1. The problem of procured abortion and of its possible legal
liberalization has become more or less everywhere the subject of impassioned
discussions. These debates would be less grave were it not a question of human
life, a primordial value, which must be protected and promoted. Everyone
understands this, although many look for reasons, even against all evidence, to
promote the use of abortion. One cannot but be astonished to see a simultaneous
increase of unqualified protests against the death penalty and every form of war
and the vindication of the liberalization of abortion, either in its entirety or
in ever broader indications. The Church is too conscious of the fact that it
belongs to her vocation to defend man against everything that could disintegrate
or lessen his dignity to remain silent on such a topic. Because the Son of God
became man, there is no man who is not His brother in humanity and who is not
called to become a Christian in order to receive salvation from Him.
2. In many countries the public authorities which resist the
liberalization of abortion laws are the object of powerful pressures aimed at
leading them to this goal. This, it is said, would violate no one's conscience,
for each individual would be left free to follow his own opinion, while being
prevented from imposing it on others. Ethical pluralism is claimed to be a
normal consequence of ideological pluralism. There is, however, a great
difference between the one and the other, for action affects the interests of
others more quickly than does mere opinion. Moreover, one can never claim
freedom of opinion as a pretext for attacking the rights of others, most
especially the right to life.
3. Numerous Christian lay people, especially doctors, but also
parents' associations, statesmen, or leading figures in posts of responsibility
have vigorously reacted against this propaganda campaign. Above all, many
episcopal conferences and many bishops acting in their own name have judged it
opportune to recall very strongly the traditional doctrine of the Church.[1]
With a striking convergence these documents admirably emphasize an attitude of
respect for life which is at the same time human and Christian. Nevertheless, it
has happened that several of these documents here or there have encountered
reservation or even opposition.
4. Charged with the promotion and the defense of faith and
morals in the universal Church,[2] the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith proposes to recall this teaching in its essential aspects to all the
faithful. Thus in showing the unity of the Church, it will confirm by the
authority proper to the Holy See what the bishops have opportunely undertaken.
It hopes that all the faithful, including those who might have been unsettled by
the controversies and new opinions, will understand that it is not a question of
opposing one opinion to another, but of transmitting to the faithful a constant
teaching of the supreme Magisterium, which teaches moral norms in the light of
faith.[3] It is therefore clear that this declaration necessarily entails a
grave obligation for Christian consciences.[4] May God deign to enlighten also
all men who strive with their whole heart to "act in truth" (Jn.
3:21).
5. "Death was not God's doing, he takes no pleasure in the
extinction of the living" (Wis. 1:13). Certainly God has created
beings who have only one lifetime and physical death cannot be absent from the
world of those with a bodily existence. But what is immediately willed is life,
and in the visible universe everything has been made for man, who is the image
of God and the world's crowning glory (cf. Gen. 1:26-28). On the human
level, "it was the devil's envy that brought death into the world" (Wis.
2:24). Introduced by sin, death remains bound up with it: death is the sign and
fruit of sin. But there is no final triumph for death. Confirming faith in the
Resurrection, the Lord proclaims in the Gospel: "God is God, not of the
dead, but of the living" (Mt. 22:32). And death like sin will be
definitively defeated by resurrection in Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 15:20-27).
Thus we understand that human life, even on this earth, is precious. Infused by
the Creator,[5] life is again taken back by Him (cf. Gen. 2:7; Wis.
15:11). It remains under His protection: man's blood cries out to Him (cf. Gen.
4:10) and He will demand an account of it, "for in the image of God man was
made" (Gen. 9:5-6). The commandment of God is formal: "You
shall not kill" (Ex. 20:13). Life is at the same time a gift and a
responsibility. It is received as a "talent" (cf. Mt.
25:14-30); it must be put to proper use. In order that life may bring forth
fruit, many tasks are offered to man in this world and he must not shirk them.
More important still, the Christian knows that eternal life depends on what,
with the grace of God, he does with his life on earth.
6. The tradition of the Church has always held that human life
must be protected and favored from the beginning, just as at the various stages
of its development. Opposing the morals of the Greco-Roman world, the Church of
the first centuries insisted on the difference that exists on this point between
those morals and Christian morals. In the Didache it is clearly said: "You
shall not kill by abortion the fruit of the womb and you shall not murder the
infant already born."[6] Athenagoras emphasizes that Christians consider as
murderers those women who take medicines to procure an abortion; he condemns the
killers of children, including those still living in their mother's womb,
"where they are already the object of the care of divine Providence."
Tertullian did not always perhaps use the same language; he nevertheless clearly
affirms the essential principle: "To prevent birth is anticipated murder;
it makes little difference whether one destroys a life already born or does away
with it in its nascent stage. The one who will be a man is already one."[8]
7. In the course of history, the Fathers of the Church, her
Pastors and her Doctors have taught the same doctrine - the various opinions on
the infusion of the spiritual soul did not introduce any doubt about the
illicitness of abortion. It is true that in the Middle Ages, when the opinion
was generally held that the spiritual soul was not present until after the first
few weeks, a distinction was made in the evaluation of the sin and the gravity
of penal sanctions. Excellent authors allowed for this first period more lenient
case solutions which they rejected for following periods. But it was never
denied at that time that procured abortion, even during the first days, was
objectively grave fault. This condemnation was in fact unanimous. Among the many
documents it is sufficient to recall certain ones. The first Council of Mainz in
847 reconsidered the penalties against abortion which had been established by
preceding Councils. It decided that the most rigorous penance would be imposed
"on women who procure the elimination of the fruit conceived in their
womb."[9] The Decree of Gratian reported the following words of Pope
Stephen V: "That person is a murderer who causes to perish by abortion what
has been conceived."[10] St. Thomas, the Common Doctor of the Church,
teaches that abortion is a grave sin against the natural law." At the time
of the Renaissance Pope Sixtus V condemned abortion with the greatest
severity.[12] A century later, Innocent XI rejected the propositions of certain
lax canonists who sought to excuse an abortion procured before the moment
accepted by some as the moment of the spiritual animation of the new being.[13]
In our days the recent Roman Pontiffs have proclaimed the same doctrine with the
greatest clarity. Pius XI explicitly answered the most serious objections.[14]
Pius XII clearly excluded all direct abortion, that is, abortion which is either
an end or a means.[15] John XXIII recalled the teaching of the Fathers on the
sacred character of life "which from its beginning demands the action of
God the Creator."[16] Most recently, the Second Vatican Council, presided
over by Paul VI, has most severely condemned abortion: "Life must be
safeguarded with extreme care from conception; abortion and infanticide are
abominable crimes."[17] The same Paul VI, speaking on this subject on many
occasions, has not been afraid to declare that this teaching of the Church
"has not changed and is unchangeable."[18]
8. Respect for human life is not just a Christian obligation.
Human reason is sufficient to impose it on the basis of the analysis of what a
human person is and should be. Constituted by a rational nature, man is a
personal subject capable of reflecting on himself and of determining his acts
and hence his own destiny: he is free. He is consequently master of himself; or
rather, because this takes place in the course of time, he has the means of
becoming so: this is his task. Created immediately by God, man's soul is
spiritual and therefore immortal. Hence man is open to God, he finds his
fulfillment only in Him. But man lives in the community of his equals; he is
nourished by interpersonal communication with men in the indispensable social
setting. In the face of society and other men, each human person possesses
himself, he possesses life and different goods, he has these as a right. It is
this that strict justice demands from all in his regard.
