An open letter: To Wisconsin residents

 

Dear friends in the State of Wisconsin,

 

I write this open letter in an attempt to briefly explain why I do, and the Church will always, take strong positions regarding the important issues of our times.

 

First, it should not come as a surprise to anyone what the Church believes and teaches regarding the issues of promoting and protecting marriage, rejecting the death penalty and advocating for the most innocent - the unborn - in all circumstances, even when potential medical advances are possible, as in the case of embryonic-stem cell research. The Church is intensely pro-life, pro-marriage and pro-family, and always will be.

 

However, these public positions are not "Catholic" issues. These are not tenets of our "faith" which we are defending. They are universal truths, based on reason alone. They are based on the fact that every human person has an unsurpassed dignity; upon the fact that every human being is sacred from the moment of conception to natural death.

 

Otherwise nothing else we do to care for other human beings makes any sense. This is a truth of reason; it is true for every human being. When I speak in this vein I know that some will call me arrogant for claiming to know the objective truth. This claim is actually an act of humble submission to the Creator - Whose truth this is, not mine, and Whose existence can be known by reason alone.

 

There are things in this world which we can know by our reason alone! Some things are objectively true and some things are intrinsically good - based in the first place on reason. This search for, and recognition of, the truth can never be based on my own subjective opinions, emotions or desires at the time. The truth stands outside of us, to be seen and recognized. When we recognize the objective truth, we need to reconcile ourselves to that truth, never the other way around - this is the natural law.

 

The very definition of marriage can be known, by every human person, by our human reason alone. The truth that marriage is one man, one woman, one lifetime, with openness to children is inscribed in the human mind-heart which yearns for one-flesh union, and is inscribed in the human body's procreative ecology. The differentiation among human beings should not be transferred from that of male and female to that of homosexual and heterosexual. Gender is foundational to our humanness and cannot be replaced, as such, by orientation. In arguing to protect and promote marriage, I have not once brought up homosexual orientation, nor will I. Jesus Christ died for every human being, and I want all to be treated as worthy of the shedding of His blood.

 

The truth about the human person revealed by reason alone should be supported by the state and in some instances by law. It is a fact that our state law currently recognizes the truth that marriage is between one husband and one wife. But it is also a fact that legislators and judges in other states, with similar laws, have taken it upon themselves to change the definition of marriage - which they have no right to do. Because it is defined by the natural law, no one, not the Church and not the State, has the right to redefine marriage as anything but one man and one woman, one lifetime, with openness to children. By adding the definition of marriage to our State Constitution, we can protect it from being illegitimately altered by judges or legislators.

 

My primary concern is the protection and further promotion of the truth. I have said numerous times, and I state again, that I will continue to defend publicly the inherent dignity of every human being on every opportunity I have as Bishop of Madison. This includes championing the authentic human rights of every person, and fighting against all forms of unjust discrimination. I will never suggest that "faith" be legislated or to tell people how to live their lives, but I will always engage the culture with the truth, as can be known by reason alone, and insist that State recognize this truth. This year, this means protecting and promoting marriage, standing against the death penalty, and urging an end to embryonic-stem cell research, while promoting adult-stem cell research.

 

Thank you for reading this, please know you are all in my daily prayers.

 

Sincerely Yours,
Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino

Bishop of Madison

 

The letter below from Bishop Robert C. Morlino was sent to the priests of the Diocese of Madison, dated October 25, 2006 marked "Personal and Confidential." Information about the letter was reported in the Wisconsin State Journal on October 30. The full text of the Bishop's personal correspondence with the priests is reprinted here, so that the full truth regarding the content of the letter can be known.
October 25, 2006
Dear Brother Priests,
   
   
Enclosed with this letter, you will find a recorded message from myself both on CD and ordinary-cassette-tape format, for your convenience. It is mandatory that this recorded message be played for our faithful people at all Masses of obligation on the weekend of November 4th and 5th.

 

Very honestly, I would prefer never to have to resort to this particular format, and you can be assured that my use of it will be extremely rare. In the slightly more than three years that I have been with you, this is the first time when it has even occurred to me that this format would be appropriate. The message is approximately 14 minutes in length, so its use at the time of the homily (when it must be used) will not prolong the duration of Mass.

 

I apologize in advance for this second paragraph that I must write, and I would very much prefer otherwise. My office has received reports that in isolated cases, priests have refused to cooperate with my requests in terms of preaching in defense of marriage and have even expressed disagreement with my clear wishes in this matter. Please listen to the enclosed message: it deals with the marriage referendum, the death penalty referendum, and the issue of embryonic-stem cell research.

