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Dear Cardinal DiNardo,

I appreciate your response to my letter and the book I sent you on August 9th. I would like to have a dialogue with you on the substance of your letter, if you don’t mind. There are a couple of areas where I think more conversation is beneficial to our efforts for the life and dignity of human persons.

I agree the Church advocates tirelessly to defend the unborn and to promote the sanctity of marriage and the safeguarding of religious liberty. I also agree that a great deal of this tireless effort is undermined by the soft advocacy given by the Church to the Democratic Party. This soft advocacy takes the form of Social Justice teachings which neglect the greater truths and letter-writing campaigns for issues such as immigration reform, healthcare reform, and climate change… generally portrayed by the Press as Democratic Party priorities. Aligning on these issues is aligning with their agenda. We are scandalized in our pro-life efforts as our own Church favors those who champion the culture of death. As your quote from Pope Benedict XVI stated, we can not remain on the sidelines in the fight for justice.  Just so, we also can’t play on both sides of the field.

“The Church advocates for the protection of human life in all its stages, including for the poor and vulnerable, immigrants and refugees, and those suffering on the margins of society.” What is the best way go about each of these? There are ways that encourage the dignity of men and those which subvert it.

• Do we help the poor with government handouts, meaningful employment, or individual charity? This should be a moral transaction. When individuals give of their own spirit, they express love for their fellow human beings and the receiver feels gratitude for the gift. When the government gets involved, it extorts taxes from citizens at the point of a gun to fund government “generosity.” The moral transaction falls apart as the citizen now feels resentment and the receiver feels entitled. Advocating for social welfare programs sponsored by government may not be the best way for the Church to protect the poor and vulnerable.
• Do we help immigrants and refugees when we create conditions which encourage human trafficking? There isn’t a popular cry in this country to end lawful immigration. You will hear a cry from immigrants and natural citizens alike for lawful entry. The Church should never advocate for lawlessness… but many bishops have done so on the issue of immigration. If you or I decided to illegally enter Mexico, we would be arrested. That is their law. That is the law on our books as well for those who break our immigration laws. Look around the world and find that every country controls their lawful borders. Why are our borders the only ones not worthy of respect? See what is happening in Europe with unfettered refugee infusions. Lawlessness and violent crime are on the rise and the Christian culture is under attack. Would it not be better to protect vulnerable refugees within their own cultures rather than moving them around the world to undermine Western Civilizations built on the foundations of Catholic teaching?
• Are those suffering on the margins of society best helped by government or the Church? These populations include those in the LGBT community who have gone right past seeking inclusion in society to demanding celebration of their perversions. There are many in the Church seeking normalization of sin (Fr James Martin comes to mind). Can the Church be holy and at the same time welcome unrepentant sin? Can our country be moral and also require the celebration of immorality? This is an area where the Church has been following secular culture rather than leading… and we are seeing the decay of culture in all western societies. Church leadership is needed to help those on the margins, not government programs.

On each of the issues above, we can have discussions about how best to accomplish the goal of caring for the poor, immigrants, and those on the margins of society. There can be no discussion on abortion and homosexual marriage—both are always wrong in all ways. We must stand against them in the truth of the teachings of the Church. Both are priorities of the Democratic Party codified in their platforms at all levels of government. The “seamless garment” advocating for the equal weighting of all issues of the human condition misses this greater truth and confuses the faithful. Catholics should be able to stand together as one Faith in one Truth, but we are divided by lies and confusion. You have the ability and the duty to repair these rifts.

“The Church does not intend to tell people for whom they should vote, or which party deserves our allegiance, but to propose that the message of the Gospel and promotion of the sanctity of human life should provide a moral roadmap for our nation and the world.”

If you read the letter and book I sent to you, you would see that I don’t want the Church involved in politics. I agree She should absolutely not tell people for whom they should vote nor endorse any political party. However, when a political party stands for intrinsic evil as part of their mission outlined in their party platforms… it deserves condemnation from the bishops. That political party has stepped into your realm of authority. You are not talking politics—they are talking human life and dignity. Given the strength of the Catholic vote, such a condemnation should be electorally fatal. Any political party wanting power would have to cease supporting intrinsic evil in order to recover from such a sanction. Do you want to end State-sponsored abortion in this country? This is how you do it.

