DEACON FOR LIFE

Were there to be no support in the whole history of ethical and moral thought, were there no acknowledged confirmation from medical science, were the history of legal opinion to the contrary, we would still have to conclude on the basis of God's Holy Word that the unborn child is a person in the sight of God. He is protected by the sanctity of life graciously given to each individual by the Creator, Who alone places His image upon man and grants them any right to life which they have.

Monday, July 23, 2007

President of Human Life International to celebrate Mass on EWTN to commemorate Humanae Vitae

Front Royal, Va, July 23 (CNA).-Fr. Tom Euteneuer, the President of Human Life International, will be celebrating all of the televised Masses for EWTN this week, that is, from Sunday the 22nd of July through Saturday the 28th inclusive.

The reason Fr. Euteneuer is celebrating these particular Masses is that Wednesday, July 25th will be the 39th anniversary of the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae. Fr. Tom's preaching will be on that famous, but often misunderstood encyclical issued by Pope Paul VI, which reaffirmed the Church's constant teaching on the immorality of contraception.

The day before that, Tuesday, July 24th, will also be a special occasion for Fr. Euteneuer, since he will be celebrating his 19th anniversary of being a priest. His homily on that day will focus on the Holy Priesthood.

Fr. Tom extends his cordial invitation to, "you and all your pro-life and Catholic friends to join me for Masses so that we may be spiritually united in a most special way this week."

LIFE IS SACRED

An example of the traditional magisterial teaching which indicates that it is never morally licit to intentionally kill a child through abortion in order to “save the life of its mother” comes from the teaching of Pope Pius XII:

“Every human being, even the infant in the mother's womb, has the right to life immediately from God, not from the parent or any human society or authority. Therefore, there is no man, no human authority, no science, no medical, eugenic, social, economic or moral ‘indication’ that can show or give valid juridical title for direct deliberate disposition concerning an innocent human life-which is to say, a disposition that aims at its destruction either as an end in itself or as the means of attaining another end that is perhaps in no way illicit itself. Thus, for example, to save the life of the mother is a most noble end, but the direct killing of the child as a means to this end is not licit.”