Catholic Faith
http://www.legionofmarytidewater.com/
Ioannes Paulus PP. II
Evangelium vitae
To the Bishops
Priests and Deacons
Men and Women religious
lay Faithful
and all People of Good Will
on the Value and Inviolability
of Human Life
1995.03.25
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INTRODUCTION
1. The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus' message. Lovingly
received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with
dauntless fidelity as "good news" to the people of every age and
culture.
At the dawn of salvation, it is the Birth of a Child which is
proclaimed as joyful news: "I bring you good news of a great joy which
will come to all the people; for to you is born this day in the city of
David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Lk 2:10-11). The source of
this "great joy" is the Birth of the Saviour; but Christmas also
reveals the full meaning of every human birth, and the joy which
accompanies the Birth of the Messiah is thus seen to be the foundation
and fulfilment of joy at every child born into the world (cf. Jn 16:21).
When he presents the heart of his redemptive mission, Jesus says: "I
came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (Jn 10:10). In
truth, he is referring to that "new" and "eternal" life which consists
in communion with the Father, to which every person is freely called in
the Son by the power of the Sanctifying Spirit. It is precisely in this
"life" that all the aspects and stages of human life achieve their full
significance.
The incomparable worth of the human person
2. Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions
of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life
of God. The loftiness of this supernatural vocation reveals the
greatness and the inestimable value of human life even in its temporal
phase. Life in time, in fact, is the fundamental condition, the initial
stage and an integral part of the entire unified process of human
existence. It is a process which, unexpectedly and undeservedly, is
enlightened by the promise and renewed by the gift of divine life,
which will reach its full realization in eternity (cf. 1 Jn 3:1-2). At
the same time, it is precisely this supernatural calling which
highlights the relative character of each individual's earthly life.
After all, life on earth is not an "ultimate" but a "penultimate"
reality; even so, it remains a sacred reality entrusted to us, to be
preserved with a sense of responsibility and brought to perfection in
love and in the gift of ourselves to God and to our brothers and
sisters.
The Church knows that this Gospel of life, which she has received from
her Lord, 1 has a profound and persuasive echo in the heart of every
person-believer and non-believer alike-because it marvellously fulfils
all the heart's expectations while infinitely surpassing them. Even in
the midst of difficulties and uncertainties, every person sincerely
open to truth and goodness can, by the light of reason and the hidden
action of grace, come to recognize in the natural law written in the
heart (cf. Rom 2:14-15) the sacred value of human life from its very
beginning until its end, and can affirm the right of every human being
to have this primary good respected to the highest degree. Upon the
recognition of this right, every human community and the political
community itself are founded.
In a special way, believers in Christ must defend and promote this
right, aware as they are of the wonderful truth recalled by the Second
Vatican Council: "By his incarnation the Son of God has united himself
in some fashion with every human being".2 This saving event reveals to
humanity not only the boundless love of God who "so loved the world
that he gave his only Son" (Jn 3:16), but also the incomparable value
of every human person.
The Church, faithfully contemplating the mystery of the Redemption,
acknowledges this value with ever new wonder.3 She feels called to
proclaim to the people of all times this "Gospel", the source of
invincible hope and true joy for every period of history. The Gospel of
God's love for man, the Gospel of the dignity of the person and the
Gospel of life are a single and indivisible Gospel.
For this reason, man-living man-represents the primary and fundamental
way for the Church. 4
New threats to human life
3. Every individual, precisely by reason of the mystery of the Word of
God who was made flesh (cf. Jn 1:14), is entrusted to the maternal care
of the Church. Therefore every threat to human dignity and life must
necessarily be felt in the Church's very heart; it cannot but affect
her at the core of her faith in the Redemptive Incarnation of the Son
of God, and engage her in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel of life
in all the world and to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15).
Today this proclamation is especially pressing because of the
extraordinary increase and gravity of threats to the life of
individuals and peoples, especially where life is weak and defenceless.
In addition to the ancient scourges of poverty, hunger, endemic
diseases, violence and war, new threats are emerging on an alarmingly
vast scale.
The Second Vatican Council, in a passage which retains all its
relevance today, forcefully condemned a number of crimes and attacks
against human life. Thirty years later, taking up the words of the
Council and with the same forcefulness I repeat that condemnation in
the name of the whole Church, certain that I am interpreting the
genuine sentiment of every upright conscience: "Whatever is opposed to
life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion,
euthanasia, or wilful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity
of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or
mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human
dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment,
deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children;
as well as disgraceful working conditions, where people are treated as
mere instruments of gain rather than as free and responsible persons;
all these things and others like them are infamies indeed. They poison
human society, and they do more harm to those who practise them than to
those who suffer from the injury. Moreover, they are a supreme
dishonour to the Creator".5
4. Unfortunately, this disturbing state of affairs, far from
decreasing, is expanding: with the new prospects opened up by
scientific and technological progress there arise new forms of attacks
on the dignity of the human being. At the same time a new cultural
climate is developing and taking hold, which gives crimes against life
a new and-if possible-even more sinister character, giving rise to
further grave concern: broad sectors of public opinion justify certain
crimes against life in the name of the rights of individual freedom,
and on this basis they claim not only exemption from punishment but
even authorization by the State, so that these things can be done with
total freedom and indeed with the free assistance of health-care
systems.
All this is causing a profound change in the way in which life and
relationships between people are considered. The fact that legislation
in many countries, perhaps even departing from basic principles of
their Constitutions, has determined not to punish these practices
against life, and even to make them altogether legal, is both a
disturbing symptom and a significant cause of grave moral decline.
Choices once unanimously considered criminal and rejected by the common
moral sense are gradually becoming socially acceptable. Even certain
sectors of the medical profession, which by its calling is directed to
the defence and care of human life, are increasingly willing to carry
out these acts against the person. In this way the very nature of the
medical profession is distorted and contradicted, and the dignity of
those who practise it is degraded. In such a cultural and legislative
situation, the serious demographic, social and family problems which
weigh upon many of the world's peoples and which require responsible
and effective attention from national and international bodies, are
left open to false and deceptive solutions, opposed to the truth and
the good of persons and nations.
The end result of this is tragic: not only is the fact of the
destruction of so many human lives still to be born or in their final
stage extremely grave and disturbing, but no less grave and disturbing
is the fact that conscience itself, darkened as it were by such
widespread conditioning, is finding it increasingly difficult to
distinguish between good and evil in what concerns the basic value of
human life.
In communion with all the Bishops of the world
5. The Extraordinary Consistory of Cardinals held in Rome on 4-7 April
1991 was devoted to the problem of the threats to human life in our
day. After a thorough and detailed discussion of the problem and of the
challenges it poses to the entire human family and in particular to the
Christian community, the Cardinals unanimously asked me to reaffirm
with the authority of the Successor of Peter the value of human life
and its inviolability, in the light of present circumstances and
attacks threatening it today.
In response to this request, at Pentecost in 1991 I wrote a personal
letter to each of my Brother Bishops asking them, in the spirit of
episcopal collegiality, to offer me their cooperation in drawing up a
specific document. 6 I am deeply grateful to all the Bishops who
replied and provided me with valuable facts, suggestions and proposals.
In so doing they bore witness to their unanimous desire to share in the
doctrinal and pastoral mission of the Church with regard to the Gospel
of life.
In that same letter, written shortly after the celebration of the
centenary of the Encyclical Rerum Novarum, I drew everyone's attention
to this striking analogy: "Just as a century ago it was the working
classes which were oppressed in their fundamental rights, and the
Church very courageously came to their defence by proclaiming the
sacrosanct rights of the worker as a person, so now, when another
category of persons is being oppressed in the fundamental right to
life, the Church feels in duty bound to speak out with the same courage
on behalf of those who have no voice. Hers is always the evangelical
cry in defence of the world's poor, those who are threatened and
despised and whose human rights are violated".7
Today there exists a great multitude of weak and defenceless human
beings, unborn children in particular, whose fundamental right to life
is being trampled upon. If, at the end of the last century, the Church
could not be silent about the injustices of those times, still less can
she be silent today, when the social injustices of the past,
unfortunately not yet overcome, are being compounded in many regions of
the world by still more grievous forms of injustice and oppression,
even if these are being presented as elements of progress in view of a
new world order.
The present Encyclical, the fruit of the cooperation of the Episcopate
of every country of the world, is therefore meant to be a precise and
vigorous reaffirmation of the value of human life and its
inviolability, and at the same time a pressing appeal addressed to each
and every person, in the name of God: respect, protect, love and serve
life, every human life! Only in this direction will you find justice,
development, true freedom, peace and happiness!
May these words reach all the sons and daughters of the Church! May
they reach all people of good will who are concerned for the good of
every man and woman and for the destiny of the whole of society!
6. In profound communion with all my brothers and sisters in the faith,
and inspired by genuine friendship towards all, I wish to meditate upon
once more and proclaim the Gospel of life, the splendour of truth which
enlightens consciences, the clear light which corrects the darkened
gaze, and the unfailing source of faithfulness and steadfastness in
facing the ever new challenges which we meet along our path.
As I recall the powerful experience of the Year of the Family, as if to
complete the Letter which I wrote "to every particular family in every
part of the world",8 I look with renewed confidence to every household
and I pray that at every level a general commitment to support the
family will reappear and be strengthened, so that today too-even amid
so many difficulties and serious threats-the family will always remain,
in accordance with God's plan, the "sanctuary of life".9
To all the members of the Church, the people of life and for life, I
make this most urgent appeal, that together we may offer this world of
ours new signs of hope, and work to ensure that justice and solidarity
will increase and that a new culture of human life will be affirmed,
for the building of an authentic civilization of truth and love.
CHAPTER I - THE VOICE OF YOUR BROTHER'S BLOOD CRIES TO ME FROM THE
GROUND
PRESENT-DAY THREATS TO HUMAN LIFE
"Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him" (Gen 4:8): the
roots of violence against life
7. "God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the
living. For he has created all things that they might exist ... God
created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own
eternity, but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and
those who belong to his party experience it" (Wis 1:13-14; 2:23-24).
The Gospel of life, proclaimed in the beginning when man was created in
the image of God for a destiny of full and perfect life (cf. Gen 2:7;
Wis 9:2-3), is contradicted by the painful experience of death which
enters the world and casts its shadow of meaninglessness over man's
entire existence. Death came into the world as a result of the devil's
envy (cf. Gen 3:1,4-5) and the sin of our first parents (cf. Gen 2:17,
3:17-19). And death entered it in a violent way, through the killing of
Abel by his brother Cain: "And when they were in the field, Cain rose
up against his brother Abel, and killed him" (Gen 4:8).
This first murder is presented with singular eloquence in a page of the
Book of Genesis which has universal significance: it is a page
rewritten daily, with inexorable and degrading frequency, in the book
of human history.
Let us re-read together this biblical account which, despite its
archaic structure and its extreme simplicity, has much to teach us.
"Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. In
the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of
the ground, and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of
their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,
but for Cain and his offering he had not regard. So Cain was very
angry, and his countenance fell. The Lord said to Cain, ?Why are you
angry and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not
be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door;
its desire is for you, but you must master it'.
"Cain said to Abel his brother, ?Let us go out to the field'. And when
they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and
killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, ?Where is Abel your brother?'
He said, ?I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?' And the Lord said,
?What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me
from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has
opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When
you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength; you
shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth'. Cain said to the
Lord, ?My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have
driven me this day away from the ground; and from your face I shall be
hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and
whoever finds me will slay me'. Then the Lord said to him, ?Not so! If
any one slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold'. And the
Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him.
Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the
land of Nod, east of Eden" (Gen 4:2-16).
8. Cain was "very angry" and his countenance "fell" because "the Lord
had regard for Abel and his offering" (Gen 4:4-5). The biblical text
does not reveal the reason why God prefers Abel's sacrifice to Cain's.
It clearly shows however that God, although preferring Abel's gift,
does not interrupt his dialogue with Cain. He admonishes him, reminding
him of his freedom in the face of evil: man is in no way predestined to
evil. Certainly, like Adam, he is tempted by the malevolent force of
sin which, like a wild beast, lies in wait at the door of his heart,
ready to leap on its prey. But Cain remains free in the face of sin. He
can and must overcome it: "Its desire is for you, but you must master
it" (Gen 4:7).
Envy and anger have the upper hand over the Lord's warning, and so Cain
attacks his own brother and kills him. As we read in the Catechism of
the Catholic Church: "In the account of Abel's murder by his brother
Cain, Scripture reveals the presence of anger and envy in man,
consequences of original sin, from the beginning of human history. Man
has become the enemy of his fellow man".10
Brother kills brother. Like the first fratricide, every murder is a
violation of the "spiritual" kinship uniting mankind in one great
family, 11 in which all share the same fundamental good: equal personal
dignity. Not infrequently the kinship "of flesh and blood" is also
violated; for example when threats to life arise within the
relationship between parents and children, such as happens in abortion
or when, in the wider context of family or kinship, euthanasia is
encouraged or practised.
At the root of every act of violence against one's neighbour there is a
concession to the "thinking" of the evil one, the one who "was a
murderer from the beginning" (Jn 8:44). As the Apostle John reminds us:
"For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that
we should love one another, and not be like Cain who was of the evil
one and murdered his brother" (1 Jn 3:11-12). Cain's killing of his
brother at the very dawn of history is thus a sad witness of how evil
spreads with amazing speed: man's revolt against God in the earthly
paradise is followed by the deadly combat of man against man.
After the crime, God intervenes to avenge the one killed. Before God,
who asks him about the fate of Abel, Cain, instead of showing remorse
and apologizing, arrogantly eludes the question: "I do not know; am I
my brother's keeper?" (Gen 4:9). "I do not know": Cain tries to cover
up his crime with a lie. This was and still is the case, when all kinds
of ideologies try to justify and disguise the most atrocious crimes
against human beings. "Am I my brother's keeper?": Cain does not wish
to think about his brother and refuses to accept the responsibility
which every person has towards others. We cannot but think of today's
tendency for people to refuse to accept responsibility for their
brothers and sisters. Symptoms of this trend include the lack of
solidarity towards society's weakest members-such as the elderly, the
infirm, immigrants, children- and the indifference frequently found in
relations between the world's peoples even when basic values such as
survival, freedom and peace are involved.
9. But God cannot leave the crime unpunished: from the ground on which
it has been spilt, the blood of the one murdered demands that God
should render justice (cf. Gen 37:26; Is 26:21; Ez 24:7-8). From this
text the Church has taken the name of the "sins which cry to God for
justice", and, first among them, she has included wilful murder. 12 For
the Jewish people, as for many peoples of antiquity, blood is the
source of life. Indeed "the blood is the life" (Dt 12:23), and life,
especially human life, belongs only to God: for this reason whoever
attacks human life, in some way attacks God himself.
Cain is cursed by God and also by the earth, which will deny him its
fruit (cf. Gen 4:11-12). He is punished: he will live in the wilderness
and the desert. Murderous violence profoundly changes man's
environment. From being the "garden of Eden" (Gen 2:15), a place of
plenty, of harmonious interpersonal relationships and of friendship
with God, the earth becomes "the land of Nod" (Gen 4:16), a place of
scarcity, loneliness and separation from God. Cain will be "a fugitive
and a wanderer on the earth" (Gen 4:14): uncertainty and restlessness
will follow him forever.
And yet God, who is always merciful even when he punishes, "put a mark
on Cain, lest any who came upon him should kill him" (Gen 4:15). He
thus gave him a distinctive sign, not to condemn him to the hatred of
others, but to protect and defend him from those wishing to kill him,
even out of a desire to avenge Abel's death. Not even a murderer loses
his personal dignity, and God himself pledges to guarantee this. And it
is pre- cisely here that the paradoxical mystery of the merciful
justice of God is shown forth. As Saint Ambrose writes: "Once the crime
is admitted at the very inception of this sinful act of parricide, then
the divine law of God's mercy should be immediately extended. If
punishment is forthwith inflicted on the accused, then men in the
exercise of justice would in no way observe patience and moderation,
but would straightaway condemn the defendant to punishment. ... God
drove Cain out of his presence and sent him into exile far away from
his native land, so that he passed from a life of human kindness to one
which was more akin to the rude existence of a wild beast. God, who
preferred the correction rather than the death of a sinner, did not
desire that a homicide be punished by the exaction of another act of
homicide".13
"What have you done?" (Gen 4:10): the eclipse of the value of life
10. The Lord said to Cain: "What have you done? The voice of your
brother's blood is crying to me from the ground" (Gen 4:10).The voice
of the blood shed by men continues to cry out, from generation to
generation, in ever new and different ways.
The Lord's question: "What have you done?", which Cain cannot escape,
is addressed also to the people of today, to make them realize the
extent and gravity of the attacks against life which continue to mark
human history; to make them discover what causes these attacks and
feeds them; and to make them ponder seriously the consequences which
derive from these attacks for the existence of individuals and peoples.