I assume you’ve been watching the Supreme Court nomination process for Judge Brett Kavanaugh. The Democrats announced their opposition before he was even named. Why? They oppose President Trump’s picks for the Supreme Court because he has committed to appointing pro-life judges. All of the other noise aside… isn’t that an extreme pro-death position worthy of condemnation by the Church? The culture of death has been advanced through the courts because it can’t be advanced through the legislative process. Americans don’t support it. It has to be imposed. It is a process diametrically opposed to democratic ideals. If the Democrats lose the courts, the culture of death will falter. They are fighting tooth and nail to prevent it.

Our liberal Catholic neighbors don’t listen to us. They listen to the biased Press and the lying politicians. In the absence of truth coming from the bishops, they are acting on those lies. They have been taught to believe that they should form their own consciences and the USCCB’s voting guide has been written vaguely enough to give cover to any position and rationale. Buried in the middle of your guide is the statement, “Abortion, the deliberate killing of a human being before birth, is never morally acceptable and must always be opposed.” In my opinion, this should be in the front of your guide as the first hurdle any candidate or party must cross before soliciting Catholic votes. Your readers should only go past page one for any political party not supporting abortion and other intrinsic evils. The Democratic Party is the greatest advocate for abortion outside of China and they should be opposed by Catholic voters according to your own guide. Teach it!

This may seem like the wrong time to be on this message with the Church in crisis… but I believe these issues are related. I have only heard one homily applauded during Mass. In the Fall of 2016, a local priest gave a homily where he laid out the issues in my book and named the Democratic Party as the sponsors of these evils. The congregation stood up and applauded. Why? We know the truth. It shouldn’t be so Earth-shaking to hear it… but it is. The Church’s moral authority has been hurt by silence. The lies and coverups are only another manifestation of this silence. The faithful long for truth (especially the painful truths) from the Church. Where else can we turn? The Church failing to stand for truth (all truth) is a scandal of its own.

Unless the bishops speak out forcefully and together, ½ of American Catholics will continue to support the sponsors of the culture of death with the blessings of their consciences… to the eternal peril of their souls.

The Supreme Court is changing… and that is good. How bad will it be for the Church, though, to not be seen as relevant as Donald Trump in standing for human life in America? In my mind, it isn’t enough that abortion be narrowly defeated in its next Supreme Court challenge. The challenges will simply continue until the court is sympathetic again. The sponsors of the culture of death must know that the Church will stand against them as long as they promote abortion and other intrinsic evils.  They must know this will doom any campaign. This is a lasting message to them and any other party seeking power. That is a pro-life legacy for generations.

I encourage you to speak out while there is still time and will pray for you and your brother bishops. 

Sincerely and respectfully,

Patrick Yanke

Letter from Cardinal DiNardo – USCCB President

Every year, we march to end abortion. Yet, when it comes time to vote in November, the sponsors of abortion can count on about half of the Christian vote. It’s time we stand as one against evil in public policy by rejecting the advocates of those policies. We have to educate our brothers in the pews and it has to come from the pulpit.

My book is targeted toward Catholics because we are the single largest Christian voting bloc in America… but all Christians stand together in defense of human life. Our doctrinal debates don’t extend to the sanctity of life created in the image and likeness of God. Catholics represent as much as 25% of the electorate overall and as much as ⅓ in CA and NY. No politician should be able to advocate for intrinsic evil and expect Catholic votes—no politician can be elected without Catholic acquiescence in a national or state election. All Christian denominations standing together against these evils will send a resounding message to give up this demonic support or never win another election.

The Church must speak as one about real and threatening evil. An election is a hiring process. Why should Christians tolerate those working against human life in public office? President Trump will likely leave a 7-2 pro-life Supreme Court—he has done well with his appointments so far. If the Democrats regain control of the House, he will likely face impeachment for political differences. If they take the Senate, there will be no more pro-life judges. Our Christian votes will decide whether life will be affirmed in our laws as it is in our founding documents.

Most responses I receive from dissenting bishops and priests regarding my efforts quote the need to maintain the Church’s tax-exempt status. How free are we when the Church considers Herself subject to the rules of government? The Church isn’t tax-exempt because of 501c3. She was tax-exempt before churches were added to the code in 1954. The Church is tax-exempt because she pre-dates the government and our Founding Fathers did not want to have government control of churches. It’s that simple. The 501c3 code is a primary example of the way government takes control… government says it is merely codifying an existing relationship and nothing will change. However, once codified, the government holds the threat to rescind the code. What should exist after the rescission is what existed for 200+ years before that… churches are still tax-exempt. That is not what the government says will happen, though, so the Church complies.

