God Protect Us!

Your argument that Dignitas Personae leaves "embryo adoption" as an open question is imprudent, AT BEST.

Dr. Nadal,

We chatted BRIEFLY at last December's Human Life International conference in D.C. I recall being delighted to find a fellow native Brooklynite! As you are another Brooklyn guy, I'll get right to the point....

I believe that you and LifeNews.com are doing a disservice with your Exploring the Pro-Life Catholic View on Embryo Adoption series. While I am NOT saying that the situations are exactly analagous, insistence that Dignitas Personae leaves "embryo adoption" as an open question reminds me of all those tired old arguments about Humanae Vitae NOT being infallible. For many, to say that Humanae Vitae was NOT infallible seemed akin to saying that it was NOT authoritative and NOT applicable. What Dignitas Personae actually says with regard to embryo adoption seems like a diplomatic but clear "No":
I'd like to reiterate that, just before its powerful quote from Evangelium Vitae, Dignitas Personae reminds us that we are facing "a situation of injustice which in fact cannot be resolved":

Allow me to go back to that Humanae Vitae analogy. In "Contraception & the Infallibility of the Ordinary Magisterium", John Ford, SJ & Germain Grisez discussed how Humanae Vitae had been dismissively said to be NOT infallible - simply ignoring such issues as how Humane Vitae reiterated Casti Connubii and other Church teachings:

(All of the below images are links....)

It is ironic that others suggesting that Dignitas Personae does NOT speak clearly (or at least NOT definitively) on embryo adoption cite dated writings of Germain Grisez, as well as esteemed moral theologian William May....

In a more recent article by William May , I acknowledge that he MIGHT still be supporting your position (Even so, he is clearly not blessed with the charism of infallibility!).

Dr. Nadal, I fail to understand the purpose of your series, other than to suggest that what seemed like a "No" might be a "Yes." That strikes me as imprudent, at best.

I will be praying that you will consider discontinuing you series.

Sincerely,

Why do those who perform or promote abortions work at St. Mary Medical Center in Langhorne, Pennsylvania?

Infallibility of the Ordinary Magisterium, Dignitas Personae, & "Snowflake" Adoptions

There seems to be tremendous confusion regarding the term, "infallibility." In my opinion, little (if anything) is served by saying that a particular document is NOT infallible. Oftentimes, far, far more harm than good can be done by such statements. To many, to say that something is NOT infallible appears akin to saying that it is NOT authoritative or NOT applicable. In addition to being authoritative and applicable, I believe that much of Dignitas Personae certainly reiterates positions, which have already been infallibly proposed.

In "Contraception & the Infallibility of the Ordinary Magisterium", John Ford, SJ & Germain Grisez discussed how Humanae Vitae was dismissively said to be NOT infallible - simply ignoring such issues as how Humane Vitae reiterated Casti Connubii and other Church teachings:

(All of the below images are links....)

Some suggest that Dignitas Personae does NOT speak clearly (or at least NOT definitively) on the matter of so-called "snowflake adoption", ironically citing the writings of Germain Grisez, William May, and others...

It should NOT be overlooked that the above writings came before these statements in Dignitas Personae:

A more recent article by William May seems more pertinent:

What Dignitas Personae actually says with regard to embryo adoption seems like a diplomatic but clear "No," to me: