A Catholic archdiocese in California allowed a pro-abortion U.S. Congresswoman to speak at its Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels Plaza this week, despite pro-life advocates’ urgings.
U.S. Rep. Judy Chu has a 100-percent pro-abortion voting record and endorsements from both Planned Parenthood and NARAL. On Wednesday, she spoke at an Archdiocese of Los Angeles’ cathedral complex about her work in the on-going debate about health care in the United States.
Her speech was part of the Policy Cafe series, which is organized by the Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County. It appears that the archdiocese rented part of its cathedral complex to the group for the talk and was not involved with organizing Chu’s talk.
The archdiocese regularly rents parts of its Center at Cathedral Plaza for events. It advertises a conference center, meeting rooms, catering and other services for groups hosting events.
Still, the Catholic Church has a strong reputation for protecting all human lives, from conception to natural death; so the decision to allow Chu to speak on church property upset many local Catholics.
Californians for Life contacted the archdiocese and the California Catholic Conference of Bishops to ask that Chu not be allowed to speak on church property, according to its newsletter. It described Chu as an “ardent abortion supporter.”
The group continued:
Congresswoman Chu’s 100% pro-abortion voting record, endorsed by both Planned Parenthood and NARAL, surely stands in “direct contradiction to Catholic moral doctrine” and contradicts the “mission and principles of the Catholic Church”, clearly violating the ADLA policy. Yet, very sadly, there seems to be no moral will on the part of the Archdiocese to relocate this event.
Earlier this summer, the archdiocese also upset a lot of pro-lifers when it rented one of its buildings to a conference featuring two Planned Parenthood abortion business leaders. The archdiocese quickly responded to the outcry by having the pro-abortion event moved off church property.
PRO-LIFE COLLEGE STUDENT? LifeNews is looking for interns interested in writing, social media, or video creation. Contact us today.
Archdiocese leaders also thanked pro-life advocates for drawing their attention to the pro-abortion event, and reassured them that they remain committed to “the dignity of every human life and the protection of the right to life for all.”
Los Angeles Archbishop Jose Gomez has been a strong advocate against abortion and assisted suicide in California.
Gomez repeatedly and strongly urged California lawmakers to protect the vulnerable by rejecting a bill legalizing doctor-prescribed suicide.
“There is no denying that in California and nationwide we face a public health crisis in the way we treat patients who are terminally ill and at the end of life,” Gomez said in 2015. “But the answer to fear and a broken system is to fix the system and address the fears. It is not to kill the one who is afraid and suffering.”
Last year, Gomez also told a Hispanic pro-life conference that violence in society is rooted in abortion and euthanasia.
“So in everything we need to be clear that the root violence in our society is the violence against those who are not yet born and those who are at the end of their lives,” Gomez said. “If the child in the womb has no right to be born, if the sick and the old have no right to be taken care of – then there is no solid foundation to defend anyone’s human rights.”
