The Pontiff said, “Participation in the Eucharist, then, does not distance us from our contemporaries; on the contrary, because it is the expression par excellence of the love of God, it calls us to be involved with all our brothers to address the present challenges and to make the planet a place where it is good to live.

“To accomplish this, it is necessary to struggle ceaselessly so that every person will be respected from his conception until his natural death; that our rich societies welcome the poorest and allow them their dignity, that all persons be able to find nourishment and enable their families to live, that peace and justice may shine in all continents.”

The Pope explained that in order to meet these challenges, “Christians must draw their strength from the Eucharistic mystery.”

The Holy Father also addressed the question of worthiness to receive Communion, an issue that has come to the fore in recent years with many strongly pro-abortion politicians unabashedly receiving the Eucharist, particularly at highly public Masses.

“I would also like to invite the pastors and faithful to a renewed care in their preparation for reception of the Eucharist,” said the Holy Father. “Despite our weakness and our sin, Christ wills to make his dwelling in us, asking him for healing. To bring this about, we must do everything that is in our power to receive him with a pure heart, ceaselessly rediscovering, through the sacrament of penance, the purity that sin has stained, ‘putting our soul and our voice in accord,’ according to the invitation of the Council. In fact, sin, especially grave sin, is opposed to the action of Eucharistic grace in us. However, those who cannot go to communion because of their situation, will find nevertheless in a communion of desire and in participation in the Mass saving strength and efficacy.”

In a LifeSiteNews interview, the Canadian prelate Cardinal Ouellet, also spoke on the link between the Eucharist and the respect for human life, noting the fact that the Eucharistic Congress occurred just a month before the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical “Humane Vitae” (”On Human Life”).

“Obviously the welcoming of the Risen Lord and the Gift of His Body calls for the respect of human life, and I think it will foster in the future more commitment for the respect of human life.”

See Pope Benedict XVI full homily at:

http://www.zenit.org/article-22994?l=english

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/homilies/2008/documents/hf_ben-xvi_hom_20080622_quebec_fr.html

See Interview with Cardinal Ouellet at:

Cardinal Ouellet Praises Humanae Vitae - Abortion the Consequence of the ‘Culture of Contraception’
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08061901.html

See English Videos of all the conference talks and homilies at http://www.ecdq.tv/en/videos/ ;

At the moment the Pope’s homily is available only in the French version at
http://www.ecdq.tv/fr/

Days of Deep Catechesis

The conference opened Sunday with a colorful pageant and a mass presided over by Jozef Cardinal Tomko, the Papal Legate to the 49^th IEC.  He signaled great days of deep catechesis in his homily when he spoke of the times people ponder, “Where does this world come from and where is it going?  Is it worthwhile to live?  “This,” he answered “is when the Eucharist appears to us in its greatness.”

Cardinal Tomko urged the pilgrims to consider the fact that Christ “wanted to remain with us in this form, because He wanted to be our food.”  It is in food that He can most intimately come into communion with us and become the very energy of our lives.  Christ commands that we celebrate the Eucharist in memory of Him, “Not just to remember Him with speeches and words, but to do what He has done,” exhorted the Cardinal.  For this reason, the Cardinal passionately urged, “We cannot loose Sunday!  If we understand the meaning of the Eucharist, we will increase the frequency of our attendance.”

Full Participation is to Live History

On Monday morning, Archbishop Wuerl picked up the theme, by reminding us that the Eucharist is a celebration of all of the events of Holy Week in that we are to recall not only Christ’s suffering, but also what He accomplished for us.  “We do more than listen,” Archbishop Wuerl reminded, “the events are made present to us.  This is a totally new way of bringing the past to the present.”

He urged the pilgrims to understand the establishment of Eucharist in the context of the Passover Dinner.  Moses and the people of Israel came to understand that they were to take this ritual meal and make it their identity.  This same idea is repeated in the Pascal mystery.  In this same way, said Archbishop Wuerl, “We do not reflect on history in the Eucharist; what we do is live history in the Eucharist.  Here we encounter Christ in the moment of His death and resurrection as we enter that mystery. ”

The Archbishop shared a personal story of being on a long flight when a fellow passenger asked, “How do you know that [what you believe] is true?”  In response, the Archbishop explained the Church, the Sacraments and the Eucharist. The man was astounded to learn these things and pushed back when told that we literally believe that we are Christ’s body.   As the flight landed, the man in apparent amazement asked, “Do you ever tell anybody about this?”  As laughter boomed through the Pepsi Coliseum, the question hung in the air.

