Few Springfield area churches bring up Roe v. Wade on Sunday, one pastor speaks at length
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last week and Missouri's "trigger law" ended legal abortion in the state, the usual discussions about the role of religion on the issue picked up steam.
In an effort to see how churches might handle the issue during Sunday services, the News-Leader attended a collection of various services, both in person and virtually.
In most cases, the issue didn't come up at all, but two Springfield churches broached the topic, with one going a bit further.
At St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, a portion of a letter by the Rev. Edward M. Rice, bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau was read. That letter says:
"With the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning Roe v. Wade and the return of the issue to the states, The Catholic Church stands ready to continue providing spiritual and material support to expectant mothers and their families through our parishes and ministries, and to advocate on their behalf and on behalf of their unborn children at the state and federal level.
"We care about every unborn child and every mother. The Church has consistently witnessed in word and deed that life begins at the moment of conception. As the U.S. bishops shared in our statement Standing with Moms in Need: “We pledge ‘to redouble our efforts to accompany women and couples who are facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies, and during the early years of parenthood, offering them loving and compassionate care through initiatives such as Walking with Moms in Need and countless others.’”
"Locally, in the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau, this means LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home in Springfield and LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home in Cape Girardeau and the countless ministries that Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri (CCSOMO) offer to the most vulnerable among us."
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Also, the Rev. Allen Kirchner issued remarks at a St. Agnes Cathedral mass Sunday morning where he is associate pastor.
"Two days ago, the truth prevailed in a small victory with the overturning of Roe v. Wade. It should be reason for us to rejoice and we should be proud to be from Missouri, the first state to ban the direct taking of innocent human life," he said. "But notice I said the truth prevailed in a small victory. While abortion is no longer legal, while the most vulnerable of our brothers and sisters now have a fighting chance to live, we've simply pruned one of the fruits of a very poisonous tree, with roots that run extremely deep.
"We call this tree sin, and in particular, lust. We don't like to talk about it very often, y'all probably won't want to hear it, and I'm sure the bishop will get letters about it, but I really don't care. It's my last week here. This tree of lust, it's led us to where we are now. Living in the shade of this tree, eating its fruits; we're living in a culture of death at times. A culture that still has people protesting across the country that parents should be able to kill their children. A culture of death that's got a really messed up understanding of sexuality. A culture that sees this incredible gift that God has given us as something to be used for pleasure, not for his service.
"This culture of death sees nothing wrong with using one another for instant gratification. A culture that not only permits, but promotes, promiscuity and pornography. A culture in which, not only do we fail to love our neighbor as ourself, but we fail to see they have dignity — created in the image and likeness of God. A culture which promotes the use of contraception and sterilization to avoid life altogether.
"We would like to think this culture is far off, but no, even within the health institutions that claim to be Catholic, even within this diocese, dare I say even in this town, contraception is promoted.
"The banning of abortion is the first step, brothers and sisters, to uprooting this poisonous tree and rebuilding a culture of life. This is a critical moment for Catholics: Will you follow Him wherever He goes? Are you willing to be Catholic, to build up this culture of life?"
This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Here's how Springfield area churches handled abortion ruling on Sunday
