Randall Terry is at it again. The anti-abortion extremist has indulged in racist street theater directed at the President and his interview with Archbishop Raymond Burke last year raised eyebrows before eliciting a semi-apology from Burke for his criticism of brother bishops. Now, he is planning to participate in a training session held at the John Paul II Cultural Center in Washington, D.C. the weekend after the March for Life according to a report at Alternet.org. A spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Washington said that the event was being organized not by Terry but by Missy Smith, who is affiliated with Insurrecta Nex, the renamed version of Terry’s Operation Rescue.
Terry is more than a nuisance. He undermines the credibility of the pro-life movement. In one video he released, he brings the body of an aborted fetus in front of the cameras, reducing a human tragedy to the status of a prop, exploiting the dignity of human life that he purports to champion.
Last year, conservatives, especially extreme pro-life conservatives, cited the USCCB document on “Catholics in Political Life” which said that Church facilities should not be used to host or promote those whose values are antithetical to the Church. Terry’s brand of hatefulness surely meets the criteria. He should not be permitted to use any church facilities, least of all one so prominent as the John Paul II Cultural Center. So far, no one from the John Paul II Center has returned a call asking for clarification.
