Catholic Bishop Says He Would Die Tomorrow if Abortions End as a Result
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
November 24, 2008
St. Louis, MO (LifeNews.com) — While leaders of the Catholic Church met last week in Baltimore to discuss abortion and other important issues, most of the attention focused on their remarks concerning incoming president Barack Obama. But one bishop said he would give the ultimate sacrifice — his own life — if it meant ending abortion.
St. Louis, Missouri archdiocesan administrator Bishop Robert Hermann made the comment that is drawing worldwide acclaim.
"I think any bishop here would consider it a privilege to die tomorrow to bring about an end to abortion," he said at the meeting.
"If we are willing to die tomorrow, then we should be willing to, until the end of our lives, to take all kinds of criticism for opposing this horrible infanticide," he added.
Jennifer Brinker, a staff writer with the St. Louis Review, a Catholic newspaper, caught up with Bishop Hermann to have him expand on his comments.
"The reaction was one or two bishops started clapping, but then we moved on immediately," Hermann said about the response he received. "I received numerous comments from other bishops, thanking me for making this courageous statement. I said any bishop there could have and probably would have made the same statement."
Hermann singled out Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann and Bishop Robert Finn along with Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput as some of the "numerous" bishops who sought him out to thank him for what he said.
Asked about the thought process that led to the remark, Hermann said, "Very simply: If American youth are willing to go to war and lay their life down to defend our freedoms, then every bishop should be willing to give up his life, if it meant putting an end to abortion."
"And if we’re willing to do that, then we should be totally fearless of promoting this cause without being concerned about political correctness, without trying to build coalitions with pro-choice people," he added.
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