Friday, September 26, 2014

Cardinal Burke greeted with a standing ovation in Florida


By John-Henry Westen

(LifeSiteNews.com) Vatican Cardinal Raymond Burke, who is expected to be removed from his position as head of the highest court in the Catholic Church and put in a largely honorific position, is back in his homeland of America this week and if anything the appreciation for him has increased rather than waned.

Opening the Catholic Medical Association (CMA) conference in Orlando yesterday, the former Archbishop of St. Louis received a hero’s welcome with a standing ovation before he could say a word, and another standing ovation after his address.

Cardinal Burke was introduced by Dr. Peter Morrow, incoming president of the CMA and chairman of the conference. In his introduction Dr. Morrow explained how he had converted to Catholicism but hadn’t truly understood his faith until being introduced to Cardinal Burke through his involvement with the Marian Catechist Apostolate founded by Servant of God Fr. John Hardon. He explained how meeting Cardinal Burke and hearing him talk about the faith brought him to a new and more profound understanding of his Faith, which changed his life. He referred to Cardinal Burke as his “spiritual father” in the Church.

With over 600 physicians and other guests in attendance, Cardinal Burke spoke of the challenges that faithful physicians and other health care professionals have in practicing medicine in today’s world. He highlighted the fact that they are on the front lines of the cultural war and how they need to be firm in their faith and stand strong to confront the evil.

In his homily, the cardinal stressed that the Church must never relinquish her mission of service to the sick and suffering, even if conscience demands she shut down her traditional health institutions.

“If secular powers attempt to force the Church to act against her conscience in the care of the sick and in the promotion of good health, and, therefore, the Church has to abandon the care of the sick in the manner in which she has exercised it to the present, then she will have to find new ways to fulfill the mission of Christ which is directed, in a privileged way, to the sick,” he explained. “The Church cannot abandon the care of the sick and dying. With the help of God’s grace, she will never abandon the care of the sick...” (continued)


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