Some threats come from nature itself, but they are made worse by the
culpable indifference and negligence of those who could in some cases
remedy them. Others are the result of situations of violence, hatred
and conflicting interests, which lead people to attack others through
murder, war, slaughter and genocide.
And how can we fail to consider the violence against life done to
millions of human beings, especially children, who are forced into
poverty, malnutrition and hunger because of an unjust distribution of
resources between peoples and between social classes? And what of the
violence inherent not only in wars as such but in the scandalous arms
trade, which spawns the many armed conflicts which stain our world with
blood? What of the spreading of death caused by reckless tampering with
the world's ecological balance, by the criminal spread of drugs, or by
the promotion of certain kinds of sexual activity which, besides being
morally unacceptable, also involve grave risks to life? It is
impossible to catalogue completely the vast array of threats to human
life, so many are the forms, whether explicit or hidden, in which they
appear today!
11. Here though we shall concentrate particular attention on another
category of attacks, affecting life in its earliest and in its final
stages, attacks which present new characteristics with respect to the
past and which raise questions of extraordinary seriousness. It is not
only that in generalized opinion these attacks tend no longer to be
considered as "crimes"; paradoxically they assume the nature of
"rights", to the point that the State is called upon to give them legal
recognition and to make them available through the free services of
health-care personnel. Such attacks strike human life at the time of
its greatest frailty, when it lacks any means of self-defence. Even
more serious is the fact that, most often, those attacks are carried
out in the very heart of and with the complicity of the family-the
family which by its nature is called to be the "sanctuary of life".
How did such a situation come about? Many different factors have to be
taken into account. In the background there is the profound crisis of
culture, which generates scepticism in relation to the very foundations
of knowledge and ethics, and which makes it increasingly difficult to
grasp clearly the meaning of what man is, the meaning of his rights and
his duties. Then there are all kinds of existential and interpersonal
difficulties, made worse by the complexity of a society in which
individuals, couples and families are often left alone with their
problems. There are situations of acute poverty, anxiety or frustration
in which the struggle to make ends meet, the presence of unbearable
pain, or instances of violence, especially against women, make the
choice to defend and promote life so demanding as sometimes to reach
the point of heroism.
All this explains, at least in part, how the value of life can today
undergo a kind of "eclipse", even though conscience does not cease to
point to it as a sacred and inviolable value, as is evident in the
tendency to disguise certain crimes against life in its early or final
stages by using innocuous medical terms which distract attention from
the fact that what is involved is the right to life of an actual human
person.
12. In fact, while the climate of widespread moral uncertainty can in
some way be explained by the multiplicity and gravity of today's social
problems, and these can sometimes mitigate the subjective
responsibility of individuals, it is no less true that we are
confronted by an even larger reality, which can be described as a
veritable structure of sin. This reality is characterized by the
emergence of a culture which denies solidarity and in many cases takes
the form of a veritable "culture of death". This culture is actively
fostered by powerful cultural, economic and political currents which
encourage an idea of society excessively concerned with efficiency.
Looking at the situation from this point of view, it is possible to
speak in a certain sense of a war of the powerful against the weak: a
life which would require greater acceptance, love and care is
considered useless, or held to be an intolerable burden, and is
therefore rejected in one way or another. A person who, because of
illness, handicap or, more simply, just by existing, compromises the
well-being or life-style of those who are more favoured tends to be
looked upon as an enemy to be resisted or eliminated. In this way a
kind of "conspiracy against life" is unleashed. This conspiracy
involves not only individuals in their personal, family or group
relationships, but goes far beyond, to the point of damaging and
distorting, at the international level, relations between peoples and
States.
13. In order to facilitate the spread of abortion, enormous sums of
money have been invested and continue to be invested in the production
of pharmaceutical products which make it possible to kill the fetus in
the mother's womb without recourse to medical assistance. On this
point, scientific research itself seems to be almost exclusively
preoccupied with developing products which are ever more simple and
effective in suppressing life and which at the same time are capable of
removing abortion from any kind of control or social responsibility.
It is frequently asserted that contraception, if made safe and
available to all, is the most effective remedy against abortion. The
Catholic Church is then accused of actually promoting abortion, because
she obstinately continues to teach the moral unlawfulness of
contraception. When looked at carefully, this objection is clearly
unfounded. It may be that many people use contraception with a view to
excluding the subsequent temptation of abortion. But the negative
values inherent in the "contraceptive mentality"-which is very
different from responsible parenthood, lived in respect for the full
truth of the conjugal act-are such that they in fact strengthen this
temptation when an unwanted life is conceived. Indeed, the pro-
abortion culture is especially strong precisely where the Church's
teaching on contraception is rejected. Certainly, from the moral point
of view contraception and abortion arespecifically different evils: the
former contradicts the full truth of the sexual act as the proper
expression of conjugal love, while the latter destroys the life of a
human being; the former is opposed to the virtue of chastity in
marriage, the latter is opposed to the virtue of justice and directly
violates the divine commandment "You shall not kill".
But despite their differences of nature and moral gravity,
contraception and abortion are often closely connected, as fruits of
the same tree. It is true that in many cases contraception and even
abortion are practised under the pressure of real- life difficulties,
which nonetheless can never exonerate from striving to observe God's
law fully. Still, in very many other instances such practices are
rooted in a hedonistic mentality unwilling to accept responsibility in
matters of sexuality, and they imply a self-centered concept of
freedom, which regards procreation as an obstacle to personal
fulfilment. The life which could result from a sexual encounter thus
becomes an enemy to be avoided at all costs, and abortion becomes the
only possible decisive response to failed contraception.
The close connection which exists, in mentality, between the practice
of contraception and that of abortion is becoming increasingly obvious.
It is being demonstrated in an alarming way by the development of
chemical products, intrauterine devices and vaccines which, distributed
with the same ease as contraceptives, really act as abortifacients in
the very early stages of the development of the life of the new human
being.
14. The various techniques of artificial reproduction, which would seem
to be at the service of life and which are frequently used with this
intention, actually open the door to new threats against life. Apart
from the fact that they are morally unacceptable, since they separate
procreation from the fully human context of the conjugal act, 14 these
techniques have a high rate of failure: not just failure in relation to
fertilization but with regard to the subsequent development of the
embryo, which is exposed to the risk of death, generally within a very
short space of time. Furthermore, the number of embryos produced is
often greater than that needed for implantation in the woman's womb,
and these so-called "spare embryos" are then destroyed or used for
research which, under the pretext of scientific or medical progress, in
fact reduces human life to the level of simple "biological material" to
be freely disposed of.
Prenatal diagnosis, which presents no moral objections if carried out
in order to identify the medical treatment which may be needed by the
child in the womb, all too often becomes an opportunity for proposing
and procuring an abortion. This is eugenic abortion, justified in
public opinion on the basis of a mentality-mistakenly held to be
consistent with the demands of "therapeutic interventions"-which
accepts life only under certain conditions and rejects it when it is
affected by any limitation, handicap or illness.
Following this same logic, the point has been reached where the most
basic care, even nourishment, is denied to babies born with serious
handicaps or illnesses. The contemporary scene, moreover, is becoming
even more alarming by reason of the proposals, advanced here and there,
to justify even infanticide, following the same arguments used to
justify the right to abortion. In this way, we revert to a state of
barbarism which one hoped had been left behind forever.
15. Threats which are no less serious hang over the incurably ill and
the dying. In a social and cultural context which makes it more
difficult to face and accept suffering, the temptation becomes all the
greater to resolve the problem of suffering by eliminating it at the
root, by hastening death so that it occurs at the moment considered
most suitable.
Various considerations usually contribute to such a decision, all of
which converge in the same terrible outcome. In the sick person the
sense of anguish, of severe discomfort, and even of desperation brought
on by intense and prolonged suffering can be a decisive factor. Such a
situation can threaten the already fragile equilibrium of an
individual's personal and family life, with the result that, on the one
hand, the sick person, despite the help of increasingly effective
medical and social assistance, risks feeling overwhelmed by his or her
own frailty; and on the other hand, those close to the sick person can
be moved by an understandable even if misplaced compassion. All this is
aggravated by a cultural climate which fails to perceive any meaning or
value in suffering, but rather considers suffering the epitome of evil,
to be eliminated at all costs. This is especially the case in the
absence of a religious outlook which could help to provide a positive
understanding of the mystery of suffering.
On a more general level, there exists in contemporary culture a certain
Promethean attitude which leads people to think that they can control
life and death by taking the decisions about them into their own hands.
What really happens in this case is that the individual is overcome and
crushed by a death deprived of any prospect of meaning or hope. We see
a tragic expression of all this in the spread of euthanasia-disguised
and surreptitious, or practised openly and even legally. As well as for
reasons of a misguided pity at the sight of the patient's suffering,
euthanasia is sometimes justified by the utilitarian motive of avoiding
costs which bring no return and which weigh heavily on society. Thus it
is proposed to eliminate malformed babies, the severely handicapped,
the disabled, the elderly, especially when they are not
self-sufficient, and the terminally ill. Nor can we remain silent in
the face of other more furtive, but no less serious and real, forms of
euthanasia. These could occur for example when, in order to increase
the availability of organs for transplants, organs are removed without
respecting objective and adequate criteria which verify the death of
the donor.
16. Another present-day phenomenon, frequently used to justify threats
and attacks against life, is the demographic question. This question
arises in different ways in different parts of the world. In the rich
and developed countries there is a disturbing decline or collapse of
the birthrate. The poorer countries, on the other hand, generally have
a high rate of population growth, difficult to sustain in the context
of low economic and social development, and especially where there is
extreme underdevelopment. In the face of over- population in the poorer
countries, instead of forms of global intervention at the international
level-serious family and social policies, programmes of cultural
development and of fair production and distribution of
resources-anti-birth policies continue to be enacted.
Contraception, sterilization and abortion are certainly part of the
reason why in some cases there is a sharp decline in the birthrate. It
is not difficult to be tempted to use the same methods and attacks
against life also where there is a situation of "demographic explosion".
The Pharaoh of old, haunted by the presence and increase of the
children of Israel, submitted them to every kind of oppression and
ordered that every male child born of the Hebrew women was to be killed
(cf. Ex 1:7-22). Today not a few of the powerful of the earth act in
the same way. They too are haunted by the current demographic growth,
and fear that the most prolific and poorest peoples represent a threat
for the well-being and peace of their own countries. Consequently,
rather than wishing to face and solve these serious problems with
respect for the dignity of individuals and families and for every
person's inviolable right to life, they prefer to promote and impose by
whatever means a massive programme of birth control. Even the economic
help which they would be ready to give is unjustly made conditional on
the acceptance of an anti-birth policy.
17. Humanity today offers us a truly alarming spectacle, if we consider
not only how extensively attacks on life are spreading but also their
unheard-of numerical proportion, and the fact that they receive
widespread and powerful support from a broad consensus on the part of
society, from widespread legal approval and the involvement of certain
sectors of health-care personnel.
As I emphatically stated at Denver, on the occasion of the Eighth World
Youth Day, "with time the threats against life have not grown weaker.
They are taking on vast proportions. They are not only threats coming
from the outside, from the forces of nature or the ?Cains' who kill the
?Abels'; no, they are scientifically and systematically programmed
threats. The twentieth century will have been an era of massive attacks
on life, an endless series of wars and a continual taking of innocent
human life. False prophets and false teachers have had the greatest
success".15 Aside from intentions, which can be varied and perhaps can
seem convincing at times, especially if presented in the name of
solidarity, we are in fact faced by an objective "conspiracy against
life", involving even international Institutions, engaged in
encouraging and carrying out actual campaigns to make contraception,
sterilization and abortion widely available. Nor can it be denied that
the mass media are often implicated in this conspiracy, by lending
credit to that culture which presents recourse to contraception,
sterilization, abortion and even euthanasia as a mark of progress and a
victory of freedom, while depicting as enemies of freedom and progress
those positions which are unreservedly pro-life.
"Am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen 4:9): a perverse idea of freedom
18. The panorama described needs to be understood not only in terms of
the phenomena of death which characterize it but also in the variety of
causes which determine it. The Lord's question: "What have you done?"
(Gen 4:10), seems almost like an invitation addressed to Cain to go
beyond the material dimension of his murderous gesture, in order to
recognize in it all the gravity of the motives which occasioned it and
the consequences which result from it.
Decisions that go against life sometimes arise from difficult or even
tragic situations of profound suffering, loneliness, a total lack of
economic pros- pects, depression and anxiety about the future. Such
circumstances can mitigate even to a notable degree subjective
responsibility and the consequent culpability of those who make these
choices which in themselves are evil. But today the prob- lem goes far
beyond the necessary recognition of these personal situations. It is a
problem which exists at the cultural, social and political level, where
it reveals its more sinister and disturbing aspect in the tendency,
ever more widely shared, to interpret the above crimes against life as
legitimate expressions of individual freedom, to be acknowledged and
protected as actual rights.
In this way, and with tragic consequences, a long historical process is
reaching a turning-point. The process which once led to discovering the
idea of "human rights"-rights inherent in every person and prior to any
Constitution and State legislation-is today marked by a surprising
contradiction. Precisely in an age when the inviolable rights of the
person are solemnly proclaimed and the value of life is publicly
affirmed, the very right to life is being denied or trampled upon,
especially at the more significant moments of existence: the moment of
birth and the moment of death.
On the one hand, the various declarations of human rights and the many
initiatives inspired by these declarations show that at the global
level there is a growing moral sensitivity, more alert to acknowledging
the value and dignity of every individual as a human being, without any
distinction of race, nationality, religion, political opinion or social
class.
On the other hand, these noble proclamations are unfortunately
contradicted by a tragic repudiation of them in practice. This denial
is still more distressing, indeed more scandalous, precisely because it
is occurring in a society which makes the affirmation and protection of
human rights its primary objective and its boast. How can these
repeated affirmations of principle be reconciled with the continual
increase and widespread justification of attacks on human life? How can
we reconcile these declarations with the refusal to accept those who
are weak and needy, or elderly, or those who have just been conceived?
These attacks go directly against respect for life and they represent a
direct threat to the entire culture of human rights. It is a threat
capable, in the end, of jeopardizing the very meaning of democratic
coexistence: rather than societies of "people living together", our
cities risk becoming societies of people who are rejected,
marginalized, uprooted and oppressed. If we then look at the wider
worldwide perspective, how can we fail to think that the very
affirmation of the rights of individuals and peoples made in
distinguished international assemblies is a merely futile exercise of
rhetoric, if we fail to unmask the selfishness of the rich countries
which exclude poorer countries from access to development or make such
access dependent on arbitrary prohibitions against procreation, setting
up an opposition between development and man himself? Should we not
question the very economic models often adopted by States which, also
as a result of international pressures and forms of conditioning, cause
and aggravate situations of injustice and violence in which the life of
whole peoples is degraded and trampled upon?
19. What are the roots of this remarkable contradiction?
We can find them in an overall assessment of a cultural and moral
nature, beginning with the mentality which carries the concept of
subjectivity to an extreme and even distorts it, and recognizes as a
subject of rights only the person who enjoys full or at least incipient
autonomy and who emerges from a state of total dependence on others.
But how can we reconcile this approach with the exaltation of man as a
being who is "not to be used"? The theory of human rights is based
precisely on the affirmation that the human person, unlike animals and
things, cannot be subjected to domination by others. We must also
mention the mentality which tends to equate personal dignity with the
capacity for verbal and explicit, or at least perceptible,
communication. It is clear that on the basis of these presuppositions
there is no place in the world for anyone who, like the unborn or the
dying, is a weak element in the social structure, or for anyone who
appears completely at the mercy of others and radically dependent on
them, and can only communicate through the silent language of a
profound sharing of affection. In this case it is force which becomes
the criterion for choice and action in interpersonal relations and in
social life. But this is the exact opposite of what a State ruled by
law, as a community in which the "reasons of force" are replaced by the
"force of reason", historically intended to affirm.
At another level, the roots of the contradiction between the solemn
affirmation of human rights and their tragic denial in practice lies in
a notion of freedom which exalts the isolated individual in an absolute
way, and gives no place to solidarity, to openness to others and
service of them. While it is true that the taking of life not yet born
or in its final stages is sometimes marked by a mistaken sense of
altruism and human compassion, it cannot be denied that such a culture
of death, taken as a whole, betrays a completely individualistic
concept of freedom, which ends up by becoming the freedom of "the
strong" against the weak who have no choice but to submit.
It is precisely in this sense that Cain's answer to the Lord's
question: "Where is Abel your brother?" can be interpreted: "I do not
know; am I my brother's keeper?" (Gen 4:9). Yes, every man is his
"brother's keeper", because God entrusts us to one another. And it is
also in view of this entrusting that God gives everyone freedom, a
freedom which possesses an inherently relational dimension. This is a
great gift of the Creator, placed as it is at the service of the person
and of his fulfilment through the gift of self and openness to others;
but when freedom is made absolute in an individualistic way, it is
emptied of its original content, and its very meaning and dignity are
contradicted.
