Catholic News 2

Vatican Weekend for November 26, 2016 presents a report on Pope Francis' catechesis at the General Audience November 23 in which he reflected once again on the theme of mercy.  This is followed by a special segment looking at some of the intitiatives taken up around the world during the Jubilee of Mercy and the legacy of the year-long celebrations, including Pope Francis' Apostolic Letter "Misericordia et misera."  Plus, Mgr. Philip Whitmore offers a musical reflection for the first Sunday of Advent.

Listen to the programme produced and presented by Tracey McClure:

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Washington D.C., Nov 25, 2016 / 03:59 am (CNA).- When the Democratic Party makes its decisions about leadership at the end of the month, the House Minority Leader will be a self-proclaimed “pro-choice Catholic.”

Both current House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, and her challenger, Rep. Tim Ryan (D-Ohio), profess to be Catholic but also support legalized abortion.

Pelosi (D-Calif.) has been a member of the U.S. House of Representatives since 1987. She has consistently advocated in favor of legal abortion, and has earned high ratings from pro-abortion groups including Planned Parenthood Action Fund and NARAL.

Ryan represents a district in Northeast Ohio and has served in Congress since 2003. He was once a member of the advisory board for Democrats for Life and received an 80 percent rating from National Right to Life in 2006.

Early last year, however, he announced that he had shifted his views in favor of legal abortion, quoting the Gospel of Matthew to do so.

But this position is not only morally problematic from a Catholic standpoint, but also logically incoherent, one theologian told CNA.
 
“If we were to outlaw abortion, we’re not claiming to stand in judgment over anyone’s soul any more than we do when we outlaw murder and stealing and fraud,” said Dr. Donald Asci, a professor of theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Asci spoke with CNA last year, after Rep. Ryan announced in a January 2015 op-ed published in the Akron Beacon Journal that he now favors legal abortion. The congressman insisted that the issue of abortion is complex and personal, and the government should not interfere in it.

“My faith is important to me, and like many Catholics I strive to adhere to its principles, especially one of the essential and highest teachings of 'judge not, lest ye be judged',” he wrote.

Pregnancy is a “complex” issue, he said, adding that “some couples are unprepared to become parents” and that “some families who are looking forward to a child may experience complications during the pregnancy.”

Abortion should be “a personal decision” because of these complexities, he said, concluding that “the heavy hand of government must not make this decision for women and families.”

Catholic teaching holds that abortion is gravely contrary to moral law. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “The inalienable right to life of every innocent human individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation.”

Asci said that Ryan’s argument is morally flawed and unsound, in part because it falsely equates making laws for the common good with judging a woman’s soul.

“It’s part of our Christian and Catholic fraternal charity not to stand in judgment over the soul of another,” Asci stated, adding that “making laws to protect individuals or to promote the common good of the community” is not the same as judging someone else’s soul.

“What we ought to all be looking for is greater respect for life, in all its examples whether it’s unborn children, whether it’s mothers in danger, whether it’s the elderly,” he said.

Pregnancy is a “complex” issue, Asci acknowledged, but rather than justifying abortion, this reality that means a woman in need should receive support from her community.

“The pro-life position would be that all abortion should be removed from the discussion as an option in these stressful situations,” he stated. “The sanctity of the life is what should be made very clear to all involved. And then you go forward in doing the best you can with whatever the particulars of the situation are.”

Ryan’s reversal on the issue was no surprise to Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life of America. In a February 2015 op-ed for The Hill, she explained why the organization quietly removed Ryan from its advisory board in 2009.

“When Ryan voted in favor of taxpayer funding of abortion, we removed him,” she wrote.

“His record by then, quite frankly, was calling to question DFLA’s integrity. His idealism had withered. He had begun his Congressional career with a nearly perfect pro-life voting record but by 2009 that had deteriorated.”

Ryan also advocated for government expansion for contraception in his op-ed, saying that government has a duty to reduce abortions through expanding access to contraception and “age-appropriate sex education.”

Dr. Asci said that too undermines respect for life.

“[Ryan] says 'I wish that all children could come into a situation where they’re wanted, and somehow intended'. Well the only way to achieve that is to increase our value that we have for human life itself,” Asci stated.

“And contraception erodes that in theory and in practice. It erodes the value that we see in life, and is only going to lead to the propensity to the abortions themselves.”

