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Related Pages
Ending Abortion
Abortion Is the Overriding
Issue: What Bishops Have Said
A Pastoral Letter from Bishop Martino
Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino, D.D., Hist. E.D.
Bishop of Scranton
Respect Life Sunday, October 4, 2008
Points Not to Miss
Entire Letter
Points Not to Miss
It is impossible for me to answer all of the objections to the Church's teaching
on life that we hear every day in the media. Nevertheless, let me address
a few. To begin, laws that protect abortion constitute injustice of the worst
kind. They rest on several false claims including that there is no certainty
regarding when life begins, that there is no certainty about when a fetus
becomes a person, and that some human beings may be killed to advance the
interests or convenience of others. With regard to the first, reason and
science have answered the question. The life of a human being begins at
conception. The Church has long taught this simple truth, and science confirms
it. Biologists can now show you the delicate and beautiful development of
the human embryo in its first days of existence. This is simply a fact that
reasonable people accept. Regarding the second, the embryo and the fetus
have the potential to do all that an adult person does. Finally, the claim
that the human fetus may be sacrificed to the interests or convenience of
his mother or someone else is grievously wrong. All three claims have the
same result: the weakest and most vulnerable are denied, because of their
age, the most basic protection that we demand for ourselves. This is
discrimination at its worst, and no person of conscience should support it.
Another argument goes like this: "As wrong as abortion is, I don't think
it is the only relevant 'life' issue that should be considered when deciding
for whom to vote." This reasoning is sound only if other issues carry the
same moral weight as abortion does, such as in the case of euthanasia and
destruction of embryos for research purposes. Health care, education, economic
security, immigration, and taxes are very important concerns. Neglect of
any one of them has dire consequences as the recent financial crisis
demonstrates. However, the solutions to problems in these areas do not usually
involve a rejection of the sanctity of human life in the way that abortion
does. Being "right" on taxes, education, health care, immigration, and the
economy fails to make up for the error of disregarding the value of a human
life. Consider this: the finest health and education systems, the fairest
immigration laws, and the soundest economy do nothing for the child who never
sees the light of day. It is a tragic irony that "pro-choice" candidates
have come to support homicide -- the gravest injustice a society can tolerate
-- in the name of "social justice."
Even the Church's just war theory has moral force because it is grounded
in the principle that innocent human life must be protected and defended.
Now, a person may, in good faith, misapply just war criteria leading him
to mistakenly believe that an unjust war is just, but he or she still knows
that innocent human life may not be harmed on purpose. A person who supports
permissive abortion laws, however, rejects the truth that innocent human
life may never be destroyed. This profound moral failure runs deeper and
is more corrupting of the individual, and of the society, than any error
in applying just war criteria to particular cases.
Furthermore, National Right to Life reports that 48.5 million abortions have
been performed since 1973. One would be too many. No war, no natural disaster,
no illness or disability has claimed so great a price.
Entire Letter
My brothers and sisters in Christ,
The American Catholic bishops initiated Respect Life Sunday in 1972, the
year before the Supreme Court legalized abortion in the United States. Since
that time, Catholics across the country observe the month of October with
devotions and pro-life activities in order to advance the culture of life.
This October, our efforts have more significance than ever. Never have we
seen such abusive criticism directed toward those who believe that life begins
at conception and ends at natural death.
As Catholics, we should not be surprised by these developments. Forty years
ago, Pope Paul VI predicted that widespread use of artificial contraceptives
would lead to increased marital infidelity, lessened regard for women, and
a general lowering of moral standards especially among the young. Forty years
later, social scientists, not necessarily Catholics, attest to the accuracy
of his predictions. As if following some bizarre script, the sexual revolution
has produced widespread marital breakdown, weakened family ties, legalized
abortion, sexually transmitted diseases, pornography, same-sex unions,
euthanasia, destruction of human embryos for research purposes and a host
of other ills.
It is impossible for me to answer all of the objections to the Church's teaching
on life that we hear every day in the media. Nevertheless, let me address
a few. To begin, laws that protect abortion constitute injustice of the worst
kind. They rest on several false claims including that there is no certainty
regarding when life begins, that there is no certainty about when a fetus
becomes a person, and that some human beings may be killed to advance the
interests or convenience of others. With regard to the first, reason and
science have answered the question. The life of a human being begins at
conception. The Church has long taught this simple truth, and science confirms
it. Biologists can now show you the delicate and beautiful development of
the human embryo in its first days of existence. This is simply a fact that
reasonable people accept. Regarding the second, the embryo and the fetus
have the potential to do all that an adult person does. Finally, the claim
that the human fetus may be sacrificed to the interests or convenience of
his mother or someone else is grievously wrong. All three claims have the
same result: the weakest and most vulnerable are denied, because of their
age, the most basic protection that we demand for ourselves. This is
discrimination at its worst, and no person of conscience should support it.