There is an even more profound aspect which needs to be emphasized:
freedom negates and destroys itself, and becomes a factor leading to
the destruction of others, when it no longer recognizes and respects
its essential link with the truth. When freedom, out of a desire to
emancipate itself from all forms of tradition and authority, shuts out
even the most obvious evidence of an objective and universal truth,
which is the foundation of personal and social life, then the person
ends up by no longer taking as the sole and indisputable point of
reference for his own choices the truth about good and evil, but only
his subjective and changeable opinion or, indeed, his selfish interest
and whim.
20. This view of freedom leads to a serious distortion of life in
society. If the promotion of the self is understood in terms of
absolute autonomy, people inevitably reach the point of rejecting one
another. Everyone else is considered an enemy from whom one has to
defend oneself. Thus soci- ety becomes a mass of individuals placed
side by side, but without any mutual bonds. Each one wishes to assert
himself independently of the other and in fact intends to make his own
interests prevail. Still, in the face of other people's analogous
interests, some kind of compromise must be found, if one wants a
society in which the maximum possible freedom is guaranteed to each
individual. In this way, any reference to common values and to a truth
absolutely binding on everyone is lost, and social life ventures on to
the shifting sands of complete relativism. At that point, everything is
negotiable, everything is open to bargaining: even the first of the
fundamental rights, the right to life.
This is what is happening also at the level of politics and government:
the original and inalienable right to life is questioned or denied on
the basis of a parliamentary vote or the will of one part of the
people-even if it is the majority. This is the sinister result of a
relativism which reigns unopposed: the "right" ceases to be such,
because it is no longer firmly founded on the inviolable dignity of the
person, but is made subject to the will of the stronger part. In this
way democracy, contradicting its own principles, effectively moves
towards a form of totalitarianism. The State is no longer the "common
home" where all can live together on the basis of principles of
fundamental equality, but is transformed into a tyrant State, which
arrogates to itself the right to dispose of the life of the weakest and
most defenceless members, from the unborn child to the elderly, in the
name of a public interest which is really nothing but the interest of
one part. The appearance of the strictest respect for legality is
maintained, at least when the laws permitting abortion and euthanasia
are the result of a ballot in accordance with what are generally seen
as the rules of democracy. Really, what we have here is only the tragic
caricature of legality; the democratic ideal, which is only truly such
when it acknowledges and safeguards the dignity of every human person,
is betrayed in its very foundations: "How is it still possible to speak
of the dignity of every human person when the killing of the weakest
and most innocent is permitted? In the name of what justice is the most
unjust of discriminations practised: some individuals are held to be
deserving of defence and others are denied that dignity?" 16 When this
happens, the process leading to the breakdown of a genuinely human
co-existence and the disintegration of the State itself has already
begun.
To claim the right to abortion, infanticide and euthanasia, and to
recognize that right in law, means to attribute to human freedom a
perverse and evil significance: that of an absolute power over others
and against others. This is the death of true freedom: "Truly, truly, I
say to you, every one who commits sin is a slave to sin" (Jn 8:34).
"And from your face I shall be hidden" (Gen 4:14): the eclipse of the
sense of God and of man
21. In seeking the deepest roots of the struggle between the "culture
of life" and the "culture of death", we cannot restrict ourselves to
the perverse idea of freedom mentioned above. We have to go to the
heart of the tragedy being experienced by modern man: the eclipse of
the sense of God and of man, typical of a social and cultural climate
dominated by secularism, which, with its ubiquitous tentacles, succeeds
at times in putting Christian communities themselves to the test. Those
who allow themselves to be influenced by this climate easily fall into
a sad vicious circle: when the sense of God is lost, there is also a
tendency to lose the sense of man, of his dignity and his life; in
turn, the systematic violation of the moral law, especially in the
serious matter of respect for human life and its dignity, produces a
kind of progressive darkening of the capacity to discern God's living
and saving presence.
Once again we can gain insight from the story of Abel's murder by his
brother. After the curse imposed on him by God, Cain thus addresses the
Lord: "My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have
driven me this day away from the ground; and from your face I shall be
hidden; and I shall be a fugitive and wanderer on the earth, and
whoever finds me will slay me" (Gen 4:13-14). Cain is convinced that
his sin will not obtain pardon from the Lord and that his inescapable
destiny will be to have to "hide his face" from him. If Cain is capable
of confessing that his fault is "greater than he can bear", it is
because he is conscious of being in the presence of God and before
God's just judgment. It is really only before the Lord that man can
admit his sin and recognize its full seriousness. Such was the
experience of David who, after "having committed evil in the sight of
the Lord", and being rebuked by the Prophet Nathan, exclaimed: "My
offences truly I know them; my sin is always before me. Against you,
you alone, have I sinned; what is evil in your sight I have done" (Ps
51:5-6).
22. Consequently, when the sense of God is lost, the sense of man is
also threatened and poisoned, as the Second Vatican Council concisely
states: "Without the Creator the creature would disappear ... But when
God is forgotten the creature itself grows unintelligible".17 Man is no
longer able to see himself as "mysteriously different" from other
earthly creatures; he regards himself merely as one more living being,
as an organism which, at most, has reached a very high stage of
perfection. Enclosed in the narrow horizon of his physical nature, he
is somehow reduced to being "a thing", and no longer grasps the
"transcendent" character of his "existence as man". He no longer
considers life as a splendid gift of God, something "sacred" entrusted
to his responsibility and thus also to his loving care and
"veneration". Life itself becomes a mere "thing", which man claims as
his exclusive property, completely subject to his control and
manipulation.
Thus, in relation to life at birth or at death, man is no longer
capable of posing the question of the truest meaning of his own
existence, nor can he assimilate with genuine freedom these crucial
moments of his own history. He is concerned only with "doing", and,
using all kinds of technology, he busies himself with programming,
controlling and dominating birth and death. Birth and death, instead of
being primary experiences demanding to be "lived", become things to be
merely "possessed" or "rejected".
Moreover, once all reference to God has been removed, it is not
surprising that the meaning of everything else becomes profoundly
distorted. Nature itself, from being "mater" (mother), is now reduced
to being "matter", and is subjected to every kind of manipulation. This
is the direction in which a certain technical and scientific way of
thinking, prevalent in present-day culture, appears to be leading when
it rejects the very idea that there is a truth of creation which must
be ac- knowledged, or a plan of God for life which must be respected.
Something similar happens when concern about the consequences of such a
"freedom without law" leads some people to the opposite position of a
"law without freedom", as for example in ideologies which consider it
unlawful to interfere in any way with nature, practically "divinizing"
it. Again, this is a misunderstanding of nature's dependence on the
plan of the Creator. Thus it is clear that the loss of contact with
God's wise design is the deepest root of modern man's confusion, both
when this loss leads to a freedom without rules and when it leaves man
in "fear" of his freedom.
By living "as if God did not exist", man not only loses sight of the
mystery of God, but also of the mystery of the world and the mystery of
his own being.
23. The eclipse of the sense of God and of man inevitably leads to a
practical materialism, which breeds individualism, utilitarianism and
hedonism. Here too we see the permanent validity of the words of the
Apostle: "And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave
them up to a base mind and to improper conduct" (Rom 1:28). The values
of being are replaced by those of having. The only goal which counts is
the pursuit of one's own material well-being. The so-called "quality of
life" is interpreted primarily or exclusively as economic efficiency,
inordinate consumerism, physical beauty and pleasure, to the neglect of
the more profound dimensions-interpersonal, spiritual and religious-of
existence.
In such a context suffering, an inescapable burden of human existence
but also a factor of possible personal growth, is "censored", rejected
as useless, indeed opposed as an evil, always and in every way to be
avoided. When it cannot be avoided and the prospect of even some future
well-being vanishes, then life appears to have lost all meaning and the
temptation grows in man to claim the right to suppress it.
Within this same cultural climate, the body is no longer perceived as a
properly personal reality, a sign and place of relations with others,
with God and with the world. It is reduced to pure materiality: it is
simply a complex of organs, functions and energies to be used according
to the sole criteria of pleasure and efficiency. Consequently,
sexuality too is depersonalized and exploited: from being the sign,
place and language of love, that is, of the gift of self and acceptance
of another, in all the other's richness as a person, it increasingly
becomes the occasion and instrument for self-assertion and the selfish
satisfaction of personal desires and instincts. Thus the original
import of human sexuality is distorted and falsified, and the two
meanings, unitive and procreative, inherent in the very nature of the
conjugal act, are artificially separated: in this way the marriage
union is betrayed and its fruitfulness is subjected to the caprice of
the couple. Procreation then becomes the "enemy" to be avoided in
sexual activity: if it is welcomed, this is only because it expresses a
desire, or indeed the intention, to have a child "at all costs", and
not because it signifies the complete acceptance of the other and
therefore an openness to the richness of life which the child
represents.
In the materialistic perspective described so far, interpersonal
relations are seriously impoverished. The first to be harmed are women,
children, the sick or suffering, and the elderly. The criterion of
personal dignity-which demands respect, generosity and service-is
replaced by the criterion of efficiency, functionality and usefulness:
others are considered not for what they "are", but for what they "have,
do and produce". This is the supremacy of the strong over the weak.
24. It is at the heart of the moral conscience that the eclipse of the
sense of God and of man, with all its various and deadly consequences
for life, is taking place. It is a question, above all, of the
individual conscience, as it stands before God in its singleness and
uniqueness. 18 But it is also a question, in a certain sense, of the
"moral conscience" of society: in a way it too is responsible, not only
because it tolerates or fosters behaviour contrary to life, but also
because it encourages the "culture of death", creating and
consolidating actual "structures of sin" which go against life. The
moral conscience, both individual and social, is today subjected, also
as a result of the penetrating influence of the media, to an extremely
serious and mortal danger: that of confusion between good and evil,
precisely in relation to the fundamental right to life. A large part of
contemporary society looks sadly like that humanity which Paul
describes in his Letter to the Romans. It is composed "of men who by
their wickedness suppress the truth" (1:18): having denied God and
believing that they can build the earthly city without him, "they
became futile in their thinking" so that "their senseless minds were
darkened" (1:21); "claiming to be wise, they became fools" (1:22),
carrying out works deserving of death, and "they not only do them but
approve those who practise them" (1:32). When conscience, this bright
lamp of the soul (cf. Mt 6:22-23), calls "evil good and good evil" (Is
5:20), it is already on the path to the most alarming corruption and
the darkest moral blindness.
And yet all the conditioning and efforts to enforce silence fail to
stifle the voice of the Lord echoing in the conscience of every
individual: it is always from this intimate sanctuary of the conscience
that a new journey of love, openness and service to human life can
begin.
"You have come to the sprinkled blood" (cf. Heb 12: 22, 24): signs of
hope and invitation to commitment
25. "The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground"
(Gen 4:10). It is not only the voice of the blood of Abel, the first
innocent man to be murdered, which cries to God, the source and
defender of life. The blood of every other human being who has been
killed since Abel is also a voice raised to the Lord. In an absolutely
singular way, as the author of the Letter to the Hebrews reminds us,
the voice of the blood of Christ, of whom Abel in his innocence is a
prophetic figure, cries out to God: "You have come to Mount Zion and to
the city of the living God ... to the mediator of a new covenant, and
to the sprinkled blood that speaks more graciously than the blood of
Abel" (12:22, 24).
It is the sprinkled blood. A symbol and prophetic sign of it had been
the blood of the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, whereby God expressed
his will to communicate his own life to men, purifying and consecrating
them (cf. Ex 24:8; Lev 17:11). Now all of this is fulfilled and comes
true in Christ: his is the sprinkled blood which redeems, purifies and
saves; it is the blood of the Mediator of the New Covenant "poured out
for many for the forgiveness of sins" (Mt 26:28). This blood, which
flows from the pierced side of Christ on the Cross (cf. Jn 19:34),
"speaks more graciously" than the blood of Abel; indeed, it expresses
and requires a more radical "justice", and above all it implores mercy,
19 it makes intercession for the brethren before the Father (cf. Heb
7:25), and it is the source of perfect redemption and the gift of new
life.
The blood of Christ, while it reveals the grandeur of the Father's
love, shows how precious man is in God's eyes and how priceless the
value of his life. The Apostle Peter reminds us of this: "You know that
you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your fathers, not
with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious
blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot" (1 Pt
1:18-19). Precisely by contemplating the precious blood of Christ, the
sign of his self-giving love (cf. Jn 13:1), the believer learns to
recognize and appreciate the almost divine dignity of every human being
and can exclaim with ever renewed and grateful wonder: "How precious
must man be in the eyes of the Creator, if he ?gained so great a
Redeemer' (Exsultet of the Easter Vigil), and if God ?gave his only
Son' in order that man ?should not perish but have eternal life' (cf.
Jn 3:16)!". 20
Furthermore, Christ's blood reveals to man that his greatness, and
therefore his vocation, consists in the sincere gift of self. Precisely
because it is poured out as the gift of life, the blood of Christ is no
longer a sign of death, of definitive separation from the brethren, but
the instrument of a communion which is richness of life for all.
Whoever in the Sacrament of the Eucharist drinks this blood and abides
in Jesus (cf. Jn 6:56) is drawn into the dynamism of his love and gift
of life, in order to bring to its fullness the original vocation to
love which belongs to everyone (cf. Gen 1:27; 2:18-24).
It is from the blood of Christ that all draw the strength to commit
themselves to promoting life. It is precisely this blood that is the
most powerful source of hope, indeed it is the foundation of the
absolute certitude that in God's plan life will be victorious. "And
death shall be no more", exclaims the powerful voice which comes from
the throne of God in the Heavenly Jerusalem (Rev 21:4). And Saint Paul
assures us that the present victory over sin is a sign and anticipation
of the definitive victory over death, when there "shall come to pass
the saying that is written: ?Death is swallowed up in victory'. ?O
death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?' " (1 Cor
15:54-55).
26. In effect, signs which point to this victory are not lacking in our
societies and cultures, strongly marked though they are by the "culture
of death". It would therefore be to give a one-sided picture, which
could lead to sterile discouragement, if the condemnation of the
threats to life were not accompanied by the presentation of the
positive signs at work in humanity's present situation.
Unfortunately it is often hard to see and recognize these positive
signs, perhaps also because they do not receive sufficient attention in
the communications media. Yet, how many initiatives of help and support
for people who are weak and defenceless have sprung up and continue to
spring up in the Christian community and in civil society, at the
local, national and international level, through the efforts of
individuals, groups, movements and organizations of various kinds!
There are still many married couples who, with a generous sense of
responsibility, are ready to accept children as "the supreme gift of
marriage".21 Nor is there a lack of families which, over and above
their everyday service to life, are willing to accept abandoned
children, boys and girls and teenagers in difficulty, handicapped
persons, elderly men and women who have been left alone. Many centres
in support of life, or similar institutions, are sponsored by
individuals and groups which, with admirable dedication and sacrifice,
offer moral and material support to mothers who are in difficulty and
are tempted to have recourse to abortion. Increasingly, there are
appearing in many places groups of volunteers prepared to offer
hospitality to persons without a family, who find themselves in
conditions of particular distress or who need a supportive environment
to help them to overcome destructive habits and discover anew the
meaning of life.
Medical science, thanks to the committed efforts of researchers and
practitioners, continues in its efforts to discover ever more effective
remedies: treatments which were once inconceivable but which now offer
much promise for the future are today being developed for the unborn,
the suffering and those in an acute or terminal stage of sickness.
Various agencies and organizations are mobilizing their efforts to
bring the benefits of the most advanced medicine to countries most
afflicted by poverty and endemic diseases. In a similar way national
and international associations of physicians are being organized to
bring quick relief to peoples affected by natural disasters, epidemics
or wars. Even if a just international distribution of medical resources
is still far from being a reality, how can we not recognize in the
steps taken so far the sign of a growing solidarity among peoples, a
praiseworthy human and moral sensitivity and a greater respect for life?
27. In view of laws which permit abortion and in view of efforts, which
here and there have been successful, to legalize euthanasia, movements
and initiatives to raise social awareness in defence of life have
sprung up in many parts of the world. When, in accordance with their
principles, such movements act resolutely, but without resorting to
violence, they promote a wider and more profound consciousness of the
value of life, and evoke and bring about a more determined commitment
to its defence.
Furthermore, how can we fail to mention all those daily gestures of
openness, sacrifice and unselfish care which countless people lovingly
make in families, hospitals, orphanages, homes for the elderly and
other centres or communities which defend life? Allowing herself to be
guided by the example of Jesus the "Good Samaritan" (cf. Lk 10:29-37)
and upheld by his strength, the Church has always been in the front
line in providing charitable help: so many of her sons and daughters,
especially men and women Religious, in traditional and ever new forms,
have consecrated and continue to consecrate their lives to God, freely
giving of themselves out of love for their neighbour, especially for
the weak and needy. These deeds strengthen the bases of the
"civilization of love and life", without which the life of individuals
and of society itself loses its most genuinely human quality. Even if
they go unnoticed and remain hidden to most people, faith assures us
that the Father "who sees in secret" (Mt 6:6) not only will reward
these actions but already here and now makes them produce lasting fruit
for the good of all.