“How do we do that?” the Archbishop asked the pilgrims.  He answered by suggesting that our participation in the Eucharist should extend beyond the mass and into our daily lives. “The strength we derive from the Eucharist” he offered, “can bring about God’s kingdom.”  He challenged those listening, who were likely faithful worshipers at Sunday mass, “Do we ever look to bring someone with us?”

Be Christ to Others

In his homily at the Monday Mass, Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of Canada, urged, “Let us ask, to be ourselves sources of love for the world.”  He called the faithful to remember the current food crisis facing the poor of the world, “Certain basic foods like rice and corn have seen their prices double or triple in a few weeks and this to the great anguish of the poor who do not have the capacity anymore of buying these foods at exorbitant costs.”    

He continued, “We cannot take this bread of life [the Eucharist] without concerning ourselves also with the fate of those who are hungry.  Let us now seek to know, to understand the causes of this food crisis and require some kind of political action, all while committing ourselves to a greater and a more just distribution of basic food stuff (without forgetting water) so that the poorest not be excluded from the common table.”

Radical Self-giving

On Tuesday these themes were extended in a radical way by Philippe Cardinal Barbarin, Archbishop of Lyon and Primate of the Gauls, France.  He directed us to see that Christ still addresses the doubts of the faithful as He did after His resurrection by showing us His wounds or asking for something to eat.  The clear implication being that we should seek-out those people in whom Jesus is wounded or hungry today.

We should approach the Eucharist as a balance triptych.  “Three master words sum up the mystery of Eucharist in our faith:  Presence, Sacrifice and Communion,” Cardinal Barbarin explained.  He added that these three are each given understanding, in their turn, through Resurrection, Good Friday and Holy Thursday.

“Full participation,” the Cardinal challenged, “says, ‘Yes Lord, I give myself to you’.”  He offered for our consideration expression of the totality of self giving: priestly celibacy, a woman in pregnancy, a married couple and a teenager living chastely.  He spoke movingly of the handicapped, widows and martyrs who face a greater sacrifice of self-giving.

All of us have been sent, “The verbs ‘love’ and ‘send’ are interchangeable,” Cardinal Barbarin reminded.  “The truth is that when God loves us, He associates us with the great adventure of the salvation on the world.”  Referring to St. Paul he charged, “Christ Jesus has never been yes and no.  There was only yes in Him.” 

Seemingly to encourage the faithful to respond to the questioner on Archbishop Wuerl’s flight, Stanislaw Cardinal Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow, provided the answer in his homily.  “I remember means; I am a living image of the risen lord. We must become Calvary.”

And so came the tests.

First, my cell phone dropped on the escalator out of the building. It stopped working. This was bad news as I had a seven hour drive north to get home, in the dark, alone. Oh well. I would rise to the challenge of being cell phone-less.

During the drive I got over the treacherous mountain pass, called The Grapevine, out of Southern California. At the bottom of the hill I stopped to use a pay phone and call my family to let them know I was on my way. A couple with a little baby were standing around and I asked in broken Spanish if they needed help.  They responded in broken English that they were waiting for a ride. I was on a mission to help people, so this felt good and right. I gave them an apple and a drink and went on my way… forgetting to turn on my headlights.

This was a big mistake. As I got on the freeway, still not knowing my headlights were off, I hit a curb. It is a miracle that my car did not flip and make me a human sardine. But ½ mile down the freeway I heard the horrible and familiar “thump, thump” of a flat tire.  Test #3.

I was stuck at 9 o’clock on a Sunday night on a busy freeway. I was very proud of myself that considering the situation, I did not cry. Maybe I was a little in shock. Instead, I laughed. I thought all that great, motivational training and I am getting to put it to immediate use. I am motivating myself!

I first said a prayer for my ‘deliverer’, whoever it was going to be. Then with hazard lights flashing I went out and flagged some passing cars. No one stopped or flashed their lights in acknowledgement of my predicament. Remember, my cell phone was broken.

Next, I sat on the trunk of this little Toyota Echo and waved frantically at passing cars. When this proved futile I got a white T shirt and waved it, thinking the light color would reflect the passing headlights and surely someone would stop.  No.

I climbed back into the car and tried to rest my weary eyes. Who can sleep with 18 wheeler trucks passing by 10 feet away going 65 or 70 miles per hour? The very ground thundered as they whizzed past.

