Archbishop Burke: Patriotism comes through being Faithful Catholics

The Archbishop came to Washington D.C. to be the keynote speaker at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast.

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - His Excellency, Raymond L. Burke, Archbishop Emeritus of St. Louis, serves as the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura and President of the Commission for Advocates. Now living in Rome, the Archbishop came to Washington D.C. to be the keynote speaker at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast on Friday morning, May 8, 2009.

His message was ominous yet uplifting. "I come today with the deepest concern for our nation," he stated, followed with a litany of the actions by the new administration regarding abortion, marriage, the family and our current culture. In citing the recent appointment of pro-abortion advocate Kathleen Sibelius, the former governor of Kansas, as the new Secretary of Health and Human Services, he called it an "embarrassment to Catholics."

The majority of his remarks, however, challenged and encouraged, as he called for fidelity to the Catholic faith and the teachings of our Church.

"How better to express our Patriotism," the archbishop asked those gathered, "than through a faithful Catholic life?"

In reflecting on the state of our current society, Archbishop Burke indicated that the problem does not just come from ignoring Catholic teaching but denying the natural moral order.

He offered two responses incumbent upon all faithful Catholics. The first is that we must pray - praying for our country, our president, and our other governmental leaders. He used the account of Jesus' healing of the man with a demon after the apostles had unsuccessfully tried to minister to him. Jesus' word to them was that some things only can come from prayer and fasting.

"Christ is with us in this battle," he said, encouraging those in attendance to remember that God does answer prayer.

"Pray the rosary daily; invoke the prayers of Mary Immaculate, who is the patroness of America. Offer special prayer for our nation and our leaders at every Mass."

The archbishop also called for fasting and abstinence as a means toward the transformation of the culture of death.

In addition to prayer, he also called the faithful to spend time thoughtfully reflecting and acting upon the Church's teaching. "Our encounter with the world must be clear and uncompromising," he said.

Archbishop Burke's speech was interrupted numerous times by applause from the 1300 people present at the Washington Hilton. He received a standing ovation when he stated that Notre Dame's granting of a degree to the president was "the source of the greatest scandal" to the Church.

He also took Catholic politicians to task who declared their personal support of life and family issues while not allowing those beliefs to influence public policy.

"The common good depends upon the engagement of personal faith in the public forum."

He went on to say that "enlightening the conscience is not interference or intolerance."

He went on to explain that the Church is called to address issues through her social teachings as well as natural moral law while not imposing the power of the Church over the state. The aim, he explained, is to help purify reason.

In quoting Pope John Paul II in The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae), he affirmed that Catholics in politics can vote for legislation that attempts to limit evil. He went on to say, however, that we can never be justified in supporting any legislation that is anti-life and anti-family.

Archbishop Burke's keynote address was preceded at the breakfast by remarks by Supreme Court Justice Anthony Scalia. Also present and addressing those in attendance was the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Baghdad Jean Benjamin Sleiman, as a part of a seven-day visit to the United States.

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Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online. After serving in ministry for decades including his service as an Archbishop in the Charismatic Episcopal Church, Randy and his wife Sandy came into full communion with the Catholic Church several years ago.

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