Less than a month as mayor and Bill de Blasio has already stubbed his big toe.
The city’s new chief executive has played the political expediency game and jumped on the Andrew Cuomo bandwagon that would round up pro-life activists and drive them out of New York.
Not missing a chance to cuddle up to the governor, de Blasio said he fully agrees with Cuomo’s assessment that people with pro-life views and those who support traditional marriage have no place in the Empire State.
If the mayor wanted to be a real leader, he could have stepped up to the plate and said how fortunate our diverse city is to have people of so many different viewpoints. He could have showed real leadership and explained how New York City is the greatest city in the world because it welcomes all points of view.
But no! Only a week after meeting with Cardinal Timothy Dolan and pledging to work on social issues with the Catholic Church, he turns his back on the religious community and declares New York to be a home only for those who think the way far left liberals do.
That leaves out a lot of good people. Like the busload of young people from Brooklyn who went by bus last week to Washington, D.C., to protest the nation’s abortion-on-demand policy. Perhaps we should be grateful that they were allowed to return.
People like Sister Peace, an immigrant nun of the Incarnate Word who works with young people at SS. Peter and Paul parish in Williamsburg. She’s certainly not welcome in New York! She and 50 people from the parish – nine chaperones and 41 youth – travelled to the nation’s capital to make their voices heard.
They attended the youth rally at the Hyatt Regency before the anti-abortion march that took place in frigid temperatures. In Cuomo’s and de Blasio’s New York, these people are subversives.
“That was an amazing experience to hear all the pro-life activists encourage the youth to be pro-life. It was very inspirational for our young people,” said Sister Peace.
Sound dangerous?
“We had dinner as a religious family. Our youth sang some songs with our sisters, and the seminarians hosted a skit with one of our priests. Then, we had a holy hour and confessions, and many of the youth took advantage and went to confession.
“The next day, we had a bioethics discussion with youth divided into groups with our sisters and seminarians. We had Mass. Then we went to march with lots of vibrant energy and cheers that our youth came up with.”
In Cuomo’s and de Blasio’s New York, this type of free speech would be discouraged and certainly not encouraged. As the governor might say, this simply isn’t who a New Yorker is. But it’s because of the weak moral leadership of people like Cuomo and de Blasio that this type of activity needs to be supported.
De Blasio has made a huge mistake in alienating traditional Catholics right from the beginning of his term.
Those of us who were born and raised in New York and who believe in the sanctity of life and marriage aren’t going anywhere. We’re proud to be New Yorkers! We’re staying, and we’re going to have something to say about how public policy is debated and shaped.
Sad to say, but in Cuomo’s and de Blasio’s New York, not even Jesus would be welcome!