I thought about walking back to the pay phone by the rest stop and calling for help. But the old adage of staying put when lost came to mind and I wisely decided to wait it out.

As a last option, I turned on the headlights and with white T shirt in hand I stood in front of the headlights waving wildly for someone to stop and help me. Ten minutes of that proved useless. So I trudged despairingly back to the car.

Where were the highway patrolmen who are always around?  Where were those tow truckers who are always prowling for stranded vehicles? Was there no one to help me in my plight? Are there no more good Samaritans in America? Is everyone so afraid of each other that we have forgotten to lend a helping hand?

All of a sudden I saw a pair of red lights backing up. Praise the Lord! After 45 minutes someone stopped to help me.

I went up to the truck to lavish my gratitude on this benefactor.  Turned out it was a young man with his wife and 4 kids in the truck. He stopped to help me, with the hope and action that someday someone will stop and help his wife, if ever she is in a similar situation.  He put on the spare tire in record time and sent me safely on my way with the warning to drive to a hotel for the night until I could get a new tire. I thanked him profusely and got his address so I could send a thank you gift card.

There is something wrong in America that a human being stays stranded on a dark freeway with thousands of cars driving by!  What has happened to the generous spirit that made this country great? Are we so paranoid of one another since whatever event wrought this ungodly fear? Or is it our tight schedules that keep us in the fast lane of life, that won’t allow us to stop and help another?   Call it your karma, but I know it as The Golden Rule: “Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.”  Thank you Grace and Richard for helping me.

In his remarks, the Pope commented on the day’s readings where, in a passage from Exodus, God reveals His name to Moses. “The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness”, said the Pope quoting the biblical text. “These are human words”, he added, “they tell us the truth about God. They were true yesterday, they are true today and they will be true always. They cause us to see the face of the Invisible with the eyes of the mind. They tells us the name of the Ineffable. That name is Mercy, Grace, Faithfulness”.

He then recalled how the Virgin Mary had appeared to a local peasant in the year 1536, and how she is still venerated today with the name of Virgin of Mercy. “This is the essence of Christianity because it is the essence of God Himself”, he exclaimed. “God is One in that He is entirely and solely Love, but precisely because He is Love He is openness, acceptance, dialogue. And in His relations with us, sinful mankind, He is mercy, compassion, grace, forgiveness. God created everything for existence, and He always and exclusively wills life”.

“During the history of the Church, the Virgin Mary has always invited her children to return to God, to entrust themselves to Him in prayer, to knock with trusting insistence at the door of His merciful Heart. … My visit to Savona on the day of the Blessed Trinity is above all a pilgrimage, through Mary, to the font of faith, of hope and of love”.

Benedict XVI then recalled the figure of his predecessor Pius VII. “Two centuries on”, he said, “I have come to renew the recognition of the Holy See and of the Church for the faith, the love, and the courage with which your fellow citizens supported the Pope during the exile imposed upon him here by Napoleon Bonaparte”.

“That dark page of European history has, by the power of the Holy Spirit, become a rich source of grace and education, even for our own time. It teaches us the courage to face the challenges of the world (materialism, relativism, laicism), never giving way to compromise but ready to pay in person in order to remain faithful to the Lord and His Church”.

Those events, and the apparition of the Virgin at a tragic moment in the history of Savona, “come together to transmit a message of hope to the Christian generations of our own day. They encourage us to have faith in the instruments of Grace which the Lord places at our disposal in all situations”.

Among these “instruments of Grace”, the Holy Father highlighted “individual, family and community prayer”. In this context he also recalled how “Sunday needs to be rediscovered in its Christian roots, beginning with the celebration of the Risen Lord”, and how “the Sacrament of Penance” represents a “fundamental means of spiritual development”.

“Works of charity are other indispensable means of growth”, he continued. “In the modern world, which often makes beauty and physical efficiency an ideal to be pursued in every possible way, we are called as Christians to discover the face of Jesus Christ, ‘the most handsome of men’, in the suffering and the excluded”.

In this context, the Holy Father then greeted “prisoners and staff in the St. Augustine penitentiary of Savona” and the sick people of the city.

Turning to address members of the clergy, the Pope invited them “to trust in the effectiveness of your daily priestly service”, and to “go out and seek people, as the Lord Jesus did, … making your presence felt in all areas of work and life”. To religious he reiterated the fact that “the world has need of your witness and your prayer”.

