Illinois Bishop To Conduct Interfaith Service with Pro-Abort Rabbi

by Christopher A. Ferrara

       As the novelties of "ecumenism" and "inter-religious dialogue" continue to corrode the good order of the Catholic Church like sulphuric acid, we should hardly be surprised to read the report by Roman Catholic Faithful (RCF), the redoubtable lay Catholic watchdog organization, that "Bishop George Lucas of Springfield, Illinois celebrates the diocese’s 150th anniversary by endorsing a pro-choice Springfield Rabbi who served on Planned Parenthood’s clergy committee."

        RCF is referring to an "Interfaith Worship Service" scheduled to be conducted on May 1, 2003 at the Cathedral Church of the Immaculate Conception in Springfield. The event, notes RCF, "is part of the diocese’s Jubilee 2003 Celebration [entitled] ‘Neighbors Mirroring the Image of God.’" RCF reports that the speakers for the "Interfaith Worship Service" include one Rabbi Barry Marks of Temple Israel in Springfield, along with Bishop Lucas himself. RCF further notes that Marks

"is an outspoken pro-abortion advocate who has expressed his views publicly. The following comes from a Planned Parenthood newsletter "Clergy Voices", Vol. 5 Issue 2, May 2000: … ‘Rabbi Barry Marks, another member of the clergy committee, expressed his concern for preserving the gains that women have made and ensuring that comprehensive sexuality education is available. As he put it, young people need guidance. Teaching them to ‘just say no’ will not provide them with the information they need to make responsible choices.’"

        RCF further notes Bishop Lucas helped defend the former Springfield Bishop Daniel Ryan, a predatory homosexual who committed crimes against teenage boys.

        All of this is true, no doubt, and RCF is to be commended for exposing yet another wolf in sheep’s clothing. But candor compels one to recall that, sad to say, none other than the Pope himself has conducted interfaith worship services with pro-abortion non-Catholic clerics, such as the Archbishop of Canterbury and several Lutheran "bishops" from the pro-abortion Scandinavian branches of Luther’s false religion.

       For example, as CWNews.com reported on November 13, 1999: "Archbishops G.H. Hammar and Jukka Paarma — the Lutheran primates of Sweden and Finland, respectively — and Bishops Anders Arborelius of Stockholm and Czeslaw Kozon of Copenhagen joined with the Holy Father for the Vespers service. Several other Lutheran bishops from the Scandinavian countries were present for the ceremony, including two female bishops." And this travesty took place in Saint Peter’s Basilica itself.

       Hence it cannot be denied that these scandals are occurring from the diocesan level all the way up to the Vatican itself. Surely, this horrifying state of affairs is foretold in the words of Our Lady of Fatima following Her statement "In Portugal the dogma of the faith will always be preserved, etc." But it is precisely those missing words which the Vatican has yet to reveal.