Please spread the word. Encourage Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Priests, and Bishops to speak the truth because it is the truth. Marching in the streets won’t end abortion. Ceasing to vote for the only major political party that has abortion as one of their top priorities in their party platforms will end state-sponsored abortion. 

Once again this election cycle, I have sent a copy of my book to every cardinal, archbishop, and bishop in charge of a diocese in America. One person is easily ignored. A movement is hard to ignore.

Resources:

Letter to the Bishops
Church Bulletin Flyer

Party Comparison Flyer

Defeating the Culture of Death

Tomorrow, I will mail a copy of my book to all of the Cardinals, Archbishops, and bishops in charge of a diocese in America.  My goal is to encourage the bishops to finally speak out together against the evils of our day.  It is scandalous that we tolerate a major political party openly campaigning to preserve Roe v Wade while we simply march against abortion.  It’s time to vote against abortion.

Here is my letter to the bishops:

Dear Cardinal Wuerl,

I understand the policies expressed by the Church in regards to not taking partisan positions in elections.  However, standing against evil isn’t a partisan position. It only seems to be a political statement when evil is sponsored by a political party—but that is even more dangerous. We are not injecting the Church into politics, the politicians have injected themselves into determinations of life and death. We would be derelict to not respond. Lies are a staple of politicians and the media in election campaigns. We need to stand firm for the truth and not let our fellow Catholics be manipulated by the lies of modern culture.

The Democratic Party supports all five intrinsic evils of abortion, homosexual marriage, embryonic stem cell research, euthanasia, and human cloning in their platforms or through public policy. If not this, what does someone have to do to receive a rebuke from our bishops? Politicians are campaigning for a job, nothing more. We should not hire those who stand against our moral and religious values to make laws for us. I ask you to call them out in the model of our Lord Who decried the leadership of the Scribes and Pharisees (Matt 23). Call out these five woes against the Democratic Party as Christ called down the seven woes on Jewish leaders. Although political from their perspective, this is our moral and religious duty as the Church.

Scripture tells us there are four sins that cry out to God for vengeance: murder (Gen 4:10), sodomy (Gen 19:5-13), oppression of orphans and widows (Ex 2:23), and cheating laborers of their due (James 5:4).  The first two of these are dealt with in my book—they are fundamentally in conflict with the moral law and always wrong no matter how they are conducted. There is no “right” way to do either of them. The latter two are subjects for public policy debates. No political party has a plank in their platform advocating for the oppression of orphans and widows or the cheating of laborers. These sins are only an issue in any election to the extent of conflicting perspectives on public policy. We may disagree how a party or politician goes about caring for orphans, widows, and laborers—but these are public policy debates, not intrinsic evil. Those in the Church arguing for the “Seamless Garment” approach err in giving equal weight to all of these issues.

Catholics represent as much as 25% of the electorate overall and as much as ⅓ in CA and NY. No politician should be able to advocate for intrinsic evil and expect Catholic votes—no politician can be elected without Catholic acquiescence in a national or state election. Yet, Catholics have split our vote down the middle for a number of election cycles. No one respects our priorities because we don’t stand for them ourselves, as a group. Unfortunately, most bishops have done next to nothing to correct this problem. Too many bishops waste political bandwidth explaining the priorities of the Church regarding immigration reform, publicly-funded healthcare, and climate change. The Church must speak as one about real and threatening evil.

Most responses I receive from dissenting bishops and priests regarding my efforts quote the need to maintain the Church’s tax-exempt status. How free are we when our Church considers Herself subject to the rules of government? The Church isn’t tax-exempt because of 501c3. She was tax-exempt before churches were added to the code in 1954. The Church is tax-exempt because she pre-dates the government and our Founding Fathers did not want to have government control of churches. It’s that simple. The 501c3 code is a primary example of the way government takes control… government says it is merely codifying an existing relationship and nothing will change. However, once codified, the government holds the threat to rescind the code. What should exist after the rescission is what existed for 200+ years before that… churches are still tax-exempt. That is not what the government says will happen, though, so the Church complies.