Finally, Pope Benedict called upon young people “to put your youth at the service of God and your fellows. … Give this city the passion and enthusiasm that derive from your living experience of faith, an experience that does not dampen the expectations of human life but exalts them by sharing in Christ’s own experience”.

Following the Eucharistic celebration, the Pope travelled by car to the port of Savona whence he was taken by helicopter to Genoa where he spent the night at the shrine of Our Lady of Guard.

2. Today the phenomenon of illegal migrants has assumed considerable proportions, both because the supply of foreign labour is becoming excessive in comparison to the needs of the economy, which already has difficulty in absorbing its domestic workers, and because of the spread of forced migration. The necessary prudence required to deal with so delicate a matter cannot become one of reticence or exclusivity, because thousands would suffer the consequences as victims of situations that seem destined to deteriorate instead of being resolved. His irregular legal status cannot allow the migrant to lose his dignity, since he is endowed with inalienable rights, which can neither be violated nor ignored.
Illegal immigration should be prevented, but it is also essential to combat vigorously the criminal activities which exploit illegal immigrants. The most appropriate choice, which will yield consistent and long-lasting results is that of international co-operation which aims to foster political stability and to eliminate underdevelopment. The present economic and social imbalance, which to a large extent encourages the migratory flow, should not be seen as something inevitable, but as a challenge to the human race’s sense of responsibility.

3. The Church considers the problem of illegal migrants from the standpoint of Christ, who died to gather together the dispersed children of God (cf. Jn 11:52), to rehabilitate the marginalized and to bring close those who are distant, in order to integrate all within a communion that is not based on ethnic, cultural or social membership, but on the common desire to accept God’s word and to seek justice. “God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him” (Acts 10:34-35).

The Church acts in continuity with Christ’s mission. In particular, she asks herself how to meet the needs, while respecting the law of those persons who are not allowed to remain in a national territory. She also asks what the right to emigrate is worth without the corresponding right to immigrate. She tackles the problem of how to involve in this work of solidarity those Christian communities frequently infected by a public opinion that is often hostile to immigrants.
The first way to help these people is to listen to them in order to become acquainted with their situation, and, whatever their legal status with regard to State law, to provide them with the necessary means of subsistence.
Thus it is important to help illegal migrants to complete the necessary administrative papers to obtain a residence permit. Social and charitable institutions can make contact with the authorities in order to seek appropriate, lawful solutions to various cases. This kind of effort should be made especially on behalf of those who, after a long stay, are so deeply rooted in the local society that returning to their country of origin would be tantamount to a form of reverse emigration, with serious consequences particularly for the children.

4. When no solution is foreseen, these same institutions should direct those they are helping, perhaps also providing them with material assistance, either to seek acceptance in other countries, or to return to their own country
In the search for a solution to the problem of migration in general and illegal migrants in particular, the attitude of the host society has an important role to play. In this perspective, it is very important that public opinion be properly informed about the true situation in the migrants’ country of origin, about the tragedies involving them and the possible risks of returning. The poverty and misfortune with which immigrants are stricken are yet another reason for coming generously to their aid.

It is necessary to guard against the rise of new forms of racism or xenophobic behaviour, which attempt to make these brothers and sisters of ours scapegoats for what may be difficult local situations.

Due to the considerable proportions reached by the illegal migrant phenomenon, legislation in all the countries involved should be brought into harmony, also for a more equitable distribution of the burdens of a balanced solution. It is necessary to avoid recourse to the use of administrative regulations, meant to restrict the criterion of family membership which result in unjustifiably forcing into an illegal situation people whose right to live with their family cannot be denied by any law.

Adequate protection should be guaranteed to those who, although they have fled from their countries for reasons unforeseen by international conventions, could indeed be seriously risking their life were they obliged to return to their homeland.

5. I urge the particular Churches to encourage reflection, to issue directives and to provide information to help pastoral and social workers to act with discernment in so delicate and complex a matter.

When an understanding of the problem is conditioned by prejudice and xenophobic attitudes, the Church must not fail to speak up for brotherhood and to accompany it with acts testifying to the primacy of charity.

The prominence assumed by the welfare aspects of their precarious situation should not mean that less attention is paid to the fact that there are often Catholic Christians among the illegal migrants who, in the name of the same faith, often seek pastors of souls and places where they can pray, listen to God’s word and celebrate the Lord’s mysteries. Dioceses have the duty to meet these needs.