9. Nevertheless, temporal life lived in this world is not
identified with the person. The person possesses as his own a level of life that
is more profound and that cannot end. Bodily life is a fundamental good, here
below it is the condition for all other goods. But there are higher values for
which it could be legitimate or even necessary to be willing to expose oneself
to the risk of losing bodily life. In a society of persons the common good is
for each individual an end which he must serve and to which he must subordinate
his particular interest. But it is not his last end and, from this point of
view, it is society which is at the service of the person, because the person
will not fulfill his destiny except in God. The person can be definitively
subordinated only to God. Man can never be treated simply as a means to be
disposed of in order to obtain a higher end.
10. In regard to the mutual rights and duties of the person and
of society, it belongs to moral teaching to enlighten consciences; it belongs to
the law to specify and organize external behavior. There is precisely a certain
number of rights which society is not in a position to grant since these rights
precede society; but society has the function to preserve and to enforce them.
These are the greater part of those which are today called "human
rights" and which our age boasts of having formulated.
11. The first right of the human person is his life. He has
other goods and some are more precious, but this one is fundamental - the
condition of all the others. Hence it must be protected above all others. It
does not belong to society, nor does it belong to public authority in any form
to recognize this right for some and not for others: all discrimination is evil,
whether it be founded on race, sex, color or religion. It is not recognition by
another that constitutes this right. This right is antecedent to its
recognition; it demands recognition and it is strictly unjust to refuse it.
12. Any discrimination based on the various stages of life is no
more justified than any other discrimination. The right to life remains complete
in an old person, even one greatly weakened; it is not lost by one who is
incurably sick. The right to life is no less to be respected in the small infant
just born than in the mature person. In reality, respect for human life is
called for from the time that the process of generation begins. From the time
that the ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father
nor of the mother, it is rather the life of a new human being with his own
growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already.
13. To this perpetual evidence - perfectly independent of the
discussions on the moment of animation[19] - modern genetic science brings
valuable confirmation. It has demonstrated that, from the first instant, there
is established the program of what this living being will be: a man, this
individual man with his characteristic aspects already well determined. Right
from fertilization is begun the adventure of a human life, and each of its
capacities requires time- a rather lengthy time- to find its place and to be in
a position to act. The least that can be said is that present science, in its
most evolved state, does not give any substantial support to those who defend
abortion. Moreover, it is not up to biological sciences to make a definitive
judgment on questions which are properly philosophical and moral such as the
moment when a human person is constituted or the legitimacy of abortion. From a
moral point of view this is certain: even if a doubt existed concerning whether
the fruit of conception is already a human person, it is objectively a grave sin
to dare to risk murder. "The one who will be a man is already
one."[20]
14. Divine law and natural reason, therefore, exclude all right
to the direct killing of an innocent man. However, if the reasons given to
justify an abortion were always manifestly evil and valueless the problem would
not be so dramatic. The gravity of the problem comes from the fact that in
certain cases, perhaps in quite a considerable number of cases, by denying
abortion one endangers important values to which it is normal to attach great
value, and which may sometimes even seem to have priority. We do not deny these
very great difficulties. It may be a serious question of health, sometimes of
life or death, for the mother; it may be the burden represented by an additional
child, especially if there are good reasons to fear that the child will be
abnormal or retarded; it may be the importance attributed in different classes
of society to considerations of honor or dishonor, of loss of social standing,
and so forth. We proclaim only that none of these reasons can ever objectively
confer the right to dispose of another's life, even when that life is only
beginning. With regard to the future unhappiness of the child, no one, not even
the father or mother, can act as its substitute- even if it is still in the
embryonic stage- to choose in the child's name, life or death. The child itself,
when grown up, will never have the right to choose suicide; no more may his
parents choose death for the child while it is not of an age to decide for
itself. Life is too fundamental a value to be weighed against even very serious
disadvantages.[21]
15. The movement for the emancipation of women, insofar as it
seeks essentially to free them from all unjust discrimination, is on perfectly
sound ground.[22] In the different forms of cultural background there is a great
deal to be done in this regard. But one cannot change nature. Nor can one exempt
women, any more than men, from what nature demands of them. Furthermore, all
publicly recognized freedom is always limited by the certain rights of others.
16. The same must be said of the claim to sexual freedom. If by
this expression one is to understand the mastery progressively acquired by
reason and by authentic love over instinctive impulse, without diminishing
pleasure but keeping it in its proper place - and in this sphere this is the
only authentic freedom - then there is nothing to object to. But this kind of
freedom will always be careful not to violate justice. It; on the contrary, one
is to understand that men and women are "free" to seek sexual pleasure
to the point of satiety, without taking into account any law or the essential
orientation of sexual life to its fruits of fertility,[23] then this idea has
nothing Christian in it. It is even unworthy of man. In any case it does not
confer any right to dispose of human life - even if embryonic- or to suppress it
on the pretext that it is burdensome.
17. Scientific progress is opening to technology - and will open
still more - the possibility of delicate interventions, the consequences of
which can be very serious, for good as well as for evil. These are achievements
of the human spirit which in themselves are admirable. But technology can never
be independent of the criterion of morality, since technology exists for man and
must respect his finality. Just as there is no right to use nuclear energy for
every possible purpose, so there is no right to manipulate human life in every
possible direction. Technology must be at the service of man, so as better to
ensure the functioning of his normal abilities, to prevent or to cure his
illnesses, and to contribute to his better human development. It is true that
the evolution of technology makes early abortion more and more easy, but the
moral evaluation is in no way modified because of this.
18. We know what seriousness the problem of birth control can
assume for some families and for some countries. That is why the last Council
and subsequently the encyclical "Humanae vitae" of July 25,
1968, spoke of "responsible parenthood."[24] What we wish to say again
with emphasis, as was pointed out in the conciliar constitution "Gaudium
et spes," in the encyclical "Populorum progressio" and
in other papal documents, is that never, under any pretext, may abortion be
resorted to, either by a family or by the political authority, as a legitimate
means of regulating births.[25] The damage to moral values is always a greater
evil for the common good than any disadvantage in the economic or demographic
order.
