Left-wing Catholic media pundits have attacked a powerful pro-life speech by the army surgeon-turned-mother superior who spoke at the Republican Party’s National Convention last night.
Massimo Faggioli, a professor of Catholic theology at Villanova University took to social media to protest the appearance of Sister Deirdre “Dede” Byrne, POSC. He posted several messages on Facebook in response to her speech where she called Americans to “stand up for life against the politically correct or fashionable of today” and described Biden-Harris as “the most anti-life presidential ticket ever” because together they support even “late-term abortion and infanticide.”
The professor also retweeted an Italian psychiatrist’s post that described Sister Dede’s heartfelt speech as “Neonunzism.” “Bellissima,” i.e. “Beautiful”, he replied to Cristiano M. Gaston.
Faggioli’s first critique of the American nun, written over a video of her speech, was “Ho il voltastomaco”, i.e. “I’m sick to my stomach.”
A few hours later Faggioli added: “The Catholic Church has rules for the participation of clergy and religious in the election campaign and party politics, but obviously here in the USA now nobody cares.”
To this, he posted a page from the Catechism of the Catholic Church that clearly applies only to priests:
Priests are usually forbidden from partisan politics, including running for public office or joining unions, “unless, according to the judgement of the ecclesiastical authority, the rights of the Church and the defence of the common good require it. Even then, however, the Church deems the activity “foreign to the clerical state.”
Religious sisters, even mother superiors like Sister Dede Byrne, are not clerics. They do, however, take oaths of obedience to their religious superiors. Byrne has indeed already circumscribed her civic activities at the behest of her religious order, having retired from the military’s Medical Corps after a tour of duty in Afghanistan.
In response to objections that America magazine’s editor-at-large Fr. James Martin, S.J. had spoken at the Democratic Party’s National Convention, Faggioli said that there was “there is a substantial difference between delivering a prayer to a party convention and a partisan speech like this.”
The professor was then informed by other Twitter-users that Sister Simone Campbell had appeared at the DNC on more than one occasion. At the 2012 DNC, she gave a short speech. Sister Simone, when recently asked about her organization’s stance on legal abortion, replied: “That is not our issue. That is not it. It is above my pay grade….”
The above comes from an Aug. 27 story on LifeSiteNews.
The lefty sisters are unhappy, poor things!
Sister Byrne’s fantastic speech has already been watched, enjoyed and celebrated by millions. Her very presence, in habit and with rosary, is an abomination to the feckless Catholics left wailing and gnashing their teeth. Their faux outrage, blanketed in faux legalism is predictable and limp. She however, is a warrior of the Church Militant. God Bless her!
Fr. Dan Horan made vile comments too. The Left is the most hateful, intolerant and bigoted faction in America.
I thought Mothers Superior were equivalent to abesses. and i thought abbots and abesses had equivalent ecclesiastical authority to Bishops. Therefore, she ought to have obeyed the teachings of the Church and refrained from interference in the political sphere.
You thought wrong, again!
How can we,Ca Americans get Sis.Dede Byrne’s on the ca recall ballot?Ca needs Sis.Dede Byrne’.Please show us the way.John.
Hehehe. The surgeon-Sister was super effective. The Marxist-Catholics rising against her despise her simple straightforward. words.They probably think that because Pope Francis Is a leftist he is also in favor of aborting viable Black babies. Francis is not, even if his fellow Jesuit order may be.
The argument for being a Catholic and a Democrat Voter in 2020 is more difficult now that we are in the midst of a Cultural Marxist Revolution. Marxism is bad; vote Donaldjtrump.com . It should be clear from listening to Chistopher Maccio sing the Ave Maria from the White House South balcony which side Catholics must vote: life not death.
The Catholic Church has 10’s of 1000’s of ordained and religious with backgrounds similar to Sister Dede’s. What a witness to the world of the power of Christ in His Church.
Chardin, with respect this nun is a US Army surgeon with the rank of full colonel; she retired and then became a nun. Her background is extraordinary and her gravitas, intelligence and spiritual insight far exceeds this professor. This good woman should be listened to, I would say more then her less then qualified male superiors, Christ will raise up saints in our time; I believe that this nun has all the signs of being one.
Rather ironic that you, Prof Faggioli, are a rather recent immigrant whose Italian government has been, let’s just say, “less than accomodating” of policial differences since at least 1938. Your argument against the appearance of a highly capable and educated religious woman speaking freely about her own thinking on religious freedom at a convention (First Amendment rights and the implication thereof) limps at best and actually smacks of a certain Euro-centric left-leaning bias that continues gain steam in the EU and UK. Your misinterpretation of clergy and religious participation in the public square and political arena is absolutely astounding in light of your purported field and speciality. Sister Byrne is simply stating her opinions, not running for office. Why no ink on Roman Catholic nuns who politick for Biden-Harris., i.e. Sr. Simone Campbell? (https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/evaluate-sen-kamala-harris-record-faithfully.) I am sick to my stomach, indeed, knowing that you are in academia trying to influence young Catholics with your sophistry.