In the Church no one is a stranger, and the Church is not foreign to anyone, anywhere. As a sacrament of unity and thus a sign and a binding force for the whole human race, the Church is the place where illegal immigrants are also recognized and accepted as brothers and sisters. It is the task of the various Dioceses actively to ensure that these people, who are obliged to live outside the safety net of civil society, may find a sense of brotherhood in the Christian community.
Solidarity means taking responsibility for those in trouble. For Christians, the migrant is not merely an individual to be respected in accordance with the norms established by law, but a person whose presence challenges them and whose needs become an obligation for their responsibility. “What have you done to your brother?” (cf. Gn 4:9). The answer should not be limited to what is imposed by law, but should be made in the manner of solidarity.

6. Man, particularly if he is weak, defenceless, driven to the margins of society, is a sacrament of Christ’s presence (cf. Mt 25:40, 45). “But this crowd, who do not know the law, are accursed” (Jn 7:49), was how the Pharisees judged those whom Jesus had helped even beyond the limits established by their precepts. Indeed, he came to seek and to save the lost (cf. Lk 19:10), to bring back the excluded, the abandoned, those rejected by society.

“I was a stranger and you welcomed me” (Mt 25:35). It is the Church’s task not only to present constantly the Lord’s teaching of faith but also to indicate its appropriate application to the various situations which the changing times continue to create. Today the illegal migrant comes before us like that “stranger” in whom Jesus asks to be recognized. To welcome him and to show him solidarity is a duty of hospitality and fidelity to Christian identity itself.

With these wishes, I impart my Apostolic Blessing as a pledge of abundant heavenly rewards to all those who are involved in the field of migration.

From the Vatican, 25 July 1995, the seventeenth year of my Pontificate.

Pope Benedict XVI has chosen “The Media: At the Crossroads between Self-Promotion and Service. Searching for the Truth in order to Share it with Others” as this year’s theme of World Communications Day. 

Funding provided by the donations supports an array of multimedia projects developed by the CCC, an initiative of the U.S. bishops that promotes Gospel values through the media. Half of the donations to the collection remain in the diocese to fund local communications projects such as televised Masses for the homebound, diocesan newspapers and Web sites. The other half provides funds for national projects.

Building on the popularity of the daily Mass readings featured on the USCCB Web site, the CCC now supports audio readings that can be downloaded through iTunes, Podcast Alley and other sources. Daily reflections can be viewed via streaming video at www.ccc-tv.org.

Most recently, the CCC sponsored a Web site dedicated to Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Visit to the United States that featured live streaming video, blog entries, itinerary and texts of the Holy Father’s speeches, homilies, and other remarks, information on his life and ministry, backgrounders on the Catholic Church in the U.S. and more.

The annual collection for the Catholic Communication Campaign has also supported: 

• the USCCB For Your Marriage campaign-television and radio Public Service Announcements and a Web site designed to celebrate marriage and provide resources and support for those living this vocation.
• the television special, Picturing Mary, airing on many public television stations since December 2006.
• Lenten radio retreats to enrich the spiritual journey of the season.
• the expansion of www.CatholicCommunicationCampaign.org with information on TV and radio programs, streaming video, movie and TV reviews, interviews, and inspiring stories of faith in action.

“As the impact of the media on family and society grows, the Catholic Church in the U.S., through the CCC Collection, has continued to find ways to use print, radio, television and the Internet to spread the good news of the Gospel,” said Helen Osman, Secretary for Communications of the USCCB. “The continued generosity of parishioners in the Collection will help us reach an even broader audience through new technologies.”

For more information about projects of the Catholic Communication Campaign, please visit www.usccb.org/ccc.

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast described for the graduates and their families the tumultuous times of the 60’s when Humanae Vitae was published (July 25, 1968).  He recalled that many expected a “green light” on contraception from the Vatican and were “thunderstruck” when the encyclical was published.

“In the midst of the chaos caused by the sexual revolution and the arrival of the birth control pill, many Catholics felt unsure of the Church’s position on artificial contraception,” said Archbishop Prendergast. “The Church responded to this urgent need for clear teaching and sound pastoral guidance when Pope Paul VI released his encyclical, Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life) in 1968.”

“We celebrate this year the 40th anniversary of that prophetic document,” said Prendergast.  “Time has shown it to be a gift from Christ to men and women everywhere. The late Edouard Cardinal Gagnon, former President of the Pontifical Council for the Family and one of Canada’s great churchmen, called Humanae Vitae ‘one of the most important documents in the history of the Church.’”

