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 led what was arguably the most immoral and radical legislative agenda the state has ever witnessed — an agenda fundamentally opposed to core Catholic teachings. Yet at her funeral, this stark reality was seemingly brushed aside by one of the clerics as “mere differences.”
From 2008 to 2025, Representative Hortman’s legislative record closely mirrored that of Governor Tim Walz, reflecting unwavering support for a progressive platform — particularly in the areas of abortion, gender ideology, and restrictions on religious liberty. These positions stand in direct contradiction to the moral and doctrinal principles of the Catholic Church.
On abortion, Hortman repeatedly voted against pro-life measures, including bans on taxpayer funding of abortion, licensing and inspections of abortion facilities, and protections for infants born alive. She supported expansive abortion rights, voting in favor of bills allowing abortion up to birth, shielding abortion providers from extradition, and expanding constitutional protections through both state and federal Equal Rights Amendments.
In terms of gender and sexuality issues, Hortman opposed protecting female sports for biological girls and supported mandates that schools promote gender ideology. She voted for counseling bans on minors experiencing same-sex attraction or gender confusion and backed a bill allowing courts to remove children from parents who oppose “gender-affirming care.”
Her record also reflects opposition to religious liberty protections. She voted to exclude faith-based schools from participating in PSEO programs and against conscience protections for healthcare providers. On education, she consistently opposed school choice measures and parental rights, including requiring parental consent for student surveys and allowing parental notification in bullying or contraceptive matters.
Hortman supported the legalization of same-sex marriage and opposed prioritizing married couples in adoption placements. Across nearly two decades of votes, her positions aligned with removing traditional family protections, expanding government control in moral and medical decision-making, and limiting religious and parental authority. Her record drew strong opposition from Minnesota Family Council (MFC), which supported nearly every bill she opposed and opposed most bills she supported.
That being said, witnessing the funeral Mass for these two individuals, one could not help but feel that something did not add up. Presiding over the liturgy were multiple bishops and priests, whose glowing and effusive tributes to the deceased gave the impression that they were being canonized rather than commended to God’s mercy.
One cannot help but wonder what accounts for this excessive praise and public accommodation. Sadly, it reflects a broader trend among many of today’s Church leaders: a persistent need to be seen as agreeable, politically correct, and well-liked by secular society.
To be sure, the circumstances were highly sensitive. A former U.S. President and Vice President were in attendance, and the tragic and brutal nature of the deaths understandably cast a solemn shadow over the occasion. The pain of the family and friends was, and remains, immense. But none of this negates the fact that the public legislative record of the deceased stood in stark opposition to Catholic moral teaching — a fact that was, during the funeral, ignored entirely. And that is the uncomfortable truth no one dares to address.
How should such a situation be handled? Various prudent approaches could have been taken — but that is not the focus here. The point is this: the scandal has already occurred. A bishop is called to shepherd souls toward salvation, not to serve as a political figure attempting to please everyone. He is to preach the Gospel of Christ, not conform to the gospel of Caesar.
Unfortunately, it is precisely this desire for worldly approval that has rendered many of our clergy ineffective — stressing the typical political narratives of the day, racism, open borders, “social justice,” but on life and death issues they remain silenced, compromised, and, spiritually speaking, neutered.
Before we hear further preaching about evangelization, reverence for the Eucharist, social justice, or similar themes, can we first address the glaring contradiction? How can the shepherds of the Church allow such a public scandal to unfold without correction? What are faithful Catholic parents to tell their children? What are seekers of the truth and potential converts to the Church to make of this? What message is being sent to the rational observer who sees the irony — that someone who consistently opposed the teachings of the Church through public actions is celebrated without qualification by the very shepherds charged with upholding and proclaiming those teachings?
Is this not one of the most effective tools the Devil has — the silenced shepherd.
It’s a simple question: What is the message of this latest public scandal? And isn’t the answer sadly obvious? It’s no wonder in today’s world the Gospel of Jesus Christ falls so often on deaf ears!
