Fr. Frank Pavone on George Tiller’s murder
“I am saddened to hear of the killing of George Tiller this morning. At this point, we do not know the motives of this act, or who is behind it, whether an angry post-abortive man or woman, or a misguided activist, or an enemy within the abortion industry, or a political enemy frustrated with the way Tiller has escaped prosecution. We should not jump to conclusions or rush to judgment.
“But whatever the motives, we at Priests for Life continue to insist on a culture in which violence is never seen as the solution to any problem. Every life has to be protected, without regard to their age or views or actions.”
Blogger Geoffrey Miller says quite well my own thoughts on the subject.
I wanted to offer a few reflections on the occasion of Mr. Tiller’s death.
First, I feel that Mr. Tiller’s shooter is guilty of perhaps a greater crime than Tiller ever was–by murdering Mr. Tiller, his killer has expressed a most grievous hatred for God by intentionally denying a soul made in His image the opportunity to repent of grave crimes against humanity and discover real happiness and the power of life.
However we feel about him, whatever his status is now in the afterlife, Mr. Tiller is a brother in Christ, baptized into the name above all names and thus bound to our union of faith forever. I ask that prayers be made for his soul, and indulgences be offered to him. If he did manage to scrape through and join the blessed lambs on Christ’s right hand side–and I believe God is more merciful in these matters than we can ever begin to comprehend–it is my proposal that we should work to ensure his time in purgatory is very brief.
He knows the truth now. If the truth has indeed set him free, he will be a most powerful ally to us through his intercessions.
Perhaps some of you reading these comments will at this point object that justice must be done, that it is proper for Mr. Tiller to meet with damnation, that he got what was coming. I refer you to Luke 13:1-5 and Ezekiel 33:11.
I know what Mr. Tiller deserves. We all know what he deserves. But let’s be frank: no one among our mortal race wants what they truly deserve; no one deserves what they truly deserve. Such is the law of love. Let us hope that he gets not what he deserves, but instead the only thing right and befitting a creature of such high dignity as man: eternal life and unending joy.
Holy St. Mary, Mother of God, come to the aid of Mr. Tiller, your lost child, and bear him on angel’s wings to the celestial realms above this sorrowful existence. May he and those whose lives he took find reconciliation and friendship in the lush glades of the world to come, where the sun always shines and the sea is no more. Amen.
Mark Shea responds “God have mercy on both victim and murderer“
He was a monster who justified what he did by the good ends he claimed he was aiming for.
In that, he was a kindred spirit with the person who murdered him.
In our present cultural climate, it is quite possible that the man who did this just murdered the pro-life movement. It won’t take much more for Caesar to decide that not all terrorists are Islamic and begin to strip prolifers of the protections of law “to keep us safe”. He would be wrong, of course, to do it. But fools who are inclined to cheer for (or, more commonly, makes excuses for) this act of evil should bear in mind the fact that it doesn’t much matter if Caesar is wrong when he owns all the guns, police, and prisons.
I sometimes fear that one of the only consolations of my old age will be sitting in a jail cell as a “suspected prolife theocratic extremist” with other innocent Christians who formerly cheered for consequentialism and saying, “Toldja so.”
“If anyone has an urge to kill someone at an abortion clinic, they should shoot me. … It’s madness. It discredits the right-to-life movement. Murder is murder. It’s madness. You cannot prevent killing by killing.” – John Cardinal O’Connor.
I await with anxiety the inevitable capture of the person who shot George Tiller to death.
Tiller will now be lifted up in mockery of authentic martyrdom.
I hope to God his murderer is not Catholic.
I am supposing he will be identified ad nauseum as a “right-wing anti-women’s rights extremist” and a member of “radical anti-social groups”, perhaps even the Catholic Church. “See!”, they will crow. “Homeland Security was right to issue that memo about so-called ‘pro-life’ groups?”