19. The moral discussion is being accompanied more or less
everywhere by serious juridical debates. There is no country where legislation
does not forbid and punish murder. Furthermore, many countries had specifically
applied this condemnation and these penalties to the particular case of procured
abortion. In these days a vast body of opinion petitions the liberalization of
this latter prohibition. There already exists a fairly general tendency which
seeks to limit, as far as possible, all restrictive legislation, especially when
it seems to touch upon private life. The argument of pluralism is also used.
Although many citizens, in particular the Catholic faithful, condemn abortion,
many others hold that it is licit, at least as a lesser evil. Why force them to
follow an opinion which is not theirs, especially in a country where they are in
the majority? In addition it is apparent that, where they still exist, the laws
condemning abortion appear difficult to apply. The crime has become too common
for it to be punished every time, and the public authorities often find that it
is wiser to close their eyes to it. But the preservation of a law which is not
applied is always to the detriment of authority and of all the other laws. It
must be added that clandestine abortion puts women, who resign themselves to it
and have recourse to it, in the most serious dangers for future pregnancies and
also in many cases for their lives. Even if the legislator continues to regard
abortion as an evil, may he not propose to restrict its damage?
20. These arguments and others in addition that are heard from
varying quarters are not conclusive. It is true that civil law cannot expect to
cover the whole field of morality or to punish all faults. No one expects it to
do so. It must often tolerate what is in fact a lesser evil, in order to avoid a
greater one. One must, however, be attentive to what a change in legislation can
represent. Many will take as authorization what is perhaps only the abstention
from punishment. Even more, in the present case, this very renunciation seems at
the very least to admit that the legislator no longer considers abortion a crime
against human life, since murder is still always severely punished. It is true
that it is not the task of the law to choose between points of view or to impose
one rather than another. But the life of the child takes precedence over all
opinions. One cannot invoke freedom of thought to destroy this life.
21. The role of law is not to record what is done, hut to help
in promoting improvement. It is at all times the task of the State to preserve
each person's rights and to protect the weakest. In order to do so the State
will have to right many wrongs. The law is not obliged to sanction everything,
but it cannot act contrary to a law which is deeper and more majestic than any
human law: the natural law engraved in men's hearts by the Creator as a norm
which reason clarifies and strives to formulate properly, and which one must
always struggle to understand better, but which it is always wrong to
contradict. Human law can abstain from punishment, but it cannot declare to be
right what would be opposed to the natural law, for this opposition suffices to
give the assurance that a law is not a law at all.
22. It must in any case be clearly understood that whatever may
be laid down by civil law in this matter, man can never obey a law which is in
itself immoral, and such is the case of a law which would admit in principle the
liceity of abortion. Nor can he take part in a propaganda campaign in favor of
such a law, or vote for it. Moreover, he may not collaborate in its application.
It is, for instance, inadmissible that doctors or nurses should find themselves
obliged to cooperate closely in abortions and have to choose between the law of
God and their professional situation.
23. On the contrary, it is the task of law to pursue a reform of
society and of conditions of life in all milieux, starting with the most
deprived, so that always and everywhere it may be possible to give every child
coming into this world a welcome worthy of a person. Help for families and for
unmarried mothers, assured grants for children, a statute for illegitimate
children and reasonable arrangements for adoption - a whole positive policy must
be put into force so that there will always be a concrete, honorable and
possible alternative to abortion.
24. Following one's conscience in obedience to the law of God is
not always the easy way. One must not fail to recognize the weight of the
sacrifices and the burdens which it can impose. Heroism is sometimes called for
in order to remain faithful to the requirements of the divine law. Therefore, we
must emphasize that the path of true progress of the human person passes through
this constant fidelity to a conscience maintained in uprightness and truth; and
we must exhort all those who are able to do so to lighten the burdens still
crushing so many men and women, families and children, who are placed in
situations to which, in human terms, there is no solution.
25. A Christian's outlook cannot be limited to the horizon of
life in this world. He knows that during the present life another one is being
prepared, one of such importance that it is in its light that judgments must be
made.[26] From this viewpoint there is no absolute misfortune here below, not
even the terrible sorrow of bringing up a handicapped child. This is the
contradiction proclaimed by the Lord: "Happy those who mourn: they shall be
comforted" (Mt. 5:5). To measure happiness by the absence of sorrow
and misery in this world is to turn one's back on the Gospel.
26. But this does not mean that one can remain indifferent to
these sorrows and miseries. Every man and woman with feeling, and certainly
every Christian, must be ready to do what he can to remedy them. This is the law
of charity, of which the first preoccupation must always be the establishment of
justice. One can never approve of abortion; but it is above all necessary to
combat its causes. This includes political action, which will be in particular
the task of the law. But it is necessary at the same time to influence morality
and to do everything possible to help families, mothers and children.
Considerable progress in the service of life has been accomplished by medicine.
One can hope that such progress will continue, in accordance with the vocation
of doctors, which is not to suppress life but to care for it and favor it as
much as possible. It is equally desirable that, in suitable institutions, or, in
their absence, in the outpouring of Christian generosity and charity every form
of assistance should be developed.
27. There will be no effective action on the level of morality
unless at the same time an effort is made on the level of ideas. A point of view
- or even more, perhaps a way of thinking - which considers fertility as an evil
cannot be allowed to spread without contradiction. It is true that not all forms
of culture are equally in favor of large families. Such families come up against
much greater difficulties in an industrial and urban civilization. Thus in
recent times the Church has insisted on the idea of responsible parenthood, the
exercise of true human and Christian prudence.
Such prudence would not be authentic if it did not include
generosity. It must preserve awareness of the grandeur of the task of
cooperating with the Creator in the transmission of life, which gives new
members to society and new children to the Church. Christ's Church has the
fundamental solicitude of protecting and favoring life. She certainly thinks
before all else of the life which Christ came to bring: "I have come so
that they may have life and have it to the full" (Jn. 10:10). But
life at all its levels comes from God, and bodily life is for man the
indispensable beginning. In this life on earth sin has introduced, multiplied
and made harder to bear suffering and death. But in taking their burden upon
Himself, Jesus Christ has transformed them: for whoever believes in Him,
suffering and death itself become instruments of resurrection. Hence Saint Paul
can say: "I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to
the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us" (Rom. 8:18).
And, if we make this comparison we shall add with him: "Yes, the troubles
which are soon over, though they weigh little, train us for the carrying of a
weight of eternal glory which is out of all proportion to them" (2 Cor.
4:17).
The Supreme Pontiff Pope Paul VI, in an audience granted to
the undersigned Secretary of the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the
Faith on June 28, 1974, has ratified this Declaration on Procured Abortion and
has confirmed it and ordered it to be promulgated.
