Roman Cardinal: Catholics Should Renew Commitment to Stopping Abortion | LifeNews.com

Bishops: Catholics Should Renew Commitment to Stopping Abortion | LifeNews.com

In a new statement marking Respect Life Month, October 2012, the head of the pro-life outreach for the Catholic bishops says Catholics should “renew their personal commitment to defend all human life, especially the most vulnerable members of the human family.

Cardinal Daniel DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, chairman of the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), addressed various threats to human life and the need to apply principles of faith and morals in the public square.



“By our unflinching defense of human life and religious freedom, by our witness to the transcendent nature of the human person, and by our compassionate service to our brothers and sisters in need, may we spark a renewal of love and commitment to the true good of others,” Cardinal DiNardo said. “Only a love that seeks to serve those most in need, whatever the personal cost to us, is strong enough to overcome a culture of death and build a civilization worthy of human beings made in God’s image.”

The Respect Life Program’s theme for 2012-13 is: “Faith opens our eyes to human life in all its grandeur and beauty.” As Pope Benedict XVI said during his recent apostolic visit to Lebanon, “The grandeur and the raison d’être of each person are found in God alone.”

Cardinal DiNardo highlighted the importance of the 2012-13 Respect Life Program during the Year of Faith called for by Pope Benedict and quoted the pope in Lebanon: “If we want peace, let us defend life! This approach leads us to reject not only war and terrorism, but every assault on innocent human life, on men and women as creatures willed by God. … We must combine our efforts, then, to develop a sound vision of…the human person. Without this, it is impossible to build true peace.”

“These links among faith, the inherent dignity and rights of human beings, and a just and peaceful society were also understood by America’s Founding Fathers,” said Cardinal DiNardo. “How can people coexist, much less flourish, in a society lacking the shared belief that we are called to care for those unable to care for themselves, not to neglect, abuse or kill them? Such basic moral principles have served civilization well for millennia. Yet in recent decades, many people who influence public policy have promoted various exceptions to these principles.”

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Cardinal DiNardo cited several issues, including the staggering loss of life and consequent need for healing after involvement in abortion, the death of “extra” embryos and the “selective reduction” of children in utero during fertility procedures, continued promotion of embryo-destructive stem cell research, and euthanasia of the young and old alike. He also cited the erosion of family and community bonds in the four decades since Roe v. Wade and the more recent erosion of respect for conscience rights, especially under the HHS mandate requiring even Catholic individuals and institutions to purchase insurance coverage for morally objectionable drugs and procedures.

Begun in 1972, the Respect Life Program stresses the value and dignity of human life. It is observed in the 195 Catholic dioceses in the United States. The full statement and Respect Life Program resources may be found online in English and Spanish at www.usccb.org/respectlife.

Murderous Canadian Parliament Defeats Pro-Life Motion 312 on Abortion | LifeNews.com

Canadian Parliament Defeats Pro-Life Motion 312 on Abortion | LifeNews.com

The Canadian Parliament defeated Motion 312 on a 203-91 vote. The motion says Canada should re-examine when human life begins and has sparked a national debate about the issue of abortion.
Immediately after the vote, the Campaign Life Coalition, one of the major pro-life groups in Canada, said it was not deterred by the results, tweeting, “No matter, this motion succeeded in creating a necessary debate.”

Acknowledging that the defeat of Motion 312 will disappoint the thousands of Canadians who took time to express their support,sponsoring MP Stephen Woodworth vowed to fight on against the denial of the worth and dignity of every human being.

“I will be there to encourage and to speak out in defence of the Canadian values championed by Motion 312” he said. “If possible, I’ll travel the country to talk about the very, very grave importance of enshrining in Canadian law the equal worth and dignity of every human being.”

Woodworth called on Canadians to redouble their efforts to promote the view that democratic institutions, honest laws and every human being are more important than preoccupation with abortion or any other agenda or ideology.

Motion 312 proposes that, with so many significant advances in medicine, Parliament should revisit Canada’s current definition of human being. In the Canadian Criminal Code, Section 223 states that “a child becomes a human being within the meaning of this Act when it has completely proceeded, in a living state, from the body of its mother.”



During the debate, Woodworth urged Members of Parliament not to shield Canada’s definition of human being from democratic review or from advances in modern understanding.

“This law, by denying the inherent worth and dignity of every human being, is the most unimaginably unjust law possible and has no place in Canada” he said. “Parliament should not treat it as frozen in time forever.”

When challenged about abortion, Woodworth points out that even Justice Bertha Wilson, who championed abortion rights in the Morgentaler decision, wrote that Parliament should review this question by “informing itself from the relevant disciplines,” the very proposal embodied in Motion 312.

