The John-Henry Westen Show - August 18, 2021


All Catholics should be grateful for Cardinal Burke's lifetime of ministry


Episode Stats


Length

10 minutes

Words per minute

149.36264

Word count

1,617

Sentence count

81

Harmful content

Toxicity

4

sentences flagged


Summary

Summaries generated with gmurro/bart-large-finetuned-filtered-spotify-podcast-summ .

Cardinal Raymond Burke, who was dismissed from the Vatican in 2014, is a hero for his courage in standing up for the defense of human life and family in the face of persecution. Cardinal Burke was a champion of pro-life and pro-family causes and a tireless defender of the sanctity of marriage and the dignity of the family.

Transcript

Transcript generated with Whisper (turbo).
Toxicity classifications generated with s-nlp/roberta_toxicity_classifier .
00:00:00.000 As we pray for the recovery of Cardinal Raymond Burke, I wanted to share these personal reflections
00:00:05.360 because I've been privileged to know him for over a decade.
00:00:10.080 He is a gentle soul, highly intelligent, yet humble.
00:00:15.020 He's quiet, yet determined.
00:00:18.180 He's very prudent and kind and generous and totally orthodox.
00:00:22.900 Most of all, he is a lover of Jesus Christ and totally committed to Christ's Church.
00:00:28.860 He gave up his having his own family to serve as a priest, and then thanks to his great gifts from God,
00:00:36.460 which he honed to better serve the Lord, he rose through the ranks of the hierarchy.
00:00:41.620 And even after reaching the heights of the Cardinalet, being appointed by Pope Benedict XVI
00:00:48.020 as the head of the highest court in the Church, a position sort of akin to the U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice,
00:00:54.360 he was ready to give it all up in order to be faithful to Christ and his truth.
00:01:01.760 And indeed, he was called to make that ultimate sacrifice for standing up for the truth when pressures were the most intense.
00:01:10.300 At first, Pope Francis removed Cardinal Burke from his position as a member of the Congregation for Bishops,
00:01:15.960 where he had been able to exert considerable influence on bishops' appointments worldwide.
00:01:21.120 And then, in November 2014, Pope Francis summarily dismissed Cardinal Burke from his position as head of the Vatican's highest court,
00:01:29.980 the Apostolic Signatura.
00:01:31.820 Now, Cardinal Burke went from the highest-ranking American in the Vatican
00:01:35.760 to serve as the patron of the Order of the Knights of Malta,
00:01:41.020 which, well, that was a largely ceremonial position.
00:01:44.040 The move, in fact, was so stark that even left-leaning Vatican experts,
00:01:49.000 including Crux's John Allen and the Catholic News Service's Francis Rocha,
00:01:53.160 reported at the time that it was rare for a cardinal in such a high position at the Vatican
00:01:57.960 to be removed without being assigned a similar responsibility.
00:02:02.520 Cardinal Burke was treated in such a fashion,
00:02:06.060 really, it was unseen in modern Church history,
00:02:08.420 even for those who had gravely offended their duty.
00:02:10.920 Now, Cardinal Burke, nevertheless,
00:02:15.700 continued in good spirits,
00:02:17.660 without ever speaking in anger or resentment,
00:02:21.220 at the totally unjust and scandalous way in which he was treated.
00:02:25.340 He was faithful to St. Paul's admonition in the Bible
00:02:29.160 to Bishop Timothy, as recorded in the Bible,
00:02:32.080 to speak the truth in season and out of season,