Given in Rome, at the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of
the Faith, on November 18, the Commemoration of the Dedication of the Basilicas
of Saints Peter and Paul, in the year 1974.
Franciscus Card. SEPER Prefect
Hieronymus HAMER Titular Archbishop of Lorium Secretary
ENDNOTES
1. A certain number of bishops' documents are to be found in Gr.
Caprile, "Non Uccidere, Il Magistero della Chiesa sull'aborto." Part
II, pp. 47-300, Rome, 1973.
2. "Regimini Ecclesiae Universae," III, 1, 29.
Cf. ibid., 31 (AAS 59 [1967], p. 897). On the Sacred Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith depend all the questions which are related to faith and
morals or which are bound up with the faith.
3. "Lumen gentium," 12 (AAS 57 [1965], pp.
16-17). The present Declaration does not envisage all the questions which can
arise in connection with abortion: it is for theologians to examine and discuss
them. Only certain basic principles are here recalled which must be for the
theologians themselves a guide and a rule, and confirm certain fundamental
truths of Catholic doctrine for all Christians.
4. "Lumen Gentium," 25 (AAS 57 [1965], pp.
29-31).
5. The authors of Scripture do not make any philosophical
observations on when life begins, but they speak of the period of life which
precedes birth as being the object of God's attention: He creates and forms the
human being, like that which is moulded by His hand (cf. Ps. 118:73). It
would seem that this theme finds expression for the first time in Jer. 1:5. It
appears later in many other texts. Cf. Is. 49:1-5; 46:3; Jb.
10:8-12; Ps. 22:10; 71:6; 139:13. In the Gospels we read in Luke 1:44:
"For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leapt
for joy."
6. "Didache Apostolorum," edition Funk, "Patres
Apostolici," V, 2. "The Epistle of Barnabas," IX, 5
uses the same expressions (cf. Funk, l.c., 91-93).
7. Athenagoras, "A plea on behalf of Christians," 35
(cf. PG. 6, 970: S.C. 3, pp. 166-167). One may also consult the "Epistle to
Diogentus" (V, 6 Funk, o.c., I 399: S.C. 33), where it says of Christians:
"They procreate children, but they do not reject the foetus."
8. Tertullian, "Apologeticum" (IX. 8 PL. 1,
371-372: Corp. Christ. 1, p. 103, 1, 31-36).
9. Canon 21 (Mansi, 14, p. 909). Cf. Council of Elvira, canon 63
(Mansi, 2, p. 16) and the Council of Ancyra, canon 21 (ibid., 519). See also the
decree of Gregory III regarding the penance to be imposed upon those who are
culpable of this crime (Mansi 13, 292, c. 17).
10. Gratian, "Concordantia Discordantium Canonum," c.
20, C. 2, q.[2]. During the Middle Ages appeal was often made to the authority
of St. Augustine who wrote as follows in regard to this matter in "De
Nuptiis et Concupiscentiis," c. 15: "Sometimes this sexually indulgent
cruelty or this cruel sexual indulgence goes so far as to procure potions which
produce sterility. If the desired result is not achieved, the mother terminates
the life and expels the foetus which was in her womb in such a way that the
child dies before having lived, or, if the baby was living already in its
mother's womb, it is killed before being born." (PL 44, 423-424: CSEL 33,
619. Cf. the "Decree of Gratian" q. 2, C. 32, c. 7.)
11. "Commentary on the Sentences," book IV, dist. 31,
exposition of the text.
12. Constitution "Effraenatum" in 1588
("Bullarium Romanum," V, 1, pp. 25-27; "Fontes Iuris Canonici,"
I, no. 165, pp. 308-311).
13. Dz-Sch. 1184. Cf. also the Constitution "Apostolicae
Sedis" of Pius IX (Acta Pii IX, V, 55-72; AAS 5 [1869], pp. 305-331;
"Fontes Iuris Canonici," III, no. 552, pp. 24-31).
15. The statements of Pius XII are express, precise and
numerous; they would require a whole study on their own. We quote only this one
from the Discourse to the Saint Luke Union of Italian Doctors of November 12,
1944, because it formulates the principle in all its universality: "As long
as a man is not guilty, his life is untouchable, and therefore any act directly
tending to destroy it is illicit, whether such destruction is intended as an end
in itself or only as a means to an end, whether it is a question of life in the
embryonic stage or in a stage of full development or already in its final
stages" (Discourses and Radio-messages, VI, 183ff.).
16. Encyclical "Mater et magistra," AAS 53
(1961), p. 447.
17. "Gaudium et spes," 51. Cf. 27 (AAS 58
[1966], p. 1072; cf. 1047).
18. The speech, "Salutiamo con paterna effusione,"
December 9, 1972, AAS 64 (1972), p. 737. Among the witnesses of this
unchangeable doctrine one will recall the declaration of the Holy Office,
condemning direct abortion (Denzinger 1890, AAS 17 [1884], p. 556; 22
[1888-1890], 748; Dz-Sch 3258).
19. This declaration expressly leaves aside the question of the
moment when the spiritual soul is infused. There is not a unanimous tradition on
this point and authors are as yet in disagreement. For some it dates from the
first instant; for others it could not at least precede nidation. It is not
within the competence of science to decide between these views, because the
existence of an immortal soul is not a question in its field. It is a
philosophical problem from which our moral affirmation remains independent for
two reasons: (1) supposing a belated animation, there is still nothing less than
a human life, preparing for and calling for a soul in which the nature received
from parents is completed, (2) on the other hand, it suffices that this presence
of the soul be probable (and one can never prove the contrary) in order that the
taking of life involve accepting the risk of killing a man, not only waiting
for, but already in possession of his soul.
20. Tertullian, cited in footnote 8.
21. Cardinal Villot, Secretary of State, wrote on October 19,
1973, to Cardinal Dopfner, regarding the protection of human life: "(Die
Kirche) kann jedoch sur Behebung solcher Notsituationen weder
empfangnisverhutende Mittel noch erst recht nicht die Abtreibung als sittlich
erlaubt erkennen" ("L'Osservatore Romano," German edition,
October 26, 1973, p. 3).
22. Encyclical "Pacem in terris." AAS 55
(1963), p. 267. Constitution "Gaudium et spes," 29. Speech of
Paul VI, "Salutiamo," AAS 64 (1972), 779.
23. "Gaudium et spes," 48: "Indole autem
sua naturali, ipsum institutum matrimonii amorque coniugalis ad procreationem et
educationem prolis ordinantur, iisque veluti suo fastigio coronantur." Also
paragraph 50: "Matrimonium et amor coniugalis indole sua ad prolem
procreandam et educandam ordinantur."
24. "Gaudium et spes," 50-51. Paul VI,
Encyclical "Humanae vitae," 10 (AAS 60, [1968], p. 487).