He explained: “The encyclical gives the Church a deeper understanding into the beauty of married love and responsible parenthood. It offers a clearer understanding of the harm of contraception and the great value of Natural Family Planning (NFP). Further, it challenges married couples, healthcare professionals and clergy to live and teach these profound truths about human sexuality and dignity.”

Archbishop Prendergast’s approach to the matter was refreshing and new, while he did not shy away from the fact that Catholics must obey Christ on the matter, he pointed out that embracing the teaching had tremendous benefits.  “Should Catholics embrace this teaching just because the Church tells them they must? While obedience is a necessary virtue, the benefits of learning and living Humanae Vitae should convince couples of its wisdom,” he said. One of the many blessings he listed as coming from couples embracing the teaching was, “Having happier children within stronger families.”

Moreover, he said that obedience to Humanae Vitae’s teaching fell not only on married couples but also the clergy. “For the clergy,” he said, “this same obedience and submission of will and intellect requires preaching about the moral evil of contraception and how it violates God’s plan for marriage, human happiness, and the dignity each person.”

The Archbishop made the directive public by writing about his actions in his archdiocesan newspaper The Leaven.  “Having made every effort to inform and to persuade Governor Sebelius and after consultation with Bishop Ron Gilmore (Dodge City), Bishop Paul Coakley (Salina) and Bishop Michael Jackels (Wichita), I wrote the governor last August requesting that she refrain from presenting herself for reception of the Eucharist until she had acknowledged the error of her past positions, made a worthy sacramental confession and taken the necessary steps for amendment of her life which would include a public repudiation of her previous efforts and actions in support of laws and policies sanctioning abortion,” he wrote.

He explains his reason for making the directive public as Sebelius went against his directive not to receive Communion.   “Recently, it came to my attention that the governor had received holy Communion at one of our parishes,” he wrote. “I have written to her again, asking her to respect my previous request and not require from me any additional pastoral actions.”

Sebelius is known as an aggressive supporter of radical abortion rights and has vetoed a number of pieces of common-sense legislation over the years that would have reigned in an out-of-control abortion industry in Kansas.  As a result, abortion mills remain uninspected in spite of documented substandard conditions, and abortion laws meant to protect women and viable babies remain unenforced.

Sebelius has close ties to abortionist George R. Tiller, who has funneled huge amounts of campaign contributions to Sebelius in the past. Tiller currently faces 19 criminal charges, a grand jury investigation, and two open investigations with the Kansas State Board of Healing Arts for criminal conduct and violations of the standard of care. Nevertheless, Sebelius remains supportive of Tiller and his notorious abortion business.

“We believe evidence exists that shows that Sebelius has strong personal and political ties to Tiller, and has used her political influence to cover up for crimes committed by Tiller and his associates in order to maintain the flow of abortion money into Kansas politics, thus furthering her own political career,” commented Operation Rescue President Troy Newman.

“It is because of her policies that three abortionists come to Kansas to commit the latest of late-term abortions from states that prohibit them. It is also because of her policies that women come to Kansas from all over the world for the latest of late-term abortions that are banned elsewhere. These people come to kill viable babies because they know as long as Sebelius is governor that Kansas laws prohibiting post-viability abortions will not be enforced.”

“Sebelius stands in open rebellion to the teachings and requests of her Church,” said Newman. “We join Archbishop Naumann in calling on Sebelius to repent from her support of abortion, and to amend her life to undo some of the human devastation and tragedy for which her public policies and private cover ups are responsible.”

Archbishop Naumann concluded his column stating, “I have not made lightly this request of Governor Sebelius, but only after much prayer and reflection. The spiritually lethal message, communicated by our governor, as well as many other high profile Catholics in public life, has been in effect: ‘The church’s teaching on abortion is optional!’ I reissue my request of the faithful of the archdiocese to pray for Governor Sebelius. I hope that my request of the governor, not to present herself for holy Communion, will provoke her to reconsider the serious spiritual and moral consequences of her past and present actions. At the same time, I pray this pastoral action on my part will help alert other Catholics to the moral gravity of participating in and/or cooperating with the performance of abortions.”