 

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(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has invited all people to rejoice in sharing and in getting close to others, building relationships that inevitably result in us receiving more than we give.    

His words of encouragement came in a video message to the participants in the Sixth  Festival of the Social Doctrine of the Church, celebrated in Verona from 24 to 27 November. 

The theme of the festival this year is “In Mezzo alla Gente” – “Amongst People” -  which highlights the multiple richness of people as an expression of personal talents and warns against despotic regimes which increase poverty and inequality.

Listen to the report by Lydia O'Kane:

Please find below Vatican Radio’s  translation of the Pope’s video-message:
 
Best wishes to all of you participating in the VI festival of the Social Doctrine of the Church.
The theme for this year is: “Amongst People”. This expresses a great truth: we are made to be with others (this is what I was talking about the day after my election as Bishop of Rome). Our humanity is much enriched when we are with others in whatever situation they may find themselves. It is isolation that harms, not sharing. Isolation spreads fear and mistrust and stops us from rejoicing in brotherhood. We really must tell each other that we are taking more risks when we isolate ourselves rather than when we open ourselves to the other: there is a much higher probability of hurting ourselves in closure and rejection than in encounter. The same is true when we get close to someone: I am thinking of a sick or elderly person, an immigrant, an unemployed or a poor person. When we take care of the other we end up complicating our own life far less than when we're just focused upon ourselves.

Being amongst people does not mean merely being open towards others but also letting others get close to us. We need to be looked at, called, touched, challenged; we need others in order to be able to partake of all that others give us. A relationship implies an exchange between people: experience tells us that we usually receive more than we give. Amongst our people there is real human wealth. There are countless stories of solidarity, help and support within our families and communities.
The dignity with which some people face economic hardship, pain, hard work and other challenges is impressive. Meeting these people allows you to touch their greatness and receive a kind of light that makes it clear that it is possible to nurture hope for the future; you can believe that good is stronger than evil because of them. Being amongst people means we have access to the lessons of life. For example: I was recently told that a 19-year-old girl had died. The pain was immense and many attended her funeral. What struck everyone was not just the absence of despair, but the perception of a kind of serenity. After the funeral people were commenting with wonder on how they felt comforted after the ceremony. The young woman’s mother said: “I received the grace of serenity.” Daily life is interwoven with things that leave their mark on us: they never lose their effect even although they may never feature in the headlines. Things happen just like that: without speeches or explanations one understands the things that are really worthy in life.

Being amongst people also means experiencing that we are all part of a people. Everyday life is possible because it is not made of the sum of many individual elements, but of the joint effort of many people that come together to give life to the common good. Being together helps us see the whole picture. When we see the whole picture our vision is enriched and it is clear that the roles that each of us plays within social dynamics can never be isolated or seen as absolute. When a people is separated from whoever is in power, when choices are made on the basis of power and not as a fruit of popular expression, when those in power consider themselves more important than the people and decisions are made by few, or are anonymous, or are always dictated by real or presumed emergencies, then social harmony is threatened with serious consequences: poverty increases, peace is jeopardized, money is in command and the people suffers. Being amongst people is good therefore not only for the life of the individual but for everyone.

Being amongst people highlights the plurality of colors, cultures, races and religions. People allow you to experience first-hand the richness and beauty of diversity. Only with great a great act of violence would it be possible to reduce the variety, the plurality of thoughts and actions to a single way of doing and thinking. When you're with people you touch humanity: there is never just the head, there is always also the heart, there is more substance and less ideology. To solve people's problems you must start from the bottom, you must get your hands dirty, have courage, listen to the poorest and most marginalized.

It is instinctive to ask: how does one do that? We can find the answer looking to Mary. She serves, she is humble, she is merciful, she walks with us, she is concrete, and she never takes center stage but is a constant presence. If we look to Her we will find the best way to be amongst people. Looking to Her we can tread all human paths without fear or prejudice; with Her we can become capable of not excluding anyone.
This is my wish for all of you.

Before saying goodbye I would like to thank the Bishop of Verona for his welcome,  all the volunteers for their availability and generosity, Fr Adriano Vincenzi for his work promoting the knowledge and the updating of the Church's social doctrine.

And remember: do not forget to pray for me. Thank you.

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