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This edition of Life Issues Forum is available in English and Spanish, and has also been posted to our website.
The Life Issues Forum is a bi-weekly column by
Pro-Life Secretariat staff addressing the latest issues on the culture
of life. Columns may be reprinted as they appear here (in full and
without alteration) without further permission.
In Christ,
The Pro-Life Secretariat
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LIFE ISSUES FORUM FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Welcome and Protect Life August 5, 2016 By Deirdre A. McQuade
On the eve of World Youth Day 2016 in Poland, Pope Francis gave a beautiful address
urging leaders to support the family, the "primary and fundamental cell
of society." Specifically, he urged them to welcome and protect human
life in all its stages: "Life must always be welcomed and protected.
These two things go together-welcome and protection, from conception to natural death."
The
Holy Father said that responsibility for vulnerable families is shared
in a particular way by the institutions of the State, the Church, and
society:
All
of us are called to respect life and care for it. On the other hand, it
is the responsibility of the State, the Church and society to accompany
and concretely help all those who find themselves in serious
difficulty, so that a child will never be seen as a burden but as a
gift, and those who are most vulnerable and poor will not be abandoned.
In "Living the Gospel of Life,"
the U.S. bishops issued a similar "welcome and protect" challenge to
ordinary citizens and high-powered leaders alike. Written in 1998, its
insights remain fresh and relevant today.
All
too often in debates, people pit the defense of innocent, defenseless
lives in opposition to work promoting the dignity of other vulnerable
persons throughout the lifespan. From a Catholic perspective, these
issues need not be in competition, but they must be held in proper
relation to each other for promotion of the common good. Our bishops
proposed the beautiful image of the human person as the "living house of
God," and taught that the right to life is the foundation on which that
house stands, with all other human dignity issues serving as the
house's much-needed protective walls and crossbeams.
"Opposition
to abortion and euthanasia does not excuse indifference to those who
suffer from poverty, violence and injustice.... Catholics should eagerly
involve themselves as advocates for the weak and marginalized in all
these areas," they taught. The bishops then explain:
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. 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. Such attacks cannot help but lull the social
conscience in ways ultimately destructive of other human rights (Living the Gospel of Life, 22).
So
the bishops' challenge gives us a constructive model for thinking about
vital social and political concerns. Before voting this coming
November, consider reading the entire statement along with the more recent "Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship (2015)" to enrich your conversations with friends, family members, and colleagues on these critical issues.
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