Among the signs of hope we should also count the spread, at many levels
of public opinion, of a new sensitivity ever more opposed to war as an
instrument for the resolution of conflicts between peoples, and
increasingly oriented to finding effective but "non-violent" means to
counter the armed aggressor. In the same perspective there is evidence
of a growing public opposition to the death penalty, even when such a
penalty is seen as a kind of "legitimate defence" on the part of
society. Modern society in fact has the means of effectively
suppressing crime by rendering criminals harmless without definitively
denying them the chance to reform.
Another welcome sign is the growing attention being paid to the quality
of life and to ecology, especially in more developed societies, where
people's expectations are no longer concentrated so much on problems of
survival as on the search for an overall improvement of living
conditions. Especially significant is the reawakening of an ethical
reflection on issues affecting life. The emergence and ever more
widespread development of bioethics is promoting more reflection and
dialogue-between believers and non-believers, as well as between
followers of different religions- on ethical problems, including
fundamental issues pertaining to human life.
28. This situation, with its lights and shadows, ought to make us all
fully aware that we are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between
good and evil, death and life, the "culture of death" and the "culture
of life". We find ourselves not only "faced with" but necessarily "in
the midst of" this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in
it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be
unconditionally pro-life.
For us too Moses' invitation rings out loud and clear: "See, I have set
before you this day life and good, death and evil. ... I have set
before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life,
that you and your descendants may live" (Dt 30:15, 19). This invitation
is very appropriate for us who are called day by day to the duty of
choosing between the "culture of life" and the "culture of death". But
the call of Deuteronomy goes even deeper, for it urges us to make a
choice which is properly religious and moral. It is a question of
giving our own existence a basic orientation and living the law of the
Lord faithfully and consistently: "If you obey the commandments of the
Lord your God which I command you this day, by loving the Lord your
God, by walking in his ways, and by keeping his commandments and his
statutes and his ordinances, then you shall live ... therefore choose
life, that you and your descendants may live, loving the Lord your God,
obeying his voice, and cleaving to him; for that means life to you and
length of days" (30:16,19-20).
The unconditional choice for life reaches its full religious and moral
meaning when it flows from, is formed by and nourished by faith in
Christ. Nothing helps us so much to face positively the conflict
between death and life in which we are engaged as faith in the Son of
God who became man and dwelt among men so "that they may have life, and
have it abundantly" (Jn 10:10). It is a matter of faith in the Risen
Lord, who has conquered death; faith in the blood of Christ "that
speaks more graciously than the blood of Abel" (Heb 12:24).
With the light and strength of this faith, therefore, in facing the
challenges of the present situation, the Church is becoming more aware
of the grace and responsibility which come to her from her Lord of
proclaiming, celebrating and serving the Gospel of life.
CHAPTER II - I CAME THAT THEY MAY HAVE LIFE
THE CHRISTIAN MESSAGE CONCERNING LIFE
"The life was made manifest, and we saw it" (1 Jn 1:2): with our gaze
fixed on Christ, "the Word of life"
29. Faced with the countless grave threats to life present in the
modern world, one could feel overwhelmed by sheer powerlessness: good
can never be powerful enough to triumph over evil!
At such times the People of God, and this includes every believer, is
called to profess with humility and courage its faith in Jesus Christ,
"the Word of life" (1 Jn 1:1). The Gospel of life is not simply a
reflection, however new and profound, on human life. Nor is it merely a
commandment aimed at raising awareness and bringing about significant
changes in society. Still less is it an illusory promise of a better
future. The Gospel of life is something concrete and personal, for it
consists in the proclamation of the very person of Jesus. Jesus made
himself known to the Apostle Thomas, and in him to every person, with
the words: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6). This
is also how he spoke of himself to Martha, the sister of Lazarus: "I am
the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die,
yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never
die" (Jn 11:25-26). Jesus is the Son who from all eternity receives
life from the Father (cf. Jn 5:26), and who has come among men to make
them sharers in this gift: "I came that they may have life, and have it
abundantly" (Jn 10:10).
Through the words, the actions and the very person of Jesus, man is
given the possibility of "knowing" the complete truth concerning the
value of human life. From this "source" he receives, in particular, the
capacity to "accomplish" this truth perfectly (cf. Jn 3:21), that is,
to accept and fulfil completely the responsibility of loving and
serving, of defending and promoting human life. In Christ, the Gospel
of life is definitively proclaimed and fully given. This is the Gospel
which, already present in the Revelation of the Old Testament, and
indeed written in the heart of every man and woman, has echoed in every
conscience "from the beginning", from the time of creation itself, in
such a way that, despite the negative consequences of sin, it can also
be known in its essential traits by human reason. As the Second Vatican
Council teaches, Christ "perfected revelation by fulfilling it through
his whole work of making himself present and manifesting himself;
through his words and deeds, his signs and wonders, but especially
through his death and glorious Resurrection from the dead and final
sending of the Spirit of truth. Moreover, he confirmed with divine
testimony what revelation proclaimed: that God is with us to free us
from the darkness of sin and death, and to raise us up to life
eternal".22
30. Hence, with our attention fixed on the Lord Jesus, we wish to hear
from him once again "the words of God" (Jn 3:34) and meditate anew on
the Gospel of life. The deepest and most original meaning of this
meditation on what revelation tells us about human life was taken up by
the Apostle John in the opening words of his First Letter: "That which
was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with
our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our hands,
concerning the word of life-the life was made manifest, and we saw it,
and testify to it, and proclaim to you the eternal life which was with
the Father and was made manifest to us-that which we have seen and
heard we proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us"
(1:1-3).
In Jesus, the "Word of life", God's eternal life is thus proclaimed and
given. Thanks to this proclamation and gift, our physical and spiritual
life, also in its earthly phase, acquires its full value and meaning,
for God's eternal life is in fact the end to which our living in this
world is directed and called. In this way the Gospel of life includes
everything that human experience and reason tell us about the value of
human life, accepting it, purifying it, exalting it and bringing it to
fulfilment.
"The Lord is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation"
(Ex 15:2): life is always a good
31. The fullness of the Gospel message about life was prepared for in
the Old Testament. Especially in the events of the Exodus, the centre
of the Old Testament faith experience, Israel discovered the
preciousness of its life in the eyes of God. When it seemed doomed to
extermination because of the threat of death hanging over all its
newborn males (cf. Ex 1:15-22), the Lord revealed himself to Israel as
its Saviour, with the power to ensure a future to those without hope.
Israel thus comes to know clearly that its existence is not at the
mercy of a Pharaoh who can exploit it at his despotic whim. On the
contrary, Israel's life is the object of God's gentle and intense love.
Freedom from slavery meant the gift of an identity, the recognition of
an indestructible dignity and the beginning of a new history, in which
the discovery of God and discovery of self go hand in hand. The Exodus
was a foundational experience and a model for the future. Through it,
Israel comes to learn that whenever its existence is threatened it need
only turn to God with renewed trust in order to find in him effective
help: "I formed you, you are my servant; O Israel, you will not be
forgotten by me" (Is 44:21).
Thus, in coming to know the value of its own existence as a people,
Israel also grows in its perception of the meaning and value of life
itself. This reflection is developed more specifically in the Wisdom
Literature, on the basis of daily experience of the precariousness of
life and awareness of the threats which assail it. Faced with the
contradictions of life, faith is challenged to respond.
More than anything else, it is the problem of suffering which
challenges faith and puts it to the test. How can we fail to appreciate
the universal anguish of man when we meditate on the Book of Job? The
innocent man overwhelmed by suffering is understandably led to wonder:
"Why is light given to him that is in misery, and life to the bitter in
soul, who long for death, but it comes not, and dig for it more than
for hid treasures?" (3:20-21). But even when the darkness is deepest,
faith points to a trusting and adoring acknowledgment of the "mystery":
"I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be
thwarted" (Job 42:2).
Revelation progressively allows the first notion of immortal life
planted by the Creator in the human heart to be grasped with ever
greater clarity: "He has made everything beautiful in its time; also he
has put eternity into man's mind" (Ec 3:11). This first notion of
totality and fullness is waiting to be manifested in love and brought
to perfection, by God's free gift, through sharing in his eternal life.
"The name of Jesus ... has made this man strong" (Acts 3:16): in the
uncertainties of human life, Jesus brings life's meaning to fulfilment
32. The experience of the people of the Covenant is renewed in the
experience of all the "poor" who meet Jesus of Nazareth. Just as God
who "loves the living" (cf. Wis 11:26) had reassured Israel in the
midst of danger, so now the Son of God proclaims to all who feel
threatened and hindered that their lives too are a good to which the
Father's love gives meaning and value.
"The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and
the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the poor have good news preached
to them" (Lk 7:22). With these words of the Prophet Isaiah (35:5-6,
61:1), Jesus sets forth the meaning of his own mission: all who suffer
because their lives are in some way "diminished" thus hear from him the
"good news" of God's concern for them, and they know for certain that
their lives too are a gift carefully guarded in the hands of the Father
(cf. Mt 6:25-34).
It is above all the "poor" to whom Jesus speaks in his preaching and
actions. The crowds of the sick and the outcasts who follow him and
seek him out (cf. Mt 4:23-25) find in his words and actions a
revelation of the great value of their lives and of how their hope of
salvation is well-founded.
The same thing has taken place in the Church's mission from the
beginning. When the Church proclaims Christ as the one who "went about
doing good and healing all that were oppressed by the devil, for God
was with him" (Acts 10:38), she is conscious of being the bearer of a
message of salvation which resounds in all its newness precisely amid
the hardships and poverty of human life. Peter cured the cripple who
daily sought alms at the "Beautiful Gate" of the Temple in Jerusalem,
saying: "I have no silver and gold, but I give you what I have; in the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk" (Acts 3:6). By faith in Jesus,
"the Author of life" (Acts 3:15), life which lies abandoned and cries
out for help regains self-esteem and full dignity.
The words and deeds of Jesus and those of his Church are not meant only
for those who are sick or suffering or in some way neglected by
society. On a deeper level they affect the very meaning of every
person's life in its moral and spiritual dimensions. Only those who
recognize that their life is marked by the evil of sin can discover in
an encounter with Jesus the Saviour the truth and the authenticity of
their own existence. Jesus himself says as much: "Those who are well
have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I have not come to
call the righteous, but sinners to repentance" (Lk 5:31-32).
But the person who, like the rich land-owner in the Gospel parable,
thinks that he can make his life secure by the possession of material
goods alone, is deluding himself. Life is slipping away from him, and
very soon he will find himself bereft of it without ever having
appreciated its real meaning: "Fool! This night your soul is required
of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?" (Lk
12:20).
33. In Jesus' own life, from beginning to end, we find a singular
"dialectic" between the experience of the uncertainty of human life and
the affirmation of its value. Jesus' life is marked by uncertainty from
the very moment of his birth. He is certainly accepted by the
righteous, who echo Mary's immediate and joyful "yes" (cf. Lk 1:38).
But there is also, from the start, rejection on the part of a world
which grows hostile and looks for the child in order "to destroy him"
(Mt 2:13); a world which remains indifferent and unconcerned about the
fulfilment of the mystery of this life entering the world: "there was
no place for them in the inn" (Lk 2:7). In this contrast between
threats and insecurity on the one hand and the power of God's gift on
the other, there shines forth all the more clearly the glory which
radiates from the house at Nazareth and from the manger at Bethlehem:
this life which is born is salvation for all humanity (cf. Lk 2:11).
Life's contradictions and risks were fully accepted by Jesus: "though
he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty
you might become rich" (2 Cor 8:9). The poverty of which Paul speaks is
not only a stripping of divine privileges, but also a sharing in the
lowliest and most vulnerable conditions of human life (cf. Phil 2:6-7).
Jesus lived this poverty throughout his life, until the culminating
moment of the Cross: "he humbled himself and became obedient unto
death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and
bestowed on him the name which is above every name" (Phil 2:8-9). It is
precisely by his death that Jesus reveals all the splendour and value
of life, inasmuch as his self-oblation on the Cross becomes the source
of new life for all people (cf. Jn 12:32). In his journeying amid
contradictions and in the very loss of his life, Jesus is guided by the
certainty that his life is in the hands of the Father. Consequently, on
the Cross, he can say to him: "Father, into your hands I commend my
spirit!" (Lk 23:46), that is, my life. Truly great must be the value of
human life if the Son of God has taken it up and made it the instrument
of the salvation of all humanity!
"Called ... to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Rom 8:28-29):
God's glory shines on the face of man
34. Life is always a good. This is an instinctive perception and a fact
of experience, and man is called to grasp the profound reason why this
is so.
Why is life a good? This question is found everywhere in the Bible, and
from the very first pages it receives a powerful and amazing answer.
The life which God gives man is quite different from the life of all
other living creatures, inasmuch as man, although formed from the dust
of the earth (cf. Gen 2:7, 3:19; Job 34:15; Ps 103:14; 104:29), is a
manifestation of God in the world, a sign of his presence, a trace of
his glory (cf. Gen 1:26-27; Ps 8:6). This is what Saint Irenaeus of
Lyons wanted to emphasize in his celebrated definition: "Man, living
man, is the glory of God".23 Man has been given a sublime dignity,
based on the intimate bond which unites him to his Creator: in man
there shines forth a reflection of God himself.
The Book of Genesis affirms this when, in the first account of
creation, it places man at the summit of God's creative activity, as
its crown, at the culmination of a process which leads from indistinct
chaos to the most perfect of creatures. Everything in creation is
ordered to man and everything is made subject to him: "Fill the earth
and subdue it; and have dominion over ... every living thing" (1:28);
this is God's command to the man and the woman. A similar message is
found also in the other account of creation: "The Lord God took the man
and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it" (Gen 2:15).
We see here a clear affirmation of the primacy of man over things;
these are made subject to him and entrusted to his responsible care,
whereas for no reason can he be made subject to other men and almost
reduced to the level of a thing.
In the biblical narrative, the difference between man and other
creatures is shown above all by the fact that only the creation of man
is presented as the result of a special decision on the part of God, a
deliberation to establish a particular and specific bond with the
Creator: "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness" (Gen 1:26).
The life which God offers to man is a gift by which God shares
something of himself with his creature.
Israel would ponder at length the meaning of this particular bond
between man and God. The Book of Sirach too recognizes that God, in
creating human beings, "endowed them with strength like his own, and
made them in his own image" (17:3). The biblical author sees as part of
this image not only man's dominion over the world but also those
spiritual faculties which are distinctively human, such as reason,
discernment between good and evil, and free will: "He filled them with
knowledge and understanding, and showed them good and evil" (Sir 17:7).
The ability to attain truth and freedom are human prerogatives inasmuch
as man is created in the image of his Creator, God who is true and just
(cf. Dt 32:4). Man alone, among all visible creatures, is "capable of
knowing and loving his Creator".24 The life which God bestows upon man
is much more than mere existence in time. It is a drive towards
fullness of life; it is the seed of an existence which transcends the
very limits of time: "For God created man for incorruption, and made
him in the image of his own eternity" (Wis 2:23).
35. The Yahwist account of creation expresses the same conviction. This
ancient narrative speaks of a divine breath which is breathed into man
so that he may come to life: "The Lord God formed man of dust from the
ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man
became a living being" (Gen 2:7).
The divine origin of this spirit of life explains the perennial
dissatisfaction which man feels throughout his days on earth. Because
he is made by God and bears within himself an indelible imprint of God,
man is naturally drawn to God. When he heeds the deepest yearnings of
the heart, every man must make his own the words of truth expressed by
Saint Augustine: "You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts
are restless until they rest in you".25
How very significant is the dissatisfaction which marks man's life in
Eden as long as his sole point of reference is the world of plants and
animals (cf. Gen 2:20). Only the appearance of the woman, a being who
is flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones (cf. Gen 2:23), and in whom
the spirit of God the Creator is also alive, can satisfy the need for
interpersonal dialogue, so vital for human existence. In the other,
whether man or woman, there is a reflection of God himself, the
definitive goal and fulfilment of every person.