00:02:35.020 even when it meant it would cost him dearly.
00:02:37.860 Cardinal Burke was a total hero for the defenders of life and family.
00:02:43.720 In fact, in the English-speaking world,
00:02:45.700 he was the most outspoken prelate on the topic in the Church.
00:02:50.420 He had the courage to speak out to defend the holiness of communion,
00:02:54.640 even from the highest-ranking self-identified Catholic politicians,
00:03:00.040 including Vice President John Kerry,
00:03:01.780 Speaker Nancy Pelosi,
00:03:03.620 and President Biden.
00:03:04.780 But the good Cardinal voiced his concerns
00:03:08.200 and admonition that these nominal Catholics be denied Holy Communion,
00:03:12.960 not out of any kind of hatred or animosity,
00:03:15.220 but out of concern for them.
00:03:17.220 He told me himself,
00:03:18.780 why add to their sins of supporting abortion and so on
00:03:22.100 with sacrilegious communions?
00:03:25.560 You know, he was very generous with LifeSite over the years,
00:03:28.940 giving us many interviews.
00:03:30.240 And when we launched the Rome Life Forum,
00:03:33.240 which is an annual meeting with life and family leaders
00:03:35.580 from all over the world gathering in Rome,
00:03:38.260 Cardinal Burke was there to speak.
00:03:40.780 And he did so each year after that as well.
00:03:45.100 And when LifeSite, as part of Voice of the Family,
00:03:47.700 launched a youth conference in Rome,
00:03:50.800 Cardinal Burke also made himself available each year to do that.
00:03:55.240 What a grace it was for those young people
00:03:58.620 to meet his eminence,
00:04:00.060 to be able to ask him questions,
00:04:02.560 to ask them directly to him,
00:04:04.260 to receive his blessing.
00:04:06.020 You know, he took time to meet
00:04:08.060 with each of those young people individually,
00:04:10.340 and he took to heart their concerns,
00:04:12.360 their prayer requests,
00:04:13.420 and he was also buoyed by their prayers himself,
00:04:17.700 their well wishes,
00:04:18.740 their brotherly love.
00:04:19.580 You know, the love and admiration
00:04:24.340 was very much mutual.
00:04:28.060 He expressed his solidarity
00:04:29.400 with the Rome Life Forum conference participants,
00:04:32.320 praising them for their commitment
00:04:33.740 to safeguard and promote the inviolable dignity
00:04:36.480 of innocent and defenseless human life,
00:04:38.860 and the integrity of its cradle
00:04:41.140 in marriage and the family.
00:04:42.560 Here was his words.
00:04:43.880 These were his words ending one of his talks
00:04:46.320 at Rome Life Forum.
00:04:47.080 And he said, and I quote,
00:04:50.060 In the context of the Rome Life Forum,
00:04:53.360 I close by expressing my deep appreciation
00:04:56.720 for the martyrdom
00:04:57.940 which so many of you embrace
00:05:00.540 for the sake of the defense of human life
00:05:03.060 and its cradle in the conjugal union
00:05:05.060 of husband and wife.
00:05:07.040 Then he says,
00:05:08.020 we embrace,
00:05:10.500 talking of himself,
00:05:11.520 associating himself
00:05:12.680 with the pro-life and pro-family leaders.
00:05:14.900 He says,
00:05:15.240 we embrace indifference,
00:05:18.400 ridicule,
00:05:19.280 rejection,
00:05:19.780 and other forms of persecution
00:05:21.460 because we love our Lord
00:05:22.740 and all our brothers and sisters in him,
00:05:25.640 in his holy church.
00:05:28.040 You know,
00:05:29.040 it's an amazing thing.
00:05:31.100 He probably experienced that persecution
00:05:33.020 more than any of us,
00:05:35.500 but he was so pleased
00:05:36.840 to associate himself