“I’ve heard that some Members of Parliament are wrestling with their consciences over Motion 312,” Woodworth remarks. “I say give in to your conscience; you are only useful to your Leader, your Party, and your constituents when you bring your conscience and your ideals to your decisions.”

Woodworth’s private member’s motion would set up a special parliamentary committee to examine the current definition of a human being. That definition says a child becomes human when it has fully exited its mother’s body. MPs spent an hour last April debating the motion. Friday was the second allotted hour of debate. Prime Minister Stephen Harper has repeatedly said Canadians don’t want to reopen the debate on abortion. He said last April that he would vote against Woodworth’s motion.

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Fallout over Koran burning continues in Afghanistan

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1481571168001/fallout-over-koran-burning-continues-in-afghanistan/?playlist_id=87937

Feb 29, 2012. Bret Baier talks to Ambassador Ryan Crocker and Gen. John Allen. 

First, Karzai is demanding U.S. military personnel be tried based on Afghan law.  That will not happen.  Second, why isn't Karzai prosecuting the murderers of four U.S. troops--a COL, MAJ and two enlisted men?  Karzai's "apology" does not cut it.  Third, the General does not say much.  "Morale is good..." he assures us.  As they generally say. 

Infanticide and "After Birth Abortion"

StandFirm offers this chilling account on infanticide and "after birth abortion." http://www.standfirminfaith.com/?/sf/page/28459


The Blaze spotlights an article in the latest Journal of Medical Ethics by Alberto Giubilini and Francesca Minerva in which they argue that killing newborns should be acceptable practice when the impact of the baby’s life on its family is deemed… I’m not sure which word to use here… “unacceptable?” No, there’s no such definitive adjective offered here. “Inconvenient” is as accurate as I think it gets. Giubilini and Minerva are arguing for - and they make no pretense otherwise - for killing babies when their existence inconveniences the family, or when the cost of providing care for them would be “excessive”:

The two are quick to note that they prefer the term “after-birth abortion“ as opposed to ”infanticide.” Why? Because it “[emphasizes] that the moral status of the individual killed is comparable with that of a fetus (on which ‘abortions’ in the traditional sense are performed) rather than to that of a child.” The authors also do not agree with the term euthanasia for this practice as the best interest of the person who would be killed is not necessarily the primary reason his or her life is being terminated. In other words, it may be in the parents’ best interest to terminate the life, not the newborns.

The circumstances, the authors state, where after-birth abortion should be considered acceptable include instances where the newborn would be putting the well-being of the family at risk, even if it had the potential for an “acceptable” life. The authors cite Downs Syndrome as an example, stating that while the quality of life of individuals with Downs is often reported as happy, “such children might be an unbearable burden on the family and on society as a whole, when the state economically provides for their care.”

 For more, see:  http://www.standfirminfaith.com/?/sf/page/28459

Rev. Youcef Nadarkhani: A Christian Martyr? If so, One Amongst 1000s

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1474541504001/a-martyr-for-christianity/?playlist_id=87937&intcmp=obinsite


Tertullian famously noted that "the blood of the martyrs' was the seedplot of the Church."  He spoke of the persecutions of Imperial Rome.  One must read Eusebius's Ecclesiastical History or John Foxe's Book of Martyrs.  Queen Mary 1 solidified the Reformation amongst the laity by her burnings of 300 English Reformers.  We hope the current pressures on this totalitarian regime will prevent this Martyrdom of Rev. Yousef Nadarkhani.

Uncle Cephas Speaks: The Obama Administration, Islam, and Other Things

Why the head cocked back?
Praying?  Looking at an aircraft?
A moment of self-exportation to
another realm? 

Uncle Cephas offers important and thoughtful points on Obama, Afghanistan, the Koran burning, the riots and (homocides) in Kabul last week, Obama's theology, theological liberalism, and political expedients.  It is well-written.  Although Uncle Cephas doesn't write much, it's always thoughtful and worthy of reflection. Uncle Cephas offers his views at:  http://unclecephas.blogspot.com/2012/02/obama-administration-and-islam.html

The Obama Administration, Islam, and Other Things

Earlier, Uncle Cephas went on record against deliberate Qur'an burnings (http://unclecephas.blogspot.com/2010/09/lost-teaching-opportunity.html) as well as against Islamic triumphalism. He has not changed his opinion. But now that there have been riots in Afghanistan over inadvertent burnings of defaced Qur'ans by American military personnel and that the perpetrators of the burning may be put on trial, it's time to re-examine the question of Obama's relationship to the Islamic faith, his commitment to American valaues, and general qualifications to be president.

