ZENIT
The World Seen From Rome
Daily dispatch - October 02, 2008
VATICAN DOSSIER Pope Acclaims Faith in Post-communist Lands Vatican Calls for Better Education for Gypsies Atomic Energy Group Urged to Be Uniting Force WORLD FEATURES Cardinal Lists 3 Focuses for Respect Life Sunday Fledgling Uzbekistani Church Perseveres NEWS BRIEFS Unborn Baby's Heartbeat Prompts Pro-life Vote Carmelites to Mark 50 Years in Congo INTERVIEW Archbishop Burke Laments "Party of Death" DOCUMENTS AT ZENIT WEB PAGE Gypsy Congress Document DOCUMENTS Cardinal Rigali's Statement for Respect Life Sunday Holy See to Atomic Energy Agency
VATICAN DOSSIER
Pope Acclaims Faith in Post-communist Lands
Urges Bishops to Keep Flame Alive
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 2, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is encouraging prelates from former communist countries to keep the flame of faith alive in their small communities.
The Pope made this appeal today when he received in separate visits prelates from Kazakhstan and Central Asia, who were in Rome for their five-yearly visit.
In addresses in Italian and Russian, the Holy Father invited the bishops to be grateful that communist repression had not extinguished the faith of their peoples, thanks to the "zealous sacrifices of priests, religious and laypeople." He was addressing prelates from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Turkmenistan.
He went on to acknowledge that the prelates generally minister to very small Catholic communities. In Kyrgyzstan, for example, 2004 statistics showed only 500 Catholics in the apostolic administration. The "sui iuris" mission of Turkmenistan reported only 50 Catholics that same year.
Thus, the Pontiff called on the prelates to be guided by the Holy Spirit and to draw from their past experiences.
"Continue to educate everyone in listening to the word of God and foster Marian devotion and love for the Eucharist, especially in the young," he said. "Encourage families to pray the rosary. Patiently and courageously seek new ways and methods of apostolate, making it your concern to modernize them according to today's demands, bearing in mind the language and culture of the faithful entrusted to you care."
Benedict XVI went on to highlight the absolute importance of unity in the respective situations the bishops face. He encouraged unity among the prelates and the priests, religious and laity, and within the communities themselves. Such unity will make apostolic endeavors more effective, the Pope assured.
Turning his attention to the growing plague of terrorism in some of the areas where the prelates minister, the Holy Father affirmed that laws have to oppose the use of terrorism. "However," he said, "the force of law should never itself promote a lack of justice, nor can the free exercise of religion be limited, because to freely profess one's faith is a fundamental and universally recognized human right."
The Pontiff recalled that the Church is the first promoter of religious freedom, since it never imposes, but only proposes, the faith.
The Church knows, he said, that "conversion is the mysterious fruit of the Holy Spirit's work. Faith is a gift and a work of God, and hence excludes any form of proselytism that forces, allures or entices people by trickery to embrace it."
"A person may open to the faith after mature and responsible reflection, and must be able to carry through with that intimate aspiration in freedom. This benefits not only the individual, but the whole of society, since the faithful observance of divine precepts helps to build a more just and united form of coexistence."
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
Vatican Calls for Better Education for Gypsies
Also Decries Their Forced Sterilizations
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 2, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- The Vatican is urging better treatment for Gypsies, particularly the end to "special schools" for the ethnic group and the forced sterilization of their women.
These are two of the exhortations found in the final document of 6th World Congress for the Pastoral Care of Gypsies. The conference was held Sept. 1-4 in Freising, Germany. The document was released today by the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers, which cosponsored the event with the German bishops' conference.
One hundred and fifty delegates participated in the conference, which was focused on "Gypsy Youth in the Church and Society."
The final document proposes that one of the key elements in ministry to Gypsies is the theme of education.
"Education is the fundamental process for the fulfillment of personal potential, and it is necessary for integration in society," a statement from the pontifical council affirmed. "It is necessary to prohibit the registration of Gypsies in 'special schools,' which generates humiliation.
"Education is a condition for participation in political, social and economic life, based on a position of equality with the others. It should, therefore, motivate rightly critical reflection and responsibility, which in turn, are needed to build up an ever more human society, based on the principles of justice, equality and fraternity."
Education for a career was one of the principal concerns expressed at the conference, given that "youth should overcome walls, created also because of weaknesses in the educational system, which are an obstacle to their access to the world of work."
Family life
The conference also decried "forced sterilizations and those campaigns that tend to destabilize the concept of family among the Gypsies."
"The education of women must be guaranteed among fundamental rights," the statement affirmed, "along with intercultural dialogue, the participation of the youth in democratic citizenship, social cohesion and the development of youth policies."