"What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you
care for him?", the Psalmist wonders (Ps 8:4). Compared to the
immensity of the universe, man is very small, and yet this very
contrast reveals his greatness: "You have made him little less than a
god, and crown him with glory and honour" (Ps 8:5). The glory of God
shines on the face of man. In man the Creator finds his rest, as Saint
Ambrose comments with a sense of awe: "The sixth day is finished and
the creation of the world ends with the formation of that masterpiece
which is man, who exercises dominion over all living creatures and is
as it were the crown of the universe and the supreme beauty of every
created being. Truly we should maintain a reverential silence, since
the Lord rested from every work he had undertaken in the world. He
rested then in the depths of man, he rested in man's mind and in his
thought; after all, he had created man endowed with reason, capable of
imitating him, of emulating his virtue, of hungering for heavenly
graces. In these his gifts God reposes, who has said: ?Upon whom shall
I rest, if not upon the one who is humble, contrite in spirit and
trembles at my word?' (Is 66:1-2). I thank the Lord our God who has
created so wonderful a work in which to take his rest".26
36. Unfortunately, God's marvellous plan was marred by the appearance
of sin in history. Through sin, man rebels against his Creator and ends
up by worshipping creatures: "They exchanged the truth about God for a
lie and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator"
(Rom 1:25). As a result man not only deforms the image of God in his
own person, but is tempted to offences against it in others as well,
replacing relationships of communion by attitudes of distrust,
indifference, hostility and even murderous hatred. When God is not
acknowledged as God, the profound meaning of man is betrayed and
communion between people is compromised.
In the life of man, God's image shines forth anew and is again revealed
in all its fullness at the coming of the Son of God in human flesh.
"Christ is the image of the invisible God" (Col 1:15), he "reflects the
glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature" (Heb 1:3). He is
the perfect image of the Father.
The plan of life given to the first Adam finds at last its fulfilment
in Christ. Whereas the disobedience of Adam had ruined and marred God's
plan for human life and introduced death into the world, the redemptive
obedience of Christ is the source of grace poured out upon the human
race, opening wide to everyone the gates of the kingdom of life (cf.
Rom 5:12-21). As the Apostle Paul states: "The first man Adam became a
living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit" (1 Cor 15:45).
All who commit themselves to following Christ are given the fullness of
life: the divine image is restored, renewed and brought to perfection
in them. God's plan for human beings is this, that they should "be
conformed to the image of his Son" (Rom 8:29). Only thus, in the
splendour of this image, can man be freed from the slavery of idolatry,
rebuild lost fellowship and rediscover his true identity.
"Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die" (Jn 11:26): the gift
of eternal life
37. The life which the Son of God came to give to human beings cannot
be reduced to mere existence in time. The life which was always "in
him" and which is the "light of men" (Jn 1:4) consists in being
begotten of God and sharing in the fullness of his love: "To all who
received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become
children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the
flesh nor of the will of man, but of God" (Jn 1:12-13).
Sometimes Jesus refers to this life which he came to give simply as
"life", and he presents being born of God as a necessary condition if
man is to attain the end for which God has created him: "Unless one is
born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (Jn 3:3). To give this
life is the real object of Jesus' mission: he is the one who "comes
down from heaven, and gives life to the world" (Jn 6:33). Thus can he
truly say: "He who follows me ... will have the light of life" (Jn
8:12).
At other times, Jesus speaks of "eternal life". Here the adjective does
more than merely evoke a perspective which is beyond time. The life
which Jesus promises and gives is "eternal" because it is a full
participation in the life of the "Eternal One". Whoever believes in
Jesus and enters into communion with him has eternal life (cf. Jn 3:15;
6:40) because he hears from Jesus the only words which reveal and
communicate to his existence the fullness of life. These are the "words
of eternal life" which Peter acknowledges in his confession of faith:
"Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life; and we
have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God"
(Jn 6:68-69). Jesus himself, addressing the Father in the great
priestly prayer, declares what eternal life consists in: "This is
eternal life, that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom you have sent" (Jn 17:3). To know God and his Son is to
accept the mystery of the loving communion of the Father, the Son and
the Holy Spirit into one's own life, which even now is open to eternal
life because it shares in the life of God.
38. Eternal life is therefore the life of God himself and at the same
time the life of the children of God. As they ponder this unexpected
and inexpressible truth which comes to us from God in Christ, believers
cannot fail to be filled with ever new wonder and unbounded gratitude.
They can say in the words of the Apostle John: "See what love the
Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so
we are. ... Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear
what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like
him, for we shall see him as he is" (1 Jn 3:1-2).
Here the Christian truth about life becomes most sublime. The dignity
of this life is linked not only to its beginning, to the fact that it
comes from God, but also to its final end, to its destiny of fellowship
with God in knowledge and love of him. In the light of this truth Saint
Irenaeus qualifies and completes his praise of man: "the glory of God"
is indeed, "man, living man", but "the life of man consists in the
vision of God".27
Immediate consequences arise from this for human life in its earthly
state, in which, for that matter, eternal life already springs forth
and begins to grow. Although man instinctively loves life because it is
a good, this love will find further inspiration and strength, and new
breadth and depth, in the divine dimensions of this good. Similarly,
the love which every human being has for life cannot be reduced simply
to a desire to have sufficient space for self-expression and for
entering into relationships with others; rather, it devel- ops in a
joyous awareness that life can become the "place" where God manifests
himself, where we meet him and enter into communion with him. The life
which Jesus gives in no way lessens the value of our existence in time;
it takes it and directs it to its final destiny: "I am the resurrection
and the life ... whoever lives and believes in me shall never die" (Jn
11:25-26).
"From man in regard to his fellow man I will demand an accounting" (Gen
9:5): reverence and love for every human life
39. Man's life comes from God; it is his gift, his image and imprint, a
sharing in his breath of life. God therefore is the sole Lord of this
life: man cannot do with it as he wills. God himself makes this clear
to Noah after the Flood: "For your own lifeblood, too, I will demand an
accounting ... and from man in regard to his fellow man I will demand
an accounting for human life" (Gen 9:5). The biblical text is concerned
to emphasize how the sacredness of life has its foundation in God and
in his creative activity: "For God made man in his own image" (Gen 9:6).
Human life and death are thus in the hands of God, in his power: "In
his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all
mankind", exclaims Job (12:10). "The Lord brings to death and brings to
life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up" (1 Sam 2:6). He alone can
say: "It is I who bring both death and life" (Dt 32:39).
But God does not exercise this power in an arbitrary and threatening
way, but rather as part of his care and loving concern for his
creatures. If it is true that human life is in the hands of God, it is
no less true that these are loving hands, like those of a mother who
accepts, nurtures and takes care of her child: "I have calmed and
quieted my soul, like a child quieted at its mother's breast; like a
child that is quieted is my soul" (Ps 131:2; cf. Is 49:15; 66:12-13;
Hos 11:4). Thus Israel does not see in the history of peoples and in
the destiny of individuals the outcome of mere chance or of blind fate,
but rather the results of a loving plan by which God brings together
all the possibilities of life and opposes the powers of death arising
from sin: "God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death
of the living. For he created all things that they might exist" (Wis
1:13-14).
40. The sacredness of life gives rise to its inviolability, written
from the beginning in man's heart, in his conscience. The question:
"What have you done?" (Gen 4:10), which God addresses to Cain after he
has killed his brother Abel, interprets the experience of every person:
in the depths of his conscience, man is always reminded of the
inviolability of life-his own life and that of others-as something
which does not belong to him, because it is the property and gift of
God the Creator and Father.
The commandment regarding the inviolability of human life reverberates
at the heart of the "ten words" in the covenant of Sinai (cf. Ex
34:28). In the first place that commandment prohibits murder: "You
shall not kill" (Ex 20:13); "do not slay the innocent and righteous"
(Ex 23:7). But, as is brought out in Israel's later legislation, it
also prohibits all personal injury inflicted on another (cf. Ex
21:12-27). Of course we must recognize that in the Old Testament this
sense of the value of life, though already quite marked, does not yet
reach the refinement found in the Sermon on the Mount. This is apparent
in some aspects of the current penal legislation, which provided for
severe forms of corporal punishment and even the death penalty. But the
overall message, which the New Testament will bring to perfection, is a
forceful appeal for respect for the inviolability of physical life and
the integrity of the person. It culminates in the positive commandment
which obliges us to be responsible for our neighbour as for ourselves:
"You shall love your neighbour as yourself" (Lev 19:18).
41. The commandment "You shall not kill", included and more fully
expressed in the positive command of love for one's neighbour, is
reaffirmed in all its force by the Lord Jesus. To the rich young man
who asks him: "Teacher, what good deed must I do, to have eternal
life?", Jesus replies: "If you would enter life, keep the commandments"
(Mt 19:16,17). And he quotes, as the first of these: "You shall not
kill" (Mt 19:18). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus demands from his
disciples a righteousness which surpasses that of the Scribes and
Pharisees, also with regard to respect for life: "You have heard that
it was said to the men of old, ?You shall not kill; and whoever kills
shall be liable to judgment'. But I say to you that every one who is
angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment" (Mt 5:21-22).
By his words and actions Jesus further unveils the positive
requirements of the commandment regarding the inviolability of life.
These requirements were already present in the Old Testament, where
legislation dealt with protecting and defending life when it was weak
and threatened: in the case of foreigners, widows, orphans, the sick
and the poor in general, including children in the womb (cf. Ex 21:22;
22:20-26). With Jesus these positive requirements assume new force and
urgency, and are revealed in all their breadth and depth: they range
from caring for the life of one's brother (whether a blood brother,
someone belonging to the same people, or a foreigner living in the land
of Israel) to showing concern for the stranger, even to the point of
loving one's enemy.
A stranger is no longer a stranger for the person who mustbecome a
neighbour to someone in need, to the point of accepting responsibility
for his life, as the parable of the Good Samaritan shows so clearly
(cf. Lk 10:25-37). Even an enemy ceases to be an enemy for the person
who is obliged to love him (cf. Mt 5:38-48; Lk 6:27-35), to "do good"
to him (cf. Lk 6:27, 33, 35) and to respond to his immediate needs
promptly and with no expectation of repayment (cf. Lk 6:34-35). The
height of this love is to pray for one's enemy. By so doing we achieve
harmony with the providential love of God: "But I say to you, love your
enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be
children of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on
the evil and on the good and sends rain on the just and on the unjust"
(Mt 5:44-45; cf. Lk 6:28, 35).
Thus the deepest element of God's commandment to protect human life is
the requirement to show reverence and love for every person and the
life of every person. This is the teaching which the Apostle Paul,
echoing the words of Jesus, address- es to the Christians in Rome: "The
commandments, ?You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You
shall not steal, You shall not covet', and any other commandment, are
summed up in this sentence, ?You shall love your neighbour as
yourself'. Love does no wrong to a neighbour; therefore love is the
fulfilling of the law" (Rom 13:9-10).
"Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it" (Gen
1:28): man's responsibility for life
42. To defend and promote life, to show reverence and love for it, is a
task which God entrusts to every man, calling him as his living image
to share in his own lordship over the world: "God blessed them, and God
said to them, ?Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue
it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of
the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth' " (Gen
1:28).
The biblical text clearly shows the breadth and depth of the lordship
which God bestows on man. It is a matter first of all of dominion over
the earth and over every living creature, as the Book of Wisdom makes
clear: "O God of my fathers and Lord of mercy ... by your wisdom you
have formed man, to have dominion over the creatures you have made, and
rule the world in holiness and righteousness" (Wis 9:1, 2-3). The
Psalmist too extols the dominion given to man as a sign of glory and
honour from his Creator: "You have given him dominion over the works of
your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen,
and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the fish of
the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the sea" (Ps 8:6-8).
As one called to till and look after the garden of the world (cf. Gen
2:15), man has a specific responsibility towards the environment in
which he lives, towards the creation which God has put at the service
of his personal dignity, of his life, not only for the present but also
for future generations. It is the ecological question-ranging from the
preservation of the natural habitats of the different species of
animals and of other forms of life to "human ecology" properly speaking
28 - which finds in the Bible clear and strong ethical direction,
leading to a solution which respects the great good of life, of every
life. In fact, "the do- minion granted to man by the Creator is not an
absolute power, nor can one speak of a freedom to ?use and misuse', or
to dispose of things as one pleases. The limitation imposed from the
beginning by the Creator himself and expressed symbolically by the
prohibition not to ?eat of the fruit of the tree' (cf. Gen 2:16-17)
shows clearly enough that, when it comes to the natural world, we are
subject not only to biological laws but also to moral ones, which
cannot be violated with impunity".29
43. A certain sharing by man in God's lordship is also evident in the
specific responsibility which he is given for human life as such. It is
a responsibility which reaches its highest point in the giving of life
through procreation by man and woman in marriage. As the Second Vatican
Council teaches: "God himself who said, ?It is not good for man to be
alone' (Gen 2:18) and ?who made man from the beginning male and female'
(Mt 19:4), wished to share with man a certain special participation in
his own creative work. Thus he blessed male and female saying:
?Increase and multiply' (Gen 1:28). 30
By speaking of "a certain special participation" of man and woman in
the "creative work" of God, the Council wishes to point out that having
a child is an event which is deeply human and full of religious
meaning, insofar as it involves both the spouses, who form "one flesh"
(Gen 2:24), and God who makes himself present. As I wrote in my Letter
to Families: "When a new person is born of the conjugal union of the
two, he brings with him into the world a particular image and likeness
of God himself: the genealogy of the person is inscribed in the very
biology of generation. In affirming that the spouses, as parents,
cooperate with God the Creator in conceiving and giving birth to a new
human being, we are not speaking merely with reference to the laws of
biology. Instead, we wish to emphasize that God himself is present in
human fatherhood and motherhood quite differently than he is present in
all other instances of begetting ?on earth'. Indeed, God alone is the
source of that ?image and likeness' which is proper to the human being,
as it was received at Creation. Begetting is the continuation of
Creation".31
This is what the Bible teaches in direct and eloquent language when it
reports the joyful cry of the first woman, "the mother of all the
living" (Gen 3:20). Aware that God has intervened, Eve exclaims: "I
have begotten a man with the help of the Lord" (Gen 4:1). In
procreation therefore, through the communication of life from parents
to child, God's own image and likeness is transmitted, thanks to the
creation of the immortal soul. 32 The beginning of the "book of the
genealogy of Adam" expresses it in this way: "When God created man, he
made him in the likeness of God. Male and female he created them, and
he blessed them and called them man when they were created. When Adam
had lived a hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in
his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth" (Gen 5:1-3). It
is precisely in their role as co-workers with God who transmits his
image to the new creature that we see the greatness of couples who are
ready "to cooperate with the love of the Creator and the Saviour, who
through them will enlarge and enrich his own family day by day".33 This
is why the Bishop Amphilochius extolled "holy matrimony, chosen and
elevated above all other earthly gifts" as "the begetter of humanity,
the creator of images of God".34
Thus, a man and woman joined in matrimony become partners in a divine
undertaking: through the act of procreation, God's gift is accepted and
a new life opens to the future.
But over and above the specific mission of parents, the task of
accepting and serving life involves everyone; and this task must be
fulfilled above all towards life when it is at its weakest. It is
Christ himself who reminds us of this when he asks to be loved and
served in his brothers and sisters who are suffering in any way: the
hungry, the thirsty, the foreigner, the naked, the sick, the impris-
oned ... Whatever is done to each of them is done to Christ himself
(cf. Mt 25:31-46).
"For you formed my inmost being" (Ps 139:13): the dignity of the unborn
child
44. Human life finds itself most vulnerable when it enters the world
and when it leaves the realm of time to embark upon eternity. The word
of God frequently repeats the call to show care and respect, above all
where life is undermined by sickness and old age. Although there are no
direct and explicit calls to protect human life at its very beginning,
specifically life not yet born, and life nearing its end, this can
easily be explained by the fact that the mere possibility of harming,
attacking, or actually denying life in these circumstances is
completely foreign to the religious and cultural way of thinking of the
People of God.
In the Old Testament, sterility is dreaded as a curse, while numerous
offspring are viewed as a blessing: "Sons are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward" (Ps 127:3; cf. Ps 128:3-4). This belief
is also based on Israel's awareness of being the people of the
Covenant, called to increase in accordance with the promise made to
Abraham: "Look towards heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to
number them ... so shall your descendants be" (Gen 15:5). But more than
anything else, at work here is the certainty that the life which
parents transmit has its origins in God. We see this attested in the
many biblical passages which respectfully and lovingly speak of
conception, of the forming of life in the mother's womb, of giving
birth and of the intimate connection between the initial moment of life
and the action of God the Creator.
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I
consecrated you" (Jer 1:5): the life of every individual, from its very
beginning, is part of God's plan. Job, from the depth of his pain,
stops to contemplate the work of God who miraculously formed his body
in his mother's womb. Here he finds reason for trust, and he expresses
his belief that there is a divine plan for his life: "You have
fashioned and made me; will you then turn and destroy me? Remember that
you have made me of clay; and will you turn me to dust again? Did you
not pour me out like milk and curdle me like cheese? You clothed me
with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews. You
have granted me life and steadfast love; and your care has preserved my
spirit" (Job 10:8-12). Expressions of awe and wonder at God's
intervention in the life of a child in its mother's womb occur again
and again in the Psalms. 35
How can anyone think that even a single moment of this marvellous
process of the unfolding of life could be separated from the wise and
loving work of the Creator, and left prey to human caprice? Certainly
the mother of the seven brothers did not think so; she professes her
faith in God, both the source and guarantee of life from its very
conception, and the foundation of the hope of new life beyond death: "I
do not know how you came into being in my womb. It was not I who gave
you life and breath, nor I who set in order the elements within each of
you. Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of
man and devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life
and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the
sake of his laws" (2 Mac 7:22-23).
