Practically Speaking
Kyle and her husband moved to Brookfield in 1986. She became active in local politics and started blogging in 2004. Her focus is primarily on local issues but often includes state and national topics, too. Kyle looks at things from the taxpayers' perspective in a creative, yet down to earth way, addressing them from a practical point of view.
Catholic Church solidly against abortion
http://www.delawareonline.com/article/20081026/OPINION10/81025022/1004/OPINION
Catholic Church has made no exception regarding abortion since ancient times oct 26
In his interview with The News Journal published Oct. 19, Sen. Joe Biden
presents a seriously erroneous picture of Catholic teaching on
abortion. He said, “I know that my church has wrestled with this for
2,000 years,” and claimed repeatedly that the Church has a nuanced view
of the subject that leaves a great deal of room for uncertainty and
debate.
This is simply incorrect. The teaching of the Church is clear and not
open to debate. Abortion is a grave sin because it is the wrongful
taking of an innocent human life. The Church received the tradition
opposing abortion from Judaism. In the Greco-Roman world, early
Christians were identifiable by their rejection of the common practices
of abortion and infanticide.
The Didache, probably the
earliest Christian writing apart from the New Testament, explicitly
condemns abortion without exceptions. It tells us there is a “way of
life” and a “way of death” and abortion is a part of the way of death.
This has been the consistent teaching of the Church ever since.
It was also the position of Protestant reformers without exception. It was the teaching of Pope John XXIII as well as Pope John Paul II. It is the teaching of Pope Benedict XVI and the bishops of the Church, including me as shepherd of this diocese.
Some
ancient and medieval theologians did see a difference between early
abortions and ones that occurred later in term because with the limited
medical knowledge of the time they did not know then what we
scientifically know now: that a fetus is a living human being from
conception.
Nevertheless, they universally condemned all abortions.
Of
course, we now know that a fetus is a living human being from the very
start. Thus, abortions take innocent human lives no matter when they
occur. Since there is no gradation in the Church’s teaching on
abortion, there is no way the medically obsolete division of pregnancy
into three trimesters by Roe v. Wade can have any bearing on the
rightness or wrongness of abortion. Taking an innocent life in the womb
is wrong at any stage of pregnancy.
The Declaration of
Independence lists life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness as
God-given rights. Life is listed first, and it is the principal
function of the state to protect the lives of citizens. This
understanding of the state’s primary obligation to protect human life
is also fundamental to Catholic social doctrine to which the senator
points. Without life all other rights are meaningless.
This
Sunday, all the parishes in the Catholic Diocese of Wilmington will
pray the Litany of St. Thomas More, martyr and patron saint of
statesmen, politicians and lawyers. We will ask St. Thomas More to
intercede so all statesmen and politicians may be courageous and
effective in their defense and promotion of the sanctity of human life.
We hope Sen. Biden will carefully listen to the Church’s 2,000 years of
testimony on abortion and that he will join in the defense and
promotion of the sanctity of life.
Most Rev. W. Francis Malooly, bishop, Catholic Diocese of Wilmington
This site uses Facebook comments to make it easier for you to contribute. If you see a comment you would like to flag for spam or abuse, click the "x" in the upper right of it. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use.