Posted on 07/12/2009 11:36:34 AM PDT by NYer
Benedict XVI returns to the principal themes of his social encyclical reaffirming the need for a global commitment to development, to eliminate "social inequality and structural injustices that are no longer tolerable." The social question has become an "anthropological” issue which implies a way of conceiving man in truth, body and soul. Prayers for Honduras and a farewell ahead of holidays in Les Combes (Aosta Valley).
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - "The absolutism of technology, which finds its clearest expression in certain practices contrary to life”, could "draw dark scenarios for the future of humanity": Benedict XVI returns to warn against a development that is only concerned with technological progress, bringing with it the manipulation of embryos, abortion, euthanasia, sterilization, birth control under the pretext of wanting to promote human development. At today's Angelus address the pontiff reiterated the views expressed in his recently published social encyclical, Caritas in Veritate.
"Acts that do not respect the true dignity of the person - said the pope - even when they seem motivated by a 'choice of love', in reality are the result of a 'material and mechanistic conception of human life', which reduces ' love without truth to ‘an empty shell to fill arbitrarily' (cf. No. 6 of the encyclical) and can thus result in adverse effects in integral human development. "
Citing other issues in the encyclical, he reiterated that today the social question 'has become a radically anthropological question' in the sense that it involves the very way we conceive the human being who is increasingly placed in the hands of man himself through modern biotechnology (see ibid. 75). Solutions to current problems of humanity can not only be technical, but must take into account all the needs of the person who has a soul and body. "
The social question also has a "world horizon". The Pope recalled the importance of the just concluded G8 summit, but above all he stressed that "there are social inequalities and structural inequities in the world that are no longer tolerable, which require, in addition to immediate action, a coordinated strategy to find durable solutions ".
The Church, he said, "has no technical solutions to offer, but, as an expert in humanity, it offers everyone the teaching of Sacred Scripture on truth and proclaims the Gospel of love and justice."
A "a new economic plan” is required “that redesigns development in a holistic way, building on the foundation of ethical responsibility before God and man as a creature of God." And quoting the encyclical, the pontiff said: "In an increasingly globalized society, the common good and the effort to obtain it cannot fail to assume the dimensions of the whole human family, "(n. 7).
"Despite the complexity of the current situation in the world - concluded the pope - the Church looks to the future with hope and reminds Christians that 'the proclamation of Christ is the first and main factor of development'."
After the Marian prayer, Benedict XVI expressed his "deep concern about events in Honduras”, where there was a coup, by the military and the courts, deposing the President Manuel Zelaya, who is attempting to return from imposed exile by every available means. "I would to invite you to pray for that country so dear to the maternal intercession of Our Lady of Suyapa, - said the pope - may the leaders of the nation and all its inhabitants patiently walk the path of dialogue, mutual understanding and reconciliation . This is possible if, setting aside personal interests, everyone strives to seek the truth and to tenaciously pursue the common good: this is the condition for ensuring peaceful coexistence and genuine democratic life! To the Honduran people I assure my prayers and impart a special Apostolic Blessing. " And before his greetings in different languages, Benedict XVI bid "goodbye to St. Peter's Square and the city of Rome": Tomorrow, the pope moves to Les Combes, a town close to Mont Blanc, in the Valle d'Aosta for a period of rest. "I call on everyone - he said - to accompany me with prayer. Prayer knows no distance and separation: wherever we are, it makes us one heart and one mind. "
I don't see how technology is connected with bad morals other then the fact we have more availability of doing immoral acts.
Sometimes you have to wonder if that is a media added statement or the Pope really has no clue.
No. In the encyclical he says that technology itself is morally neutral. However, humans are increasingly making immoral choices about how to use technology and that those choices have consequences.
It's more the danger of technology replacing God. Technology is fine so long as it is used to SERVE God. When technology becomes the be all and end all we have a problem.
In a Culture of Death, everything is deadly.
Technology makes it really easy and economically beneficial to dehumanize people. Technology enables the illusion of being able to mechanize human judgment and the soul.
Like everything else in the hands of man, it's taken to abusive and destructive extremes at least as often as it's used for benefit. see Orwell, or the movie "Brazil."
that's life.
Here is a good example.
GE subsidiary to use human embryonic stem cells for drug testing (spare lab rats from toxic drugs)
Having not read the publication, I can only speculate a little given the context in the article.
And that context appears to be addressing reproductive technology including issues related to embryonic stem cell research. This is an area where technology can be evil if the result is the development of human embryonic cell lines through in vitro fertilization. Once the embryo is "created" there is no moral solution.
The Church moreover holds that it is ethically unacceptable to dissociate procreation from the integrally personal context of the conjugal act: human procreation is a personal act of a husband and wife, which is not capable of substitution. The blithe acceptance of the enormous number of abortions involved in the process of in vitro fertilization vividly illustrates how the replacement of the conjugal act by a technical procedure – in addition to being in contradiction with the respect that is due to procreation as something that cannot be reduced to mere reproduction – leads to a weakening of the respect owed to every human being. Recognition of such respect is, on the other hand, promoted by the intimacy of husband and wife nourished by married love. Dignitas Personae 16
And, again, ...
All things considered, it needs to be recognized that the thousands of abandoned embryos represent a situation of injustice which in fact cannot be resolved. Therefore John Paul II made an “appeal to the conscience of the world’s scientific authorities and in particular to doctors, that the production of human embryos be halted, taking into account that there seems to be no morally licit solution regarding the human destiny of the thousands and thousands of ‘frozen’ embryos which are and remain the subjects of essential rights and should therefore be protected by law as human persons”.Ibid, 19.
So, yes, technology can per se be evil if no possible good can come from its existence. The same would apply to techniques for cloning or hybridization.
It is good that this is being discussed now after his recent meeting with Obama so that Obama's continued political attempts to split the Catholic community along liberal/conservative lines (particularly in regards to issues of life) are met with a restatement of the truth by the Holy Father.
I agree, but technology doesn’t create bad morals. All technology does is create news ways to be immoral.
Rocks cannot be evil either for that matter.
exactly. It is the same argument for banning weapons.
It is an evil technology.
I thought that had been assumed early in the discussion and that the discussion was going in the way of “is there any such thing as an intrinsically evil act?”. Sorry for any misunderstanding.
Hence the pope's recent encyclical ... Caritas in Veritate: Why Truth Matters (Relativists, beware!)
The Cardinal and bishops of Honduras issued a joint statement supporting the current interim government, and judging by the rest of his statement, I’m sure that the Pope is on their side.
The “coup” thing is out in the press, unfortunately, and everybody seems to be referring to it that way. In addition, I’d like to see the original words. After the gross mistranslations in the English version of the latest encyclical, I don’t trust anything.
Technology is not immoral and he didn’t imply that. He was referring primarily to reproductive technology or “life sciences” technology, which on the one hand can produce wonderful results, and on the other, terrible abuses such as cloning, genetic manipulation to create particular classes of human beings, etc.
the other statement I think you miss understood me.
Thanks
Sorry for any misunderstanding.
I’m not an automatic supporter of anybody - I love this Pope, but obviously, everything he says is not in itself either infallible or correct. I think he should have looked at the “social justice” parts of the encyclical more closely, because they weren’t written by him and he may have accepted them simply because they were vague in the first place, and products of various long time associates (such as Martino) in the second place.
And of course the press was hovering like vultures, looking for anything they could seize and distort. That’s one of the big problems, and I honestly don’t know what we can do about it.
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