Dorothy Day, A Saint?

Of course.  Mark Shea explains.  Excerpts:

Stephen Prothero writes a spectacularly wrong headed piece for CNN in which he asks and answers the musical question, “Can Catholics abide a saint who had an abortion?"...

...This, being translated, means “Day will be accepted as a saint by those Catholics who don’t think abortion is a big deal, while those who do regard it as a sin will have to choke it down as best they may.” In other words, by Prothero’s lights, the real reason Day will be accepted as a saint is because of Catholics who excuse abortion, not because of Catholics who forgive it. Indeed, the subtext is that Catholics who regard abortion as a monstrous crime—people such as, oh, Dorothy Day—can’t “abide” the thought of welcoming saints with gravely sinful pasts.

One wonders where Prothero has been all these years. Has he never heard of the enormous popularity of the cult of Mary Magdalene, popularly regarded as a reformed prostitute? Has he never heard of the celebrated baptism of Norma McCorvey (aka “Roe” of Roe v. Wade) by Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life? Does he know nothing of the huge welcomes and celebrations given such figures as Abby Johnson or Carol Everett, former “abortion providers” who repented and have become lionesses of the pro-life movement? Has he never heard of the various post-abortive ministries run by gung ho pro-lifers who spend all their time rejoicing over the one sheep who returns more than the ninety and nine who were not lost? I cannot think of a single group of people more likely to celebrate a post-abortive saint than orthodox Catholic pro-lifers.

But the reason they will do so is that, like Dorothy Day, they recognize the reality of both sin and forgiveness...