25. "Gaudium et spes," 87. Paul VI, Encyclical
"Populorum progressio," 31: Address to the United Nations, AAS 57
(1965), p. 883. John XXIII, "Mater et magistra," AAS 53 (1961), pp.
445-448). Responsible parenthood supposes the use of only morally licit methods
of birth regulation. Cf. "Humanae vitae,"[14] (ibid., p. 490).
26. Cardinal Villot, Secretary of State, wrote to the World
Congress of Catholic Doctors held in Barcelona, May 26, 1974: "Por lo que a
la vida humana se refiere, esta non es ciertamente univoca, mas bien se podria
decir que es un haz de vidas. No se puede reducir, sin mutilarlas gravemente,
las zonas de su ser, que, en su estrecha dependencia e interaccion estan
ordenadas las unas a las otras: zona corporal, zona afectiva, zona mental, y ese
transfondo del alma donde la vida divina, recibida por la gracia, puede
desplegarse mediante los dones del Espiritu Santo" ("L'Osservatore
Romano," May 29, 1974).
LETTER OF POPE JOHN PAUL II
TO WOMEN
I greet you all most cordially,
women throughout the world!
1. I am writing this letter to each one of you as a sign of
solidarity and gratitude on the eve of the Fourth World Conference on Women, to
be held in Beijing this coming September.
Before all else, I wish to express my deep appreciation
to the United Nations Organization for having sponsored this very significant
event. The Church desires for her part to contribute to upholding the dignity,
role and rights of women, not only by the specific work of the Holy See's
official Delegation to the Conference in Beijing, but also by speaking directly
to the heart and mind of every woman. Recently, when Mrs Gertrude Mongella,
the Secretary General of the Conference, visited me in connection with the
Peking meeting, I gave her a
written Messagewhich stated some basic points of the Church's
teaching with regard to women's issues. That message, apart from the specific
circumstances of its origin, was concerned with a broader vision of the
situation and problems of women in general, in an attempt to promote the
cause of women in the Church and in today's world. For this reason, I
arranged to have it forwarded to every Conference of Bishops, so that it could
be circulated as widely as possible.
Taking up the themes I addressed in that document, I would now
like to speak directly to every woman, to reflect with her on the
problems and the prospects of what it means to be a woman in our time. In
particular I wish to consider the essential issue of the dignity and
rights
of women, as seen in the light of the word of God.
This "dialogue" really needs to begin with a word of thanks. As
I wrote in my Apostolic Letter
Mulieris Dignitatem, the Church "desires to give thanks to the Most Holy
Trinity for the 'mystery of woman' and for every woman-for all that constitutes
the eternal measure of her feminine dignity, for the 'great works of God', which
throughout human history have been accomplished in and through her" (No. 31).
2. This word of thanks to the Lord for his mysterious plan
regarding the vocation and mission of women in the world is at the same time a
concrete and direct word of thanks to women, to every woman, for all that they
represent in the life of humanity.
Thank you, women who are mothers! You have sheltered
human beings within yourselves in a unique experience of joy and travail. This
experience makes you become God's own smile upon the newborn child, the one who
guides your child's first steps, who helps it to grow, and who is the anchor as
the child makes its way along the journey of life.
Thank you, women who are wives! You irrevocably join your
future to that of your husbands, in a relationship of mutual giving, at the
service of love and life.
Thank you, women who are daughters and women who are
sisters!
Into the heart of the family, and then of all society, you bring the
richness of your sensitivity, your intuitiveness, your generosity and fidelity.
Thank you, women who work! You are present and active in
every area of life-social, economic, cultural, artistic and political. In this
way you make an indispensable contribution to the growth of a culture which
unites reason and feeling, to a model of life ever open to the sense of
"mystery", to the establishment of economic and political structures ever more
worthy of humanity.
Thank you, consecrated women! Following the example of
the greatest of women, the Mother of Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word, you open
yourselves with obedience and fidelity to the gift of God's love. You help the
Church and all mankind to experience a "spousal" relationship to God, one which
magnificently expresses the fellowship which God wishes to establish with his
creatures.
Thank you, every woman, for the simple fact of being a
woman!
Through the insight which is so much a part of your womanhood you enrich the
world's understanding and help to make human relations more honest and
authentic.
3. I know of course that simply saying thank you is not enough.
Unfortunately, we are heirs to a history which has conditioned us to a
remarkable extent. In every time and place, this conditioning has been an
obstacle to the progress of women. Women's dignity has often been unacknowledged
and their prerogatives misrepresented; they have often been relegated to the
margins of society and even reduced to servitude. This has prevented women from
truly being themselves and it has resulted in a spiritual impoverishment of
humanity. Certainly it is no easy task to assign the blame for this, considering
the many kinds of cultural conditioning which down the centuries have shaped
ways of thinking and acting. And if objective blame, especially in particular
historical contexts, has belonged to not just a few members of the Church, for
this I am truly sorry. May this regret be transformed, on the part of the whole
Church, into a renewed commitment of fidelity to the Gospel vision. When it
comes to setting women free from every kind of exploitation and domination, the
Gospel contains an ever relevant message which goes back to the attitude of
Jesus Christ himself. Transcending the established norms of his own culture,
Jesus treated women with openness, respect, acceptance and tenderness. In this
way he honoured the dignity which women have always possessed according to God's
plan and in his love. As we look to Christ at the end of this Second Millennium,
it is natural to ask ourselves: how much of his message has been heard and acted
upon?
Yes, it is time to examine the past with courage, to
assign responsibility where it is due in a review of the long history of
humanity. Women have contributed to that history as much as men and, more often
than not, they did so in much more difficult conditions. I think particularly of
those women who loved culture and art, and devoted their lives to them in spite
of the fact that they were frequently at a disadvantage from the start, excluded
from equal educational opportunities, underestimated, ignored and not given
credit for their intellectual contributions. Sadly, very little of women's
achievements in history can be registered by the science of history. But even
though time may have buried the documentary evidence of those achievements,
their beneficent influence can be felt as a force which has shaped the lives of
successive generations, right up to our own. To this great, immense feminine
"tradition" humanity owes a debt which can never be repaid. Yet how many women
have been and continue to be valued more for their physical appearance than for
their skill, their professionalism, their intellectual abilities, their deep
sensitivity; in a word, the very dignity of their being!
4. And what shall we say of the obstacles which in so many parts
of the world still keep women from being fully integrated into social, political
and economic life? We need only think of how the gift of motherhood is often
penalized rather than rewarded, even though humanity owes its very survival to
this gift. Certainly, much remains to be done to prevent discrimination against
those who have chosen to be wives and mothers. As far as personal rights are
concerned, there is an urgent need to achieve real equality
in every area: equal pay for equal work, protection for working mothers,
fairness in career advancements, equality of spouses with regard to family
rights and the recognition of everything that is part of the rights and duties
of citizens in a democratic State.
