RIP Fr. Drinan

[Jack]

I spent a little time with him on a law school summer program in London in July 2004 and came away impressed with him as a person. Unfortunately I never had him for class, but he is a great credit to Georgetown and to the church, and he will be missed by all. In the midst of some very fine obituaries, I remember particularly the reflection from Fr. Ryan Maher written for the Hoya a few years ago:

www.thehoya.com/viewpoint/013004/view2.cfm

The Boston Globe's obit is the best I have seen today:

www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2007/01/29/congressman_priest_drinan_dies/

[GULaw]

I had Father Drinan as a professor for Constitutional Law my first year of law school. He was a wonderful contributor to the GU law school community and of course, an outstanding leader for the cause of human rights. I was fortunate to meet him again a couple of years ago during a reunion weekend. He will be missed.

[BigMike]

A true hero.

[SoCalHoya]

RIP Brother Drinan.

[Nevada Hoya]

May he rest in peace.

www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/01/28/AR2007012801179.html

[Jack]

More wonderful reflections on the many gifts of Fr. Drinan, primarily from colleagues and students:

www.law.georgetown.edu/news/drinan.html

[TrueHoyaBlue]

Here's the story on the University's web site:
explore.georgetown.edu/news/?ID=22251

[Frank Black]

I wish him peace in the afterlife, but Fr. Drinan has an enormous amount to answer for. First and foremost would be his unconscionable abortion stance which will live in infamy as one of the most wrongheaded, invidious political decisions in the history of the Republic and the Church. The idea that an act Drinan himself described as "infanticide" can be countenanced by any civil society stands contrary to all that the Catholic Church teaches. To miss that is to in fact miss everything. It speaks of a blindness so all-encompassing as to defy explanation. If a Catholic priest will not speak for those that cannot, what hope is there?

Drinan's tired leftism on issues such as trade and the Cold War are demonstrably misguided, but they represent footnotes compared with his complicity in mass death. I realize that this obloquy may seem out of place given his recent passing, but if not now when?

[Jack]

From Maher's piece:

Capital punishment. The war in Iraq. Human rights. The plight of refugees, migrant workers and the uninsured. Stewardship of the environment. Workers’ rights, including the right to unionize and to earn a living wage. The teachings of John Paul II are as clear on these issues as they are on any other. Many of Drinan’s detractors, thumping their chests as they profess their papal allegiance, find it easy to brush aside such inconvenient papal teachings.

Please take the Pharisee talk elsewhere.

[nychoya3]

I'm sorry Frank, but I can't let that go unanswered. Look, if Father Drinan is complicit in mass murder, than so am I. And, by your definition, I suppose about 75 percent of the American populace that supports any sort of abortion is as well. Now, perhaps Drinan owes special fealty to the doctrines of the church, but I'm not Catholic and I simply don't care. All I care about is that this is a man who led the sort of life that any of us would be lucky and proud to live, and he had a commitment to justice and equality that we would all do well to emulate. I have no interest in hashing out the details of every stance the man took in his life, but your post is absurd, in my opinion.

What the heck is a Pharisee? And in what way does Maher's statement offend you?

RIP Father Drinan, who tried to make the world a better place for his fellow man.

[DFW HOYA]

nychoya3 said:

What the heck is a Pharisee?

Unless you're kidding, how does one go through four years at Georgetown without a basic understanding of the term Pharisee?

www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew23.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharisee

[kchoya]

dfw said:

nychoya3 said:

What the heck is a Pharisee?

Unless you're kidding, how does one go through four years at Georgetown without a basic understanding of the term Pharisee?

www.nccbuscc.org/nab/bible/matthew/matthew23.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharisee

Not sure it came up during my time at GU. Then again, Prof. Tambasco's Intro to Bib Lit was almost 13 years ago.

[BigMike]

Frank,

Father Drinan dedicated his entire life to the service of others and if he has something to answer for than the rest of us have NO chance.

[HoyaNyr320]

frankblack said:

I wish him peace in the afterlife, but Fr. Drinan has an enormous amount to answer for. First and foremost would be his unconscionable abortion stance which will live in infamy as one of the most wrongheaded, invidious political decisions in the history of the Republic and the Church. The idea that an act Drinan himself described as "infanticide" can be countenanced by any civil society stands contrary to all that the Catholic Church teaches. To miss that is to in fact miss everything. It speaks of a blindness so all-encompassing as to defy explanation. If a Catholic priest will not speak for those that cannot, what hope is there?

Drinan's tired leftism on issues such as trade and the Cold War are demonstrably misguided, but they represent footnotes compared with his complicity in mass death. I realize that this obloquy may seem out of place given his recent passing, but if not now when?

Get off your high horse.

I'm not Christian, but isn't there a quote by someone important in the New Testament that goes like this: [sarcasm intended]

"Let he who is free from sin cast the first stone."