00:05:38.400 with the leaders of life and family,
00:05:40.620 those who work to defend
00:05:42.220 innocent human life
00:05:43.220 and the family.
00:05:45.560 But you know,
00:05:46.280 here's my favorite recollection
00:05:47.780 of Cardinal Burke.
00:05:49.140 It involves the church's difficult teaching
00:05:51.380 on homosexuality,
00:05:52.540 which he was always spoke on
00:05:55.200 without fear of reprisal.
00:05:57.700 You know,
00:05:58.080 he spoke so in charity
00:05:59.780 without wanting to offend,
00:06:01.600 but he spoke the truths of the church,
00:06:04.260 which can be hard
00:06:05.140 because the sexual teachings of the church
00:06:07.500 can be a challenge for people.
00:06:09.260 Yet he spoke them
00:06:11.420 in truth and charity,
00:06:13.380 explaining how the homosexual inclination
00:06:16.080 is disordered.
00:06:17.620 And he was doing so
00:06:19.740 at a time
00:06:20.460 when that was already starting
00:06:23.160 to be so politically incorrect
00:06:25.340 as to be soon become
00:06:27.520 almost illegal.
00:06:28.960 Well, 0.82
00:06:29.440 there was a homosexual activist 0.60
00:06:30.920 who was Catholic
00:06:31.840 and he decided to sort of publicly
00:06:34.100 renounce his Catholic faith.
00:06:35.500 In 1995,
00:06:37.160 a man named Eric Hess
00:06:39.440 boxed up his crucifixes
00:06:41.340 and Bible
00:06:42.000 and dropped them off
00:06:43.340 at then Bishop Burke's office,
00:06:46.680 renouncing his Catholic faith
00:06:47.920 and embracing same-sex relationships.
00:06:51.280 And Burke,
00:06:52.560 at the time,
00:06:53.340 was the Bishop of La Crosse, Wisconsin.
00:06:55.960 Now,
00:06:56.900 Burke contacted Hess
00:06:58.760 and told him
00:06:59.880 that he respected his decision
00:07:01.140 but would pray
00:07:01.780 for his return to the faith
00:07:02.940 and would be ready
00:07:03.960 to welcome him back
00:07:04.820 should he come home.
00:07:06.440 Now,
00:07:06.800 Hess,
00:07:07.080 who was at the time 0.55
00:07:07.760 a homosexual activist,
00:07:08.860 really resented 0.85
00:07:09.920 Bishop Burke's outreach
00:07:12.160 and threatened to press charges
00:07:13.760 should Burke contact him again.
00:07:16.040 Well,
00:07:16.640 of course,
00:07:17.200 Cardinal Burke did so
00:07:18.000 just to say
00:07:18.740 that he would respect his wishes
00:07:20.960 but would still be praying for him.
00:07:23.200 Well,
00:07:23.480 three years later,
00:07:24.920 Hess returned to the faith.
00:07:27.160 He wanted to call
00:07:28.220 Archbishop Burke
00:07:29.520 to let him know
00:07:30.620 of his conversion.
00:07:31.400 and the secretary
00:07:33.880 who picked up the phone
00:07:35.160 told him that Cardinal Burke
00:07:36.580 would like to see him in person.
00:07:38.280 When he arrived,
00:07:39.380 the Cardinal received him
00:07:40.380 with great joy
00:07:41.100 and he asked if he recalled
00:07:42.580 the box
00:07:43.180 with his Bible
00:07:44.400 and crucifixes
00:07:45.020 that he had left
00:07:46.280 at the office of Cardinal Burke.
00:07:47.820 Well,
00:07:48.300 believe it or not,
00:07:49.300 the Cardinal
00:07:49.880 still had
00:07:51.000 Eric's box
00:07:52.040 of Catholic items
00:07:52.900 which he kept
00:07:53.800 and I'm sure
00:07:55.380 was praying for him
00:07:56.580 for those years
00:07:57.360 believing Hess
00:07:58.660 would come back
00:07:59.320 to Christ
00:07:59.840 and his church one day.
00:08:01.400 And,
00:08:02.880 you know,
00:08:04.000 here's a real witness
00:08:05.260 to who Cardinal Burke is.
00:08:08.300 Eric Hess,
00:08:09.440 the former homosexual activist