This is a matter of justice but also of necessity. Women will
increasingly play a part in the solution of the serious problems of the future:
leisure time, the quality of life, migration, social services, euthanasia,
drugs, health care, the ecology, etc. In all these areas a greater presence of
women in society will prove most valuable, for it will help to manifest the
contradictions present when society is organized solely according to the
criteria of efficiency and productivity, and it will force systems to be
redesigned in a way which favours the pro- cesses of humanization which mark the
"civilization of love".
5. Then too, when we look at one of the most sensitive aspects
of the situation of women in the world, how can we not mention the long and
degrading history, albeit often an "underground" history, of violence against
women in the area of sexuality? At the threshold of the Third Millennium we
cannot remain indifferent and resigned before this phenomenon. The time has come
to condemn vigorously the types of sexual violence which frequently have
women for their object and to pass laws which effectively defend them from such
violence. Nor can we fail, in the name of the respect due to the human person,
to condemn the widespread hedonistic and commercial culture which encourages the
systematic exploitation of sexuality and corrupts even very young girls into
letting their bodies be used for profit.
In contrast to these sorts of perversion, what great
appreciation must be shown to those women who, with a heroic love for the child
they have conceived, proceed with a pregnancy resulting from the injustice of
rape. Here we are thinking of atrocities perpetrated not only in situations of
war, still so common in the world, but also in societies which are blessed by
prosperity and peace and yet are often corrupted by a culture of hedonistic
permissiveness which aggravates tendencies to aggressive male behaviour. In
these cases the choice to have an abortion always remains a grave sin. But
before being something to blame on the woman, it is a crime for which guilt
needs to be attributed to men and to the complicity of the general social
environment.
6. My word of thanks to women thus becomes a heartfelt appeal
that everyone, and in a special way States and international institutions,
should make every effort to ensure that women regain full respect for their
dignity and role. Here I cannot fail to express my admiration for those women of
good will who have devoted their lives to defending the dignity of womanhood by
fighting for their basic social, economic and political rights, demonstrating
courageous initiative at a time when this was considered extremely
inappropriate, the sign of a lack of femininity, a manifestation of
exhibitionism, and even a sin!
In this year's World Day of Peace Message, I noted that
when one looks at the great process of women's liberation, "the journey has been
a difficult and complicated one and, at times, not without its share of
mistakes. But it has been substantially a positive one, even if it is still
unfinished, due to the many obstacles which, in various parts of the world,
still prevent women from being acknowledged, respected, and appreciated in their
own special dignity" (No. 4).
This journey must go on! But I am convinced that the secret of
making speedy progress in achieving full respect for women and their identity
involves more than simply the condemnation of discrimination and injustices,
necessary though this may be. Such respect must first and foremost be won
through an effective and intelligent campaign for the promotion of women,
concentrating on all areas of women's life and beginning with a universal
recognition of the dignity of women. Our ability to recognize this dignity,
in spite of historical conditioning, comes from the use of reason itself, which
is able to understand the law of God written in the heart of every human being.
More than anything else, the word of God enables us to grasp clearly the
ultimate anthropological basis of the dignity of women, making it evident
as a part of God's plan for humanity.
7. Dear sisters, together let us reflect anew on the magnificent
passage in Scripture which describes the creation of the human race and which
has so much to say about your dignity and mission in the world.
The Book of Genesis speaks of creation in summary fashion, in
language which is poetic and symbolic, yet profoundly true: "God created man in
his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created
them" (Gen 1:27). The creative act of God takes place according to a
precise plan. First of all, we are told that the human being is created "in the
image and likeness of God" (cf. Gen
1:26). This expression immediately makes clear what is distinct about the
human being with regard to the rest of creation.
We are then told that, from the very beginning, man has been
created "male and female" (Gen 1:27). Scripture itself provides the
interpretation of this fact: even though man is surrounded by the innumerable
creatures of the created world, he realizes that he is alone (cf.
Gen 2:20). God intervenes in order to help him escape from this situation
of solitude: "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a
helper fit for him" (Gen 2:18). The creation of woman is thus marked
from the outset by the principle of help: a help which is not one-sided
but mutual. Woman complements man, just as man complements woman: men and
women are complementary. Womanhood expresses the "human" as much as
manhood does, but in a different and complementary way.
When the Book of Genesis speaks of "help", it is not referring
merely to acting, but also to being. Womanhood and manhood are
complementary not only from the physical and psychological points of view,
but also from the ontological. It is only through the duality of the
"masculine" and the "feminine" that the "human" finds full realization.
8. After creating man male and female, God says to both:
"Fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen 1:28). Not only does he give them
the power to procreate as a means of perpetuating the human species throughout
time, he also gives them the earth, charging them with the responsible use of
its resources. As a rational and free being, man is called to transform the
face of the earth. In this task, which is essentially that of culture, man
and woman alike share equal responsibility from the start. In their fruitful
relationship as husband and wife, in their common task of exercising dominion
over the earth, woman and man are marked neither by a static and
undifferentiated equality nor by an irreconcilable and inexorably conflictual
difference. Their most natural relationship, which corresponds to the plan of
God, is the "unity of the two", a relational "uni-duality", which enables each
to experience their interpersonal and reciprocal relationship as a gift which
enriches and which confers responsibility.
To this "unity of the two" God has entrusted not only the work
of procreation and family life, but the creation of history itself.
While the 1994 International Year of the Family focused attention on
women as mothers, the Beijing Conference, which has as its theme "Action for
Equality, Development and Peace", provides an auspicious occasion for
heightening awareness of the many contributions made by women to the life of
whole societies and nations. This contribution is primarily spiritual and
cultural in nature, but socio-political and economic as well. The various
sectors of society, nations and states, and the progress of all humanity, are
certainly deeply indebted to the contribution of women!
9. Progress usually tends to be measured according to the
criteria of science and technology. Nor from this point of view has the
contribution of women been negligible. Even so, this is not the only measure of
progress, nor in fact is it the principal one. Much more important is the
social and ethical dimension, which deals with human relations and spiritual
values. In this area, which often develops in an inconspicuous way beginning
with the daily relationships between people, especially within the family,
society certainly owes much to the "genius of women".
Here I would like to express particular appreciation to those
women who are involved in the various areas of education extending well
beyond the family: nurseries, schools, universities, social service agencies,
parishes, associations and movements. Wherever the work of education is called
for, we can note that women are ever ready and willing to give themselves
generously to others, especially in serving the weakest and most defenceless. In
this work they exhibit a kind of affective, cultural and spiritual motherhood
which has inestimable value for the development of individuals and the future of
society. At this point how can I fail to mention the witness of so many Catholic
women and Religious Congregations of women from every continent who have made
education, particularly the education of boys and girls, their principal
apostolate? How can I not think with gratitude of all the women who have worked
and continue to work in the area of health care, not only in highly organized
institutions, but also in very precarious circumstances, in the poorest
countries of the world, thus demonstrating a spirit of service which not
infrequently borders on martyrdom?
