Pope Condemns "Crime of Abortion", Attacks on Marriage
Vatican, Dec. 05 (CWNews.com) - Pope Benedict XVI renewed his opposition to "the intrinsic evil of the crime of abortion," and warned against false imitations of marriage, as he met on December 3 with leaders of the Latin American Episcopal Commissions for the Family and Life.
The Pope's strong statement to the Latin American group came at a time when efforts to legalize abortion are underway in several countries across the region. The Holy Father said that the act of abortion, "attacking human life at its beginnings, is also an act of aggression against society itself." Political leaders, he said, have a "duty to defend the fundamental right to life."
Recalling that Pope John Paul II had made it one of the top priorities of his pontificate to promote healthy family life, Pope Benedict said that he shares his predecessor's deep concern. He underlined the Church's recognition of marriage as a sacrament, making the observation that in a Christian marriage "the gift of creation is raised to the grace of redemption."
This conception of marriage, the Pope said, is now being challenged by other popular views. He insisted that "children have the right to be born and to grow up in the bosom of a family founded on marriage." The Church, he said, needs pastors who will promote authentic family life with energy and force.
Suggesting that diocesan priests should receive strong training in the area of pastoral care for families, the Pope used the occasion to praise the organizers of a special worldwide day for families, which will be held in Valencia, Spain, in 2006; he invited the 50 Latin American clerics to attend that event. Although the Pope's words were address principally to Latin America, they were widely reported in the Italian media. That country is engaged in a lively debate about the use of the abortion pill RU-486, and a proposal for legal recognition of same-sex unions, as legislative and presidential elections approach.
Pope Benedict had condemned abortion unequivocally during a November 16 general audience, when he saluted the work of Italian pro-life activists. He also upheld the dignity of marriage and the family when he spoke on June 6 at a conference on family life organized by the Rome diocese. In that same talk he decried research on human embryonic subjects, the breakdown in many marriages, and the widening acceptance of extra-marital and homosexual unions.
Are you listening Senator John Kerry, Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Richard Durbin, and all you other so-called "Catholics"? Are you hearing the voice of Christ and obeying him all you Bishops, priests, deacons, and clergy? Are you homosexuals who pretend to be Catholics listening and obeying Christ on earth in the voice of Our Holy Father? He is reiterating what you learned in the Baltimore Catechism and through the Bible. He is reiterating what we heard over and over from Pope John Paul II. Perhaps you had poor catechists, perhaps you never heard the messages of John Paul II about the Theology of the Body or watched him on EWTN or read your diocesan newspaper, but that is no excuse -- hear the voice of Christ now -- listen to what he is commanding you to do. He is telling you to live holy lives, to value marriage, and to follow the church's teachings on marriage, sexuality, contraception, and abortion.
He commands diocesan priests to receive strong training in the area of pastoral care for families. Part of that, I am sure will be preaching on pro-life issues from the pulpit and not shirking from this duty simply because one feels uncomfortable with it or one fears losing the financial support of one's parishioners. The priest is the voice of the Holy Father to his congregation in his parish and needs to speak out on these issues. There are far too many lay Catholics who think it is ok to use contraception, to have abortions, to take the Morning After Pill, to divorce, to live together before marriage, and to put their jobs and everything else before God and their families. There are far too many Catholics who think it is ok to do whatever they want in their sex lives and still remain Catholics. Sorry, people. You have a responsibility to learn about your faith even if you attend a parish where your pastor or clergy don't speak out on these issues. Many of us learn about these issues by attending retreats, reading good Catholic magazines and books, reading the Holy Father's encylicals, watching EWTN, etc. If your priests aren't talking about it, then you as a Catholic, should be talking to them -- approaching them in a gentle manner, offering materials for homilies from Father Frank Pavone, Director of Priests for Life. It is easy to sit back and blame others for not sharing the truth about the gospel of life, but what are we ourselves doing to promote it?
The Pope's strong statement to the Latin American group came at a time when efforts to legalize abortion are underway in several countries across the region. The Holy Father said that the act of abortion, "attacking human life at its beginnings, is also an act of aggression against society itself." Political leaders, he said, have a "duty to defend the fundamental right to life."
Recalling that Pope John Paul II had made it one of the top priorities of his pontificate to promote healthy family life, Pope Benedict said that he shares his predecessor's deep concern. He underlined the Church's recognition of marriage as a sacrament, making the observation that in a Christian marriage "the gift of creation is raised to the grace of redemption."
This conception of marriage, the Pope said, is now being challenged by other popular views. He insisted that "children have the right to be born and to grow up in the bosom of a family founded on marriage." The Church, he said, needs pastors who will promote authentic family life with energy and force.
Suggesting that diocesan priests should receive strong training in the area of pastoral care for families, the Pope used the occasion to praise the organizers of a special worldwide day for families, which will be held in Valencia, Spain, in 2006; he invited the 50 Latin American clerics to attend that event. Although the Pope's words were address principally to Latin America, they were widely reported in the Italian media. That country is engaged in a lively debate about the use of the abortion pill RU-486, and a proposal for legal recognition of same-sex unions, as legislative and presidential elections approach.
Pope Benedict had condemned abortion unequivocally during a November 16 general audience, when he saluted the work of Italian pro-life activists. He also upheld the dignity of marriage and the family when he spoke on June 6 at a conference on family life organized by the Rome diocese. In that same talk he decried research on human embryonic subjects, the breakdown in many marriages, and the widening acceptance of extra-marital and homosexual unions.
Are you listening Senator John Kerry, Senator Ted Kennedy, Senator Richard Durbin, and all you other so-called "Catholics"? Are you hearing the voice of Christ and obeying him all you Bishops, priests, deacons, and clergy? Are you homosexuals who pretend to be Catholics listening and obeying Christ on earth in the voice of Our Holy Father? He is reiterating what you learned in the Baltimore Catechism and through the Bible. He is reiterating what we heard over and over from Pope John Paul II. Perhaps you had poor catechists, perhaps you never heard the messages of John Paul II about the Theology of the Body or watched him on EWTN or read your diocesan newspaper, but that is no excuse -- hear the voice of Christ now -- listen to what he is commanding you to do. He is telling you to live holy lives, to value marriage, and to follow the church's teachings on marriage, sexuality, contraception, and abortion.
He commands diocesan priests to receive strong training in the area of pastoral care for families. Part of that, I am sure will be preaching on pro-life issues from the pulpit and not shirking from this duty simply because one feels uncomfortable with it or one fears losing the financial support of one's parishioners. The priest is the voice of the Holy Father to his congregation in his parish and needs to speak out on these issues. There are far too many lay Catholics who think it is ok to use contraception, to have abortions, to take the Morning After Pill, to divorce, to live together before marriage, and to put their jobs and everything else before God and their families. There are far too many Catholics who think it is ok to do whatever they want in their sex lives and still remain Catholics. Sorry, people. You have a responsibility to learn about your faith even if you attend a parish where your pastor or clergy don't speak out on these issues. Many of us learn about these issues by attending retreats, reading good Catholic magazines and books, reading the Holy Father's encylicals, watching EWTN, etc. If your priests aren't talking about it, then you as a Catholic, should be talking to them -- approaching them in a gentle manner, offering materials for homilies from Father Frank Pavone, Director of Priests for Life. It is easy to sit back and blame others for not sharing the truth about the gospel of life, but what are we ourselves doing to promote it?
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