The document proposed that "it would be useful to ask humanitarian organizations and Caritas for the distribution of microcredits […] allotted to those families and communities that show greatest capacity to use them in favor of their ethnic group."
The conference participants called for support from the Church for gypsies, though it recognized the inherent difficulties in ministering to the group.
In ministry to Gypsies, the text affirmed, "ecclesial movements and the new communities that the Holy Spirit draws forth in the Church could carry out an important role."
"Excluded, confined to the margins of humanity, humiliated, the Gypsies need a living Church, a Church-communion, capable of forming and helping them to overcome difficulties that great policies do not manage to overcome," the document said. Nevertheless, "the act of presenting oneself lovingly and with the desire to proclaim the good news is not sufficient to create a trusting relationship among Gypsies […] given the weight of history and all of the wrongs they have suffered.
"The Gypsy population, therefore, is suspicious of the initiatives of all those who try to enter into their world. It is possible to rise above this initial attitude only with concrete gestures of solidarity, with life in common and with projects […] that favor the participation and acceptance of Gypsy youth."
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
Atomic Energy Group Urged to Be Uniting Force
Holy See Notes 3 Areas for Working Together
VIENNA, Austria, OCT. 2, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- A Holy See representative says the work of the International Atomic Energy Agency should always be geared toward uniting and associating, not dividing and opposing.
Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Vatican secretary for relations with states, affirmed this at the 52nd session of the general conference of the IAEA, under way through Friday in Vienna.
He said that in today's world there is a "pressing need" to work together for the one human family. And that as a consequence of this, the element that should characterize the work of the agency is fostering all that unites, while rejecting all that divides.
Archbishop Mamberti went on to name three concrete areas where the obligation of working together is made concrete.
The first is regarding nuclear safety and security.
"The Holy See supports all the efforts to strengthen both the effectiveness and efficiency of the IAEA's safeguards system, as well as the elaboration and implementation through the agency of an effective worldwide security regime, based on conventions, standards and assistance," he said. "The Holy See desires to see all states work together to be part of these instruments whose main purpose is to promote nuclear safety and security, ensure the non-diversion of nuclear materials and the absence of undeclared nuclear activities."
Doing good
The Holy See representative then encouraged working together for the use of peaceful and safe nuclear technology. In this regard, he called for technologies that respect the environment and are used in a way mindful of disadvantaged populations.
The archbishop proposed that "the worth of a project will be measured by the impact it will have on cultural and other human values, as well as on the economic and social well-being of a people or nation. Promotion of the common good demands respect for the cultures of nations and peoples coupled with a sense of the solidarity of all peoples under the guidance of a common Father."
In this regard, Archbishop Mamberti lauded the IAEA for the work they have already been able to achieve in the fields of agriculture, hydrology, food security and medicine. He recalled, however, that access to safe drinking water is a growing concern in the world.
"The urgency of a solution to this worldwide problem, to which the IAEA can contribute in its own specific way, should not be underestimated since it is a precondition for any sustainable development," he said.
Fearing the future
Finally, the Holy See official noted that the obligation of working together applies to nuclear disarmament. He spoke out against any weakening of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
Recalling words from Benedict XVI, Archbishop Mamberti noted that "the danger of an increase in the number of countries possessing nuclear weapons causes well-founded apprehension in every responsible person."
The prelate thus made an appeal to those in authority "to come together in order to resume with greater determination a progressive and mutually agreed dismantling of existing nuclear weapons."
This appeal, he said, is made in the name of all those concerned for the very future of humanity.
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
WORLD FEATURES
Cardinal Lists 3 Focuses for Respect Life Sunday
Abortion Issue Has Good News and a Threat
WASHINGTON, D.C., OCT. 2, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- Euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research and the threat of a federal bill that could obliterate 35 years of pro-life gains are among the focus areas for this weekend's Respect Life Sunday.
These areas were highlighted by Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, in a statement for the event marked by 195 U.S. parishes. The theme for this year is "Hope and Trust in Life." October is set aside as Respect Life Month, and parishes across the nation will sponsor conferences, prayer services, public witness events and fundraising activities.
In his message, Cardinal Rigali first mentioned euthanasia.
"Some medical ethicists wrongly promote ending the lives of patients with serious physical and mental disabilities by withdrawing their food and water, even though -- or in some cases precisely because -- they are not imminently dying," he explained.
The cardinal noted that citizens of Washington state will face a vote on euthanasia in November. In neighboring Oregon, where euthanasia is already legal, "the state has refused to cover the cost of life-sustaining treatments for some patients facing terminal illness, while callously informing them that Oregon will pay for suicide pills," Cardinal Rigali lamented.
