And here’s the text, again, for Archbishop Wuerl’s homily (text) at the 7:30 AM Mass at the Shrine on 1/22.
Finally, Cardinal Archbishop Rigali’s homily at the 1/21 Vigil Mass for Life:
For all of us, dear Friends, "the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," which we so earnestly desire, can be safeguarded and guaranteed only by prayer and constant vigilance.
The so-called freedom of choice, imposed on our country in 1973 by the Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade, mocks our freedom. Today Americans are not free to halt the destruction of unborn children. Our legislators are not free to enact laws defending unborn life, laws that reflect the values and will of a majority of Americans.
In many states parents are not free to intervene in the abortion decision to protect their daughter from a decision that has lasting, even eternal, consequences. Roe v. Wade denies fathers the freedom to save the life of their unborn child if the child’s mother chooses abortion. Siblings, grandparents—all are powerless, without freedom, to protect and nurture a vulnerable member of their family, because the Supreme Court said so.
Cardinal Sean O’Malley’s homily at a Mass last Monday morning in the Shrine crypt
He comments on his blog:
The witness of having many thousands of Catholics and a big percentage of the leadership of the Catholic Church together on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, I think, is a very important testimony to the fact that this issue is at the center of Catholic social teaching. You can talk about economic justice, racial equality, women’s rights and many other issues that are important. But if we don’t allow a person to be born, then they’re never going to have the opportunity to enjoy all of those other rights that we also defend. So there’s something very basic and very central about this teaching, and for that reason the Church must continue to be a voice for the culture of life.
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