Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput Says No to Pro-Abortion Speaker

Native American Archbishop Takes Strong Pro-Life Action

By Kathleen Sweeney, Outreach Department

DENVER, CO - - An invitation to pro-abortion Congresswoman Diana DeGette to speak at a May 6 awards dinner sponsored by the Denver Archdiocesan Housing Committee caused quite a stir in the archdiocese. So Archbishop Charles Chaput took immediate action, ordering the agency to revoke its invitation to Rep. DeGette.

DeGette, in a harsh response to the disinvitation, criticized the Catholic Church's "apparent litmus test regarding elected officials' views" and concluded that "the fringe politics of abortion have apparently won out."

The archbishop responded to DeGette in a letter on May 4, saying, "I've always been puzzled by political leaders who exclude unborn children from the protection of the justice they publicly claim to champion.

The Archbishop's letter continued, "I invite you to turn away from the fringe politics (of the abortion issue) by bringing your own politics more consistently in line with real service to the sanctity of human life."

Archbishop Chaput also rejected DeGette's accusation about a litmus test, "since your own party enforces a pro-choice litmus test on its potential candidates far more roughly and with far less moral legitimacy."

The archdiocese reported that it had been "inundated" with negative phone calls and e-mails regarding DeGette's invitation to speak at the archdiocesan event when a newspaper had announced the event and her appearance.