He then turned attention to embryonic stem cell research, something that Michigan citizens will vote on in November.
"The Catholic Church strongly supports promising and ethically sound stem cell research -- and strongly opposes killing week-old human embryos, or human beings at any stage, to extract their stem cells," the prelate clarified. "We applaud the remarkable therapeutic successes that have been achieved using stem cells from cord blood and adult tissues."
On the decline
The cardinal had good news to share regarding abortion. Most Americans favor banning all abortion or permitting it only in the rare cases of danger to the mother's life or cases of rape or incest, Cardinal Rigali noted.
Referring to last month's study from the Guttmacher Institute, he reported that abortions in the United States declined 26% between 1989 and 2004.
This decline is most marked for girls under 18, a trend the cardinal attributed to the fact that "teens increasingly are choosing to remain abstinent until their late teens or early 20s."
Invalidating reason
Despite the good news on the abortion front, Cardinal Rigali sounded an alarm about a federal bill that could be passed when Congress convenes in January.
The "Freedom of Choice Act," the cardinal explained "establishes abortion as a 'fundamental right' throughout the nine months of pregnancy, and forbids any law or policy that could 'interfere' with that right or 'discriminate' against it in public funding and programs."
He added: "If FOCA became law, hundreds of reasonable, widely supported, and constitutionally sound abortion regulations now in place would be invalidated. Gone would be laws providing for informed consent, and parental consent or notification in the case of minors. Laws protecting women from unsafe abortion clinics and from abortion practitioners who are not physicians would be overridden.
"Restrictions on partial-birth and other late-term abortions would be eliminated. FOCA would knock down laws protecting the conscience rights of nurses, doctors and hospitals with moral objections to abortion, and force taxpayers to fund abortions throughout the United States."
"We cannot allow this to happen," Cardinal Rigali urged. "We cannot tolerate an even greater loss of innocent human lives. We cannot subject more women and men to the post-abortion grief and suffering that our counselors and priests encounter daily in Project Rachel programs across America."
"In this Respect Life Month, let us rededicate ourselves to defending the basic rights of those who are weakest and most marginalized: the poor, the homeless, the innocent unborn, and the frail and elderly who need our respect and our assistance," the cardinal concluded. "In this and in so many ways we will truly build a culture of life."
--- --- ---
Cardinal Rigali's full statement:
http://www.zenit.org/article-23783?l=english
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
Fledgling Uzbekistani Church Perseveres
Bishop Details Life of 5,000 Faithful
ROME, OCT. 2, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- The Catholic community in Uzbekistan is coming to life after Communist repression, but it still faces obstacles from restricted religious liberty, reported L'Osservatore Romano in a feature on the country.
The Vatican's semi-official newspaper called the Uzbekistan Catholic community "a minority Church in a country of Muslim majority […] dedicated especially to aiding the poor through works that receive no public recognition; what is more, they must work almost clandestinely."
Uzbekistan is Central Asia's most populated country, with more than 27 million inhabitants. It is also one of the poorest nations of the former Soviet Union. Uzbekistan has an 88% Sunni Muslim population and is 9% Orthodox Christian. Catholics number about 5,000.
Bishop Jerzy Maculewicz, on the occasion of his five-yearly visit to the Pope and the Roman Curia, gave details on the development of the Catholic community that is being reborn in the wake of the fall of Communism. Bishop Maculewicz is the nation's only active bishop. He is of Ukrainian origin and was one of the last prelates appointed by Pope John Paul II.
The bishop told L'Osservatore Romano: "The Catholic Church is a very small community, grouped around five parishes that still exist. We are hoping to open two others, but the difficulties are many and are reflected in the daily life of our faithful.
"We are a small group, which also suffers the consequences of the phenomenon of emigration: Many Catholics leave Uzbekistan for financial reasons. Fortunately, every year we also see some immigrants enter, some of whom are Catholic."
Evangelizing
Despite the difficulty of pastoral work, the local Catholic community relies on the help of religious communities such as the Franciscans and nine Missionaries of Charity, who take care of the poorest, prisoners, the sick, and evangelization through charity, explained the bishop.
These religious, he said, "would like to open another house to shelter convalescent people who leave the hospital, but for the past year and a half they have not received an answer from the authorities."
In order to respond to the needs of the people, the pastor said that the Church in Uzbekistan is trying to introduce the work of Caritas, but they still do not have formal permission. "In the meantime, we promote small charitable initiatives at the parish level."
The difficulties in the area of religious liberty are due to a law that bans all missionary and proselytizing activity.