Another argument goes like this: "As wrong as abortion is, I don't think
it is the only relevant 'life' issue that should be considered when deciding
for whom to vote." This reasoning is sound only if other issues carry the
same moral weight as abortion does, such as in the case of euthanasia and
destruction of embryos for research purposes. Health care, education, economic
security, immigration, and taxes are very important concerns. Neglect of
any one of them has dire consequences as the recent financial crisis
demonstrates. However, the solutions to problems in these areas do not usually
involve a rejection of the sanctity of human life in the way that abortion
does. Being "right" on taxes, education, health care, immigration, and the
economy fails to make up for the error of disregarding the value of a human
life. Consider this: the finest health and education systems, the fairest
immigration laws, and the soundest economy do nothing for the child who never
sees the light of day. It is a tragic irony that "pro-choice" candidates
have come to support homicide -- the gravest injustice a society can tolerate
-- in the name of "social justice."
Even the Church's just war theory has moral force because it is grounded
in the principle that innocent human life must be protected and defended.
Now, a person may, in good faith, misapply just war criteria leading him
to mistakenly believe that an unjust war is just, but he or she still knows
that innocent human life may not be harmed on purpose. A person who supports
permissive abortion laws, however, rejects the truth that innocent human
life may never be destroyed. This profound moral failure runs deeper and
is more corrupting of the individual, and of the society, than any error
in applying just war criteria to particular cases.
Furthermore, National Right to Life reports that 48.5 million abortions have
been performed since 1973. One would be too many. No war, no natural disaster,
no illness or disability has claimed so great a price.
In saying these things in an election year, I am in very good company. My
predecessor, Bishop Timlin, writing his pastoral letter on Respect Life Sunday
2000, stated the case eloquently:
Abortion is the issue this year and every year in every campaign. Catholics
may not turn away from the moral challenge that abortion poses for those
who seek to obey God's commands. They are wrong when they assert that abortion
does not concern them, or that it is only one of a multitude of issues of
equal importance. No, the taking of innocent human life is so heinous, so
horribly evil, and so absolutely opposite to the law of Almighty God that
abortion must take precedence over every other issue. I repeat. It is the
single most important issue confronting not only Catholics, but the entire
electorate.
My fellow bishops, writing ten years ago, explained why some evils -- abortion
and euthanasia in particular -- take precedence over other forms of violence
and abuse.
The failure to protect life in its most vulnerable stages renders suspect
any claims to the "rightness" of positions in other matters affecting the
poorest and least powerful of the human community. If we understand the human
person as "the temple of the Holy Spirit" -- the living house of God -- then
these latter issues fall logically into place as the crossbeams and walls
of that house. All direct attacks on innocent human life, such as abortion
and euthanasia, strike at the house's foundation [emphasis in the original].
These directly and immediately violate the human person's most fundamental
right -- the right to life. Neglect of these issues is the equivalent of
building our house on sand. Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American
Catholics, 23.
While the Church assists the State in the promotion of a just society, its
primary concern is to assist men and women in achieving salvation. For this
reason, it is incumbent upon bishops to correct Catholics who are in error
regarding these matters. Furthermore, public officials who are Catholic and
who persist in public support for abortion and other intrinsic evils should
not partake in or be admitted to the sacrament of Holy Communion. As I have
said before, I will be vigilant on this subject.
It is the Church's role now to be a prophet in our own country, reminding
all citizens of what our founders meant when they said that " all men are
created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable
Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness."
The Church's teaching that all life from conception to natural death should
be protected by law is founded on religious belief to be sure, but it is
also a profoundly American principle founded on reason. Whenever a society
asks its citizens to violate its own foundational principles -- as well as
their moral consciences -- citizens have a right, indeed an obligation, to
refuse.
In 1941, Bishop Gustave von Galen gave a homily condemning Nazi officials
for murdering mentally ill people in his diocese of Muenster, Germany. The
bishop said:
"Thou shalt not kill!" God wrote this commandment in the conscience of man
long before any penal code laid down the penalty for murder, long before
there was any prosecutor or any court to investigate and avenge a murder.
Cain, who killed his brother Abel, was a murderer long before there were
any states or any courts or law. And he confessed his deed, driven by his
accusing conscience: "My punishment is greater than I can bear ... and it
shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me the murderer shall slay
me" (Genesis 4:13-14)"
Should he have opposed the war and remained silent about the murder of the
mentally ill? No person of conscience can fail to understand why Bishop von
Galen spoke as he did.
My dear friends, I beg you not to be misled by confusion and lies. Our Lord,
Jesus Christ, does not ask us to follow him to Calvary only for us to be
afraid of contradicting a few bystanders along the way. He does not ask us
to take up his Cross only to have us leave it at the voting booth door. Recently,
Pope Benedict XVI said that "God is so humble that he uses us to spread his
Word." The gospel of life, which we have the privilege of proclaiming, resonates
in the heart of every person -- believer and non-believer -- because it fulfills
the heart's most profound desire. Let us with one voice continue to speak
the language of love and affirm the right of every human being to have the
value of his or her life, from conception to natural death, respected to
the highest degree.
October is traditionally the month of the Rosary. Let us pray the Rosary
for the strength and fortitude to uphold the truths of our faith and the
requirements of our law to all who deny them. And, let us ask Our Lady to
bless our nation and the weakest among us.
May Mary, the mother of Jesus, the Lord of Life, pray for us.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Joseph F. Martino, D.D., Hist. E.D.
Bishop of Scranton
Source:
http://www.dioceseofscranton.org/Bishop%27s%20Pastoral%20Letters/RespectLifeSundaySeptember30th2008.asp
Related Pages
Ending Abortion
Abortion Is the Overriding
Issue: What Bishops Have Said
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