Why hadn't I thought of that? What must be wrong with me when I cannot come up with such a simple and safe solution to any moral and ethical situation I may face? Here I have been stumbling along making mistake after mistake, slipping back into sin so often that I have wondered if I could ever remove its grip in my life, and the solution to all my problems, issues, dilemmas, and concerns was right there hanging on my address next to my front door! How long have I been struggling to do the right thing, striving to find the right path, trying my best to be the right kind of person, when I only needed to look at my zip code, area code, and parish address!

    Finally, after all of these years of struggle, concerns, and consequences, I can sit calmly knowing that there is no one single right and wrong! No! All I have to do is understand that certain beliefs and actions are "suggested" and others are dependent on local parish direction and policy. Truly, I feel as if a great weight has been lifted from my shoulders and placed squarely on my soul!

Vast Application

    What is that you say? Faced with tough parenting issues and rebellious teens? No problem! Just consult a local parenting guide to see what your community suggests concerning teen sex, drug use, disrespect, and parental discipline. What's that? You say your community is a bit strict for your taste? No problem! Just move a few miles to that community with easier rules to live by! Faced with confused teens trying to figure out right and wrong? Either tell them to get in line behind you on the confusion line or, if you are in the happy mood to pass the buck as the USCCB did, just hand them a local morality/ethics guide they can look over. There is no doubt that we will truly fulfill our duty to raise fine teens into fine adults with this kind of powerful, clear message!

    Hey, what about our schools? Did you know that the most vile, vulgar, and violent behavior is allowed in our public schools? Sure! It is protected by a network of loopholes, political and social eggs to walk on, and knee-jerk reactions which protect culprits instead of victims! Is punching a classmate, cursing out a teacher, disrupting a class, or destroying property acceptable behavior? It depends on 500 variables which have found the lovely way to protect punks and strip the classroom of any vestige of decency, order, discipline, respect and, of course, God.

    Many decades ago a bunch of radical, liberal lawyers, legislators, and judges began the process of erasing absolutes from our codes of behavior and law. It seemed that our Catholic Faith was an ark in a storm of relativism, secularism, and modernism.

    The Third Secret of Fatima, however, points to the infection of these toxic influences within the church. Now, we cannot even escape these influences within the Church, for the response of these bishops is laced with relativism, secularism, modernism, appeasement and, above all, moral cowardice.

The Bloody Fruits of Sin

    Instead of categorically declaring that a Pro-Choice position in private or public life is inconsistent with a true, loyal practice of Catholic faith and that such a position is grounds for excommunication, the vast majority of these so-called religious leaders took a page from Pilate and washed their hands of the issue. Their empty and feeble declaration that a Pro-Choice position is contrary to Catholic beliefs and doctrine was followed by a pathetic suggestion that the faithful look to their conscience and local parish as a guide.

    By surrendering the authority and analysis of this issue to each parish, the USCCB sought to avoid controversy and criticism. Now many innocent lives will be snuffed out by people who might have acted differently in the face of a stern, bold, and courageous stand for the true faith. Now politicians will be free to condemn angels to death while pretending to be anything other than a shameful blemish on the Catholic faith. Now the leadership sought by confused, lost sheep will once again prove to be weak, lukewarm, and cowardly.

Loopholes Large Enough for Cowards and Sinners

    Once again, as happened with the documents of Vatican II, the language and the rhetoric is vague and relativist enough to rot the absolute and clear wheels leading to salvation. Once again, we see nauseating cries of temperance, caution, open-mindedness, and inclusion leading to the pit of sin, arrogance, and perdition. Once again, we see clueless fools defending and pushing their pathetic claims while ecclesiastic cowards give them the time of day. Once again, we see loopholes large enough for cowards and sinners to crawl through. Once again, we see more Judases than you can shake a rationalization at. Once again, the blood of innocents flows through the fingers of cowards and betrayers. Once again, the salvation of countless souls is placed in doubt by countless pied pipers of pathetic political phobia posing as patrons of peace and Peter.

Satan's Division

    It is often said that to divide is to conquer, for in division one creates weakness and disorder. Certainly this can be said of a Church and leadership which utter serious statements of disfavor with certain policies and positions while surrendering to revolting notions of inclusion and expressing pathetic concerns of offending those whose sensibilities matter nothing to a God who only seeks our love, obedience, and loyalty.

    By leaving the decision of withholding the Eucharist from Pro-Choice legislators to each parish, the USCCB has effectively created division where there should have been complete unity, doubt where there should have been certainty, and cowardice where there should have been resolute loyalty to the true teachings of our Faith. Instead of leading the sheep to safety, these false shepherds have abandoned them to the wolves of a society thirsty to devour all that is Godly and Divine.

Conclusion

    Thanks to the cowardice of the vast majority of these so-called shepherds, the fate of countless innocent babies and the salvation of countless souls will depend on zip codes, area codes, parish winds, and wavering local leaders. Like slot machines of death, these parishes will dictate the kind and extent of response to this issue, and lives and souls will hang in the balance.

    Perhaps Christ should have consulted with local regulations before overturning the moneychangers. Maybe John the Baptist should have consulted local debates concerning the morality of remarriage and public speaking. Perhaps Judas's behavior would have been acceptable in the next town. Why didn't Thomas Beckett consider local policy before opening his mouth and losing his life? After all, did not local policy make murdering innocent Jews in World War II acceptable behavior?