"We receive and catechize the people who come, but we cannot proclaim the Gospel in public," Bishop Maculewicz said.
Daily dialogue
The Catholic community of Uzbekistan enjoys daily opportunities for interreligious dialogue.
"When I travel through the country, many Muslims approach me and ask me questions, especially regarding our faith, such as how we pray, why for us, Jesus is the Son of God," the prelate noted. "At the beginning of this year, we promoted meetings with the apostolic nuncio and the mufti of Uzbekistan. It was an unprecedented historic event."
Three years ago, with the ambassador of Israel, a concert was organized on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the promulgation of "Nostra Aetate," and the mufti was invited, he recalled. "Without this anniversary, the Israeli ambassador would never have been able to have a meeting with the Muslim authority," Bishop Maculewicz said.
In regard to the Orthodox, the prelate said there is no contact at an official level, but with some priests. He said the Catholics do have a close relation with the Lutherans and the Armenian Church, and organized a prayer meeting during the week of prayer for Christian unity.
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
NEWS BRIEFS
Unborn Baby's Heartbeat Prompts Pro-life Vote
NEW HAVEN, Connecticut, OCT. 2, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- A Knights of Columbus radio spot running in many U.S. markets until the Nov. 4 elections encourages citizens to listen to the heartbeat of a 10-week-old unborn baby and vote pro-life.
The 30-second spot is running in more than a dozen states. The ad features the sound of a baby's heartbeat at 10 weeks, and the voice of a woman saying, "Listening to this makes me wonder: Why would anyone question that her life has begun?" It concludes with the words, "Vote your heart. Vote pro-life."
Supreme Knight Carl Anderson announced the beginning of the ad campaign. "The fact that the child whose heartbeat we hear is alive is simply a matter of science," he said. "We believe that it is vital that America's pro-life community make it clear that they will reserve their votes for candidates of either party who are committed to protecting life from conception to natural death."
A similar ad is planned for broadcast in Canada, where general elections are set for Oct. 14.
--- --- ---
On the Net:
Radio spot:
www.kofc.org/un/cmf/resources/prolife_ad.mp3
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
Carmelites to Mark 50 Years in Congo
ROME, OCT. 2, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- Fifty years after the first Discalced Carmelite friars arrived in Congo -- their first destination in Africa -- the order has called a jubilee to celebrate five decades of ministry.
The jubilee of the Discalced Carmelites from the Congolese General Delegation will be formally celebrated Oct. 15, though some events have been underway since April.
The first two Carmelite friars arrived April 15, 1958. The presence of a group of Carmelite nuns in Kabwe, now Zambia, since nearly 15 years before was a factor in the success of their new foundation, a statement from the religious explained.
Italian Carmelites took over from the Flemish founders in 1968. After some years the Italians passed on the responsibility for the delegation to Congolese Discalced Carmelites.
The region today has more than 60 members in nine houses.
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
INTERVIEW
Archbishop Burke Laments "Party of Death"
Reflects on New Role in Vatican and Election-Year Politics
ROME, OCT. 2, 2008 (<A href="http://www.Zenit.org">Zenit.org</A>).- With a heavy heart, Archbishop Raymond Burke acknowledges that the U.S. Democratic Party is quickly moving to become the "party of death."
The new head of the Supreme Court of the Apostolic Signature said this in an interview published Saturday by the Italian episcopal conference's daily newspaper Avvenire.
In this interview conducted by Gianni Cardinale, the archbishop, who was formerly the archbishop of St. Louis, comments on his move to Rome and his views of election-year politics in the United States.
Q: Briefly, what does the Apostolic Signature do?
Archbishop Burke: This dicastery must oversee the administration of justice in ecclesiastical tribunals around the world, so that the discipline of the Church is respected by all in a homogeneous and just way. Then we judge cases -- rare in truth --of appeal against decisions of the Rota. Finally we judge appeals against individual administrative acts confirmed by the other dicasteries of the Roman Curia.
Whoever, in fact, is held unjustly accused of an administrative act must first request the review of the author's act and, if the author refuses to review the matter, he can appeal to the author's hierarchical superior, namely, the competent dicastery of the Roman Curia, according to the matter in question.
If the appellant or the author regard the dicastery's response unjust, they can appeal to the Apostolic Signature which, in this area functions as a supreme court of appeal.
Q: You were saying that it is the competence of the Signature to oversee how the ecclesiastical tribunals administer justice. How do you assess the fact that those of the United States issue every year a higher number of marital annulments than that of all the other diocesan tribunals worldwide?
Archbishop Burke: This is a worrying fact. I say it as an American priest, as canonist and now as prefect of this Supreme Tribunal.
