Editorial- Ohio Catholic Archbishop Bans Fundraising For Breast Cancer

Toledo, Ohio, Archbishop Leonard Blair
File Photo By David Mitchell
The Associated Press

By Brody Levesque | BETHESDA, MARYLAND -- If ever there was a more striking example of why religious leaders continue to be responsible for pushing their respective churches into the realm of being anachronistic & increasingly irrelevant institutions, my vote would be for the following ignoramus:

"Toledo Bishop Leonard Blair sent a letter banning the fundraising for Susan G. Komen for the Cure to all priests and parishes in the 19-county diocese over the weekend. Cincinnati's archbishop earlier this year decided that schools and parishes in the 19-county Cincinnati Archdiocese cannot raise funds for Komen for the same reason.
Scientists say research on embryonic stem cells, which are usually taken from discarded embryos at fertility clinics, may lead to cures for diseases. The Catholic Church maintains that the destruction of the embryo amounts to the killing of human life." 

 ~ The Associated Press

Really your Eminence? You would rather have female parishioners in your Dioceses suffer and even die from Breast Cancer than have a means to find a possible cure? 

Here's an excerpt from the Archbishop's letter:

"While we want to do everything possible to support the search for a cure (for cancer), sadly the landscape of medical research today is sometimes marred by the erroneous belief that research is not bound by moral norms rooted in faith and reason, as reflected in the teaching of the church."

Look, the truth is that you are an ignorant man Archbishop. Of course, given the sordid historical perspective of your peculiar brand of christianity, your justification to ban fundraising for a respected foundation comes as no shock. After all, one really needs to look no further than the Catholic obsession for persecution of scientists dating back to say, for example, in the Middle Ages when Galileo came under fire for advancing scientific thought that counters the fiction your roman catholic religious types believed in. 

Of course its okay as long as its 'approved' and follows catholic doctrine right?

"In order to avoid even the possibility of cooperation in morally unacceptable activities...fundraising activities carried out under Catholic auspices, including our schools, should be channeled" elsewhere. In the Diocese of Toledo, Mercy Cancer Centers are a very appropriate local way to channel donations raised under Catholic auspices..."

Needless to say the Komen folks weren't happy, here's their response to his Eminence's directive:

"The Northwest Ohio Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure is disappointed with Bishop Leonard Blair's recent letter directing Catholic schools and parishes to withhold fundraising efforts for our organization. We remain committed to our mission of saving lives and ending breast cancer forever. Susan G. Komen for the Cure has never funded abortion or embryonic stem cell research. Funds from the Northwest Ohio Affiliate have never gone to Planned Parenthood.

We are grateful for the widespread support of the communities that we serve and are proud to have returned more than $6 million to life saving breast cancer programs in Northwest Ohio since our first race was held in 1994. In fact, we have had positive relationships with the local Catholic hospitals who have applied for and received more than $300,000 in Komen grant funds in the last five years.

Today our sole focus is to continue providing life-saving breast health services in Northwest Ohio and Monroe County, Michigan, through Komen funded grant programs."

Your kind are just despicable dinosaurs your Eminence.