Unfortunately, confusion about this teaching and opposition to some aspects of it persist in some quarters. For example, a recent Health Progress article by John J. Hardt, Ph.D. and Fr. Kevin D. O’Rourke, OP, JCD, STM, titled, “Nutrition and Hydration: The CDF Response, In Perspective,” misinterprets the Holy See’s documents in important respects, and even makes the charge that the CDF interprets euthanasia in a way that is “at odds with the traditional teaching of moral theology.” ²

As chairmen of the U.S. Bishops’ Committees on Doctrine and on Pro-Life Activities, we offer the following points to prevent misunderstanding and to help those involved in Catholic health care ministry more fully understand the church’s teaching.

First, contrary to the “Rules for Interpretation” referred to by Hardt and Fr. O’Rourke, ³ the CDF document was not issued in the form of a canonical decree. Nor is it merely a public policy statement motivated by the threat of legalized euthanasia in certain countries in Europe. It is an authoritative statement of moral truth, reaffirming a teaching by the Catholic Church’s ordinary magisterium regarding how we are to exercise our freedom responsibly as children of God.

Second, not everything in the CDF’s “Responses” applies solely to patients in a “vegetative state.” For example, the CDF’s first response states that “the administration of food and water even by artificial means is, in principle, an ordinary and proportionate means of preserving life.” Certainly this basic principle applies when patients have chronic but stable debilitating conditions that are less extreme than the “vegetative state.” As the CDF “Commentary” notes, helpless patients with conditions such as quadriplegia, mental illness or Alzheimer’s disease also must not be deprived of basic care and “abandoned to die” because their long-term care may burden others. The phrase “in principle” (which in this context means “as a general rule”) is also important, because providing assisted food and fluids may cease to be obligatory in particular circumstances. The U.S. bishops asked whether such circumstances occur only when food and fluids “cannot be assimilated by the patient’s body or cannot be administered to the patient without causing significant physical discomfort,” and the CDF answered in the affirmative. The CDF “Commentary” notes that such circumstances will be “rare” and “exceptional” for a patient in a “vegetative state”; they may occur far more frequently for patients with progressively deteriorating or terminal conditions.

Also, the CDF “Commentary” notes the obligation to provide assisted feeding may not apply “in very remote places or in situations of extreme poverty” because we are not held to do something that is impossible in practical terms. But the CDF’s statement about the general or presumptive obligation to provide food and fluids as a form of ordinary care clearly has broad application.

Third, in applying the church’s longstanding moral tradition against euthanasia to the present question, the CDF is in full accord with that tradition. In 1980, the CDF (with the approval of Pope John Paul II) issued a “Declaration on Euthanasia” defining “euthanasia” as “an action or an omission which of itself or by intention causes death, in order that all suffering may in this way be eliminated.” ⁴ In its more recent “Responses” and accompanying “Commentary,” the CDF is stating that this issue is of particular concern regarding medically assisted food and fluids. Food and water are basic necessities of life, without which anyone (sick or healthy) would soon die. When they are withdrawn from a seriously disabled patient who needs help from others to obtain such basic care-withdrawn not because the means themselves are useless or excessively burdensome, but because someone has judged that patient’s continued life to be useless or burdensome-the patient’s death is the first result, and any other intended goals would seem to be met only through this death. The argument that in such cases the cause of death is merely the underlying condition (the inability to eat and swallow for oneself) is not valid, and is explicitly rejected by the CDF:

Patients in a “vegetative state” breathe spontaneously, digest food naturally, carry on other metabolic functions, and are in a stable situation. But they are not able to feed themselves. If they are not provided artificially with food and liquids, they will die, and the cause of their death will be neither an illness nor the “vegetative state” itself, but solely starvation and dehydration. ⁵

Fourth, this brings us to the argument by Hardt and Fr. O’Rourke that the “significant financial hardships” of providing assisted food and fluids to patients in the “vegetative state” in the U.S. may justify withdrawing such care and letting the patient die. ⁶ In reality, providing the complete range of long-term care for these helpless patients may indeed become very costly, and families should not be abandoned to carry these burdens alone. But providing food and fluids generally accounts for a very small fraction of this cost. If food and fluids are targeted for removal because this will lead to the patient’s early death, thus saving the significant costs of other care, then it seems clear that the patient’s death is being intended precisely as a means to saving these other costs. In other words, this would be a decision to practice euthanasia by omission.

Fifth, nothing in the CDF’s “Responses” or in Pope John Paul II’s address of 2004 provides a basis for withdrawing food and fluids based on a far broader category of “psychic burden.” Hardt and Fr. O’Rourke say that some may “feel” the continued life of a patient in a “vegetative state” is a burden to others, or is not a benefit. This may be true, but such feelings do not justify euthanasia by omission or the deliberate withdrawal of basic care owed to patients because of their human dignity.