 

The message is educational in its purpose, and is certainly non-partisan. What I expect of each of you is a simple introductory statement that the bishop has required this message to be played during the homily time at all Masses of obligation on November the 4th or the 5th. If you can express some support for the message that I offer that would be appreciated but not expected.

 

I must make it very clear that any verbal or non-verbal expression of disagreement with this teaching on the part of the priest will have to be considered by myself as an act of disobedience, which could have serious consequences. I am sorry that a few isolated reports cause me to write to all of you in this vein. Up to this point I have not investigated the accuracy of those reports and at the moment I am giving the priests involved the benefit of the doubt, as is my custom. But it would be less than fair for me to leave any lingering ambiguity in anyone's mind about my seriousness in this particular matter. As always you are welcome to discuss the matter with me, through the use of my private phone number.

 

The episcopal consecration of Bishop Paul Swain provides us an opportunity to celebrate all that is holy, and good, and inspiring in our presbyterate. Make no mistake that I am far more impressed by that holiness, goodness, and inspiration, than I am troubled by the difficulties that we may encounter with each other along the way.
With deep gratitude for all that you are and for all that you do in the Lord's service, I am

 

Fraternally yours in Christ
Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino
Bishop of Madison

 

 

11/8/2006
Catholic News Service

MADISON, Wis. (CNS) – After Catholics in the Madison Diocese heard a message at all Masses Nov. 4-5 in which Bishop Robert C. Morlino urged them to support traditional marriage and to oppose the death penalty and embryonic stem-cell research, voters in the state approved a marriage amendment and an advisory measure calling for reinstatement of capital punishment.

 

The vote was 59 percent to 41 percent in favor of a constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman, and 55 percent to 45 percent in favor of asking the Wisconsin Legislature to reinstate the death penalty.

The stem-cell question was not on the Wisconsin ballot this year, but played a role in some state races.

In a letter directing priests to play his 14-minute tape-recorded message in place of a homily during the Nov. 4-5 weekend, Bishop Morlino warned his priests that he would consider "any verbal or nonverbal expression of disagreement" with church teaching on same-sex marriage "as an act of disobedience, which could have serious consequences."

The bishop said his office had received reports "that in isolated cases priests have refused to cooperate with my requests in terms of preaching in defense of marriage and have even expressed disagreement with my clear wishes in this matter."

"At the moment I am giving the priests involved the benefit of the doubt," he added. "But it would be less than fair for me to leave any lingering ambiguity in anyone's mind about my seriousness in this particular matter."

In a note on his diocesan Web site, Bishop Morlino expressed disappointment at an ad placed in the Wisconsin State Journal Nov. 2 by several dozen Catholic families and individuals who called the bishop's stand on the proposed constitutional amendment "dangerous and wrong."

"We Catholic families of the Madison Diocese want to publicly express our disagreement with your position statement ... in which you equated the right of a loving gay couple to enjoy the legal benefits of a civil union similar to marriage with a 'Satanic plan to destroy family life ... and our country from within,'" the ad said.

"We believe you have done a great disservice to the church and mission of Christ by issuing such an incendiary call to arms," the ad continued. "We believe our Christian faith requires us to stand up for the rights of those who choose commitment over convenience, love over prejudice, and family stability over selfishness."

Bishop Morlino said he knew some of the ad's signers, "and I respect and love all of them in the Lord, as women and men of good will."

"I pray that God will heal their consciences," he said, adding that some of the ad's claims reflected misunderstanding of a talk he gave last March.

"Let us pray together that the bitterness which this whole matter has stirred in the hearts of some will be healed soon by the power of the Holy Spirit," the bishop said in the Web site note.

In June, the heads of Wisconsin's five Catholic dioceses issued joint letters in support of the marriage proposal and against reinstatement of capital punishment in the state.

In his tape-recorded message, Bishop Morlino said there were "three major sources of confusion" in the diocese at the present time. "No Catholic or anyone who claims to be with us should cause confusion," he added.

One source of confusion was from those who say opposition to same-sex marriage is discriminatory, "unfair or unloving," the bishop said. "I am so tired of reading that. ... Nobody has a right to redefine marriage."

On the death penalty, some argue that it "is necessary to protect people from heinous criminals," Bishop Morlino said. But instead of making society more safe, capital punishment "increases the climate of violence and terrorism," he said.

The stem-cell question is causing "the most confusion," the bishop said, with ads depicting a young child with juvenile diabetes and implying his or her only hope for a cure came from embryonic stem cells.

"That's baloney," Bishop Morlino said. "The people who like baloney are having a feast."

Embryonic stem cells "have not caused one disease to be cured or one injury to be healed," he said, while adult stem-cell research has had many successes.

"And why are we being pressured on this?" the bishop asked. "There are big bucks in this for someone."

Some Catholics walked out of Masses while the tape recording was being played.