Illinois governor, bishops differ sharply after discussion on abortion advocacy

(CaltholicCulture.org)After meeting with a group of Catholic bishops on December 17, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn told reporters that the discussion had been friendly and the prelates had spoken “only a little bit” about the Catholic political leader’s support for legal abortion. But the Illinois bishops quick responded with a statement taking issue with that report.


Governor Quinn reported that he had spent most of his time with the bishops talking about “how we could work together to fight poverty.” The bishops, while commending Quinn’s concern for the poor, said that the meeting was “between pastors and a member of the Church to discuss the principles of faith, not the works of faith.”


“As Catholic pastors, we wanted to remind the Governor that conscience, while always free, is properly formed in harmony with the tradition of the Church,” the bishops stated. Noting that Quinn has claimed that his support for legal abortion is prompted by his Catholic faith, the bishops continued:


"A personal conscience that is not consistent with authentic Catholic teaching is not a Catholic conscience. The Catholic faith cannot be used to justify positions contrary to the faith itself."