commentary published by The Christian Review on Monday and was deeply concerned. We’re certainly all entitled to our opinions and free to make them known as broadly as we wish, but it’s crucial for those opinions to be based in fact.
I’m writing to clarify the issues raised by Archbishop Chaput in his column of August 9, 2016, “Some personal thoughts on the month ahead.” I also want to encourage you in the future to bring your concerns to me at the Archdiocese before you publish them. If you had questions about what the Archbishop said and what he meant I would have helped to clarify those issues. What you ended up writing painted the Archbishop as someone who has laid aside the importance of respecting the dignity of human life and that’s entirely inaccurate.
The Archbishop was providing his personal thoughts as a Catholic citizen. He underscored some key points that Catholics should bear in mind in any election. Our faith may be a personal thing but it is never a private thing. As such, our actions in the public square should be a reflection of the principles of our faith and forming one’s conscience in relation to action in the public square is critical. In the course of his column he even said that the right to life undergirds all other rights. He went on to recommend “Living the Gospel of Life” as an important reading resource in this upcoming election.
Your argument that the Archbishop has opened the door for Clinton as a potential choice for Catholic voters is also puzzling to me. He never said that directly or indirectly. He said that both candidates have serious flaws and he meant it. He won’t be endorsing or opposing any candidates and he isn’t going to tell people which candidate to vote for.
What he did was a very basic thing. He reminded Catholics to be Catholic and to do it in every aspect of their public and private lives. That’s as fundamental as it gets. He laid out his personal struggles with the choices we’re all facing and provided resources for people to better form their own conscience. People do have choices beyond the major parties whether it be an independent, a write-in, or a complete abstention from the process. Whatever choice an individual makes, it ought to be appropriately formed.
You indicated that you’ve admired the Archbishop for many years in your piece. In light of that admiration, and basic good will, it would be have been better if you’d asked a few questions instead of publishing assumptions.
Kind regards,
Ken
Kenneth A. Gavin
Director of Communications
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
OK Mr Gavin;
Your reply doesn’t clarify ANYTHING. Which, as the spokesman for the Archbishop means this is exactly what he wanted; more obfuscation and gutless tripe. We are not surprised.
“Our faith may be a personal thing but it is never a private thing.” Rubbish. You just nullified that statement with one that came a few lines later:
“He won’t be endorsing or opposing any candidates and he isn’t going to tell people which candidate to vote for.”
Of course he won’t.
Mr Gavin: Just the other day the Pope reminded us that we are living in the real world, not some irrelevant video game realm. So please remind the Archbishop. In the real world, Catholics need actual leadership, not pathetic, indecisive, effeminate froth. But alas, it is pathetic, effeminate indecision we are stuck with…unless the leader speaking is a progressive and in that case we get boldness because it appears the heretics have guts unlike the so-called “orthodox” prelates.
So we have an Archbishop here who considers his job one of just reminding Catholics to be Catholic {whatever that means in this day of muddled, chaotic and confused “Catholicism”}. He leaves the option left on the table to vote for a woman who has declared war on the Catholic Church and said several times that religious views on abortion must change.
Someday maybe we will get men to lead the Church. In the mean time, we will limp along with the effeminate leadership we’ve got now, leadership unable to make a decision, leadership that wants to act like all decisions are of equal value just as all religions are peaceful and lead to God.
What crap. What gutless crap. What shameful, pathetic, gutless crap.
Honestly, you would have done the Archbishop a better favor if you kept your fingers off the keyboard.
Please….have some respect for the hireling’s mouthpiece!
“The Archbishop was providing his personal thoughts as a Catholic citizen.”
But he’s not simply a “Catholic citizen.” He’s Archbishop of a major see.
The article by Deal Hudson was spot on. Chaput is a mealy mouth pseudo-intellectual, whose only real talents lie in appearing to be thoughtful, and going along to get along. The list of worthless (or worse) prelates in the USA is long indeed: Chaput, Weurl, Cupich, Gomez… I lose count.
Don’t forget Florida, Lynch. Seriously, he would NOT speak out in defense of Teri Schiavo. We had to plead to Pope JPII. Pope JPII came out while he himself was very ill and feeble and plead for her! Of course we have to be charitable and kind to immigrants! Of course!! But that is something we can all come together on when the time comes. Right now! The number one priority is to end the holocaust that WILL go on for another entire generation if we do not get good pro-life Justices in place. How ANY bishop cannot see the gravity of the issue is beyond my comprehension. It is our fellow Catholics that were instrumental in getting 0 elected (twice!) and now we are contending with SSM, males entering females restrooms and showers, and fighting tooth and nail to keep taxpayers from paying for contraception and abortion in our healthcare.
