Separation of Church and State? Obama Administration Trying To Silence Vatican Official

For many of the readers of this blog, Archbishop Raymond Burke - soon to be Cardinal Burke, if past tradition holds - needs no introduction. He first began to make national headlines during the 2002 mid-term elections when, as Bishop of the Diocese of Lacrosse, Wisconsin, he warned elected Catholic officials from his diocese who supported legalized abortion not to present themselves for Holy Communion. By the time of the 2004 Presidential election, he was Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis, and he once again made national headlines by advising then-Presidential nominee John Kerry to refrain from presenting himself for Communion at any parish in his diocese (Kerry instead chose to attend a Paulist center in Boston on those Sundays where he bothered to attend Catholic Mass, aside from the errant trip to Idaho where he appeared for Sunday Mass 15 minutes late and dressed in a ski suit, sauntered to the front of the Church where the first few rows of pews had been reserved for him and his entourage, and then had a cameraman record his receiving Communion for a next-day press release. What a touching show of humility. But I digress...). Archbishop Burke has since remained an outspoken opponent of allowing pro-abort Catholic politicians to present themselves for Communion, even forcing a debate on the issue within the painfully non-confrontational United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

It must have caused great consternation among pro-abortion politicians and a disturbingly sizable number of U.S. Bishops when on June 27, 2008, Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Burke Prefect of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, the Catholic Church's equivalent to Chief Justice of the United States. As the second-ranking judicial officer of the Catholic Church (behind only the Pope), the Archbishop now oversees canonical matters in the Church. As Archbishop Burke's stance against the reception of Communion by pro-abortion politicians was an argument he based on Canon Law, his appointment to the position of highest ranking canon lawyer in the Church by the Pope can only be construed as an affirmation of his stance on the matter.

Burke's elevation to the Roman Curia has not stopped his criticisms of self-identified Catholic politicians who support legalized abortion. One such politician is Kathleen Sebelius, presently the governor of Kansas and Barack Obama's choice to be the Secretary of Health and Human Services. As an ardent supporter of legalized partial birth abortion and avowed apologist for infamous abortionist George Tiller (more on Sebelius' pro-abortion political activities, and a list of links further detailing those activities, can be found here), Kathleen Sebelius has long been an enemy of the pro-life movement in Kansas, thus making her a perfect fit for Obama's cabinet.

It should come as no surprise that Archbishop Burke is no gushing admirer of Sebelius. His criticisms of her closely mirror those of Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, who has publicly made his own opposition to her fitness to receive Communion public knowledge after a private meeting failed to sway Sebelius' stance. This has apparently made Burke a target of the Obama administration, and word is now spreading of an imminent attempt by the administration to exert pressure on the Vatican to silence Burke. If the abortionist-in-chief is truly serious about this, then I think he is about to receive some insight as to what Jesus meant when He said that "the Gates of Hell shall not prevail" against His Church.

Still, the mere mention of the possibility that Obama will try to unduly influence Vatican policy should make the hairs on the back of any faithful Catholic's neck stand on end. I pray his first attempt is his last attempt, and I already know that it will be a miserable failure of an attempt at that. The silver-tongued appendage of the eloquent teleprompter-in-chief will not mesmerize the Vicar of Christ, nor will the strong arm of the Obama administration silence the head of the Apostolic Signatura.

For a more detailed perspective on this matter, please read this wonderful piece by Austin Ruse (who along with his wife Cathleen Cleaver Ruse heads the Catholic Family & Human Rights Institute).

As events unfold, I'll be sure to pass along whatever other information comes my way.

Happy reading. I pray this finds you well. God bless!


In Jesus and Mary,
Gerald