I am just cynical enough to wonder if he will not be identified as Catholic even if he isn’t. I just bet that most news outlets will try to tie this act to the Catholic Church’s teachings and the protests of a handful of extremists who protested … well.. you get the idea.
As despicable as Tiller was, his murder will result in harsh payback against pro-lifers.
Just as bad as the harsh payback will be the adoption of a cool and patient stance on the part of, for example, the Obama Administration – taking a soft and reasonable tone offering opportunities for more dialogue, etc.
Those Catholics who are soft on protesting abortion in strong terms will now be energized. They will claim that, yes, their way is better after all. We have lost the debate on abortion in the public square and now we must adopt a moderate tone and hope to get a little of what we would like to achieve. Stubbornness and litmus-tests only create a cycle of violence, after all.
On this Pentecost Sunday remember that when the Apostles broke out of their room into the public square they did not go forth into safety or comfort. Filled with the Holy Spirit and focused on the mission Christ gave them, they went out with a clear identity into the public square at the risk of life and limb and nearly all of the Apostles died as martyrs.
I think we need to get our heads into the right mental places right now so that we can see clearly and bear what the future will bring and God in His providence will permit.
I was quite saddened when I heard this news. First and foremost that Dr. Tiller was murdered and I pray for his soul. I pray for his murderer that he repent of the great evil that he has done. Lastly I pray that this does not setback the saving of innocent life. No doubt pro-abortions forces are strategizing how to use this news to further the destruction of innocent life. The media which sees pro-lifers as the stereotype violent fanatics found tin Law & Order episodes will only have their stereotype confirmed. They will totally miss that millions in the pro-life movement see the murder as an unjustifiable evil act. We love our enemies and nothing could make us happier than that they repent. I can think of the stories of abortion doctors like Dr. Bernard Nathanson who was responsible for the death of thousands and thousands come to the truth and he is not a single statistic in this. I think of of the murderer of St. Maria Goretti who came to repent of his crime due to her intercession.
On this feast of Pentecost, come Holy Spirit and fill our hearts with love and that we persevere in the protection of all life.
38 comments
ok, so when do we give up on the legal system. How long must we wait while millions are murdered? When is it licit for citizens to rise up? One another note, I can think on a number of other ways one could have stopped Dr. Tiller without killing him. It seems one has the obligation (moral) to try those first. Also, hardly anyone cries for the drug pusher that is shot down. Just some thoughts as I process all of this.
If an American soldier were to kill Osama bin Laden tomorrow in a mosque, would someone please explain to me the moral difference with this act against George Tiller?
(Also, would we wring our hands and lament that the killing of Osama bin Laden would only create more acts of terorism? Would we scream that the killing of Osama bin Laden was a set back for the anti-terror movement?)
Jeff, thanks for this roundup of posts to counter the MSM distortion. God have mercy on his soul and on ours.
We must always remember: to do evil to bring about good is never permitted or justified.
I hated what Dr Tiller stood for but he was still a child of God.
May God have mercy on his soul.
Billy,
We can not take the law into our own hands and become vigilantes. A military situation is different than a civil one. We can never do evil.
Come Holy Ghost and fill our hearts with only love, love for the family bereft of its loved one, love for the victims of abortion, the women whose lives are ruined and hearts are hardened by the killing of their own child.
And last but not least love for the man who lost his way in this life, I pray that if he did not find repentance before his final breath this morning he will find mercy in the prayers sent up for him today
We can not take the law into our own hands and become vigilantes.
If the law is so fundamentally unjust as the abortion laws are, why not? If the government permits the killing of Jews in gas chambers, would it be wrong to use violence to stop the perpetrators?
A military situation is different than a civil one.
How so?
We can never do evil.
That’s begging the question. The killing of innocents is intrinsically evil, but the killing of the guilty, especially in the defense of others, may not necessarily be evil, depending on the circumstances.