45. The New Testament revelation confirms the indisputable recognition
of the value of life from its very beginning. The exaltation of
fruitfulness and the eager expectation of life resound in the words
with which Elizabeth rejoices in her pregnancy: "The Lord has looked on
me ... to take away my reproach among men" (Lk 1:25). And even more so,
the value of the person from the moment of conception is celebrated in
the meeting between the Virgin Mary and Elizabeth, and between the two
children whom they are carrying in the womb. It is precisely the
children who reveal the advent of the Messianic age: in their meeting,
the redemptive power of the presence of the Son of God among men first
becomes operative. As Saint Ambrose writes: "The arrival of Mary and
the blessings of the Lord's presence are also speedily declared ...
Elizabeth was the first to hear the voice; but John was the first to
expe- rience grace. She heard according to the order of nature; he
leaped because of the mystery. She recognized the arrival of Mary; he
the arrival of the Lord. The woman recognized the woman's arrival; the
child, that of the child. The women speak of grace; the babies make it
effective from within to the advantage of their mothers who, by a
double miracle, prophesy under the inspiration of their children. The
infant leaped, the mother was filled with the Spirit. The mother was
not filled before the son, but after the son was filled with the Holy
Spirit, he filled his mother too".36
"I kept my faith even when I said, ?I am greatly afflicted' " (Ps
116:10): life in old age and at times of suffering
46. With regard to the last moments of life too, it would be
anachronistic to expect biblical revelation to make express reference
to present-day issues concerning respect for elderly and sick persons,
or to condemn explicitly attempts to hasten their end by force. The
cultural and religious context of the Bible is in no way touched by
such temptations; indeed, in that context the wisdom and experience of
the elderly are recognized as a unique source of enrichment for the
family and for society.
Old age is characterized by dignity and surrounded with reverence (cf.
2 Mac 6:23). The just man does not seek to be delivered from old age
and its burden; on the contrary his prayer is this: "You, O Lord, are
my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth ... so even to old age and
grey hairs, O God, do not forsake me, till I proclaim your might to all
the generations to come" (Ps 71:5, 18). The ideal of the Messianic age
is presented as a time when "no more shall there be ... an old man who
does not fill out his days" (Is 65:20).
In old age, how should one face the inevitable decline of life? How
should one act in the face of death? The believer knows that his life
is in the hands of God: "You, O Lord, hold my lot" (cf. Ps 16:5), and
he accepts from God the need to die: "This is the decree from the Lord
for all flesh, and how can you reject the good pleasure of the Most
High?" (Sir 41:3-4). Man is not the master of life, nor is he the
master of death. In life and in death, he has to entrust himself
completely to the "good pleasure of the Most High", to his loving plan.
In moments of sickness too, man is called to have the same trust in the
Lord and to renew his fundamental faith in the One who "heals all your
diseases" (cf. Ps 103:3). When every hope of good health seems to fade
before a person's eyes-so as to make him cry out: "My days are like an
evening shadow; I wither away like grass" (Ps 102:11)- even then the
believer is sustained by an unshakable faith in God's life-giving
power. Illness does not drive such a person to despair and to seek
death, but makes him cry out in hope: "I kept my faith, even when I
said, ?I am greatly afflicted' " (Ps 116:10); "O Lord my God, I cried
to you for help, and you have healed me. O Lord, you have brought up my
soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the
pit" (Ps 30:2-3).
47. The mission of Jesus, with the many healings he performed, shows
God's great concern even for man's bodily life. Jesus, as "the
physician of the body and of the spirit",37 was sent by the Father to
proclaim the good news to the poor and to heal the brokenhearted (cf.
Lk 4:18; Is 61:1). Later, when he sends his disciples into the world,
he gives them a mission, a mission in which healing the sick goes hand
in hand with the proclamation of the Gospel: "And preach as you go,
saying, ?The kingdom of heaven is at hand'. Heal the sick, raise the
dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons" (Mt 10:7-8; cf. Mk 6:13; 16:18).
Certainly the life of the body in its earthly state is not an absolute
good for the believer, especially as he may be asked to give up his
life for a greater good. As Jesus says: "Whoever would save his life
will lose it; and whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel's
will save it" (Mk 8:35). The New Testament gives many different
examples of this. Jesus does not hesitate to sacrifice himself and he
freely makes of his life an offering to the Father (cf. Jn 10:17) and
to those who belong to him (cf. Jn 10:15). The death of John the
Baptist, precursor of the Saviour, also testifies that earthly
existence is not an absolute good; what is more important is remaining
faithful to the word of the Lord even at the risk of one's life (cf. Mk
6:17-29). Stephen, losing his earthly life because of his faithful
witness to the Lord's Resurrection, follows in the Master's footsteps
and meets those who are stoning him with words of forgiveness (cf. Acts
7:59-60), thus becoming the first of a countless host of martyrs whom
the Church has venerated since the very beginning.
No one, however, can arbitrarily choose whether to live or die; the
absolute master of such a decision is the Creator alone, in whom "we
live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
"All who hold her fast will live" (Bar 4:1): from the law of Sinai to
the gift of the Spirit
48. Life is indelibly marked by a truth of its own. By accepting God's
gift, man is obliged to maintain life in this truth which is essential
to it. To detach oneself from this truth is to condemn oneself to
meaninglessness and unhappiness, and possibly to become a threat to the
existence of others, since the barriers guaranteeing respect for life
and the defence of life, in every circumstance, have been broken down.
The truth of life is revealed by God's commandment. The word of the
Lord shows concretely the course which life must follow if it is to
respect its own truth and to preserve its own dignity. The protection
of life is not only ensured by the spe- cific commandment "You shall
not kill" (Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17); the entire Law of the Lord serves to
protect life, because it reveals that truth in which life finds its
full meaning.
It is not surprising, therefore, that God's Covenant with his people is
so closely linked to the perspective of life, also in its bodily
dimension. In that Covenant, God's commandment is offered as the path
of life: "I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil.
If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you
this day, by loving the Lord your God, by walking in his ways, and by
keeping his commandments and his statutes and his ordinances, then you
shall live and multiply, and the Lord your God will bless you in the
land which you are entering to take possession of" (Dt 30:15-16). What
is at stake is not only the land of Canaan and the existence of the
people of Israel, but also the world of today and of the future, and
the existence of all humanity. In fact, it is altogether impossible for
life to remain authentic and complete once it is detached from the
good; and the good, in its turn, is essentially bound to the
commandments of the Lord, that is, to the "law of life" (Sir 17:11).
The good to be done is not added to life as a burden which weighs on
it, since the very purpose of life is that good and only by doing it
can life be built up.
It is thus the Law as a whole which fully protects human life. This
explains why it is so hard to remain faithful to the commandment "You
shall not kill" when the other "words of life" (cf. Acts 7:38) with
which this commandment is bound up are not observed. Detached from this
wider framework, the commandment is destined to become nothing more
than an obligation imposed from without, and very soon we begin to look
for its limits and try to find mitigating factors and exceptions. Only
when people are open to the fullness of the truth about God, man and
history will the words "You shall not kill" shine forth once more as a
good for man in himself and in his relations with others. In such a
perspective we can grasp the full truth of the passage of the Book of
Deuteronomy which Jesus repeats in reply to the first temptation: "Man
does not live by bread alone, but ... by everything that proceeds out
of the mouth of the Lord" (Dt 8:3; cf. Mt 4:4).
It is by listening to the word of the Lord that we are able to live in
dignity and justice. It is by observing the Law of God that we are able
to bring forth fruits of life and happiness: "All who hold her fast
will live, and those who forsake her will die" (Bar 4:1).
49. The history of Israel shows how difficult it is to remain faithful
to the Law of life which God has inscribed in human hearts and which he
gave on Sinai to the people of the Covenant. When the people look for
ways of living which ignore God's plan, it is the Prophets in
particular who forcefully remind them that the Lord alone is the
authentic source of life. Thus Jeremiah writes: "My people have
committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living
waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns, that
can hold no water" (2:13). The Prophets point an accusing finger at
those who show contempt for life and violate people's rights: "They
trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth" (Amos 2:7);
"they have filled this place with the blood of innocents" (Jer 19:4).
Among them, the Prophet Ezekiel frequently condemns the city of
Jerusalem, calling it "the bloody city" (22:2; 24:6, 9), the "city that
sheds blood in her own midst" (22:3).
But while the Prophets condemn offences against life, they are
concerned above all to awaken hope for a new principle of life, capable
of bringing about a renewed relationship with God and with others, and
of opening up new and extraordinary possibilities for understanding and
carrying out all the demands inherent in the Gospel of life. This will
only be possible thanks to the gift of God who purifies and renews: "I
will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all
your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new
heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you" (Ezek
36:25-26; cf. Jer 31:34). This "new heart" will make it possible to
appreciate and achieve the deepest and most authentic meaning of life:
namely, that of being a gift which is fully realized in the giving of
self. This is the splendid message about the value of life which comes
to us from the figure of the Servant of the Lord: "When he makes
himself an offering for sin, he shall see his offspring, he shall
prolong his life ... he shall see the fruit of the trav- ail of his
soul and be satisfied" (Is 53:10, 11).
It is in the coming of Jesus of Nazareth that the Law is fulfilled and
that a new heart is given through his Spirit. Jesus does not deny the
Law but brings it to fulfilment (cf. Mt 5:17): the Law and the Prophets
are summed up in the golden rule of mutual love (cf. Mt 7:12). In Jesus
the Law becomes once and for all the "gospel", the good news of God's
lordship over the world, which brings all life back to its roots and
its original purpose. This is the New Law, "the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus" (Rom 8:2), and its fundamental expression,
following the example of the Lord who gave his life for his friends
(cf. Jn 15:13), is the gift of self in love for one's brothers and
sisters: "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because
we love the brethren" (1 Jn 3:14). This is the law of freedom, joy and
blessedness.
"They shall look on him whom they have pierced" (Jn 19:37): the Gospel
of life is brought to fulfilment on the tree of the Cross
50. At the end of this chapter, in which we have reflected on the
Christian message about life, I would like to pause with each one of
you to contemplate the One who was pierced and who draws all people to
himself (cf. Jn 19:37; 12:32). Looking at "the spectacle" of the Cross
(cf. Lk 23:48) we shall discover in this glorious tree the fulfilment
and the complete revelation of the whole Gospel of life.
In the early afternoon of Good Friday, "there was darkness over the
whole land ... while the sun's light failed; and the curtain of the
temple was torn in two" (Lk 23:44, 45). This is the symbol of a great
cosmic disturbance and a massive conflict between the forces of good
and the forces of evil, between life and death. Today we too find
ourselves in the midst of a dramatic conflict between the "culture of
death" and the "culture of life". But the glory of the Cross is not
overcome by this darkness; rather, it shines forth ever more radiantly
and brightly, and is revealed as the centre, meaning and goal of all
history and of every human life.
Jesus is nailed to the Cross and is lifted up from the earth. He
experiences the moment of his greatest "powerlessness", and his life
seems completely delivered to the derision of his adversaries and into
the hands of his executioners: he is mocked, jeered at, insulted (cf.
Mk 15:24-36). And yet, precisely amid all this, having seen him breathe
his last, the Roman centurion exclaims: "Truly this man was the Son of
God!" (Mk 15:39). It is thus, at the moment of his greatest weakness,
that the the Son of God is revealed for who he is: on the Cross his
glory is made manifest.
By his death, Jesus sheds light on the meaning of the life and death of
every human being. Before he dies, Jesus prays to the Father, asking
forgiveness for his persecutors (cf. Lk 23:34), and to the criminal who
asks him to remember him in his kingdom he replies: "Truly, I say to
you, today you will be with me in Paradise" (Lk 23:43). After his death
"the tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had
fallen asleep were raised" (Mt 27:52). The salvation wrought by Jesus
is the bestowal of life and resurrection. Throughout his earthly life,
Jesus had indeed bestowed salvation by healing and doing good to all
(cf. Acts 10:38). But his miracles, healings and even his raising of
the dead were signs of another salvation, a salvation which consists in
the forgiveness of sins, that is, in setting man free from his greatest
sickness and in raising him to the very life of God.
On the Cross, the miracle of the serpent lifted up by Moses in the
desert (Jn 3:14-15; cf. Num 21:8-9) is renewed and brought to full and
definitive perfection. Today too, by looking upon the one who was
pierced, every person whose life is threatened encounters the sure hope
of finding freedom and redemption.
51. But there is yet another particular event which moves me deeply
when I consider it. "When Jesus had received the vinegar, he said, ?It
is finished'; and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit" (Jn 19:30).
Afterwards, the Roman soldier "pierced his side with a spear, and at
once there came out blood and water" (Jn 19:34).
Everything has now reached its complete fulfilment. The "giving up" of
the spirit describes Jesus' death, a death like that of every other
human being, but it also seems to allude to the "gift of the Spirit",
by which Jesus ransoms us from death and opens before us a new life.
It is the very life of God which is now shared with man. It is the life
which through the Sacraments of the Church-symbolized by the blood and
water flowing from Christ's side-is continually given to God's
children, making them the people of the New Covenant. From the Cross,
the source of life, the "people of life" is born and increases.
The contemplation of the Cross thus brings us to the very heart of all
that has taken place. Jesus, who upon entering into the world said: "I
have come, O God, to do your will" (cf. Heb 10:9), made himself
obedient to the Father in everything and, "having loved his own who
were in the world, he loved them to the end" (Jn 13:1), giving himself
completely for them.
He who had come "not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as
a ransom for many" (Mk 10:45), attains on the Cross the heights of
love: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life
for his friends" (Jn 15:13). And he died for us while we were yet
sinners (cf. Rom 5:8).
In this way Jesus proclaims that life finds its centre, its meaning and
its fulfilment when it is given up.
At this point our meditation becomes praise and thanksgiving, and at
the same time urges us to imitate Christ and follow in his footsteps
(cf. 1 Pt 2:21).
We too are called to give our lives for our brothers and sisters, and
thus to realize in the fullness of truth the meaning and destiny of our
existence.
We shall be able to do this because you, O Lord, have given us the
example and have bestowed on us the power of your Spirit. We shall be
able to do this if every day, with you and like you, we are obedient to
the Father and do his will.
Grant, therefore, that we may listen with open and generous hearts to
every word which proceeds from the mouth of God. Thus we shall learn
not only to obey the commandment not to kill human life, but also to
revere life, to love it and to foster it.
CHAPTER III - YOU SHALL NOT KILL
GOD'S HOLY LAW
"If you would enter life, keep the commandments" (Mt 19:17): Gospel and
commandment
52. "And behold, one came up to him, saying, ?Teacher, what good deed
must I do, to have eternal life?' " (Mt 19:6). Jesus replied, "If you
would enter life, keep the commandments" (Mt 19:17). The Teacher is
speaking about eternal life, that is, a sharing in the life of God
himself. This life is attained through the observance of the Lord's
commandments, including the commandment "You shall not kill". This is
the first precept from the Decalogue which Jesus quotes to the young
man who asks him what commandments he should observe: "Jesus said, ?You
shall not kill, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not steal...'
" (Mt 19:18).
God's commandment is never detached from his love: it is always a gift
meant for man's growth and joy. As such, it represents an essential and
indispensable aspect of the Gospel, actually becoming "gospel" itself:
joyful good news. The Gospel of life is both a great gift of God and an
exacting task for humanity. It gives rise to amazement and gratitude in
the person graced with freedom, and it asks to be welcomed, preserved
and esteemed, with a deep sense of responsibility. In giving life to
man, God demands that he love, respect and promote life. The gift thus
becomes a commandment, and the commandment is itself a gift.
Man, as the living image of God, is willed by his Creator to be ruler
and lord. Saint Gregory of Nyssa writes that "God made man capable of
carrying out his role as king of the earth ... Man was created in the
image of the One who governs the universe. Everything demonstrates that
from the beginning man's nature was marked by royalty... Man is a king.
Created to exercise dominion over the world, he was given a likeness to
the king of the universe; he is the living image who participates by
his dignity in the perfection of the divine archetype".38 Called to be
fruitful and multiply, to subdue the earth and to exercise dominion
over other lesser creatures (cf. Gen 1:28), man is ruler and lord not
only over things but especially over himself, 39 and in a certain
sense, over the life which he has received and which he is able to
transmit through procreation, carried out with love and respect for
God's plan. Man's lordship however is not absolute, but ministerial: it
is a real reflection of the unique and infinite lordship of God. Hence
man must exercise it with wisdom and love, sharing in the boundless
wisdom and love of God. And this comes about through obedience to God's
holy Law: a free and joyful obedience (cf. Ps 119), born of and
fostered by an awareness that the precepts of the Lord are a gift of
grace entrusted to man always and solely for his good, for the
preservation of his personal dignity and the pursuit of his happiness.
