Vatican Cardinal Fears Church Will be Brought before Int'l Court for Defense of Life & Family

LifeSite ^ | June 28, 2006 | John-Henry Westen

[NYer]

VATICAN CITY, June 28, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In an interview published in the June 27 issue of Famiglia Christiana magazine, Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, said that those involved in embryonic stem cell research which kills human embryos are excommunicated.

In a wide-ranging interview about the Fifth World Meeting of Families, due to be held in Valencia, Spain from July 1 to 9, the Cardinal was asked about excommunication, first in the case of abortion.  He responded that the doctors, the nurses and the mother involved all incur excommunication.  He added that the the father also was excommunicated if he agreed with the procedure.

Asked if that excommunication also applied to those who do embryonic stem cell research, the Cardinal responded, "Sure. It is the same thing. To destroy the embryo is equivalent to abortion."  He added that the excommunication applies to parents, doctors and investigators "who eliminate the embryo."

Speaking about politicians who support abortion, Cardinal Trujillo said that they should "not approach the Eucharist." 

He noted that he was expressly asked by the Pope to explain such things to politicians; adding that "sometimes they change their minds."

Ominously the Cardinal warned during the interview that the Vatican fears that the Church will one day be brought "in front of some international Court" if more radical demands are listened to.  He explained that "speaking in defense of the life and for the rights of the family is becoming in some societies a type of crime against the State, a form of disobedience to the Government, a discrimination against women."

See the full interview in Famiglia Cristiana (in Italian):
http://www.sanpaolo.org/fc/0627fc/0627fc44.htm

[NYer]

“Though it is true that sometimes it is lawful to tolerate a lesser moral evil in order to avoid a greater evil or in order to promote a greater good," it is never lawful, even for the gravest reasons, to do evil that good may come of it (18)—in other words, to intend directly something which of its very nature contradicts the moral order, and which must therefore be judged unworthy of man, even though the intention is to protect or promote the welfare of an individual, of a family or of society in general.”

HUMANAE VITAE

Catholic Ping - Please freepmail me if you want on/off this list

[redgolum]

Unfortunately, it probably will happen sooner than later.

See you in the catacombs?

[theDentist]

...the Vatican fears that the Church will one day be brought "in front of some international Court".

They have no cause to fear. They are consistent about life, and should be proud of that fact.

[Nihil Obstat]

Cardinal Trujillo is one of the best men in the Church. God bless him and may he and the Pope convert a lot of hearts during the World Meeting of Families next week.

[MineralMan]

The only problem I see here is that the RCC can only excommunicate Catholics. How many Catholics are performing or having abortions?

[Ebenezer]

His Eminence is blunt and to the point. The Catholic Church rejects any scientific "advancements" that destroy innocent human life, both born and unborn. That's it.

If some "international court" decides to take the Barque of Peter to task, so be it.

[GOP Poet]

Boy this sure says a lot. The Pope in this day and age is concerned and accurately so that he may be brought before and international 'radical left' court for standing by his beliefs and the established actions that result there of, but Muslims literally get away with rape, murder, pillage, and beating of the members of whole societies and nations and are greeted with Carte Blanc everything!

No wonder God decided to come back eventually and kick some serious hiney. He has already seen the end result of all this and was not in the least happy.

[Malacoda]

Sadly, I think there are a LOT of CINOs who both perform and support abortion.

I doubt excommunication would overly trouble them, as they've already tossed any vestiges of their Catholicism via their acts.

[agere_contra]

Anvil-that-has-broken-many-hammers ping.

[ClaireSolt]

Isn't it ironic that the church has worked in Africa for 400 years but after just a few yeats Bill Gates despairs and throws in his lot with RU486?

[TexanToTheCore]

Don't worry about it. God is in control.

[Former Fetus]

I understand that there are more Christians in China than members of the Communist Party. While these are great news, I think this article is overly optimistic. Many persecuted Christians have testified that one of the hardest things they had to deal with were the wonderful, optimistic reports that are widespread in the West. It kind of makes a mockery of their sufferings.

I would recommend anybody interested in the persecution of Christians in China to log on to Voice of the Martyrs . Another excellent resource is Prisoner Alert. Finally, Bibles ARE still greatly needed in China, and if you feel called to become a smuggler for the Lord, you can do so from the safety and comfort of your home by joining Bibles Unbound .

Remember the admonition of the writer of the book of Hebrews: Remember the prisoners as if chained with them—those who are mistreated—since you yourselves are in the body also.(Heb. 13:3) and may God bless you.

[Former Fetus]

My apologies. I was answering to another thread when my PC froze . When I got back to Free Republic I mistakenly posted my comment in this thread. I'm sorry y'all. I know I'm crazy, but not that crazy...yet!

[utahagen]

Unfortunately, a great number of Catholics and "Catholics" are having abortions. As for abortionists, I think there are few who assert that they are still Catholic. However, there are legions of Catholics who promote abortion politically or directly or indirectly support scientific research that creates and destroys human embryos.

[stylin19a]

maybe time for a pre-emptive Spanish Inquisition ?

[Campion]

A Catholic who performs, procures, or assists in an abortion is automatically excommunicated, according to canon law. (The technical term is latae sententiae.)

[RoadTest]

"maybe time for a pre-emptive Spanish Inquisition ?"

Please! There are real Christians around who would be the first to go.

[HannagansBride]

The Church is responsible for the moral guidance of it's people... not the state.

We don't need no STEENKIN PERMISSION from an "international court."

Maybe it's time for church leader to read the book:

Fighting for Liberty and Virtue: Political and Cultural Wars in Eighteenth-Century America by Marvin Olasky (Regnery Publishing Inc, Washington, DC.)

There are insights into what REAL moral leadership is all about within those pages.

[marshmallow]

It's worth noting that the Vatican's main allies in its long and often lonely fight with the UN to stop abortion being enshrined as a universal human right, have been Muslim nations.

Any "International Court" on this matter, should it ever materialize, will be one in which post-Christian western nations, formerly guardians of Christianity, play a leading role.

God help them.