Churches were added to the 501c3 code as a tool of control and specifically to silence the Church and other non-profits. Sen. Lyndon Johnson did not like such organizations having a significant influence in shaping public policy. What we have become is direct result of this action. The Church has a greatly reduced influence in public life and intrinsic evil has become a staple of public policy. Are you aware that churches do not have to apply for 501c3 qualification? Almost all qualifying organizations must fill out IRS Forms 1023 and 1024. Churches are not required to file form 1023 because they are considered covered by 501c3 automatically. Donations to churches are automatically tax-deductible. Churches have a mandatory exception to filing tax returns. The IRS code automatically exempts churches from its basic requirements.

In short, the Catholic Church in America is voluntarily silent… and misguided. It is not an endorsement of the GOP to point out the evil supported by the Democratic Party. We don’t compromise our impartiality by opposing the sponsors of evil in positions of public authority. We have compromised our authority by our failure to do so. Will the GOP benefit from such condemnation in a two-party system? Yes. Should this potential indirect benefit silence us? No.

We are scandalized among even atheists who wonder where our Catholic leaders are when the issues are so polarized and clear in our elections. Even our foes see that the Church is silent when it shouldn’t be. Unfortunately, the reality is that many of our bishops and priests support the Democratic Party. How can I say that? What if I told you the USCCB came out in favor of tax cuts, strong national borders, and 2nd Amendment rights… you would logically conclude the Church favors the GOP. Here’s the reality… the Church has been a major factor in pushing the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), immigration reform, and we even have a Papal Encyclical on climate change. These are Democratic policy priorities and people rightly conclude the Church favors Democrat policies. Can there be any wonder at the confusion sown among the faithful? Let the enclosed book be a companion to “Faithful Citizenship” as a first hurdle for the parties.

If you have followed the news, you can see the Democratic Party certainly knows who its enemies are… faithful Catholics. Their greatest fear is that the Church will do its duty and reject them. Your silence is their solace. See the recent elections in Ireland as a warning. The bishops there tried to walk a “middle road” in their exhortation. They took the “seamless garment” approach that gave equal weight to the economy, brexit, climate change, and the issues of life. That middle road has now enshrined abortion in the laws of that “Catholic” nation. Luke-warm leadership is no leadership at all.

Msgr Charles Pope wrote an article that read like it came directly out of my book and posted it to Facebook in the 2016 election cycle. The one main difference between his article and my book?  He said, “but I’m not going to name the party.” From that, there were posters on that thread who concluded they should inform their own consciences and choose “the lesser of two evils”—that was Hillary Clinton to them. Msgr Pope and I put that delusion to rest but this should be a wakeup call that there are too many who will take any amount of latitude perceived—no matter how infinitesimal—to vote for the party sponsoring intrinsic evils. The Church must be direct, forceful, and quick… before it’s too late. The Democrats have already made it clear that their number one priority is preserving Roe v Wade through the Supreme Court. To that end, they oppose anyone proposed by a GOP president—even before the name has been released. If they retake the Senate, they will use their power to prevent any more pro-life judges.

For their support of intrinsic evil, the Democrats should lose elections—and lose badly. My hope is that you and your fellow bishops and priests will make support for evil the next “third-rail” of politics that no politician or party would ever dare touch again. As long as intrinsic evil remains a choice in our elections, we will have evil in our politics.

Some bishops have spoken out. I call your attention to the bishops of Kansas standing as one in the last election cycle to tell their diocesan members they must vote with abortion at the forefront of their thoughts. Archbishop Aquila of Denver gave a very direct statement in support of this effort to confront evil. The most direct so far, though, has been Fr John Lankeit of the diocese of Phoenix during his homily at EWTN in the Fall of 2016. He laid out the issues and the Catholic position firmly and clearly as the voice of his Bishop. His example in every diocese of America would end State sponsorship of abortion. If you haven’t seen it, search for “Homily for October 2, 2016” on Youtube. I pray it may serve as a template to your own contemplations.

I look forward to discussing this with you further and will pray for our efforts as a Church to stand firmly against those who advocate for evil in public policy. As we celebrate the canonization of Jose Sanchez del Rio, may we all shout “Viva Cristo Rey!” at a government growing hostile to the Catholic Church.

If I am in error, I respectfully request your correction. If I am not in error, I urgently request your support. I am at your service to discuss the issues, conduct voter education in your diocese, and support your efforts.

Sincerely and respectfully,

Patrick Yanke

Encl     “Defeating the Culture of Death: the Pro-Life Vote”

Parish Education Materials:  Church Bulletin Flyer & Party Comparison Flyer