This disproportion has caused and continues to cause perplexity, also because of the evidently unbalanced relation between the number of decisions and that of the judges of the diocesan tribunals. This dicastery intervened more times to clarify the situation, which risks making one think that it is an "American way" to introduce surreptitiously a type of "Catholic divorce."
Q: As archbishop of St. Louis you were, not a few times, at the center of journalistic attention. There are those who even thought that your nomination was due to the fact that they wished to remove you from the diocese.
Archbishop Burke: I have too much respect for the Pope to believe that in order to move someone away from the diocese he would nominate him to a very sensitive dicastery like this one.
Q: It is a fact that you had some problems in St. Louis.
Archbishop Burke: Indeed, there was the issue of a parish, that of St. Stanislaw Kotska, which in practice had become Protestant.
Then the fact that, in a fundraising event, the Catholic Pediatric Hospital invited as the guest star singer Sheryl Crow, known for being a tenacious advocate of the right of procured abortion. And finally, the question of the so-called priestly ordination of two women, which even witnessed a nun among the promoters.
In all these cases I was compelled to intervene -- reluctantly, but I had to do it -- with disciplinary procedures to avoid scandalizing the faithful.
Q: But is St. Louis a particularly unfortunate diocese, or are these phenomena spread elsewhere?
Archbishop Burke: The issue of the parish to one side, which is a local one, the other issues are also spread elsewhere. For example, it should be noted that other so-called ordinations of women are planned in 50 other dioceses of the United States.
However, I must underline that at St. Louis I was not always struggling against the difficulties that were there. But I lived my episcopate with joy, seeking to favor the relationship with the clergy and seminarians. Because I think that the first duty of a good bishop is that of being close, to comfort and counsel his priests. The bishop cannot do anything without the priests. And I must say that this care was compensated by a good number of new vocations, thank God.
Q: You mentioned singer Sheryl Crow. You must have noted that she was invited to sing at the Democratic National Convention in Denver.
Archbishop Burke: To tell the truth, I paid no attention, but I must say that the news does not much surprise me.
At this point, the Democratic Party risks transforming itself definitively into a "party of death" due to its choices on bioethical issues, as Ramesh Ponnuru wrote in his book "The Party of Death: The Democrats, the Media, the Courts and the Disregard for Human Life."
And I say this with a heavy heart, because we all know that the Democrats were the party that helped our Catholic immigrant parents and grandparents to better integrate into and prosper in American society. But it's not the same anymore.
Nonetheless, there are among Democrats some pro-lifers, but they are, unfortunately, rare.
Q: As canonist and as bishop, it is said that you were against giving Communion to those Catholic politicians who show themselves obstinately and publicly in favor of the right of abortion, but your position was not taken up by the episcopal conference.
Archbishop Burke: Mine was not an isolated position. It was shared by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Denver [Colorado], by Bishop Peter J. Jugis of Charlotte [North Carolina], and by others. But it is true that the bishops' conference has not taken this position, leaving each bishop free to act as he believes is best. For my part, I always have maintained that there must be a united position in order to demonstrate the unity of the Church in facing this serious question.
Recently, I have noticed that other bishops are coming to this position. Above all, following some evidently poor statements on the part of the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi, and of the Democratic candidate to vice president, Senator Joe Biden, who, while presenting themselves as good Catholics, have represented Church teaching on abortion in a false and tendentious manner.
Q: In 2004, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger wrote a letter to American bishops on this topic.
Archbishop Burke: It's true, but I don't know why it was never distributed. However, it was published by Vaticanist Sandro Magister on his Web site and also by the periodical "Origins."
In the latter, it is clear that the then prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith supported the authentic interpretation of the Code of Canon Law, and that it is not licit to give holy Communion to one who is publicly and obstinately a sinner. And it is logical that one who publicly and obstinately acts in favor of procured abortion enters into this category.
Q: Did you ever wonder why the question of Communion to politicians favorable to abortion is an eminently American question without reflections in Europe?
Archbishop Burke: I don't know. I don't know if Catholic politicians in Europe are more coherent, although I have my doubts.
However, some time ago an American Protestant politician asked me if the Church had changed her doctrine regarding abortion. I replied no, obviously. He answered me: That's strange because in the American Congress many Catholics calmly support legislation that favors the right to abortion.
I am convinced that on this point the Church must always be very clear.
Q: But isn't there the risk that in this way the Church might show a side of itself that is grim and merciless?
Archbishop Burke: The merciful face of Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Church is always present in every priest who speaks with his faithful, counsels them and confesses them.
