Faces of Virtue
Balancing Charity with Truth

by Donald DeMarco

A kindly priest, who is the editor of an orthodox Catholic newspaper in the United States, told me about the misgivings he had concerning an article he had published. The article centered on the passing of Fr. Robert Drinan, S.J., (January 28, 2007) and was somewhat critical of his pro-abortion stance. Angry readers remonstrated against the kindly editor for being uncharitable about the late Fr. Drinan.

The secular press, predictably, had lionized the Jesuit for being, “a towering moral giant” (Washington Post), “for battling injustice” (Boston Herald), for waging “war for peace” (Newseek), and for being a “human rights advocate” (National Catholic Reporter). Fr. Drinan was elected Congressman from Massachusetts and held that seat for 10 years. During his political tenure, he was a consistent supporter of abortion, so much so that in 1980 a National Abortion Rights Action League fund-raising letter argued that his re-election to Congress was essential. But Drinan went even further. He urged people to elect pro-abortion members for Congress on “moral” grounds. In addition, he opposed the ban on partial-birth abortion while misrepresenting the facts about this gruesome procedure. He went as far as thanking President Clinton for vetoing the ban.

Throughout his political career and until his death, Fr. Drinan was consistently and emphatically in favor of abortion without ever showing any public evidence of regret, despite strong and persistent opposition from his superiors. Fr. Pedro Arrupe, the Father General of the Society of Jesus, commanded and reiterated his command for Fr. Drinan to cease his involvement in partisan politics. Cardinal Krol, then-president of the U.S. bishops’ conference, stated in 1972 that Fr. Drinan’s presence in Congress was contrary to the policy and wishes of the U.S. bishops. Particular bishops in New England voiced strong disapproval to Drinan’s political activities.

The secular world may be ready and willing to canonize Fr. Drinan. But the Church must always balance charity with truth. Fr. Drinan’s continued disobedience to and disregard for his superiors, together with his unshakeable commitment to promoting abortion, do not provide the stuff of sanctity.

The distinguished Catholic writer George Weigel has noted, “The Drinan case is, however, an important cautionary tale about the corruptions of judgment that ensue when truths are fudged in service to political power, and when that power is thought to be of greater consequence than the truth.

Weigel, of course, is right. It may be unpleasant to acknowledge a priest’s moral failings, especially when they are egregious. But charity without any regard for truth is pure sentimentality and certainly not a virtue. It may be politically correct in certain Christian circles these days to say only nice things about public figures, no matter what they have done or how they have lived. But God, who is Love, is also justice and truth. Charity is not charity when it contradicts both justice and truth.

The priesthood is for all people, including the unborn. There is very good reason for the Vatican’s strong and continued opposition to priests narrowing their scope of service in committing themselves to partisan politics.

The Drinan case needs to be represented without sentimentality. It is a clear warning of what can happen when a priest comes to believe that more good can be accomplished through the power of politics than through the grace of Christ.

Donald DeMarco is professor emeritus of philosophy at St. Jerome’s University in Waterloo, Ontario. He also teaches at Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Cromwell, Connecticut, and continues to work as a corresponding member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

His book Architects of the Culture of Death was released in April of 2004. He is also the author of The Many Faces of Virtue, which is a collection of favorite Lay Witness columns.

To order The Many Faces of Virtue, visit Emmaus Road Publishing online at www.emmausroad.org.

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