MH - Terri Update

Brian Saint-Paul's Crisis e-letter from yesterday (click here to subscribe) is a call to continue praying for the Holy Father, and for Terri Schiavo. Two bits of information: some have wondered just where Bishop Robert Lynch of St. Petersburg has been during all this. Click here to read his statements. Brian quotes the brave and loyal Fr. Rob Johansen, who's been involved with the family for some time, as follows:

"To put it bluntly," Fr. Johansen told me, "Bishop Lynch has been invisible on this matter for the last couple years. He made a few statements in October 2003. But even those were, in my opinion, pretty weak. They basically expressed his sympathy and his feeling that this was a tragic situation."

Another reason why we all need to speak out and pass the word to others. This is a situation where everyone, laity as well as ministers, has to take the lead.

Again quoting Brian's e-letter, here are Fr. Johansen's suggestions:

1. "Pray, not just for Terri but for Michael Schiavo and his lawyer, George Felos. After all, people's hearts can be turned."
2. Since the ruling comes down today -- a Friday in Lent -- Catholics have a special opportunity to offer up a sacrifice. Don't underestimate the power of this season.
3. "Get informed about the real issues. Spread the word. The mainstream media continues to report that Terri is brain dead or comatose. No one has ever claimed that. Furthermore, contrary to media reports, this is NOT a right to die case. People need to spread the word on this. Call their talk radio stations, send e-mails to friends, and to Florida state representatives." One way to get informed is to read the article Fr. Rob wrote for us on the situation in our January 2004 issue. It's the single best overview of the debate that I've seen and is available for free on the Crisis website: (You have full permission to reprint, forward, link to, or quote the article any way you like. We need to get this information to as many people as possible.)
4. Finally, if you have the chance and the means, you could also donate money to www.Terrisfight.org. Due to high web traffic, the site is down right now (I just tried it), but should be up again soon.

Let's keep it up, and don't be discouraged - we may not win (in the short run), but for sure we won't win if we don't fight!