But also canon law, which always has the salvation of souls as its highest law, is a form of mercy. It helps to understand better what is good and what is evil.
Q: Excellency, you are noted also for being a bishop favorable to the motu propio with which the Pope has liberalized the use of the pre-conciliar Mass.
Archbishop Burke: True. I still recall the contentment with which the Holy Father presented this document beforehand to a restricted group of bishops, to which I was invited. With this courageous gesture, the Pope wished to confirm in the Church that the liturgy must be carried out in an organic way, without having to perceive traumatic breaks, something which, unfortunately, happened following the Council.
Personally, I find no difficulty or contradiction in celebrating Holy Mass according to the Novus Ordo and according to the so-called rite of St. Pius V. The motu propio "Summorum Pontificum" was a wise gesture that, I am certain, will bear good fruits in the Church.
Q: Your Excellency, but do not all these characteristics of yours risk giving you a profile of a hard conservative?
Archbishop Burke: Good things are always conserved. As regards being "hard," those who know me at least to some degree know that it does not correspond to my being.
[Translation by ZENIT]
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
DOCUMENTS at ZENIT Web Page
Gypsy Congress Document
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 2, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- The final document of the 6th World Congress for the Pastoral Care of Gypsies, which was held Sept. 1-4 in Freising, Germany, is available on the ZENIT Web site. The text was released today by the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travelers.
--- --- ---
Full text:
http://www.zenit.org/article-23779?l=english
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
DOCUMENTS
Cardinal Rigali's Statement for Respect Life Sunday
"We Cannot Tolerate an Even Greater Loss of Innocent Human Lives"
VATICAN CITY, OCT. 2, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- Here is the statement Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, in a statement for this weekend's Respect Life Sunday. The theme for this year is "Hope and Trust in Life."
* * *
On October 5, 2008, Catholics across the United States will again celebrate Respect Life Sunday. Throughout the month of October, Catholic parishes and organizations will sponsor hundreds of educational conferences, prayer services, and opportunities for public witness, as well as events to raise funds for programs assisting those in need. Such initiatives are integral to the Church's ongoing effort to help build a culture in which every human life without exception is respected and defended.
Education and advocacy during Respect Life Month address a broad range of moral and public policy issues. Among these, the care of persons with disabilities and those nearing the end of life is an enduring concern. Some medical ethicists wrongly promote ending the lives of patients with serious physical and mental disabilities by withdrawing
their food and water, even though -- or in some cases precisely because -- they are not imminently dying. This November, the citizens of Washington State will vote on a ballot initiative to legalize doctor-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients. In neighboring Oregon, where assisted suicide is already legal, the state has refused to cover the cost of life-sustaining treatments for some patients facing terminal illness, while callously informing them that Oregon will pay for suicide pills. Such policies betray the ideal of America as a compassionate society honoring the inherent worth of every human
being.
Embryonic stem cell research also presents grave ethical concerns. The Catholic Church strongly supports promising and ethically sound stem cell research -- and strongly opposes killing week-old human embryos, or human beings at any stage, to extract their stem cells. We applaud the remarkable therapeutic successes that have been achieved using stem cells from cord blood and adult tissues. We vigorously oppose initiatives, like the one confronting Michigan voters in November, that would endorse the deliberate destruction of developing human beings for embryonic stem cell research.
Turning to abortion, we note that most Americans favor banning all abortion or permitting it only in very rare cases (danger to the mother's life or cases of rape or incest). Also encouraging is the finding of a recent Guttmacher Institute study that the U.S. abortion rate declined 26% between 1989 and 2004. The decline was steepest, 58%, among girls under 18. An important factor in this trend is that teens increasingly are choosing to remain abstinent until their late teens or early 20s. Regrettably, when they do become sexually active prior to marrying, many become pregnant and choose abortion -- the abortion rate increased among women aged 20 and older between 1974 and 2004, although the rate is now gradually declining.
Today, however, we face the threat of a federal bill that, if enacted, would obliterate virtually all the gains of the past 35 years and cause the abortion rate to skyrocket. The "Freedom of Choice Act" ("FOCA") has many Congressional sponsors, some of whom have pledged to act swiftly to help enact this proposed legislation when Congress reconvenes in January.
FOCA establishes abortion as a "fundamental right" throughout the nine months of pregnancy, and forbids any law or policy that could "interfere" with that right or "discriminate" against it in public funding and programs. If FOCA became law, hundreds of reasonable, widely supported, and constitutionally sound abortion regulations now in place would be invalidated. Gone would be laws providing for informed consent, and parental consent or notification in the case of minors. Laws protecting women from unsafe abortion clinics and from abortion practitioners who are not physicians would be overridden.
