Ep. 4.05: Holding the Line: Cardinal Carberry, Liturgy Battles, and the Early Pro‑Life Surge

This episode follows Cardinal Carberry as he confronts post‑conciliar liturgical experimentation—unauthorized Eucharistic prayers, illicit general absolutions, Communion in the hand before approval—and works to steady parish life amid rapid change. At the same time, he emerges as one of the nation’s earliest and strongest pro‑life voices, declaring a statewide Right to Life Sunday in 1970 and mobilizing Catholics years before Roe v. Wade. The episode also traces Missouri’s early legislative battles over abortion, the testimony of local Catholic physicians, and the rise of national pro‑life organizing, all set against a turbulent backdrop of shifting medical ethics, political realignments, and cultural upheaval.