After reading the AP quote of Obama’s first response, I sent this message to the White House:
________________________________________________
In the AP story of George Tiller, you, Mr. President are quoted as saying, ” ‘However profound our differences as Americans over difficult issues such as abortion, they cannot be resolved by heinous acts of violence,’ he said.”
Might it not be wise to first find out who and why this crime was perpetrated before ascribing it to the “differences” over abortion, especially with the implication that those of us who are pro-life are the violent side.
Indeed, the perpetrator, no matter what labels he/she claims, is likely to be as individually warped in his/her thinking about the sanctity of human life as Tiller himself was.
The commandment is, “Thou shalt not kill!”
_______________________________________________
I, too, will pray for both of them.
I am so grateful for your words. I will need them tomorrow at work, most likely.
Jeff:
Allow me to focus: ‘No doubt pro-abortions forces are strategizing how to use this news to further the destruction of innocent life. The media which sees pro-lifers as the stereotype violent fanatics found tin Law & Order episodes will only have their stereotype confirmed’.
Then, widen your perspective of the battle against the evil forces, uncovering G.M. Vian columns in L’Osservatore Romano! (Et tu Brutus?), trumpeting the Obaminator as not pro-abortion (!), because in the horrendous scandal of Notre Dame he stated that “is going to reduce abortions” by (sic) industrializing embryos, and multiplying by eleven the genocide budget of PPs chambers going full steam, plus attacking the México Accord not to export taxpayers murderous $$$$$$$$$$$.
The Notre Dame affront, in May, month of hers, Daughter of the Father, Mother of the Son, Wife of the Holy Spirit, brings in today’s Pentecost feast HIS FIRE LIGHT to uncover other evil schemes. She will help us IN THIS SPIRITUAL combat:
“Get to know the Holy Spirit, the great Stranger, on whom depends your sanctification. Don’t forget that you are God’s temple. The Advocate is in the centre of your soul: listen to him and be docile to his inspirations” (San Josemaría Escrivá).
HELPFUL inspiration is to start the path studying Marian literature, like reading St. Louis Grignion de Montfort, and for puzzled Protestants, Mother of the Son, by Mark Shea.
RELEVANT is pointing out that Our Blessed Mother is among us with her apparitions, 2009 years now, most with long approval processes, but for the ones in USA like St. Thomas who want to TOUCH… well, south of your border is Guadalupe. CHECK the miraculous Tilma, defying science to this day (you posted: the badly informed State Secretary Clinton asked: Who painted it?)
The Medjugorje case, in an unprecedented act of Benedict XVI: “Has Been Taken From Commission Into Direct Hands Of The Vatican”, (from the locals) to crush the historic opposition since communist times and the invisible enemy there, pissed by tens of millions of converts now.
“BY THEIR FRUITS YOU SHALL KNOW”.
Cordially
As BillyHW demonstrates by his presence here, there really is a true danger of terrorism within the pro-life ranks. We need to face up to this, as hard a truth as it may be, but even though the stereotype of violent radical fanatical pro-lifers is exaggerated, it holds some truth.
We need to monitor ourselves more effectively and purge our ranks of crazies. Like the priest abuse scandal, there may be more than we think. This is no small matter.
I urge that BillyHW be reported to the authorities immediately. The murderer of Dr. Tiller left comments on the web far more tame before going on his killing spree.
http://www.creativeminorityreport.com/2009/05/killers-own-words.html
Asking serious questions about Catholic Moral Theology = Terrorism.
Right.
BillyHW, to everything there is a time and season. Now is not the time for your questions which will surely provide aid & comfort to any proaborts searching blogs such as this for justification of their vitriolic attacks against us.
Exercise discretion, it’s part of that whole, “…wise as a serpent, meek as a dove..” thing.
I was watching two women cat fight. One was for waterboarding, so the other asked’ “Would you like to be waterboarded since you are so much in favor of it?”
Her reply: “You favor late term abortion, would you like to be late term aborted right now?”.
Mr. Tiller got what he gave.