No, Barak Obama is not a Muslim, save in the eyes of Sharia, which holds any child of a Muslim father is a born Muslim. Nor is Obama a non-citizen by birth. Even if, as his senile grandmother affirmed, he was born in Mombassa Kenya, there is no evidence that his mother, Stanley Anne Dunham, was anything other than an American citizen with the legal qualifications to transmit citizenship to offspring born abroad. This is one reason why Obama's Indonesian-born half-sister entered the USA on an American passport rather than on an immigrant visa. But, for the record, Uncle Cephas accepst that our current President was born in Hawaii rather than Kenya.

The big problem is that Barack Obama and the administration he leads are sacrificing the protection of their own country and its values to gain the good opinion of people who will never have a good opinion of the USA.

No administration spokesman seems to have made a point of observing that the burnt Qur'ans originally had been used by incarcerated terrorists to pass messages concerning escape plots, and probably the killings of Afghans as well as NATO forces. In Sunni Islam, the marking or writing in the Qur'an is an act of blasphemy. Yet none of the ire of the Afghan street seems to fall on the original defacers. Nor has anyone bothered to note that the Afghan riots have killed far more Afghans than foreigners. Rather, all is focused on retraining and possibly disciplining Americans who were going about their legally mandated military duties.

This is similar to the administration's failure to take a teaching moment to explain the First Amendment in the wake of Terry Jones' ill-advised public burning of the Qur'an. The uppermost concern is to placate the volatile opinion of enemies rather than speak up for the values and Constitution which administration members are sworn to uphold.

As for religious affiliation, Obama's religion seems to be political expediency. He was a devout member of the United Church of Christ for as long as it could help him in the world of South Chicago politics. But, before the Organization of Islamic Countries in Cairo, he repeats the "Peace Be Upon Him" mantra at the mention of Jesus, as if Jesus is just a dead man, rather than the Risen One of whom we must ask peace.

Obama does not "get" the importance of theological doctrine in either Christian or Muslim discourse. It is among the large lacunae in his and his administration's intellectual furniture, and matched only by the firmness of his and his minions' belief in their belonging to the true cognoscenti.

So far, the Obama administration's attempt to win the goodwill of the Islamic world has borne no fruit. Iraq is in the process of sliding towards either sectarian civil war or becoming a new satrapy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The USA has made no headway in winning Afghan hearts and minds, and in that conflict, remains heavily dependent on that miasma of Islamic bigotry, injustice, corruption, and treachery called Pakistan. The "Arab Spring" towards which the Obama showed so much goodwill is showing itself a fountain of greater Islamic bigotry, the brunt of which is being borne by the Coptic Christians of Egypt and the small, dwindling Jewish community of Tunisia. Even the OIC's chair Isahnoglu (who as a Turk should know a lot better) has gone on record as saying that the Qur'an burning is an act of deliberate malice by the American government. Perhaps a moment of lucidity in this administration is appearing in Secretary Clinton's cautioning against arming the Syrian opposition. But this is a late awakening after interventions in Libya and connivance in Mubarak's fall.

Finally, the Obama administration has probed the cultural and legal fence around the First Amendment by first floating the idea that all physicians should be trained in abortion procedures regardless of conscience, and more recently that religious employers must purchase contraceptive coverage for their employees. Here, the president shows himself part of an anti-Christian secular liberal culture gone to seed. Seeing traditional Christianity of any sort as "the" theocratic danger, it will subvert the First Amendment to weaken it.

For more, see:

http://unclecephas.blogspot.com/2012/02/obama-administration-and-islam.html

Funeral Set for Wednesday: Bishop Cavalcanti (Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil)

George Conger at "Anglican Ink" (an interesting blog) is reporting the following story.  I hope other outlets will follow and trace the legal story from Brazil, e.g. the charges and pleadings.  1st or 2nd degree homocide?  Diminished capacity defenses?  Whatever that outcome on the legal end, this is a tragic story of a faithful Bishop and his wife.  http://www.anglicanink.com/article/cavalcanti-funeral-set-wednesday

 

Cavalcanti funeral set for Wednesday

Archbishop of Canterbury calls their murder a "tragedy"

Article | February 28, 2012 - 5:17pm | By George Conger

 

The Diocese of Recife reports that the memorial service for Bishop Robinson Cavalcanti and his wife Miriam has been scheduled for 29 February 2012 at Emmanuel Anglican Church in Olinda in Pernambuco state. The internment will follow immediately afterwards at the House of Peace Cemetery in Paulista.

Church leaders from across Brazil have offered their condolences and prayers in the wake of the murders of the bishop and his wife. On Monday the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams registered his shock at the news as well.

In a note to the diocese, he stated he had “just received the terrible news about the murder of Bishop and Mrs. Cavalcanti. I can hardly imagine the shock and grief this will have caused to his co-workers and his flock in Recife. Please be sure of our prayers here for all of you. I trust that God’s hand will be over you as you come to terms with what seems such a meaningless tragedy, in the light of our shared resurrection hope in Jesus Christ."