10. It is thus my hope, dear sisters, that you will reflect
carefully on what it means to speak of the "genius of women", not only in
order to be able to see in this phrase a specific part of God's plan which needs
to be accepted and appreciated, but also in order to let this genius be more
fully expressed in the life of society as a whole, as well as in the life of the
Church. This subject came up frequently during
the Marian Year and I myself dwelt on it at length in my Apostolic Letter
Mulieris Dignitatem(1988). In addition, this year in the Letter which I
customarily send to priests for Holy Thursday, I invited them to reread
Mulieris Dignitatemand reflect on the important roles which women have
played in their lives as mothers, sisters and co-workers in the apostolate. This
is another aspect-different from the conjugal aspect, but also important-of that
"help" which women, according to the Book of Genesis, are called to give to men.
The Church sees in Mary the highest expression of the
"feminine genius" and she finds in her a source of constant inspiration.
Mary called herself the "handmaid of the Lord" (Lk 1:38). Through
obedience to the Word of God she accepted her lofty yet not easy vocation as
wife and mother in the family of Nazareth. Putting herself at God's service, she
also put herself at the service of others: a service of love. Precisely
through this service Mary was able to experience in her life a mysterious, but
authentic "reign". It is not by chance that she is invoked as "Queen of heaven
and earth". The entire community of believers thus invokes her; many nations and
peoples call upon her as their "Queen". For her, "to reign" is to serve! Her
service is "to reign"!
This is the way in which authority needs to be understood, both
in the family and in society and the Church. Each person's fundamental vocation
is revealed in this "reigning", for each person has been created in the "image"
of the One who is Lord of heaven and earth and called to be his adopted son or
daughter in Christ. Man is the only creature on earth "which God willed for its
own sake", as the Second Vatican Council teaches; it significantly adds that man
"cannot fully find himself except through a sincere gift of self" (Gaudium
et Spes,
24).
The maternal "reign" of Mary consists in this. She who was, in
all her being, a gift for her Son, has also become a gift for the sons and
daughters of the whole human race, awakening profound trust in those who
seek her guidance along the difficult paths of life on the way to their
definitive and transcendent destiny. Each one reaches this
final goal by fidelity to his or her own vocation; this goal provides
meaning and direction for the earthly labours of men and women alike.
11. In this perspective of "service"-which, when it is carried
out with freedom, reciprocity and love, expresses the truly "royal" nature of
mankind-one can also appreciate that the presence of a certain diversity of
roles is in no way prejudicial to women, provided that this diversity is not
the result of an arbitrary imposition, but is rather an expression of what is
specific to being male and female. This issue also has a particular application
within the Church. If Christ-by his free and sovereign choice, clearly attested
to by the Gospel and by the Church's constant Tradition-entrusted only to men
the task of being an "icon" of his countenance as "shepherd" and "bridegroom"
of the Church through the exercise of the ministerial priesthood, this in no
way detracts from the role of women, or for that matter from the role of the
other members of the Church who are not ordained to the sacred ministry, since
all share equally in the dignity proper to the "common priesthood"
based on Baptism. These role distinctions should not be viewed in accordance
with the criteria of functionality typical in human societies. Rather they must
be understood according to the particular criteria of the sacramental
economy, i.e. the economy of "signs" which God freely chooses in order to
become present in the midst of humanity.
Furthermore, precisely in line with this economy of signs, even
if apart from the sacramental sphere, there is great significance to that
"womanhood" which was lived in such a sublime way by Mary. In fact, there is
present in the "womanhood" of a woman who believes, and especially in a woman
who is "consecrated", a kind of inherent "prophecy" (cf.
Mulieris Dignitatem, 29), a powerfully evocative symbolism, a highly
significant "iconic character", which finds its full realization in Mary and
which also aptly expresses the very essence of the Church as a community
consecrated with the integrity of a "virgin"
heart to become the "bride" of Christ and "mother"
of believers. When we consider the "iconic" complementarity of male and
female roles, two of the Church's essential dimensions are seen in a clearer
light: the "Marian" principle and the Apostolic- Petrine principle (cf.
ibid., 27).
On the other hand-as I wrote to priests in this year's Holy
Thursday Letter-the ministerial priesthood, according to Christ's plan, "is an
expression not of domination but of service" (No. 7). The Church urgently needs,
in her daily self-renewal in the light of the Word of God, to emphasize this
fact ever more clearly, both by developing the spirit of communion and by
carefully fostering all those means of participation which are properly hers,
and also by showing respect for and promoting the diverse personal and communal
charisms which the Spirit of God bestows for the building up of the Christian
community and the service of humanity.
In this vast domain of service, the Church's two-thousand-year
history, for all its historical conditioning, has truly experienced the "genius
of woman"; from the heart of the Church there have emerged women of the highest
calibre who have left an impressive and beneficial mark in history. I think of
the great line of woman martyrs, saints and famous mystics. In a particular way
I think of Saint Catherine of Siena and of Saint Teresa of Avila, whom Pope Paul
VI of happy memory granted the title of Doctors of the Church. And how can we
overlook the many women, inspired by faith, who were responsible for initiatives
of extraordinary social importance, especially in serving the poorest of the
poor? The life of the Church in the Third Millennium will certainly not be
lacking in new and surprising manifestations of "the feminine genius".
12. You can see then, dear sisters, that the Church has many
reasons for hoping that the forthcoming United Nations Conference in Beijing
will bring out the full truth about women. Necessary emphasis should be
placed on the "genius of women", not only by considering great and famous
women of the past or present, but also those ordinary
women who reveal the gift of their womanhood by placing themselves at the
service of others in their everyday lives. For in giving themselves to others
each day women fulfil their deepest vocation. Perhaps more than men, women
acknowledge the person, because they see persons with their hearts. They see
them independently of various ideological or political systems. They see others
in their greatness and limitations; they try to go out to them and help them.
In this way the basic plan of the Creator takes flesh in the history of humanity
and there is constantly revealed, in the variety of vocations, that beauty-not
merely physical, but above all spiritual-which God bestowed from the very
beginning on all, and in a particular way on women.
While I commend to the Lord in prayer the success of the
important meeting in Beijing, I invite Ecclesial Communities to make this
year an occasion of heartfelt thanksgiving to the Creator and Redeemer of the
world for the gift of this great treasure which is womanhood. In all its
expressions, womanhood is part of the essential heritage of mankind and of the
Church herself.