Restrictions on partial-birth and other late-term abortions would be eliminated. FOCA would knock down laws protecting the conscience rights of nurses, doctors, and hospitals with moral objections to abortion, and force taxpayers to fund abortions throughout the United States.
We cannot allow this to happen. We cannot tolerate an even greater loss of innocent human lives. We cannot subject more women and men to the post-abortion grief and suffering that our counselors and priests encounter daily in Project Rachel programs across America.
For twenty-four years, the Catholic Church has provided free, confidential counseling to individuals seeking emotional and spiritual healing after an abortion, whether their own or a loved one's. We look forward to the day when these counseling services are no longer needed, when every child is welcomed in life and protected in law. If FOCA is enacted, however, that day may recede into the very distant future.
In this Respect Life Month, let us rededicate ourselves to defending the basic rights of those who are weakest and most marginalized: the poor, the homeless, the innocent unborn, and the frail and elderly who need our respect and our assistance. In this and in so many ways we will truly build a culture of life.
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
Holy See to Atomic Energy Agency
"The First Obligation We Share Is the Obligation of Working Together"
VIENNA, Austria, OCT. 2, 2008 (
Zenit.org).- Here is the address Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Vatican secretary for relations with states, delivered at the 52nd session of the general conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency, under way through Friday in Vienna.
* * *
Mr. President,
1. I have the honour of conveying to you, to the Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Dr. Mohamed El Baradei, and to all the distinguished participants in this 52nd General Conference of the IAEA the best wishes and cordial greetings of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI. In His Message for the 2008 World Day of Peace the Holy Father invited "every man and woman to have a more lively sense of belonging to the one human family, and to strive to make human coexistence increasingly reflect this conviction, which is essential for the establishment of true and lasting peace" (No. 15).
This "lively sense of belonging to the one human family", a recognition of the unity of the human family, and attention to the innate dignity of every man and woman, today find renewed emphasis in the principle of the responsibility to protect. This was present implicitly at the origins not only of the United Nations, but of the International Atomic Energy Agency as well, and is now increasingly characteristic of the activity of these international organizations. The emphasis of the Pope on this "lively sense of belonging to the one human family" and the responsibility it entails is also the message that my Delegation would like to bring to this 52nd General Conference.
Mr. President,
During last year's session of the Agency's General Conference the Holy See underlined that «in the difficult crossroads in which humanity today finds itself, a crossroads characterized by an ever-increasing interdependence on the economic, political, social and environmental levels, the use of force no longer represents a solution sustainable through time: it nourishes a reciprocal diffidence and makes reference to a distorted sense of priorities that make use of enormous resources in a near-sighted way». […] It is necessary to re-define the priorities and the hierarchies of values on the basis of which one can focus a common effort to mobilize resources towards objectives of moral, cultural and economic development. In order to promote such an approach, it is indispensable to favour a serious multilateralism based on a renewed collective sense of security, one capable of building a real climate of peace and trust that recognizes that development, solidarity and justice are none other than the true name for peace, for a lasting peace in time and in space».
2. The IAEA is an important organization working to protect and promote life in a most crucial area of human endeavour: the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The more than 50-year history of the Agency bears testimony to the pressing need we have in today's world to work together for the one human family in order to deal constructively with a sector of human life that has become complex and many-faceted. The treatment of these pressing issues surrounding the peaceful use of nuclear technology offers possibilities for good or for bad in ways that previous generations did not have to face.
That is why the first obligation we share is the obligation of working together, of sharing our expertise, of building up a common consensus through common effort and commitment. Thus, the overriding characteristic that must pervade the work the IAEA undertakes in the three areas of its mandate, namely, technology, safety and verification, should always be to unite and associate, not to divide and oppose. This characteristic stems from the spirit that called the Agency into existence and is expressed in the so-called "spirit of Vienna". It is reinforced by the demands that the content of our fields of expertise makes on us.
3. A first level of this "working together obligation" is working together for nuclear safety and security. The Holy See supports all the efforts to strengthen both the effectiveness and efficiency of the IAEA's safeguards system, as well as the elaboration and implementation through the Agency of an effective world-wide security regime, based on conventions, standards and assistance. The Holy See desires to see all States work together to be part of these instruments whose main purpose is to promote nuclear safety and security, ensure the non-diversion of nuclear materials and the absence of undeclared nuclear activities. These instruments will not only contribute to the fight against nuclear terrorism, but also to the concrete realisation of a culture of life and peace capable of promoting in an effective way the integral development of peoples. This is politically possible.