00:08:11.400 who converted
00:08:12.860 back to the faith,
00:08:14.820 says this of Cardinal Burke
00:08:16.260 and I quote,
00:08:17.880 While some malign
00:08:18.960 Archbishop Burke
00:08:19.620 for his fidelity
00:08:20.560 to God,
00:08:21.380 Church,
00:08:21.720 and all souls,
00:08:22.820 I say
00:08:23.560 he is a true shepherd
00:08:25.300 of the faithful
00:08:25.920 and a present-day Athanasius.
00:08:28.360 Eric Hess continued,
00:08:29.320 I tell you
00:08:30.900 that he remains
00:08:32.080 a mentor
00:08:32.600 and an inspiration
00:08:33.800 to me.
00:08:34.880 Although my own
00:08:35.520 biological father
00:08:36.320 rejected me,
00:08:37.040 Archbishop Burke
00:08:37.700 became my spiritual father
00:08:39.300 by lovingly
00:08:40.160 representing
00:08:40.800 our Father in Heaven.
00:08:42.620 End quote.
00:08:43.760 You know,
00:08:44.360 that is Cardinal Burke,
00:08:45.920 a true pastor,
00:08:47.140 a spiritual father,
00:08:48.380 willing to tell the truth
00:08:49.420 even when it hurts
00:08:50.420 and always ready
00:08:51.340 to receive
00:08:51.840 the prodigal son
00:08:52.640 with joy and love,
00:08:54.000 forgiveness and blessing.
00:08:54.940 You know,
00:08:56.880 as for my part,
00:08:58.220 I can only be grateful
00:08:59.540 for the time
00:09:00.360 that I was permitted
00:09:00.980 to spend personally
00:09:01.920 with Cardinal Burke.
00:09:03.400 He is a lover of Christ
00:09:05.040 like few others.
00:09:06.280 He has been,
00:09:07.360 as his master,
00:09:08.760 a sign of contradiction.
00:09:10.580 He is a saintly,
00:09:12.280 shining example
00:09:13.300 of the love
00:09:13.920 and service
00:09:14.400 of our Lord Jesus Christ
00:09:15.460 in the midst
00:09:16.200 of a fallen world.
00:09:18.240 May God bless you,
00:09:19.480 Cardinal Burke.
00:09:20.520 We have been praying
00:09:21.380 for you daily
00:09:22.020 at LifeSite
00:09:22.580 for years
00:09:23.220 and will continue
00:09:24.660 to do so.
00:09:26.280 For LifeSite News,
00:09:27.320 this is John Henry Weston.
00:09:28.900 And may God bless you.
00:09:31.960 And my friends,
00:09:32.900 I would ask you
00:09:33.500 to go over
00:09:34.280 to LifeSite News'
00:09:35.920 petition site
00:09:36.920 called
00:09:37.320 LifePetitions.com.
00:09:39.700 There's a petition there
00:09:40.860 we have
00:09:41.380 to thank Cardinal Burke
00:09:42.660 for defending
00:09:43.480 life,
00:09:44.400 family,
00:09:44.940 freedom,
00:09:45.380 and tradition.
00:09:46.520 We are going to
00:09:47.680 bring this petition
00:09:48.840 and deliver it
00:09:49.800 to him
00:09:50.440 as soon as he recovers
00:09:52.280 and should,
00:09:53.580 God forbid,
00:09:54.220 he not recover,
00:09:55.240 we will be giving
00:09:56.120 this to his family.
00:09:57.540 So if you have
00:09:58.720 a comment to make
00:10:00.640 to Cardinal Burke,
00:10:01.980 we're going to be
00:10:02.900 presenting this,
00:10:04.200 God willing,
00:10:04.860 to him,
00:10:05.600 but at least
00:10:06.560 to his family,
00:10:07.860 the many expressions
00:10:09.020 of thanks
00:10:10.060 and of love
00:10:11.540 to him
00:10:12.180 that I'm sure
00:10:13.460 you want to bring.
00:10:14.320 So LifePetitions.com,
00:10:16.280 the petition
00:10:16.980 to thank Cardinal Burke
00:10:18.220 for defending
00:10:18.880 life,
00:10:19.540 family,
00:10:19.900 freedom,
00:10:20.320 and tradition.
00:10:21.400 May God bless you.
00:10:22.480 I'm sorry.
00:10:23.940 All right.
00:10:24.580 Thank you.
00:10:25.380 ัะปะตะด for.
00:10:48.140 Thank you.
00:10:49.220 I'm sorry.