Sunday, May 31, 2009

"A Prophetic Book" [Russell Shaw's 1994 "Understanding Your Rights"]

"After 15 years, it boggles my mind that this amazingly insightful book has heretofore only received one customer review! Yet, how interesting it is that the one customer review is from the best known, lay canon lawyer in the United States.

"With numerous citations from Pope John Paul II's Christifideles Laici and the 1983 Code of Canon Law, Russell Shaw deftly tackles what Pope John Paul II called the "clericalization of the laity and the laicization of the clergy." Considering that this book was published in 1994, it is understandable that it was unable to incorporate Pope John Paul II's phenomenal 1995 call to embrace the Gospel of Life. It is disappointing, however, that Shaw did not better incorporate the Catechism of the Catholic Church - as further evidence of support for his insights. Be that said, he highlights some fascinating (& seemingly oft overlooked) sections of Canon Law....

"'Can. 212....
§3. According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they [the laity] have the right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons." Tragically, it sometimes seems that it's the least informed members of the laity who get the most attentive hearing!

"Shaw expands on some inherent dangers of the "clericalization of the laity": "An authentic lay spirituality must recognize that for the laity, work, family life, and secular activities of all kinds are the raw material of their sanctity. So, for example, the difficulties faced by a married couple in practicing Natural Family Planning out of fidelity to the Church's teaching are not so much 'obstales" to their holiness...but means by which God wills them to become saints....All members of the Church have a grave duty to learn religious truth and participate in the work of imparting it to others" (p. 77 - 80). BEAUTIFULLY SAID! I wish that I said that!

"'As for the laity, their first responsibility is to understand that they have serious obligations in conscience to work on behalf of a social order informed by justice and charity....responsible lay people, well formed in social doctrine, enjoy autonomy in judging and bringing about a social order of this kind....As Vatican II says, "Let the layman not imagine that his pastors are always such experts, that to every problem which arises, however complicated, they can readily give him a concrete solution, or even that such is their mission....enlightened by Christian wisdom and giving close attention to the teaching authority of the Church, let the layman take on his own distinctive role' (Gaudium et Spes, 43)....the apostolate proper to the laity lies in and to the secular world....This point is in danger of being obscured when a spirit of clericalist elitism [Note: Shaw does NOT ascribe such to the clergy in general or to some clergy, exclusively. He sees this as a danger among some lay people.] leasdslarge numbers of lay-peole to seek jobs in the ecclesiastical bureaucracy, in the belief that it is a 'higher' calling than the calling to bring Christian values to bear upon secular professions and jobs" (pp. 87 - 102). "If young people have problems making commitments, ...one reason may be that adults...have failed to tell them that they have personal vocations" (p.210)

"Shaw can become truly provocative: "the 'vocations shortage' is a myth....What is in short supply among Catholics is the awareness that everybody has a vocation....Parishes and Church-related institutions across the United States are pining for more lay involvement and vitality, but hardly anybody talks about 'apostolate' of the laity in and to the world....American who describe themselves as Catholic number about 60 million. Yet who would seriously suggest that authentically Catholic views are reflected in the law...to a degree at all proportionate to the influence one might reasonably expect....lay ministry is only for some; whereas all lay people, without exception, are called to take part in the apostolate in and to the secular world....as Pope John Paul [incredibly] remarks, the great danger comes down to this: 'Being so strongly interested in Church services and tasks that [they] fil to become actively involved in their responsibilities in the professional, social, cultural, and political world' (Christifideles Laici, 2)...." (pp. 135 - 151).

"Shaw absolutely recognizes that the seeds of true renewal lie within the authentic Christian family. While I cannot remember whether it was quoted, Shaw most fervently agrees with Pope John Paul II, in that "The future of humanity passes by way of the family" (Familiaris Consortio).

(See this review on Amazon.com....)

Monday, May 25, 2009

re: "Medical Miracles or Moral Nightmares" (The Catholic Answer, May/June 2009)

I am neither a member of the clergy nor a medical professional, but I have read and re-read the Vatican's beautiful, exquisite, fascinating and inspiring Dignitas Personae. While "Medical Miracles or Moral Nightmares" comes across as an extended reflection on Dignitas Personae, it sidesteps Section 23 of that instruction! Tragically, you are NOT the first "orthodox" Catholic publication to do an end run around Section 23.

As reported last February, “Catholic hospitals in several dioceses in North America are currently administering the pill (Plan B) to patients who claim to be victims of rape….The only Vatican opinion on the subject, absolutely prohibiting the use of the pill, was released by the Pontifical Academy for Life in 2000. Since then, however, the Catholic Health Association, advisor to many bishops conferences, has suggested that there is no moral impediment to using the pill in cases of rape....LifeSiteNews.com asked Bishop Sgreccia if there was an exception in cases of rape. The [then] President of the Pontifical Academy for Life replied, ‘No. It is not able to prevent the rape. But it is able to eliminate the embryo. It is thus the second negative intervention on the woman (the first being the rape itself)'. <www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/feb/08022906.html>.