With regard to things, but even more with regard to life, man is not
the absolute master and final judge, but rather-and this is where his
incomparable greatness lies-he is the "minister of God's plan".40
Life is entrusted to man as a treasure which must not be squandered, as
a talent which must be used well. Man must render an account of it to
his Master (cf. Mt 25:14-30; Lk 19:12-27).
"From man in regard to his fellow man I will demand an accounting for
human life" (Gen 9:5): human life is sacred and inviolable
53. "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves ?the
creative action of God', and it remains forever in a special
relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the
Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can, in any
circumstance, claim for himself the right to destroy directly an
innocent human being".41 With these words the Instruction Donum Vitae
sets forth the central content of God's revelation on the sacredness
and inviolability of human life.
Sacred Scripture in fact presents the precept "You shall not kill" as a
divine commandment (Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17). As I have already emphasized,
this commandment is found in the Deca- logue, at the heart of the
Covenant which the Lord makes with his chosen people; but it was
already contained in the original covenant between God and humanity
after the purifying punishment of the Flood, caused by the spread of
sin and violence (cf. Gen 9:5-6).
God proclaims that he is absolute Lord of the life of man, who is
formed in his image and likeness (cf. Gen 1:26-28). Human life is thus
given a sacred and inviolable character, which reflects the
inviolability of the Creator himself. Precisely for this reason God
will severely judge every violation of the commandment "You shall not
kill", the commandment which is at the basis of all life together in
society. He is the "goel", the defender of the innocent (cf. Gen
4:9-15; Is 41:14; Jer 50:34; Ps 19:14). God thus shows that he does not
delight in the death of the living (cf. Wis 1:13). Only Satan can
delight therein: for through his envy death entered the world (cf. Wis
2:24). He who is "a murderer from the beginning", is also "a liar and
the father of lies" (Jn 8:44). By deceiving man he leads him to
projects of sin and death, making them appear as goals and fruits of
life.
54. As explicitly formulated, the precept "You shall not kill" is
strongly negative: it indicates the extreme limit which can never be
exceeded. Implicitly, however, it encourages a positive attitude of
absolute respect for life; it leads to the promotion of life and to
progress along the way of a love which gives, receives and serves. The
people of the Covenant, although slowly and with some contradictions,
progressively matured in this way of thinking, and thus prepared for
the great proclamation of Jesus that the commandment to love one's
neighbour is like the commandment to love God; "on these two
commandments depend all the law and the prophets" (cf. Mt 22:36-40).
Saint Paul emphasizes that "the commandment ... you shall not kill ...
and any other commandment, are summed up in this phrase: ?You shall
love your neighbour as yourself' " (Rom 13:9; cf. Gal 5:14). Taken up
and brought to fulfilment in the New Law, the commandment "You shall
not kill" stands as an indispensable condition for being able "to enter
life" (cf. Mt 19:16-19). In this same perspective, the words of the
Apostle John have a categorical ring: "Anyone who hates his brother is
a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in
him" (1 Jn 3:15).
From the beginning, the living Tradition of the Church-as shown by the
Didache, the most ancient non-biblical Christian writing-categorically
repeated the commandment "You shall not kill": "There are two ways, a
way of life and a way of death; there is a great difference between
them... In accordance with the precept of the teaching: you shall not
kill ... you shall not put a child to death by abortion nor kill it
once it is born ... The way of death is this: ... they show no
compassion for the poor, they do not suffer with the suffering, they do
not acknowledge their Creator, they kill their children and by abortion
cause God's creatures to perish; they drive away the needy, oppress the
suffering, they are advocates of the rich and unjust judges of the
poor; they are filled with every sin. May you be able to stay ever
apart, o children, from all these sins!". 42
As time passed, the Church's Tradition has always consistently taught
the absolute and unchanging value of the commandment "You shall not
kill". It is a known fact that in the first centuries, murder was put
among the three most serious sins-along with apostasy and adultery-and
required a particularly heavy and lengthy public penance before the
repentant murderer could be granted forgiveness and readmission to the
ecclesial community.
55. This should not cause surprise: to kill a human being, in whom the
image of God is present, is a particularly serious sin. Only God is the
master of life! Yet from the beginning, faced with the many and often
tragic cases which occur in the life of individuals and society,
Christian reflection has sought a fuller and deeper understanding of
what God's commandment prohibits and prescribes. 43 There are in fact
situations in which values proposed by God's Law seem to involve a
genuine paradox. This happens for example in the case of legitimate
defence, in which the right to protect one's own life and the duty not
to harm someone else's life are difficult to reconcile in practice.
Certainly, the intrinsic value of life and the duty to love oneself no
less than others are the basis of a true right to self-defence. The
demanding commandment of love of neighbour, set forth in the Old
Testament and confirmed by Jesus, itself presupposes love of oneself as
the basis of comparison: "You shall love your neighbour as yourself "
(Mk 12:31). Consequently, no one can renounce the right to self-defence
out of lack of love for life or for self. This can only be done in
virtue of a heroic love which deepens and transfigures the love of self
into a radical self-offering, according to the spirit of the Gospel
Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:38-40). The sublime example of this self-offering
is the Lord Jesus himself.
Moreover, "legitimate defence can be not only a right but a grave duty
for someone responsible for another's life, the common good of the
family or of the State".44 Unfortunately it happens that the need to
render the aggressor incapable of causing harm sometimes involves
taking his life. In this case, the fatal outcome is attributable to the
aggressor whose action brought it about, even though he may not be
morally responsible because of a lack of the use of reason. 45
56. This is the context in which to place the problem of the death
penalty. On this matter there is a growing tendency, both in the Church
and in civil society, to demand that it be applied in a very limited
way or even that it be abolished completely. The problem must be viewed
in the context of a system of penal justice ever more in line with
human dignity and thus, in the end, with God's plan for man and
society. The primary purpose of the punishment which society inflicts
is "to redress the disorder caused by the offence".46 Public authority
must redress the violation of personal and social rights by imposing on
the offender an adequate punishment for the crime, as a condition for
the offender to regain the exercise of his or her freedom. In this way
authority also fulfils the purpose of defending public order and
ensuring people's safety, while at the same time offering the offender
an incentive and help to change his or her behaviour and be
rehabilitated. 47
It is clear that, for these purposes to be achieved, the nature and
extent of the punishment must be carefully evaluated and decided upon,
and ought not go to the extreme of executing the offender except in
cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be
possible otherwise to defend society. Today however, as a result of
steady improvements in the organization of the penal system, such cases
are very rare, if not practically non-existent.
In any event, the principle set forth in the new Catechism of the
Catholic Church remains valid: "If bloodless means are sufficient to
defend human lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and
the safety of persons, public authority must limit itself to such
means, because they better correspond to the concrete conditions of the
common good and are more in conformity to the dignity of the human
person".48
57. If such great care must be taken to respect every life, even that
of criminals and unjust aggressors, the commandment "You shall not
kill" has absolute value when it refers to the innocent person. And all
the more so in the case of weak and defenceless human beings, who find
their ultimate defence against the arrogance and caprice of others only
in the absolute binding force of God's commandment.
In effect, the absolute inviolability of innocent human life is a moral
truth clearly taught by Sacred Scripture, constantly upheld in the
Church's Tradition and consistently proposed by her Magisterium. This
consistent teaching is the evident result of that "supernatural sense
of the faith" which, inspired and sustained by the Holy Spirit,
safeguards the People of God from error when "it shows universal
agreement in matters of faith and morals".49
Faced with the progressive weakening in individual consciences and in
society of the sense of the absolute and grave moral illicitness of the
direct taking of all innocent human life, especially at its beginning
and at its end, the Church's Magisterium has spoken out with increasing
frequency in defence of the sacredness and inviolability of human life.
The Papal Magisterium, particularly insistent in this regard, has
always been seconded by that of the Bishops, with numerous and
comprehensive doctrinal and pastoral documents issued either by
Episcopal Conferences or by individual Bishops. The Second Vatican
Council also addressed the matter forcefully, in a brief but incisive
passage. 50
Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his
Successors, and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I
confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human
being is always gravely immoral. This doctrine, based upon that
unwritten law which man, in the light of reason, finds in his own heart
(cf. Rom 2:14-15), is reaffirmed by Sacred Scripture, transmitted by
the Tradition of the Church and taught by the ordinary and universal
Magisterium. 51
The deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of his life
is always morally evil and can never be licit either as an end in
itself or as a means to a good end. It is in fact a grave act of
disobedience to the moral law, and indeed to God himself, the author
and guarantor of that law; it contradicts the fundamental virtues of
justice and charity. "Nothing and no one can in any way permit the
killing of an innocent human being, whether a fetus or an embryo, an
infant or an adult, an old person, or one suffering from an incurable
disease, or a person who is dying. Furthermore, no one is permitted to
ask for this act of killing, either for himself or herself or for
another person entrusted to his or her care, nor can he or she consent
to it, either explicitly or implicitly. Nor can any authority
legitimately recommend or permit such an action".52
As far as the right to life is concerned, every innocent human being is
absolutely equal to all others. This equality is the basis of all
authentic social relationships which, to be truly such, can only be
founded on truth and justice, recognizing and protecting every man and
woman as a person and not as an object to be used. Before the moral
norm which prohibits the direct taking of the life of an innocent human
being "there are no privileges or exceptions for anyone. It makes no
difference whether one is the master of the world or the ?poorest of
the poor' on the face of the earth. Before the demands of morality we
are all absolutely equal".53
"Your eyes beheld my unformed substance" (Ps 139:16): the unspeakable
crime of abortion
58. Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured
abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and
deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with
infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime".54
But today, in many people's consciences, the perception of its gravity
has become progressively obscured. The acceptance of abortion in the
popular mind, in behaviour and even in law itself, is a telling sign of
an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming
more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil, even
when the fundamental right to life is at stake. Given such a grave
situation, we need now more than ever to have the courage to look the
truth in the eye and to call things by their proper name, without
yielding to convenient compromises or to the temptation of
self-deception. In this regard the reproach of the Prophet is extremely
straightforward: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who
put darkness for light and light for darkness" (Is 5:20). Especially in
the case of abortion there is a widespread use of ambiguous
terminology, such as "interruption of pregnancy", which tends to hide
abortion's true nature and to attenuate its seriousness in public
opinion. Perhaps this linguistic phenomenon is itself a symptom of an
uneasiness of conscience. But no word has the power to change the
reality of things: procured 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.
The moral gravity of procured abortion is apparent in all its truth if
we recognize that we are dealing with murder and, in particular, when
we consider the specific elements involved. The one eliminated is a
human being at the very beginning of life. No one more absolutely
innocent could be imagined. In no way could this human being ever be
considered an aggressor, much less an unjust aggressor! He or she is
weak, defenceless, even to the point of lacking that minimal form of
defence consisting in the poignant power of a newborn baby's cries and
tears. The unborn child is totally entrusted to the protection and care
of the woman carrying him or her in the womb. And yet sometimes it is
precisely the mother herself who makes the decision and asks for the
child to be eliminated, and who then goes about having it done.
It is true that the decision to have an abortion is often tragic and
painful for the mother, insofar as the decision to rid herself of the
fruit of conception is not made for purely selfish reasons or out of
convenience, but out of a desire to protect certain important values
such as her own health or a decent standard of living for the other
members of the family. Sometimes it is feared that the child to be born
would live in such conditions that it would be better if the birth did
not take place. Nevertheless, these reasons and others like them,
however serious and tragic, can never justify the deliberate killing of
an innocent human being.
59. As well as the mother, there are often other people too who decide
upon the death of the child in the womb. In the first place, the father
of the child may be to blame, not only when he di- rectly pressures the
woman to have an abortion, but also when he indirectly encourages such
a decision on her part by leaving her alone to face the problems of
pregnancy: 55 in this way the family is thus mortally wounded and
profaned in its nature as a community of love and in its vocation to be
the "sanctuary of life". Nor can one overlook the pressures which
sometimes come from the wider family circle and from friends. Sometimes
the woman is subjected to such strong pressure that she feels
psychologically forced to have an abortion: certainly in this case
moral responsibility lies particularly with those who have directly or
indirectly obliged her to have an abortion. Doctors and nurses are also
responsible, when they place at the service of death skills which were
acquired for promoting life.
But responsibility likewise falls on the legislators who have promoted
and approved abortion laws, and, to the extent that they have a say in
the matter, on the administrators of the health-care centres where
abortions are performed. A general and no less serious responsibility
lies with those who have encouraged the spread of an attitude of sexual
permissiveness and a lack of esteem for motherhood, and with those who
should have ensured-but did not-effective family and social policies in
support of families, especially larger families and those with
particular financial and educational needs. Finally, one cannot
overlook the network of complicity which reaches out to include
international institutions, foundations and associations which
systematically campaign for the legalization and spread of abortion in
the world. In this sense abortion goes beyond the responsibility of
individuals and beyond the harm done to them, and takes on a distinctly
social dimension. It is a most serious wound inflicted on society and
its culture by the very people who ought to be society's promoters and
defenders. As I wrote in my Letter to Families, "we are facing an
immense threat to life: not only to the life of individuals but also to
that of civilization itself".56 We are facing what can be called a
"structure of sin" which opposes human life not yet born.
60. Some people try to justify abortion by claiming that the result of
conception, at least up to a certain number of days, cannot yet be
considered a personal human life. But in fact, "from the time that the
ovum is fertilized, a life is begun which is neither that of the father
nor the mother; it is rather the life of a new human being with his own
growth. It would never be made human if it were not human already. This
has always been clear, and ... modern genetic science offers clear
confirmation. It has demonstrated that from the first instant there is
established the programme of what this living being will be: a person,
this individual person with his characteristic aspects already well
determined. Right from fertilization the adventure of a human life
begins, and each of its capacities requires time-a rather lengthy
time-to find its place and to be in a position to act".57 Even if the
presence of a spiritual soul cannot be ascertained by empirical data,
the results themselves of scientific research on the human embryo
provide "a valuable indication for discerning by the use of reason a
personal presence at the moment of the first appearance of a human
life: how could a human individual not be a human person?". 58
Furthermore, what is at stake is so important that, from the standpoint
of moral obligation, the mere probability that a human person is
involved would suffice to justify an absolutely clear prohibition of
any intervention aimed at killing a human embryo. Precisely for this
reason, over and above all scientific debates and those philosophical
affirmations to which the Magisterium has not expressly committed
itself, the Church has always taught and continues to teach that the
result of human procreation, from the first moment of its existence,
must be guaranteed that unconditional respect which is morally due to
the human being in his or her totality and unity as body and spirit:
"The human being is to be respected and treated as a person from the
moment of conception; and therefore from that same moment his rights as
a person must be recognized, among which in the first place is the
inviolable right of every innocent human being to life".59
61. The texts of Sacred Scripture never address the question of
deliberate abortion and so do not directly and specifically condemn it.
But they show such great respect for the human being in the mother's
womb that they require as a logical consequence that God's commandment
"You shall not kill" be extended to the unborn child as well.
Human life is sacred and inviolable at every moment of existence,
including the initial phase which precedes birth. All human beings,
from their mothers' womb, belong to God who searches them and knows
them, who forms them and knits them together with his own hands, who
gazes on them when they are tiny shapeless embryos and already sees in
them the adults of tomorrow whose days are numbered and whose vocation
is even now written in the "book of life" (cf. Ps 139: 1, 13-16). There
too, when they are still in their mothers' womb-as many passages of the
Bible bear witness60-they are the personal objects of God's loving and
fatherly providence.
Christian Tradition-as the Declaration issued by the Congregation for
the Doctrine of the Faith points out so well61-is clear and unanimous,
from the beginning up to our own day, in describing abortion as a
particularly grave moral disorder. From its first contacts with the
Greco-Roman world, where abortion and infanticide were widely
practised, the first Christian community, by its teaching and practice,
radically opposed the customs rampant in that society, as is clearly
shown by the Didache mentioned earlier. 62 Among the Greek
ecclesiastical writers, Athenagoras records that Christians consider as
murderesses women who have recourse to abortifacient medicines, because
children, even if they are still in their mother's womb, "are already
under the protection of Divine Providence".63 Among the Latin authors,
Tertullian affirms: "It is anticipated murder to prevent someone from
being born; it makes little difference whether one kills a soul already
born or puts it to death at birth. He who will one day be a man is a
man already".64
Throughout Christianity's two thousand year history, this same doctrine
has been constantly taught by the Fathers of the Church and by her
Pastors and Doctors. Even scientific and philosophical discussions
about the precise moment of the infusion of the spiritual soul have
never given rise to any hesitation about the moral condemnation of
abortion.
