On August 16, we celebrate the feast day of a strong leader, a faithful Catholic, and a king who left a legacy far beyond his reign.
St. Stephen of Hungary was born to a noble, but pagan, family. When he was just 10, he and his family were baptized and he was given the name Stephen, reportedly not only after the first martyr but because in Hebrew it means both “crown” and a “standard or norm.”
Stephen was eventually crowned king of Hungary, and he dedicated his crown to the Virgin Mary. As king, he took care of the poor and the sick, built churches and monasteries, encouraged marriage, and abolished pagan customs. Stephen was a strong and holy ruler who brought others to Christ and who served the Church through his actions.
In a series of writings to his son, who would precede him in death, Stephen once advised, “If you desire to honour the royal crown, I advise, I counsel, I urge you above all things to maintain the Catholic and Apostolic faith with such diligence and care that you may be an example for all those placed under you by God.”
Being an example to others and living our faith openly and unapologetically is a charge we all have. But today, we see many leaders doing the exact opposite of what Stephen lived and taught as they seek to destroy both faith and the vulnerable.
We have seen this most predominantly with Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, her choice for vice president. Both have long histories of denigration of family values and of disdain for the preborn. Several examples illustrate this point.
In 2015, Harris said she was “proud” to have cosponsored California’s FACT Act (the Reproductive Freedom, Accountability, Comprehensive Care, and Transparency Act), “which required pregnancy resource centers that met the FACT Act’s definition of ‘licensed covered facilities’ to post notices stating that California provides free or low-cost family planning services and abortion.” In other words, pro-life pregnancy centers were forced to go against their own teachings and tell women about abortion. This act was eventually struck down by the US Supreme Court.
In 2016, as California’s attorney general, Harris ordered a raid on the home of David Daleiden of the Center for Medical Progress—the organization that recorded undercover videos of Planned Parenthood selling the body parts of aborted babies.
This is no surprise, as for years it has been clear that Harris is a staunch friend of Planned Parenthood. In fact, earlier this year, Harris became the first vice president to ever visit an abortion center, which was a PP facility. She took Walz along with her.
Harris’ relationship with Planned Parenthood was also illustrated well when Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s president and CEO, Alexis McGill Johnson, recently said in a statement, “Vice President Kamala Harris is the only person running for president that we can trust to protect access to abortion.” She continued, “Kamala Harris is more than qualified and ready to lead the nation as we face down the most urgent threat [lack of access to abortion] to democracy and our basic rights.”
It is a sad state indeed when people think the most “urgent threat” to our country is the prohibition of ripping a child to pieces.
Further, when Harris chose Walz as her running mate, Planned Parenthood was so overcome with excitement that it released a statement saying, “By choosing Gov. Walz as her running mate, Vice President Harris has put forward the most pro-reproductive freedom ticket in history. Gov. Walz is a longtime champion of sexual and reproductive health care and has been a fierce abortion rights champion as governor, helping to protect abortion rights in Minnesota.”
Maiming and killing children is not a “right,” and an alliance with Planned Parenthood leads only to destruction and death.
Like St. Stephen, we must take off the blinders and see the pagan culture that is before us and that seeks to destroy a culture of life. We cannot continue to support leaders who have such a disdain for families, for faith, and for morality.
Being pro-abortion and anti-family is Harris’ norm. As we ponder this, let us think about St. Stephen’s norm. He cared for the vulnerable, protected those who needed help, and built families. As we look to the future of our country, let us reflect on the example of Stephen and use his life as our guide to choose a leader who emulates his love and respect for all.
This article first appeared in LifeSiteNews at lifesitenews.com/blogs/kamala-harris-and-tim-walz-have-a-long-history-of-attacking-christian-values-and-the-unborn/?utm_source=most_recent&utm_campaign=usa.
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