As President of the Pontifical Academy for Life, it is my understanding that Bishop Sgreccia was involved with the preparation of Dignitas Persona. Once and for all, Section 23 (at least to me) appears to close the door on ANY suggestion that Plan B (aka, the "morning-after pill", so-called emergency "contraception") could be "morally" used in Catholic hospitals:
  • "Alongside methods of preventing pregnancy which are, properly speaking, contraceptive, that is, which prevent conception following from a sexual act, there are other technical means which act after fertilization, when the embryo is already constituted, either before or after implantation in the uterine wall. Such methods are interceptive if they interfere with the embryo before implantation and contragestative if they cause the elimination of the embryo once implanted.
  • "In order to promote wider use of interceptive methods, it is sometimes stated that the way in which they function is not sufficiently understood. It is true that there is not always complete knowledge of the way that different pharmaceuticals operate, but scientific studies indicate that the effect of inhibiting implantation is certainly present, even if this does not mean that such interceptives cause an abortion every time they are used, also because conception does not occur after every act of sexual intercourse. It must be noted, however, that anyone who seeks to prevent the implantation of an embryo which may possibly have been conceived and who therefore either requests or prescribes such a pharmaceutical, generally intends abortion.
  • "When there is a delay in menstruation, a contragestative is used, usually one or two weeks after the non-occurrence of the monthly period. The stated aim is to re-establish menstruation, but what takes place in reality is the abortion of an embryo which has just implanted.
  • "As is known, abortion is 'the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth'. Therefore, the use of means of interception and contragestation fall within the sin of abortion and are gravely immoral. Furthermore, when there is certainty that an abortion has resulted, there are serious penalties in canon law."
  • So, Dignitas Personae reminds us that so-called contraceptives are "interceptive if they interfere with the embryo before implantation and contragestative if they cause the elimination of the embryo once implanted...the use of means of interception and contragestation fall within the sin of abortion and are gravely immoral."

This certainly appears to require change at Catholic hospitals regarding treatment of individuals identifying themselves as victims of sexual assault. No guidelines are offered for supposed "moral" use of Plan B.




Sunday, May 24, 2009

Disparaging Pro-Lifers (5/24/09 letter to the Catholic Standard & Times)

Your current editorial <www.cst-phl.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=84&twindow=Default&mad=No&sdetail=890&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2666&hn=cst-phl&he=.com> inadvertently invokes misinformation against those in the pro-life movement who dare to speak up and go to the front lines! I quote,
  • "If people committed to the pro-life cause wish to persuade those who do not share our vision, there is only one authentic course....Other courses of action include angry, hurtful rhetoric & tasteless gestures such as displaying infant dolls smeared with fake blood. Turning hearts & minds to see the reasonableness of Church teaching will not come about by screaming and grandstanding, but by listening and speaking respectfully."

Have you ever actually seen a doll "smeared with fake blood"? In weekly prayer outside an abortion clinic and annual trips to Washington for the March for Life (an incredibly peaceful, prayerful gathering of nearly 250,000 people), I have NEVER seen such! In regard to promoting the "reasonableness of Church teaching", I think that you would be hard pressed to find a modern apologist who is not already on the front lines of the pro-life movement!

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Our Sunday Visitor's 7/13/08 look at Catholic health care principles & "Catholic" hospitals (5/9/09 letter to the editor)

Thank you for the 7/13/08 issue of Our Sunday Visitor, which looked at Catholic health care principles & "Catholic" hospitals. Ann Carey's pieces were both enlightening and disturbing:



In "Encouraging 'ethics audits' of Catholic hospitals", John Norton echoes Dr. John Haas of the National Catholic Bioethics Center in calling for diligent checks that Catholic health care facilities are adhering to Catholic health care ethics <www.osv.com/OSVNav/OSVNewsweeklyJuly132008/EncouragingethicsauditsofCatholichospitals/tabid/6392/Default.aspx>. Tragically, however, there appear to be at least two areas in which the USCCB's own "Ethical & ReligiousDirectives for Catholic Health Care Services, 4th Ed" (ERDs) www.usccb.org/bishops/directives.shtml> are out of date & inconsistent with Vatican guidance:



  1. In 2007, the Vatican reiterated the obligation to provide nutrition & hydration to a person in a so-called "vegetative state" http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20070801_risposte-usa_en.html&>. The ERDs indicate that this is an unresolved question.

  2. As I read Section 23 of the Vatican 's December 2008 Dignitas Personae <www.vatican.va/roman_curia/congregations/cfaith/documents/rc_con_cfaith_doc_20081208_dignitas-personae_en.html>, it appears to countermand Directive 36 of the ERDs, necessitating that Catholic hospitals discontinue ANY use of so-called emergency "contraception."

If they are to remain the only required ethical reading for the staff of Catholic hospitals, the ERDs appear to desperately need an update.


Your closing editorial, "Ethical Identity", provides poignant reminders:



  • "What is it that Catholic hospitals and charitable organizations have to offer that justifies their being called Catholic?....As disheartening as it is to learn of unethical practices in Catholic organizations, it has provided this country's bishops an excellent opportunity to review their relationships with the Catholic health institutions in their dioceses, to call for corrections where necessary, and above all, to exhort them to fidelity to their Catholic identity" <www.osv.com/OSVNav/OSVNewsweeklyJuly132008/Ethicalidentity/tabid/6402/Default.aspx>.

The Beatitudes from "Jesus of Nazareth"

 

Use of Emergency So-Called Contraceptives in Catholic Hospitals for Those Reporting Rape

Book & Film Reviews, pt 1

Book & Film Reviews, pt 2


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