FRONT ROYAL, Va., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- "John Cardinal O'Connor will be
sorely missed. He was a great leader who did much to advance, strengthen and
solidify Catholic pro-life activity in the United States during this past
century," said Father Richard Welch, CSSR, JCD, President of Human Life
International, the largest pro-life, pro-faith, pro-family apostolate in the
world.
"When asked once how he wished to be remembered, Cardinal O'Connor said he
wanted to be remembered only as a priest," continued Father Welch. "And that
says everything. A priest serves as the 'other Christ' on earth, which means
that he carries the cross for all people. Cardinal O'Connor will be
remembered for proclaiming the human dignity of the defenseless, especially
pre-born children. Thousands of children have been saved because of the help
he provided to pregnant women in difficult circumstances."
Cardinal O'Connor's influence extended far beyond the Archdiocese of
New York. He defended the right of Catholic pro-life groups to pray the
Rosary in front of abortion clinics, in the face of great pressure to ask them
to stop when abortion clinic bombings began. The Cardinal said that he would
ask pro-life groups to stop going to abortion clinics, if the abortion clinics
would close down. He also said that he would close down the Catholic
hospitals in New York if the state government ever tried to force them to
provide abortion services.
"It was reported that Cardinal O'Connor would not allow Saint Patrick's
Cathedral in New York to be used by politicians for public image purposes, and
that included President Bill Clinton. Yet on this sad day for all pro-life
advocates, Clinton, the nation's leading pro-abortion figure, will be
attending Cardinal O'Connor's Funeral Mass. We can only hope that
President Clinton, and any other pro-death advocate at that Mass today, will
be touched by the great love and dedication that John Cardinal O'Connor had
for the unborn. May his spirit continue to lead us. A great Prince of the
Church is dead. Let us honor him with a tireless dedication to the pro-life
cause he loved so much," concluded Father Welch.
Founded in 1981, Human Life International (http://www.hli.org),
1-800-549-LIFE) is the world's largest pro-life, pro-faith, pro-family
educational apostolate, with chapters in the United States and a network of
international branches and affiliates around the world.
SOURCE Human Life International
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Related links:
http://www.hli.org
CONTACT:
Andy Blom of Human Life International,
540-622-5204
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