Let us pray to God we do not die in our sins.
Now is the perfect time for this discussion.
Now is the perfect time for this discussion.
How about someone actually try to respond with a real argument?
Okay BillyHW,
Some of you may have seen the major news story of the private plane that crashed into a Montana cemetery, killing 7 children and 7 adults.
But what the news sources fail to mention is that the Catholic Holy Cross Cemetery owned by Resurrection Cemetery Association in Butte – contains a memorial for local residents to pray the rosary, at the ‘Tomb of the Unborn’. This memorial, located a short distance west of the church, was erected as a dedication to all babies who have died because of abortion.
What else is the mainstream news not telling you? The family who died in the crash near the location of the abortion victim’s memorial, is the family of Irving ‘Bud’ Feldkamp, owner of the largest for-profit abortion chain in the nation.
Family Planning Associates was purchased four years ago by Irving Moore “Bud” Feldkamp III, owner of Allcare and Hospitality Dental Associates and CEO of Glen Helen Raceway Park in San Bernardino. The 17 California Family Planning clinics perform more abortions in the state than any other abortion provider – Planned Parenthood included – and they perform abortions through the first five months of pregnancy.
Although Feldkamp is not an abortionist, he reaps profits of blood money from the tens of thousands of babies that are killed through abortions performed every year at the clinics he owns. His business in the abortion industry was what enabled him to afford the private plane that was carrying his family to their week-long vacation at The Yellowstone Club, a millionaires-only ski resort.
The plane went down on Sunday, killing two of Feldkamp’s daughters, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren along with the pilot and four family friends. The plane, a single-engine turboprop flown by Bud Summerfield of Highland, crashed into the Catholic cemetery and burst into flames, only 500 ft. from its landing destination. All aboard were killed.
The cause of the crash is a mystery. The pilot, who was a former military flier who logged over 2,000 miles, gave no indication to air traffic controllers that the aircraft was experiencing difficulty when he asked to divert to an airport in Butte. Witnesses report that the plane suddenly nosedived toward the ground with no apparent signs of a struggle. There was neither a cockpit voice recorder nor a flight data recorder onboard, and no radar clues into the planes final moments because the Butte airport is not equipped with a radar facility. Some speculate that the crash was due to ice on the wings, but this particular plane model has been tested for icy weather and experts have stated that ice being the cause is unlikely.
In my time working for Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust, I helped organize and conduct a weekly campaign where youth activists stood outside of Feldkamp’s mini-mansion in Redlands holding fetal development signs and raising community awareness regarding Feldkamp’s dealings in child murder for profit. Every Thursday afternoon we called upon Bud and his wife Pam to repent, seek God’s blessing and separate themselves from the practice of child killing.
We warned him, for his children’s sake, to wash his hands of the innocent blood he assisted in spilling because, as Scripture warns, if “you did not hate bloodshed, bloodshed will pursue you”. (Ezekiel 35:6)
A news source states that Bud Feldkamp visited the site of the crash with his wife and their two surviving children on Monday. As they stood near the twisted and charred debris talking with investigators, light snow fell on the tarps that covered the remains of their children.
I don’t want to turn this tragic event into some creepy spiritual ‘I told you so’ moment, but I think of the time spent outside of Feldkamp’s – Pam Feldkamp laughing at the fetal development signs, Bud Feldkamp trying not to make eye contact as he got into his car with a small child in tow – and I think of the haunting words, ‘Think of your children.’ I wonder if those words were haunting Feldkamp as well as he stood in the snow among the remains of loved ones, just feet from the ‘Tomb of the Unborn’?
I only hope and pray that in the face of this tragedy, Feldkamp recognizes his need for repentance and reformation. I pray that God will use this unfortunate catastrophe to soften the hearts of Bud and Pam and that they will draw close to the Lord and wash their hands of the blood of thousands of innocent children, each as precious and irreplaceable as their own.