4. A second level of the "working together obligation" is working together for the use of peaceful and safe nuclear technology, respecting the environment and ever mindful of the most disadvantaged populations. A particular characteristic of the age in which we live is the phenomenon of globalisation and, intimately connected with it, the concern we must have for the good of people as a whole, for the well-being of society, for what we traditionally call the "common good". For the IAEA this will mean working together to contribute not only to a specific project or to a certain government or agency, but above all to the good of all the people of the world. Thus, the worth of a project will be measured by the impact it will have on cultural and other human values, as well as on the economic and social well-being of a people or nation. Promotion of the common good demands respect for the cultures of nations and peoples coupled with a sense of the solidarity of all peoples under the guidance of a common Father.
In this sense, the Technical Co-operation Program of the IAEA is an efficient instrument for the purpose of peaceful nuclear development and an example of what can be achieved when we come together. The Holy See would like to take this occasion to reiterate its appreciation for the work and achievements of the IAEA technical co-operation, in particular in the fields of agriculture, hydrology, food security and medicine, and to encourage the IAEA to continue and to strengthen these activities.
Another area of concern is the access to safe drinking water. The urgency of a solution to this world-wide problem, to which the IAEA can contribute in its own specific way, should not be underestimated since it is a precondition for any sustainable development. Indeed, it is increasingly evident that development policies demand a genuine international cooperation, carried out in accord with decisions made jointly and within the context of a universal vision, one which considers the good of the human family in both the present generation and in those to come.
5. A third level of the "working together obligation" is working together for nuclear disarmament. Since the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), as the cornerstone of the global nuclear non-proliferation regime, is the basis for pursuing nuclear disarmament and an important element for further development of nuclear energy applications for peaceful purposes, it must not be allowed to be weakened. Humanity deserves no less than the full co-operation of all States in this important matter. In this regard, Pope Benedict XVI wrote is his Message for the 2008 World Day of Peace: "Humanity today is unfortunately experiencing great division and sharp conflicts which cast dark shadows upon its future. Vast areas of the world are caught up in situations of increasing tension, while the danger of an increase in the number of countries possessing nuclear weapons causes well-founded apprehension in every responsible person....On a broader scale, one must acknowledge with regret the growing number of States engaged in the arms race. In difficult times such as these, it is truly necessary for all persons of good will to come together to reach concrete agreements aimed at an effective demilitarization, especially in the area of nuclear arms" (No. 14). For these reasons, the Holy See entreats and encourages those in authority to come together in order to resume with greater determination a progressive and mutually agreed dismantling of existing nuclear weapons. The Holy See makes this appeal also in the name of all those concerned for the future of humanity.
Furthermore, global security must not rely on nuclear weapons. The Holy See considers the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT) an important tool to achieve this aim, without mentioning the CTBT potential civil and scientific application through its International Monitoring System. I am honoured to have the name of the Holy See, as well my own name, on the list of countries that support the Ministerial Statement of the IV CTBT Ministerial Conference. The Holy See is convinced that, in working together, the signature, ratification and entry into force of the Treaty will represent a great leap forward for the future of humanity, as well as for the protection of the earth and environment entrusted to our care by the Creator.
6. In his recent Encyclical Letter, Spe Salvi, Pope Benedict XVI indicated that "[e]very generation has the task of engaging anew in the arduous search for the right way to order human affairs" (No. 25). For Christians, this task is motivated by the hope drawn from the saving work of Jesus Christ. That is why the Holy See, fully approving the goals of the IAEA, is a member of this Organization since its foundation and continues to support its mandate "to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace, health and prosperity throughout the world" (IAEA Statute, Art. 2). All this is something that the Catholic Church and the Holy See will continue to follow attentively and with great interest, seeing in the activity of the IAEA an example of how issues and conflicts concerning the world community can be subject to common regulation when we all work together.
My concluding wish, Mr. President, is that the IAEA and its Member States will strive "to make human coexistence increasingly reflect the lively sense of belonging to the one human family", thus renewing their commitment to realising the dream and vision of "Atoms for Peace" for the security, development and well-being of the one human family.
Thank you, Mr. President!
email this article | print this article | comment this article
top
ZENIT is an International News Agency. For reprint permission:
http://www.zenit.org/english/permissions.html Visit our web page at
http://www.zenit.org To subscribe or unsubscribe:
http://www.zenit.org/english/subscribe.html To give a ZENIT gift subscription:
http://www.zenit.org/english/gift.html To make a donation to support ZENIT:
http://www.zenit.org/english/donation.html SEND US YOUR NEWS.
Please send press releases using:
http://www.zenit.org/english/news.html Copyright, Innovative Media, Inc.
