When the Colorado Times Recorder covered a eucharistic march around a Denver Planned Parenthood, we reached out to the Archbishop’s office for comment. Although Archbishop Samuel Aquila did not respond to the questions posed, the Director of Communications for the Archdiocese of Denver Kelly Clark did respond. You can find her answers on behalf of the Archdiocese below.
CTR: Earlier in October, the Archbishop appeared on the Dan Caplis Show, where Caplis appeared to indicate that Catholic churches across the state had been directly mentioning either the amendment or the issue of abortion in the run-up to the November general election. If this is the case, was this a decision made by the Archbishop?
Clark: As faithful Catholics, it is our duty and obligation to shape the moral character of our community, state, and country, and one of the ways we do this is through voting. The priests in the Archdiocese of Denver were preaching on the teachings of the Catholic Church to the faithful. I do not know how things may have been done in the Dioceses of Pueblo and Colorado Springs.
CTR: This amendment seems to be a priority, not just for the Archdiocese, but for Archbishop Aquila specifically considering his active role in putting out statements, organizing marches, and directing faith dialogue on the matter. Why has this amendment appeared to have taken precedence over other charitable priorities of the Church? Priorities such as serving the unhoused community as their property is destroyed in sweeps or the promotion of peace and harmony in a time of international tumult.
Clark: The other issues you mention are not being voted on as constitutional amendments in this election cycle. Archbishop has spoken on those other issues when public attention causes questions to arise about Church teaching on these important topics.
The other topics you mention belong to civil leaders and geopolitics. Archbishop often prays and asks others to pray for wise and compassionate civil leadership. I think you’d agree that killing an unborn child is not equivalent to someone losing material possessions.
Note: Research from the University of Colorado Anshutz Medical Campus, National Health Care for the Homeless Council, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), and the CDC Foundation have linked the involuntary displacement of the unhoused, commonly known as ‘sweeps’ to increases in mortality rates, overdoses, and hospitalizations.
Furthermore, the Archbishop’s public stance on abortion is not new, nor is it confined only to election years. In this election cycle, various non-profits linked to the Catholic Church have spent over $200,000 specifically on defeating Amendment 79. In all fairness, the Archbishop has also backed numerous anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives this year and the Archdiocese has filed a lawsuit against Colorado over LGBTQ+ non-discrimination policies.
CTR: Finally, the Archbishop has taken multiple outspoken political stances over the years, be it on the issue of abortion, the role of women in Church hierarchy, the LGBTQ+ community, and condemned Pres. Biden, Former Speaker Pelosi, and other unnamed pro-choice Catholics for their stances. Does the Archbishop believe that it is the role of the Church to influence government policy and the political beliefs of his congregation?
Clark: When government policies and laws intrude on the moral lives and activities of citizens, yes, the Church has a duty to respond. The primary purpose of human civil law is to ensure justice, and for laws to be just, they must be moral or in accord with natural law. Just human laws cannot be immoral. Amendment 79 is immoral, and therefore unjust and contrary to the purpose and essence of law, because it destroys the life of an innocent person (specifically, the unborn child). Any good human law must foster the common good of society. But to kill innocent citizens undermines that common good in one of the most radical possible ways.
Those who think the Church should avoid speaking about the morality of human civil laws should ask themselves if they are putting God first in their lives, or if politics is their true idol.
Thank you to Ms. Clark for her response on behalf of the Archdiocese. To recap, it does appear that the decision to highlight the Church’s opposition to Amendment 79 was a decision made by the Denver Archdiocese and Archbishop Aquila. The Church sees its involvement in government affairs and law to be a matter of moral duty and this amendment has taken priority because of the election.