“I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then.” (Deut. 30:19)
Oh.
My previous post was taken from a news service called something or other, and they deserve ‘kudos’ for brilliant reporting.
That should make my legal people start breathing again.
Here is something else from a news service;
Nancy Keenan, president of abortion-rights group NARAL Pro-Choice America, issued a statement praising Tiller’s commitment.
“Dr. Tiller’s murder will send a chill down the spines of the brave and courageous providers and other professionals who are part of reproductive-health centers that serve women across this country. We want them to know that they have our support as they move forward in providing these essential services in the aftermath of the shocking news from Wichita,” Keenan said.
Yes, people actually are that stupid.
To all those who know more BillyHW. Satan is who you must serve because you have a problem with his question. The folks who think he should be turned into the authorities sounds like members of the Nazis Training Camps. The government is your God. Some of the Priests and Bishops serve the devil (ND) as an example of the joke the RC church is. Start serving Jesus not the state. Could Tiller been a son of Satan? Yes or no
How can he go to church after having his hand in the 1000 of 1000 of babys he killed. This guy george tiller have no remores for a unborn babies.
Even so the tongue is a little member and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an uruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can a fig tree, my brethren bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him show out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envyings and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. The Epistle of James, Chapter 3
For shame, Pablo. God does not kill little children (in the plane crash) to get back at adults who particpate in the killing of little children.
How can Tiller rest in peace (RIP) when he’s now facing the thousands of babies he didn’t allow to live? We are not his judge, they are because their deaths cried to Heaven for vengeance.
BillyHW,
The answer to why murdering the abortionist is wrong is provided in an excellent article by Dr. Charles Rice of Notre Dame. See http://guweb2.gonzaga.edu/~dewolf/rice.htm
Rice cogently explains the legal and moral doctrine of defense of others and how such a defense is only available under limited circumstances.
I encourage all of you to read it carefully. The murder of abortionists is not justifiable. The ends do not justify the means.
As Fr. Pavone said yesterday, the pro-abortion advocates and even the abortionists are not the enemy; they are captives of the enemy. They are deceived, and as human beings made in the image and likeness of God just as we are, we ought to be praying for their conversion and repentance, a la Dr. Nathanson, not their harm.
The Unabomber used the environmental movement to rationalize his murderous acts, much to the disgust of environmentalists. Likewise the pro-life movement has been used to rationalize murder.
“As I live, saith the Lord God, I desire not the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way, and live. Turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways: and why will you die, O house of Israel?” ~ Ezekiel 33:11
While I do not condone the killing of Tiller, honestly, I am “not crying a river” over his death either. Justice was served, his life was snuffed out as easily as the lives he snuffed out. Life is, for ALL of us, very fragile. It is important to note, however, that WE (all of us who claim to be pro-life could have closed down his death camp in less than a month, if we only had the guts, the gall, to sacrafice the esteem of others, our temporal comforts, and focused on peaceful protests. Too many of us are silent. And evil exists because good people are silent.
The real tradgedy is that his abortion clinic has been open for over 25 years.
And while there is a slight chance that Tiller escaped damanation (and I emphasize slight!) we must remember Christ’s words against scandal…”better for a milstone to be tied around his neck, than for the little ones to suffer…” Like w/Obama, our first concern must be for the multitudes scandalized and led astray, before we are concerned with the grand perpetrator.
Anna,
No justice was not served Roeder did not have the right to administer justice in this circumstance. It was an act of murder, not one of justice. You can not both condemn the murder and call it an act of justice. As for the rest of what you wrote – agree.
Let me clarify: You are correct that Roeder did not have authority to justify Tiller’s actions…however, justice was served in respect to God’s permissive will.(Tiller killed and was killed). We are a nation of laws, although I fear the time may come when we will need to take the law into our own hands. We are losing our rights, but that is another topic. We are under no obligation to obey unjust laws. As far as “St. Tiller” interceding for the pro-life movement, that is HIGHLY unlikely. We can’t prejudge, but we can use prudence and common sense. Honestly, I’m not overly concerned about the state of his soul, let God be the judge of that, he had time to repent, and he knew more about the evil of abortion that we do. I pray for the thousands of women and families who were led into sin by his kind and caring demeanor.
