Friday, November 21, 2014

Pope Francis blasts abortion, euthanasia as 'sins against God'

Pope Francis blasts abortion, euthanasia as 'sins against God'

Pope Francis has told a group of Catholic doctors that “playing with life” in ways like abortion and euthanasia is sinful, and he stressed that each human life, no matter the condition, is sacred.  “We're are living in a time of experimentation with life. But a bad experiment… (we’re) playing with life,” the Pope told an audience of 4,000 Catholic doctors gathered in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on Nov. 15. “Be careful, because this is a sin against the Creator: against God the Creator.”

Pope Francis offered his words in an address given to members of the Italian Catholic Doctors Association in celebration of their 70th anniversary. He recalled that many times in his years as a priest he heard people object to the Church’s position on life issues, specifically asking why the Church is against abortion. After explaining to the inquirer that the Church is not against abortion because it is simply a religious or philosophical issue, he said it’s also because abortion “is a scientific problem, because there is a human life and it's not lawful to take a human life to solve a problem.”

Regardless of the many objections he has heard saying that modern thought has evolved on the issue, the Pope stressed that “in ancient thought and in modern thought, the word ‘kill’ means the same!” “(And) the same goes for euthanasia,” he explained, observing that as a result of “this culture of waste, a hidden euthanasia is practiced on the elderly.” This, he said, is like telling God: “’at the end of life I do it, like I want.’ It's a sin against God. Think well about this.”

The belief that abortion is helpful for women, that euthanasia is “an act of dignity,” or that it’s “a scientific breakthrough to ‘produce’ a child (who is) considered a right instead of accepted as a gift” are all part of conventional wisdom that offers a false sense of compassion, he said. And this includes “(the) use of human life as laboratory mice supposedly to save others,” the Pope continued, saying that on the contrary, the Gospel provides a true image of compassion in the figure of the Good Samaritan, who sees a man suffering, has mercy on him, goes close and offers concrete help.

With today’s rapid scientific and technological advancements the possibility of physical healing has drastically increased, the Pope observed. However, the ability to truly care for the person has almost gone in the opposite direction.  Some aspects of medical science “seem to diminish the ability to ‘take care’ of the person, especially when they are suffering, fragile and defenseless,” he said, explaining that advancements in science and medicine can only enhance human life if they maintain their ethical roots. “Attention to human life, particularly to those in the greatest difficulty, that is, the sick, the elderly, children, deeply affects the mission of the Church,” the Bishop of Rome continued, saying that often times modern society tends to attach one’s quality of life to economic possibilities.

Frequently the quality of a person’s life is measured by their physical beauty and well-being, he observed, noting how the more important interpersonal, spiritual and religious dimensions of human life are often forgotten. “In reality, in the light of faith and of right reason, human life is always sacred and always ‘of quality’,” he said. “No human life exists that is more sacred that the other, just like there is no human life qualitatively more significant than another solely in virtue of resources, rights, economic opportunities and higher social status.” Pope Francis told the group that as Catholic doctors, it is their mission to affirm the sacredness and inviolability of human life, which “must be loved, defended and cared for,” through word and example, each in their own personal style.

He encouraged them to collaborate with others, including those with different religions, in seeking to promote the dignity of the human being as a basic criterion of their work, and to follow the Gospel’s instruction to love at all times, especially when there is a special need. “Your mission as doctors puts you in daily contact with so many forms of suffering,” he said, and he encouraged them to imitate the Good Samaritan in caring for the elderly, the sick and the disabled. By remaining faithful to the Gospel of Life and respecting life as a gift, difficult decisions will come up that at times require courageous choices that go against the popular current, the pontiff noted, saying that this faithfulness can also lead “to conscientious objection.”

“This is what the members of your association have done in the course of 70 years of meritorious work,” the Pope observed, urging the doctors to continue implementing the teachings of the Magisterium into their work with trust and humility. 

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Papal Tweet

 

Papal tweet #456 (20/11/2014)

Pope Francis offers a lesson from a ham and cheese sandwich

Pope Francis brought laughter to a group of young people gathered at the Vatican Nov.15 when he
quoted an Argentinean comedian’s metaphor about ham and cheese sandwiches in relation to the Christian life.  Speaking in Spanish, Pope Francis addressed the young people gathered for a symposium on prostitution and human trafficking, held at the Pio IV House at the Vatican on Nov. 15-16, and organized by the Pontifical Academy for Sciences.

He referenced a metaphor used by Argentinean comedian Luis Landriscina, “who explained the difference between collaboration and commitment. All of us have to collaborate, but Christians have to be committed. Landriscina said, ‘The cow collaborates in our nourishment when she gives us milk. She gives milk which is made into cheese, and then we make a sandwich. But a sandwich with just cheese is a little bland, so we have to add a piece of ham. When it comes to the pig, the pig doesn’t collaborate in making the ham, it gives its life, it commits’.”

“To be committed to is to give one’s life, to risk one’s life, and life has meaning only if we are willing to risk it, to live it for the good of others. I like to see so many young people who want to be committed. Remember the ham and cheese sandwich!” the Pope said.  “Thank you for the work you are doing,” the Holy Father continued. “It is a struggle we are all called to engage in, a struggle against that movement which is leading humanity to think that the person is an object that can be used and thrown away. An object to be used.”  “We need to recover the dignity of the person,” he continued. “We are certainly in an age in which the human person is used as an object and ends up becoming disposable material. In the eyes of God there is no disposable material, there is only dignity.”

At the conclusion of the symposium, the chancellor of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, Msgr. Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, presented Pope Francis with a joint declaration against human trafficking signed by all the participants.

Thursday, February 6, 2014

2014 World Youth Day - April 13th


World Youth Day (WYD) on Palm Sunday 2014 (April 13th) 

Pope Francis has released a message for the 29th World Youth Day (WYD) on Palm Sunday 2014 (April 13th) that will be celebrated locally in each diocese around the world. The theme chosen for this celebration is taken from the Beatitudes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” In his message the Pope reflects on the meaning of this theme and urges young people to use the revolutionary power of the Beatitudes as a central point of reference in their lives.
Please find below a translation in English of Pope Francis’ message:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3)
Dear Young Friends,
How vividly I recall the remarkable meeting we had in Rio de Janeiro for the Twenty-eighth World Youth Day. It was a great celebration of faith and fellowship! The wonderful people of Brazil welcomed us with open arms, like the statue of Christ the Redeemer which looks down from the hill of Corcovado over the magnificent expanse of Copacabana beach. There, on the seashore, Jesus renewed his call to each one of us to become his missionary disciples. May we perceive this call as the most important thing in our lives and share this gift with others, those near and far, even to the distant geographical and existential peripheries of our world.
The next stop on our intercontinental youth pilgrimage will be in Krakow in 2016. As a way of accompanying our journey together, for the next three years I would like to reflect with you on the Beatitudes found in the Gospel of Saint Matthew (5:1-12). This year we will begin by reflecting on the first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Mt 5:3). For 2015 I suggest: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Mt 5:8). Then, in 2016, our theme will be: “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy” (Mt 5:7).a