Press
Denver’s Archbishop Chaput the ‘Rummel of our Time’ -
Fidelis Urges Public Support for Courageous Archbishop
September 2, 2008
CHICAGO – Fidelis is urging Catholics and all people of good will to publicly thank Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput for his unwavering defense of Catholic teaching on the dignity of all human life, likening him to former Archbishop Joseph Rummel, who led the Archdiocese of New Orleans from 1935 to 1964 during a period of deep division over the civil rights of African Americans.
Fidelis President Brian Burch commented: “Like Archbishop Rummel, who stood up against the prevailing culture of his time to defend the intrinsic dignity of every human person, Archbishop Chaput has been a true prophetic witness in reminding public officials of their responsibility to defend all human life. Denver’s Archbishop has been a model of courage for which every citizen in America should be grateful.”
In his newly-released book Render Unto Caesar, Chaput writes glowingly of the example of Archbishop Rummel. He notes that in the early 1950’s, Rummel began desegregating Catholic schools, pulled the “White” and “Colored” signs from parishes, and issued a passionate pastoral letter condemning segregation. Rummel famously wrote: “There will be no further discrimination or segregation in the pews, at the Communion rail, at the confessional and in parish meetings, just as their will be no segregation in the kingdom of heaven.”
Rummel endured threats, protests, and boycotts—even from Catholics, forcing him to shut down a parish and excommunicate three prominent Catholics for defying the teaching of their church. At the time, the New York Times wrote of Rummel’s “unwavering courage.”
Chaput has respectfully spoken out on the selection of vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden because of his longtime support of abortion. In making his selection, Sen. Barack Obama called Biden a “committed Catholic.”
On the opening night of the Democratic Convention, Archbishop Chaput participated in a prayerful vigil outside a local Planned Parenthood clinic, appearing alongside Dr. Alveda King, the niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King. Outside the clinic, Chaput reminded pro-life advocates of their obligation to help pregnant women in need, while affirming that abortion is never an answer to the problems faced by women and society.
Archbishop Chaput’s office also issued a sharp response to comments made Sunday by Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), a pro-abortion Catholic, in which she suggested that the Catholic Church has never taught definitively when life begins.
“The strong and courageous example of Archbishop Chaput didn’t receive the glowing praise from the New York Times that the newspaper gave to Archbishop Rummel in the 1960s. Nonetheless, Americans of every religious tradition ought to offer their prayers and thanks to the Archbishop for his faithful witness to his Church, and his defense of one of America’s foundational principles – respect for the inalienable right to life,” said Burch.
Sign our online letter here.
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