God is love, and in Him is no darkness at all.
I love it…I come on here a week ago in another post and talk about abortion and many of you label me evil. Now this event happens and many of your true colors come out. What is great is that this heinous crime will strengthen the pro-choice movement. What people think is that Billy HW is the voice of the religious right. Dr. Tiller was a hero to many and he will be missed, but most importantly, his death will strengthen the many who choose to fight for women’s rights. So thank you Billy HW, keep spouting your views….you makes us all laugh, your pathetic hypocrisy is wonderful to observe.
I don’t think we should give up on the legal system, we should start using it! Esp. our first ammendment rights, while we still have them. Get involved with the 9/12 project, the tea parties, vote in your local primaries, if all-like minded people banded together and did this, we could change history.
When citizens of the USA are as ashamed of abortion as they are of slavery, as disgusted by Roe as they are about Dredd Scott, then the justice system, and the politicians will follow (they don’t lead).
So, we must change hearts. There was some evidence of this in the recent Gallup Poll showing a majority of Americans self identifyng as pro-life.
Now, how do we teach that the violent taking of a human life is evil — by violently taking a human life?
How many hearts is that going to change?
The pro-life movement is decades behind where we were on Saturday.
Boethius,
Thank you so much for that link. That is an EXCELLENT article. I’ve forwarded it on to friends. I’ve saved it to my hard drive to refer to again, and to use in discussions I have with people about this subject. Thanks again.
I also think that now is not the time to discuss and question theological fine lines publicly. Every sincere question (and the killing of Tiller is bound to provoke many such questions) will be seen as support for his killing and will further discredit the pro-life movement.
One’s entire post may deplore the killing of Tiller, but a single “Isn’t it just when…” will be quoted by abortion advocates.
Pro-life Christians have been praying for the conversion of abortionists on a regular basis, despite all the “heat” they take at abortion clinics. Their prayers are sincere, and they are more distressed than most people over Sunday’s act of violence.
joanne,
I disagree. I think now is exactly the time to speak up publicly. If there is a cancer in the pro-life movement (and there appanrently is) then we want to find it and address it very publicly, either by removing it or converting it.
f someone on the pro-life side of the abortion issue thinks that murder of an abortionist is justified, that is NOT pro-life! So let’s find out now. Weve got hearts to change on our side of the fence as well.
The alternative is that simply because people are on the same side as us on the abortion issue, we will assume they have a pro-life spirituality. This is obviously false and to avoid discussing it now will keep it going.
Reminds me of Eph. 6 which says (albeit loosely) We do not battle against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers of darkness. In other words – our enemy is not people, it’s the great accuser, the divider, the devil…
By AuntieD on June 1, 2009 8:59 AM
For shame, Pablo.
Dear Madam,
I came back quickly and explained the story was by a news service, and not written by me; I just related a story I found of interest.
I beg your pardon for having scandalized you. And any other genteel woman.
You men can suck it up and move on. I offer you no apology.
pablo
Attended the wake of a young man who shocked his family and friends by taking his own life this week. Imagine the outrage that would have ensued if those who went to pay their respects were to overhear people discussing the causes of young suicides in general, or began parsing cause and blame in the media directly following what was a tragedy to the community? (though, in this case, a clear tragedy all around)
My point about timing was that there is a time for prayer and thought (& tears), a time to respect the wounded, to listen to God in a particular way, to mourn with those who mourn. A time when mercy (and yes, of course for 65,000 children who were killed during Tiller’s career!) overrules opinion and even reasoned debate.
That time may be just about up in the Tiller case, (is a week long enough?), but I think it did exist. Just sayin’.