
When Silence Speaks: The Message Of A Public Scandal
By JOSEPH MATT This past month, our state of Minnesota was shaken by another brutal and tragic event — the cold-blooded murder of Minnesota State Legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Our prayers and acts of charity should be directed toward the souls of the victims and the comfort of their grieving families. It is not our place to judge their eternal fate; rather, we entrust them to God’s mercy. The widely publicized Catholic funeral Mass that followed this horrific event had the potential to offer solace and a sense of closure to those in attendance. Unfortunately, it instead carried an undercurrent of political messaging and gave rise to public scandal. A clear dissonance emerged between the public praise of Hortman’s Catholic faith and her public political record, which stood in stark contradiction to fundamental Catholic moral teachings. A brief overview of the legislation championed by Representative Melissa Hortman during her tenure as Speaker of the Minnesota House reveals a deeply troubling record. She