“The Archbishop was providing his personal thoughts as a Catholic citizen. He underscored some key points that Catholics should bear in mind in any election.” Hogsnot! This is as duplicitous as it gets. This condescending screed just confirmed he was offering more than his personal opinion.
Way to go Deal! When you got ’em talking like this, you hit a nerve and they’re backing up fast.
BTW, this guy has a high opinion of himself that he thinks Deal should vet his comments through him before publishing. Talk about megalomania…
So the Arch Bishop will not oppose and candidate?
Hilary Clinton is 100% pro mass murder of children and has said that she wants tax payer funded abortion…one estimate i read said if tax payer funded abortion becomes law about 30,000 more babies a year will be slaughtered.
The Arch bishop is a man who will not oppose the election of people who will murder millions of children….satan must be loving this.
You’re the real deal – Deal!!
I am not ashamed of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am not ashamed of the perennial Magesterium of the Church.
I am utterly ashamed of Archbishop Charles J Chaput. Without “Catholics” like him I strongly suspect we would not have legalized murder of innocents in this nation today.
Archbishop Chaput; anointed by the fat, grease, blood and guts of the murdered.
IN ALL OF WORLD WAR 2, in all Theaters of war combined, some 50 million people were killed. Since 1973 the Democrat Party and its supporters the “Catholic” voting bloc led by the gutless like Archbishop Chaput have killed some 63 million.
God save the Catholic Church and God save the lukewarm soul of Archbishop Chaput.
The flak-catching lackey speaks flawless bureaucratize. His response mirrors a response I received from Catholic Relief Services regarding their funding of contraception & abortion in Africa. “Make a mess!” reverberates down from the Eternal City; obfuscation rather than clarity messes the ability to decipher TRUTH.
I thank you for your speaking the truth, Mr. Hudson, as you spoke what was on our minds.
Mr. Gavin,tell the Bishop everyone is tired of all the effeminate leadership. Tell the Bishop to let his colleagues know all Catholics who really live the Faith and don’t fall for the socialist hogwash and moral relativism the Pope and his henchmen preach, are tired of being ridiculed and receiving zero support from our Bishops. A Catholic in good conscience could vote for Trump, as despite the flaws, he has promised to work to ban abortion, and stop the Muslims from coming in to harm our fellow citizens. The Church, prior to all the VII Freemason influence, taught that a nation’s laws / borders are to be respected for the well being of its citizens. Regarding Hillary Clinton, she is the most anti life candidate ever to pursue office. She has stated her desire to let even more “immigrants” flow unabated through our borders. No Catholic could even consider voting for Hillary, without being in mortal sin. The bishop also has the golden opportunity to set an example for other dioceses by no longer accepting government grants via Catholic Charities. Most of these bishops are lining their own pockets with this money they take for assisting these “refugees,” while telling us we are obligated to accept these “refugees.” Most of these “rsfugees” have no desire to assimilate. They then get continued free handouts from our honest, tax paying citizens, forcing us to support thsee “refugees”, many of whom want to destroy us. Please, Bishops, start preaching the 2000 year old Faith (not the Marxist infused stuff we are forced to hear now). Get yourselves a Baltimore Catechism.
This is what our bishops should be saying:
I have been reading very cogent commentaries by persons advocating voting for Donald Trump (of whom I am no fan) even if only for the purpose of defeating Hilary Clinton as well as equally cogent commentaries advocating to refrain from voting or writing in the name of someone who isn’t even a candidate so as to spare our consciences and relive ourselves of any culpability in the election of either Clinton or Trump. However, I firmly believe that eliminating our culpability is impossible.
It is my belief that humanity as a whole, by its lack of – or insufficient – opposition to abortion, has committed the gravest offense possible against God (Creator of all life). Therefore, I believe that humanity as a whole and every individual human being must participate in an active, not passive action, to bring about the abolishment of abortion worldwide. We Americans must start in our own country. There is no doubt in my mind that a vote or a non-vote that would in any way enable Hilary Clinton (possibly the most pro-abortion person in America) to become President of the United States would be a grave act of negligence and the absolute opposite path for those who wish to abolish abortion. It would indeed make us liars and hypocrites in the eyes of God and our pro-abortion opponents.
Fred, I hope you don’t mind. I’m sharing your reply. I’ll give the the credit. I hope it gets through to someone.
The election is between Clinton and Trump. Even if you do not like Trump and you think he is evil, your responsibility before God and country and your own family is to vote for the lesser of two evils. Trump is most definitely the lesser of two evils. If you abstain from voting or vote for a 3rd party, you will just throw away your vote or waste it. Any vote that is not for Trump may possibly help Clinton to win. Clinton is the most pro-abortion, most pro-socialist, most pro-immigration of illegals, (think ISIS!), most anti-religious, and most anti-American values candidate. Please, vote for Trump. God bless you. God bless America.