Sorry Faggioli, a lot of people are sick to the stomachs now-a-days. For me it’s people like you, James Martin, and “Sister” Simone who call themselves Catholic, yet support the culture of death and the “party of death” who make me sick to my stomach. My suggestion is to take a Tums and go to confession!
She spoke the truth, and of course this irritated the leftists.
If Villanova were a truly Catholic college they would fire this man immediately.
Faggioli is Italian for “beans”.
How appropriate.
He’s full of them, like the rest of the “catholic” left.
Not beans but Beech (as in tree). The fruit of which are . . . Bitter Nuts. ☺
Faggioli was featured on Dignity’s Queer Catholic Faith webshow. “Dr. Massimo Faggioli is a contributor to major progressive Catholic journals as well as full-time professor of Theology. His theological exploration and guidance is firmly rooted in the real lives of people. He’s not afraid to join Dignity in what will be a stimulating conversation on current trends in Catholic theology.” He is also featured in New Ways Ministries trashing of Donald Trump. He Tweets against Cardinal Sarah as well, “Card. Sarah’s critique ignores the need to listen to the experience of faithful LGBT Catholics who have not ‘received’ church’s teaching.” I’ll admit, he is expert at hiding his personal life. Maybe like James Martin, he won’t answer when asked about his sexual orientation. Faggioli studied at Tubingen where heretic Hans Kung taught. Is any of this surprising? Villanova is certainly no new town, it’s just rehashing the 60’s and 70’s.
We are winning on abortion. Who would have thought. The sister defeated the Cultural Revolution on this one. Go cry to Cardinal Cupich and the archbishop of D.C.
The same people who criticize clergy and religious for speaking about politics are often the same people that complain that the Church didn’t do enough to stop Hitler.
Exactly, Fr. Higgins.
And Sister Deirdre is NOT the Nazi as some of them are trying to make her out to be. Those who are aborting children and selling their body parts, or encouraging, protecting or doing such, are the Nazis.
That is why Kamala Harris had David Deleiden’s apartment raided — to try to get rid of the evidence about such horrid crimes.
My apologies. I misspelled David Daleiden’s name. Have to remember that it is “Da” like David.
Great point Father Higgins!
“Catholic left”? There is no “Catholic left”. There are simply faithful Catholics and unfaithful Catholics.
The goats on the left, the sheep on the right! Sounds pretty accurate to me. !! Thou shalt not kill, if you see a wrong, do your best to correct it, lest you be guilty of the sin yourself. Protect the sanctity of life. Thank you sister for speaking out for life, as well as for President Tromp. Stop abortion!
There is no “Catholic left” only Catholics that have “left”!
To mark cameron sr
Nice simple explanation, you nailed it.
How is Trump the most pro-life president this nation has ever had when he wants to cut food stamps, school funding, social security, WHO, WIC, Snap, Medicare, etc.? All pro-life programs.
I can understand not wanting to vote for Biden because of his abortion views, but do you think Trump is pro life when he makes it obvious that he if okay with Americans dying as long as he thinks it will help his relection chances. Less testing = less cases? Maybe less known cases which will lead to more deaths. If you are voting for Trump because you think he’s pro life, search your heart and tell me that Jesus would vote for this anti life man that only cares about himself?
Prof. Faggioli got beat up (theologically) by a girl. No wonder he’s sick to his stomach.
You made this “girl” giggle at that one. Thanks for calling Sister Deirdre a girl. I must say it has been a long, long time since anyone has probably called us girls.
I would like to clarify that when I first came on this website, I thought the poster who calls himself “Hymie” was using his own name or nickname. I never thought of it as derogatory because my family never used it that way. In fact I do not ever remember using it at all until the poster first posted it. As far as I know the poster with that name is just using his nickname. I have no idea why he uses it. There are many name’s of people that are misused, but that should not stop us from calling them by the name they posted unless it is a really well known vulgar term.
I posted that last post because some questioned before Hymie’s use of the name and whether it was derogatory, but that name is used as a nickname not only for people with the names “Herman” and “Hyman”, but also I believe “Armando” ( which I think is Herman in Spanish), and the people using that nickname are not necessarily Jewish, so there is not always an anti semitic use of it by non Jewish people as was before implied..
Correction to last post: the Spanish name “Armando”, which is “Herman in English.
Ok vote for a president who has been married tree time (do not commit adultery), lies continually, cheats on his taxes, and signs executive orders to separate children from their parents. The state approves all of these thing, but that does not mean we have to do them. And we should not impose our beliefs on others.
You are right, you are free to vote for whomever you wish to vote for. I voted for President Trump, he is pro life, and has done so much for our country.