Sixth, regarding advance directives such as the “living will,” Hardt and Fr. O’Rourke claim that under the Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services (ERDs) people may continue to make advance decisions regarding their care (Directives 25 and 28). ⁷ This is true as far as it goes. However, Directive 28 provides that “the free and informed health care decision of the person or the person’s surrogate is to be followed so long as it does not contradict Catholic principles ” (emphasis added). Moreover, Directive 24, not cited by Hardt and Fr. O’Rourke, also speaks of generally respecting patients’ and surrogates’ decisions, but adds:

The institution, however, will not honor an advance directive that is contrary to Catholic teaching. If the advance directive conflicts with Catholic teaching, an explanation should be provided as to why the directive cannot be honored.

The CDF’s “Responses” provide clarifications as to what Catholic moral principles require of us on the provision of food and fluids, out of respect for the perduring human dignity of even the most severely cognitively disabled of our brothers and sisters.

On the relationship between the ERDs and the CDF’s “Responses,” the USCCB had this to say in its Q&A document:

Directive 58 already speaks of “a presumption in favor of providing nutrition and hydration to all patients, including patients who require medically assisted nutrition and hydration.” The Address and the Responses clarify how this presumption applies to the patient in a “vegetative state” as to other patients, and provide further guidance as to how the Directives should be interpreted and implemented. ⁸

We fully intend that the next edition of the ERDs will be amended to reflect this doctrinal clarification.

While we disagree with other claims by Hardt and Fr. O’Rourke, we believe these are the most important points in need of clarification. Certainly, when they say it is “questionable” whether the Catholic community will rise to the challenge of caring for the basic needs of patients in the “vegetative state,” we hope their pessimism is unwarranted. It is precisely in caring for the poorest and most helpless of patients, those whose value and dignity are dismissed by others, that Catholic health care most clearly lives up to its mission and demonstrates the need for specifically Catholic health care providers in our secularized society. It is in meeting the moral challenge of caring for the most helpless that we will live up to our own God-given dignity.

1. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops news release of Sep. 14, 2007, on this development, with links to the CDF’s “Responses” and “Commentary,” and the USCCB’s related Q&A, can be found at www.usccb.org/comm/archives/2007/07-143.shtml. Pope John Paul II’s March 20, 2004, address can be found at
   www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/speeches/2004/
   march/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_20040320_congress-fiamc_en.html.
2. John Hardt and Kevin O’Rourke, “Nutrition and Hydration: The CDF Response, In Perspective,” Health Progress , November-December 2007.
3. Hardt and O’Rourke, 45.
4. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Declaration on Euthanasia,” (May 5, 1980) www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/
   rc_con_cfaith_doc_19800505_euthanasia_en.html.
5. Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, “Commentary.” See note one above for link information.
6. Hardt and O’Rourke, 46.
7. U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services , (Washington, D.C.) Fourth Edition, 2001, www.usccb.org/bishops/directives.shtml.
8. See note one above.

The letter explains that “the relative anonymity of the Internet and its private nature means that there is a real danger of pornographic addiction.” The Bishops warn that “All of these images are humiliating and degrading, most often towards women.”

The letter points to “a growing body of research about the damage that Internet pornography is doing to marriages and relationships. In 2007, the Sydney Morning Herald spent two months charting this new social phenomenon which it said was “poisoning couples and destroying families”. The investigation found that counselors were reporting that an increasing number of clients had begun to cite Internet pornography as a factor in their relationship breakdowns.”

The bishops point out moreover that while it is damaging to marriages, “addiction to Internet pornography is no less damaging to single people or to those dedicated to living a life of celibacy.”

The letter explains: “The Church commends the intimate giving of spouses to each other. Pornography undermines this. It injures the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world.”

The bishops urge parents to discuss the dangers of pornography — “its damaging impact on human dignity and on relationships” — with their children, and call for the government to ban such degrading materials.

“Civil authorities should prevent the production and distribution of pornographic materials, and that includes, as far as possible, distribution on the Internet,” says the letter.

The full pastoral letter is available online here:
http://www.acbc.catholic.org.au/documents/200804271910.pdf

See the bishops short YouTube video narrated by Robert Ingham
http://www.youtube.com/ACBCcomms