[EasyEd]

Frank Black reflects my opinion also. All of these people who value science so much in fostering man-made global warming seem to ignore science when it comes to abortion. When the male sperm fertilizes the female egg a new being is immediately created, one that did not exist before. And that new being has exactly the same DNA as it will have if allowed to mature to an adult. That new being, then, is exactly the same being as that later adult. To claim it is no more than a potential human is as ridiculous as claiming that an infant is merely a potential adult, but not a human.
I would, however, leave the judgement of Fr. Drinan to God.

[albertogonzales]

ed said:

Frank Black reflects my opinion also. All of these people who value science so much in fostering man-made global warming seem to ignore science when it comes to abortion. When the male sperm fertilizes the female egg a new being is immediately created, one that did not exist before. And that new being has exactly the same DNA as it will have if allowed to mature to an adult. That new being, then, is exactly the same being as that later adult. To claim it is no more than a potential human is as ridiculous as claiming that an infant is merely a potential adult, but not a human.
I would, however, leave the judgement of Fr. Drinan to God.

Spoken like an honorable, law-abiding American. God bless our great nation.

[hoyatables]

ed said:

Frank Black reflects my opinion also. All of these people who value science so much in fostering man-made global warming seem to ignore science when it comes to abortion. When the male sperm fertilizes the female egg a new being is immediately created, one that did not exist before. And that new being has exactly the same DNA as it will have if allowed to mature to an adult. That new being, then, is exactly the same being as that later adult. To claim it is no more than a potential human is as ridiculous as claiming that an infant is merely a potential adult, but not a human.
I would, however, leave the judgement of Fr. Drinan to God.

Of course, so many of those people who value a human life in opposing abortion seem to ignore that value when it comes the death of innocents as a result of war, capital punishment, social justice, environmental protection, human rights, immigrant rights, workers' rights, and so on. Father Drinan showed a tremendous amount of courage in applying the teachings of his private faith in the public political arena, and I, for one, know that I have a long ways to go before I even begin to approach his example.

[Frank Black]

hoyanyr320 said:

frankblack said:

I wish him peace in the afterlife, but Fr. Drinan has an enormous amount to answer for. First and foremost would be his unconscionable abortion stance which will live in infamy as one of the most wrongheaded, invidious political decisions in the history of the Republic and the Church. The idea that an act Drinan himself described as "infanticide" can be countenanced by any civil society stands contrary to all that the Catholic Church teaches. To miss that is to in fact miss everything. It speaks of a blindness so all-encompassing as to defy explanation. If a Catholic priest will not speak for those that cannot, what hope is there?

Drinan's tired leftism on issues such as trade and the Cold War are demonstrably misguided, but they represent footnotes compared with his complicity in mass death. I realize that this obloquy may seem out of place given his recent passing, but if not now when?

Get off your high horse.

I'm not Christian, but isn't there a quote by someone important in the New Testament that goes like this: [sarcasm intended]

"Let he who is free from sin cast the first stone."

Indeed. I didn't mean to imply that I was morally superior to Fr. Drinan, I was rather highlighting the unambiguous deficiencies of his views on the primary moral question of our time. His influence on the issue makes his stance that much more debased. He gave the Kennedy clan the moral cover they needed to do an about face on abortion while simultaneously professing the Catholic faith. I characterize the stand as evil.

[HealyHoya]

frankblack said:

I wish him peace in the afterlife, but Fr. Drinan has an enormous amount to answer for. First and foremost would be his unconscionable abortion stance which will live in infamy as one of the most wrongheaded, invidious political decisions in the history of the Republic and the Church. The idea that an act Drinan himself described as "infanticide" can be countenanced by any civil society stands contrary to all that the Catholic Church teaches. To miss that is to in fact miss everything. It speaks of a blindness so all-encompassing as to defy explanation. If a Catholic priest will not speak for those that cannot, what hope is there?

Drinan's tired leftism on issues such as trade and the Cold War are demonstrably misguided, but they represent footnotes compared with his complicity in mass death. I realize that this obloquy may seem out of place given his recent passing, but if not now when?

Well, while Father Drinan ostensibly burns in the eternal damnation of hell, I turn to you for guidance. It seems, from your post, that you have everything figured out. Please show me the path to heaven, O Holy(er than thou) One...

Thank you for your contributions, Father Drinan. Some of us recognize you left this world a far better place...

[HoyaNyr320]

frankblack said:

Indeed. I didn't mean to imply that I was morally superior to Fr. Drinan, I was rather highlighting the unambiguous deficiencies of his views on the primary moral question of our time. His influence on the issue makes his stance that much more debased. He gave the Kennedy clan the moral cover they needed to do an about face on abortion while simultaneously professing the Catholic faith. I characterize the stand as evil.

And by making that characterization, you are judging someone based on your own definitions of morality and implying moral superiority.