May Mary, Queen of Love, watch over women and their mission in
service of humanity, of peace, of the spread of God's Kingdom!
With my Blessing.
From the Vatican, 29 June 1995, the Solemnity of Saints Peter
and Paul.
JOHN PAUL II
PONTIFICAL
ACADEMYFORLIFE
VI
General
Assembly
11-14
February 2000
“Evangelium
vitae: 5 years of confrontation with the
society”
1. In agreement with the Encyclical Evangelium vitae we reaffirm our conviction that "man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God.... The Gospel of God's love for man, the Gospel of the dignity of the person and the Gospel of life are a single and indivisible Gospel" (Evangelium vitae, n. 2). This Gospel is waiting to be proclaimed to all men and women, so that they will love the life of every human being and strengthen their awareness of the need to defend life also during its earthly experience, from fertilization until natural death.
2. In analyzing the international discussion over the last five years, we recognize the great timeliness of the Encyclical, in which the Church condemns a series of attacks on human life, such as contraception, sterilization, abortion, artificial procreation, the production, manipulation and destruction of human embryos and euthanasia. Today these call for ever greater social and legal vigilance, since there is a tendency to recognize them as positive rights.
3. Indeed, the distinctive feature of our time consists not only in the killing of innocent human beings, which has been perpetrated since antiquity, but in something far worse: the legalization of this crime in specific circumstances, as though it were "a right". It is no surprise then that the most serious and critical controversies arise precisely with regard to the law (cf. Evangelium vitae, n. 72). Recent history indicates, as the Holy Father has observed, that "the evidence shows with increasing clarity how policies and laws opposed to life
are causing societies to decline, not only morally but demographically and economically. The Encyclical's message can therefore be presented not only as true and authentic guidelines for moral rebirth, but also as a reference-point for civil salvation" (Address at the Commemoration of the Fifth Anniversary of the Encyclical "Evangelium vitae", 14 February, n. 4; L'Osservatore Romano English edition, 23 February, p. 4).
We, academicians, fully agreed with the Holy Father's statement that "there is no reason for that type of defeatist mentality which claims that laws opposed to the right to life - those which legalize abortion, euthanasia, sterilization and methods of family planning opposed to life and the dignity of marriage - are inevitable and now almost a social necessity. On the contrary, they are a seed of corruption for society and its foundations. The civil and moral conscience cannot accept this false inevitability, any more than the idea that war or interethnic extermination is inevitable" (ibid.).
4. On the other hand, we note that if there are countries, including those rich in economic resources, where ways of suppressing human life have been legalized, in many other countries such laws are rejected by the popular conscience; and in others we can see a growing opposition to such laws. To know the status of the right to life more precisely at the legal-juridical level, to identify the deep cultural trends, to foresee possible developments, to enshrine justice for human life in the law is the primary task of intellectuals, whether Christian or not, particularly of jurists and politicians.
5. We recall the Church's right and duty to proclaim and to present publicly the principles of moral and social life that are inspired by the Gospel and Christianity's 2,000-year tradition. While this duty derives from the mandate which Christ himself gave his Church, the corresponding right is the expression of a religious and political freedom accorded the faithful by a just democratic society and finds codified recognition in almost all the concordats between Church and State; this right cannot only be understood generically, but extends to the whole area of human and social rights, first among which is the defence and promotion of human life.
Therefore, as the Pope reminds us, "no effort should be spared to eliminate legalized crime or at least to limit the damage caused by these laws, but with the vivid awareness of the radical duty to respect every human being's right to life from conception until natural death, including the life of the lowliest and the least gifted (ibid.).... The changing of laws must be preceded and accompanied by
the changing of mentalities and morals on a vast scale, in an extensive and visible way. In this area the Church will spare no effort nor can she accept negligence or guilty silence" (ibid., n. 6).
6. Therefore, the Supreme Pontiff has good reason to write: "To all the members of the Church, the people of life and for life, I make this most urgent appeal, that together we may offer this world of ours new signs of hope, and work to ensure that justice and solidarity will increase and that a new culture of human life will be affirmed, for the building of an authentic civilization of truth and love" (Evangelium vitae, n. 6). "Life, truth, love:
words full of stimulating suggestions for human efforts in the world. They are rooted in the message of Jesus Christ, who is the Way, the Truth and the Life, but they are also impressed upon the hearts and yearnings of every man and woman" (Address, n. 2).
We see signs of this sure hope on several continents where families, even amid difficulties, are continuing to live their ideals and to teach the young (the political leaders of the future) the indispensable values of life. We see other signs of hope in those constitutions, laws and national and international conventions which are meant to promote and defend human life at every moment of its existence and in its proper environment, with the knowledge, though only implicit, that "it is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life.... Only respect for life can be the foundation and guarantee of the most precious and essential goods of society, such as democracy and peace" (cf. Evangelium vitae, n. 101). We find other signs in the dialogue between Catholics and non-Catholics on the defence of the right to life and the dignity of every person. These signs of hope, which the Holy Spirit always offers people of good will, also give certainty, serenity and strength to our renewed denunciations of the culture of death.
7. We accept the urgency and difficulty of this task, knowing well that Christians are called to be active in the real world of today: uncertain and changing, tempted to sacrifice transcendence to immanence and the supreme values to prosperity, they are also prompted to take refuge in pragmatic and utilitarian conventionalism, rather than to ally themselves with truth and reason. However, our hope is based not only on help from the Lord of life but also on the conviction that the sacred value of human life can be recognized in the natural law alone, written in the human heart, disregard for which is at the root "of a tragic obscuring of the collective conscience" (Evangelium vitae,
n. 70).
8. According to Gospel teaching (cf. Mt 13: 24-30), the coexistence of the good seed with the weeds is an experience that cannot be removed from the history of man's temporal life. But this fact, far from leading to the temptation of a negative, sterile resignation or a facile conformity to the prevalent mentality, confirms our responsibility as Christians in the Church and in society, and leads us to seek opportunities for reflection and dialogue with everyone who recognizes that the genuine progress of society is based on the unconditional protection of the fundamental good of human life.In particular, as the Holy Father says, "another extensive area of endeavour in the defence of life is open to the initiative of the believing community: this is the pastoral and educational field which the fourth part of the Encyclical discusses, offering particular guidelines for
building a new culture of life" (Address, n. 5).
At the dawn of the new millennium, as believers and members
of the Pontifical Academy for Life, we sense the Church's obligation to proclaim to men and women, with courageous fidelity, the full truth of the Gospel of life which is at the heart of Jesus' message (cf. Evangelium vitae, n. 1). In grateful unity with His Holiness John Paul II, to whose teaching we confirm our full and filial adherence, and under the protection of Mary, Virgin and Mother of the incarnate Word, we renew our total commitment to serve the life of every human being.
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