(LifeSiteNews) — Father Charles Murr and Liz Yore join John-Henry Westen on this week’s episode of Faith & Reason, in which they discuss the solar eclipse, the Vatican’s new document on human dignity Dignitas Infinita, Donald Trump’s disappointing statement on abortion and in vitro fertilization (IVF), Elon Musk’s disobedience of a Brazil court order to censor speech, and more.
On Monday, a total solar eclipse moved across the United States. Entering Texas near the town of Jonah, it passed over seven towns called Nineveh in the United States and Canada. The timing of the event coincided with first Friday, first Saturday, Divine Mercy Sunday (the Octave of Easter), and the transferred Feast of the Annunciation the day of the eclipse.
Some believe that the eclipse was a divine sign for repentance, while others observed that the Ninevehs affected were not in the path of totality, an objection Westen answers by saying that they were all either in the path of totality or in the path of near totality.
Just as the Ninevites had 40 days to repent, those who believe the eclipse is a divine portent believe that the United States likewise has 40 days to do so, 40 days from the Annunciation this year being the Vigil of Pentecost.
Yore observes that the eclipse passed over a town in Illinois called Carbondale, where its path crossed the path of the previous eclipse in 2017. Carbondale, she notes, is a conservative college town that since the Dobbs decision has become an “abortion destination.”
“We know that if there is any sin that must be addressed immediately in this country and around the world, it’s the sin of abortion that has really brought our country to its knees,” says Yore. She also observes that coinciding with the eclipse is news about abortion. Speaking to the effect the eclipse had on people, Yore says that it appears to be a “big wake-up for people,” with confession lines longer than usual.
“I heard about a lot of people who hadn’t been to confession in decades going to confession this weekend,” she adds. “So whether it’s a sign in the skies or in the calendar, I think it was a good sign. Now we have 40 days, and let’s see how the country responds in the next 40 days.”
Fr. Murr says that Catholics can look to the skies for signs from heaven, citing the star that appeared over Bethlehem announcing the Nativity. “Anytime you want to say something can’t be done, without realizing it, you’re limiting God,” he adds. “Never do that. It’s always a mistake.” He further notes that God has used animals, objects, and people to bring messages.
“God uses everything, even things that we consider negative,” says Murr. “Everything He uses to call sinners to Himself. So yes, why not? It can be, it can be. And to say it cannot be is to limit God. Never do that.”
A couple of weeks ago, GOP presidential hopeful Donald Trump said he would announce his position on abortion. When Trump did make his statement, he announced his support for IVF in every American state, claiming many pro-life Americans support the practice, and said he believes abortion should be a matter decided by the states and there should always be exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother.
Yore notes that observers claimed that abortion was “on the ballots” for the 2022 midterms, and that suburban women “came out very strong” supporting the Democrats over it. Her solution is to educate the public and politicians about the reality of abortion, something she says people have likewise failed to do regarding IVF.
“I think we need in the next several months to really articulate and push our politicians and the Republican Party, to be more pro-life, not to be embarrassed, not to kind of back off, not to be fearful that this is a position that is not popular among the voting public,” she opines. “We need to step out bravely and boldly and continue to put pressure on President Trump to be more pro-life.”
Yore believes Trump “in his heart” is pro-life but is caught in the middle of “dissonant voices” amidst a presidential campaign. Murr, agreeing with Yore, adds that he was waiting for Trump to mention adoption, and did not expect him to discuss IVF. Even so, Murr is hopeful because he believes that Trump knows what is right in his heart. To the priest, Trump is currently acting like a politician who can speak “with less pressure” after the election.
While the eclipse passed over the United States, Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernández, prefect of the Dicastery (formerly Congregation) for the Doctrine of the Faith, released Dignitas Infinita, a document dealing with the dignity of man. While the document denounces gender theory, “sex changes,” and abortion, it does not specifically address homosexuality.
For Yore, the document is a “placeholder document to pacify and tamp down the global outrage that continues over Fiducia Supplicans,” something she says is “obvious” because of Fernández’s immediate defense of the December declaration in a press conference about Dignitas Infinita.
“This is all about damage control,” asserts Yore. “It’s empty rhetoric and hypocrisy dripping off the pages of this document,” she continues, recalling that Pope Francis would at times say something pro-life, but then appoint a woman in favor of abortion to the Pontifical Academy for Life, and praise Emma Bonino, a notorious Italian abortion activist.
Yore further says that while reading Dignitas Infinita, she noticed that it cites the United Nations’ (UN) Declaration of Human Rights, and immediately thought she was reading the preamble of the UN’s sustainable development goals. She says much of what Dignitas Infinita discusses can be found in the goals and mentions several UN documents she believes “flowed directly” from the body’s initial declaration, including the UN’s Earth Charter.
“We’ve seen this before. This is the melding of the Catholic Church with the goals of the UN,” alleges Yore. Returning to the concept that the document is a “placeholder document,” Yore says that the document was a means of giving people Catholic doctrine before the second session of the Synod on Synodality this October.
Murr, adding to Yore’s commentary, says that the Vatican is “slow” to understand because it lives in a “bubble,” and that the problem is that those in the Vatican believe everyone to be “stupid.” “I think they think that people can’t read, nor can people reason,” the priest opines. Like Yore, he believes that the document is a way to appease people, and that “something else is coming down.”
Murr also addresses Fernández’s remarks at the press conference, saying that for some reason homosexuality must be “at the heart of everything.” While the problem of homosexuality is part of the human experience, says the priest, it is not at the center of everything, and that even when attempting to appease people over Fiducia Supplicans, Fernández felt the need to mention homosexuality.
For all this and more, tune in to this week’s episode of Faith & Reason.
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