62. The more recent Papal Magisterium has vigorously reaffirmed this
common doctrine. Pius XI in particular, in his Encyclical Casti
Connubii, rejected the specious justifications of abortion. 65 Pius XII
excluded all direct abortion, i.e., every act tending directly to
destroy human life in the womb "whether such destruction is intended as
an end or only as a means to an end".66 John XXIII reaffirmed that
human life is sacred because "from its very beginning it directly
involves God's creative activity".67 The Second Vatican Council, as
mentioned earlier, sternly condemned abortion: "From the moment of its
conception life must be guarded with the greatest care, while abortion
and infanticide are unspeakable crimes".68
The Church's canonical discipline, from the earliest centuries, has
inflicted penal sanctions on those guilty of abortion. This practice,
with more or less severe penalties, has been confirmed in various
periods of history. The 1917 Code of Canon Law punished abortion with
excommunication. 69 The revised canonical legislation continues this
tradition when it decrees that "a person who actually procures an
abortion incurs automatic (latae sententiae) excommunication".70 The
excommu- nication affects all those who commit this crime with
knowledge of the penalty attached, and thus includes those accomplices
without whose help the crime would not have been committed. 71 By this
reiterated sanction, the Church makes clear that abortion is a most
serious and dangerous crime, thereby encouraging those who commit it to
seek without delay the path of conversion. In the Church the purpose of
the penalty of excommunication is to make an individual fully aware of
the gravity of a certain sin and then to foster genuine conversion and
repentance.
Given such unanimity in the doctrinal and disciplinary tradition of the
Church, Paul VI was able to declare that this tradition is unchanged
and unchangeable. 72 Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred
upon Peter and his Successors, in communion with the Bishops-who on
various occasions have condemned abortion and who in the aforementioned
consultation, albeit dispersed throughout the world, have shown
unanimous agreement concerning this doctrine-I declare that direct
abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, always
constitutes a grave moral disorder, since it is the deliberate killing
of an innocent human being. This doctrine is based upon the natural law
and upon the written Word of God, is transmitted by the Church's
Tradition and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. 73
No circumstance, no purpose, no law whatsoever can ever make licit an
act which is intrinsically illicit, since it is contrary to the Law of
God which is written in every human heart, knowable by reason itself,
and proclaimed by the Church.
63. This evaluation of the morality of abortion is to be applied also
to the recent forms of intervention on human embryos which, although
carried out for purposes legitimate in themselves, inevitably involve
the killing of those embryos. This is the case with experimentation on
embryos, which is becoming increasingly widespread in the field of
biomedical research and is legally permitted in some countries.
Although "one must uphold as licit procedures carried out on the human
embryo which respect the life and integrity of the embryo and do not
involve disproportionate risks for it, but rather are directed to its
healing, the improvement of its condition of health, or its individual
survival",74 it must nonetheless be stated that the use of human
embryos or fetuses as an object of experimentation constitutes a crime
against their dignity as human beings who have a right to the same
respect owed to a child once born, just as to every person. 75
This moral condemnation also regards procedures that exploit living
human embryos and fetuses-sometimes specifically "produced" for this
purpose by in vitro fertilization-either to be used as "biological
material" or as providers of organs or tissue for transplants in the
treatment of certain diseases. The killing of innocent human creatures,
even if carried out to help others, constitutes an absolutely
unacceptable act.
Special attention must be given to evaluating the morality of prenatal
diagnostic techniques which enable the early detection of possible
anomalies in the unborn child. In view of the complexity of these
techniques, an accurate and systematic moral judgment is necessary.
When they do not involve disproportionate risks for the child and the
mother, and are meant to make possible early therapy or even to favour
a serene and informed acceptance of the child not yet born, these
techniques are morally licit. But since the possibilities of prenatal
therapy are today still limited, it not infrequently happens that these
techniques are used with a eugenic intention which accepts selective
abortion in order to prevent the birth of children affected by various
types of anomalies. Such an attitude is shameful and utterly
reprehensible, since it presumes to measure the value of a human life
only within the parameters of "normality" and physical well-being, thus
opening the way to legitimizing infanticide and euthanasia as well.
And yet the courage and the serenity with which so many of our brothers
and sisters suffering from serious disabilities lead their lives when
they are shown acceptance and love bears eloquent witness to what gives
authentic value to life, and makes it, even in difficult conditions,
something precious for them and for others. The Church is close to
those married couples who, with great anguish and suffering, willingly
accept gravely handicapped children. She is also grateful to all those
families which, through adoption, welcome children abandoned by their
parents because of disabilities or illnesses.
"It is I who bring both death and life" (Dt 32:39): the tragedy of
euthanasia
64. At the other end of life's spectrum, men and women find themselves
facing the mystery of death. Today, as a result of advances in medicine
and in a cultural context frequently closed to the transcendent, the
experience of dying is marked by new features. When the prevailing
tendency is to value life only to the extent that it brings pleasure
and well-being, suffering seems like an unbearable setback, something
from which one must be freed at all costs. Death is considered
"senseless" if it suddenly interrupts a life still open to a future of
new and interesting experiences. But it becomes a "rightful liberation"
once life is held to be no longer meaningful because it is filled with
pain and inexorably doomed to even greater suffering.
Furthermore, when he denies or neglects his fundamental relationship to
God, man thinks he is his own rule and measure, with the right to
demand that society should guarantee him the ways and means of deciding
what to do with his life in full and complete autonomy. It is
especially people in the developed countries who act in this way: they
feel encouraged to do so also by the constant progress of medicine and
its ever more advanced techniques. By using highly sophisticated
systems and equipment, science and medical practice today are able not
only to attend to cases formerly considered untreatable and to reduce
or eliminate pain, but also to sustain and prolong life even in
situations of extreme frailty, to resuscitate artifi- cially patients
whose basic biological functions have undergone sudden collapse, and to
use special procedures to make organs available for transplanting.
In this context the temptation grows to have recourse to euthanasia,
that is, to take control of death and bring it about before its time,
"gently" ending one's own life or the life of others. In reality, what
might seem logical and humane, when looked at more closely is seen to
be senseless and inhumane. Here we are faced with one of the more
alarming symptoms of the "culture of death", which is advancing above
all in prosperous societies, marked by an attitude of excessive
preoccupation with efficiency and which sees the growing number of
elderly and disabled people as intolerable and too burdensome. These
people are very often isolated by their families and by society, which
are organized almost exclusively on the basis of criteria of productive
efficiency, according to which a hopelessly impaired life no longer has
any value.
65. For a correct moral judgment on euthanasia, in the first place a
clear definition is required. Euthanasia in the strict sense is
understood to be an action or omission which of itself and by intention
causes death, with the purpose of eliminating all suffering.
"Euthanasia's terms of reference, therefore, are to be found in the
intention of the will and in the methods used".76
Euthanasia must be distinguished from the decision to forego so-called
"aggressive medical treatment", in other words, medical procedures
which no longer correspond to the real situation of the patient, either
because they are by now disproportionate to any expected results or
because they impose an excessive burden on the patient and his family.
In such situations, when death is clearly imminent and inevitable, one
can in conscience "refuse forms of treatment that would only secure a
precarious and burdensome prolongation of life, so long as the normal
care due to the sick person in similar cases is not interrupted".77
Certainly there is a moral obligation to care for oneself and to allow
oneself to be cared for, but this duty must take account of concrete
circumstances. It needs to be determined whether the means of treatment
available are objectively proportionate to the prospects for
improvement. To forego extraordinary or disproportionate means is not
the equivalent of suicide or euthanasia; it rather expresses acceptance
of the human condition in the face of death. 78
In modern medicine, increased attention is being given to what are
called "methods of palliative care", which seek to make suffering more
bearable in the final stages of illness and to ensure that the patient
is supported and accompanied in his or her ordeal. Among the questions
which arise in this context is that of the licitness of using various
types of painkillers and sedatives for relieving the patient's pain
when this involves the risk of shortening life. While praise may be due
to the person who voluntarily accepts suffering by forgoing treatment
with pain-killers in order to remain fully lucid and, if a believer, to
share consciously in the Lord's Passion, such "heroic" behaviour cannot
be considered the duty of everyone. Pius XII affirmed that it is licit
to relieve pain by narcotics, even when the result is decreased
consciousness and a shortening of life, "if no other means exist, and
if, in the given circumstances, this does not prevent the carrying out
of other religious and moral duties".79 In such a case, death is not
willed or sought, even though for reasonable motives one runs the risk
of it: there is simply a desire to ease pain effectively by using the
analgesics which medicine provides. All the same, "it is not right to
deprive the dying person of consciousness without a serious reason": 80
as they approach death people ought to be able to satisfy their moral
and family duties, and above all they ought to be able to prepare in a
fully conscious way for their definitive meeting with God.
Taking into account these distinctions, in harmony with the Magisterium
of my Predecessors 81 and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic
Church, I confirm that euthanasia is a grave violation of the law of
God, since it is the deliberate and morally unacceptable killing of a
human person. This doctrine is based upon the natural law and upon the
written word of God, is transmitted by the Church's Tradition and
taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium. 82
Depending on the circumstances, this practice involves the malice
proper to suicide or murder.
66. Suicide is always as morally objectionable as murder. The Church's
tradition has always rejected it as a gravely evil choice. 83 Even
though a certain psychological, cultural and social conditioning may
induce a person to carry out an action which so radically contradicts
the innate inclination to life, thus lessening or removing subjective
responsibility, suicide, when viewed objectively, is a gravely immoral
act. In fact, it involves the rejection of love of self and the
renunciation of the obligation of justice and charity towards one's
neighbour, towards the communities to which one belongs, and towards
society as a whole. 84 In its deepest reality, suicide represents a
rejection of God's absolute sovereignty over life and death, as
proclaimed in the prayer of the ancient sage of Israel: "You have power
over life and death; you lead men down to the gates of Hades and back
again" (Wis 16:13; cf. Tob 13:2).
To concur with the intention of another person to commit suicide and to
help in carrying it out through so-called "assisted suicide" means to
cooperate in, and at times to be the actual perpetrator of, an
injustice which can never be excused, even if it is requested. In a
remarkably relevant passage Saint Augustine writes that "it is never
licit to kill another: even if he should wish it, indeed if he request
it because, hanging between life and death, he begs for help in freeing
the soul struggling against the bonds of the body and longing to be
released; nor is it licit even when a sick person is no longer able to
live".85 Even when not motivated by a selfish refusal to be burdened
with the life of someone who is suffering, euthanasia must be called a
false mercy, and indeed a disturbing "perversion" of mercy. True
"compassion" leads to sharing another's pain; it does not kill the
person whose suffering we cannot bear. Moreover, the act of euthanasia
appears all the more perverse if it is carried out by those, like
relatives, who are supposed to treat a family member with patience and
love, or by those, such as doctors, who by virtue of their specific
profession are supposed to care for the sick person even in the most
painful terminal stages.
The choice of euthanasia becomes more serious when it takes the form of
a murder committed by others on a person who has in no way requested it
and who has never consented to it. The height of arbitrariness and
injustice is reached when certain people, such as physicians or
legislators, arrogate to themselves the power to decide who ought to
live and who ought to die. Once again we find ourselves before the
temptation of Eden: to become like God who "knows good and evil" (cf.
Gen 3:5). God alone has the power over life and death: "It is I who
bring both death and life" (Dt 32:39; cf. 2 Kg 5:7; 1 Sam 2:6). But he
only exercises this power in accordance with a plan of wisdom and love.
When man usurps this power, being enslaved by a foolish and selfish way
of thinking, he inevitably uses it for injustice and death. Thus the
life of the person who is weak is put into the hands of the one who is
strong; in society the sense of justice is lost, and mutual trust, the
basis of every authentic interpersonal relationship, is undermined at
its root.
67. Quite different from this is the way of love and true mercy, which
our common humanity calls for, and upon which faith in Christ the
Redeemer, who died and rose again, sheds ever new light. The request
which arises from the human heart in the supreme confrontation with
suffering and death, especially when faced with the temptation to give
up in utter desperation, is above all a request for companionship,
sympathy and support in the time of trial. It is a plea for help to
keep on hoping when all human hopes fail. As the Second Vatican Council
reminds us: "It is in the face of death that the riddle of human
existence becomes most acute" and yet "man rightly follows the
intuition of his heart when he abhors and repudiates the absolute ruin
and total disappearance of his own person. Man rebels against death
because he bears in himself an eternal seed which cannot be reduced to
mere matter".86
This natural aversion to death and this incipient hope of immortality
are illumined and brought to fulfilment by Christian faith, which both
promises and offers a share in the victory of the Risen Christ: it is
the victory of the One who, by his redemptive death, has set man free
from death, "the wages of sin" (Rom 6:23), and has given him the
Spirit, the pledge of resurrection and of life (cf. Rom 8:11). The
certainty of future immortality and hope in the promised resurrection
cast new light on the mystery of suffering and death, and fill the
believer with an extraordinary capacity to trust fully in the plan of
God.
The Apostle Paul expressed this newness in terms of belonging
completely to the Lord who embraces every human condition: "None of us
lives to himself, and none of us dies to himself. If we live, we live
to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we
live or whether we die, we are the Lord's" (Rom 14:7-8). Dying to the
Lord means experiencing one's death as the supreme act of obedience to
the Father (cf. Phil 2:8), being ready to meet death at the "hour"
willed and chosen by him (cf.Jn 13:1), which can only mean when one's
earthly pilgrimage is completed. Living to the Lord also means
recognizing that suffering, while still an evil and a trial in itself,
can always become a source of good. It becomes such if it is
experienced for love and with love through sharing, by God's gracious
gift and one's own personal and free choice, in the suffering of Christ
Crucified. In this way, the person who lives his suffering in the Lord
grows more fully conformed to him (cf. Phil 3:10; 1 Pet 2:21) and more
closely associated with his redemptive work on behalf of the Church and
humanity. 87 This was the experience of Saint Paul, which every person
who suffers is called to relive: "I rejoice in my sufferings for your
sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ's
afflictions for the sake of his Body, that is, the Church" (Col 1:24).
"We must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29): civil law and the moral
law
68. One of the specific characteristics of present-day attacks on human
life-as has already been said several times-consists in the trend to
demand a legal justification for them, as if they were rights which the
State, at least under certain conditions, must acknowledge as belonging
to citizens. Consequently, there is a tendency to claim that it should
be possible to exercise these rights with the safe and free assistance
of doctors and medical personnel.
It is often claimed that the life of an unborn child or a seriously
disabled person is only a relative good: according to a proportionalist
approach, or one of sheer calculation, this good should be compared
with and balanced against other goods. It is even maintained that only
someone present and personally involved in a concrete situation can
correctly judge the goods at stake: consequently, only that person
would be able to decide on the morality of his choice. The State
therefore, in the interest of civil coexistence and social harmony,
should respect this choice, even to the point of permitting abortion
and euthanasia.
At other times, it is claimed that civil law cannot demand that all
citizens should live according to moral standards higher than what all
citizens themselves acknowledge and share. Hence the law should always
express the opinion and will of the majority of citizens and recognize
that they have, at least in certain extreme cases, the right even to
abortion and euthanasia. Moreover the prohibition and the punishment of
abortion and euthanasia in these cases would inevitably lead-so it is
said-to an increase of illegal practices: and these would not be
subject to necessary control by society and would be carried out in a
medically unsafe way. The question is also raised whether supporting a
law which in practice cannot be enforced would not ultimately undermine
the authority of all laws.
Finally, the more radical views go so far as to maintain that in a
modern and pluralistic society people should be allowed complete
freedom to dispose of their own lives as well as of the lives of the
unborn: it is asserted that it is not the task of the law to choose
between different moral opinions, and still less can the law claim to
impose one particular opinion to the detriment of others.
69. In any case, in the democratic culture of our time it is commonly
held that the legal system of any society should limit itself to taking
account of and accepting the convictions of the majority. It should
therefore be based solely upon what the majority itself considers moral
and actually practises. Furthermore, if it is believed that an
objective truth shared by all is de facto unattainable, then respect
for the freedom of the citizens-who in a democratic system are
considered the true rulers-would require that on the legislative level
the autonomy of individual consciences be acknowledged. Consequently,
when establishing those norms which are absolutely necessary for social
coexistence, the only determining factor should be the will of the
majority, whatever this may be. Hence every politician, in his or her
activity, should clearly separate the realm of private conscience from
that of public conduct.
As a result we have what appear to be two diametrically opposed
tendencies. On the one hand, individuals claim for themselves in the
moral sphere the most complete freedom of choice and demand that the
State should not adopt or impose any ethical position but limit itself
to guaranteeing maximum space for the freedom of each individual, with
the sole limitation of not infringing on the freedom and rights of any
other citizen. On the other hand, it is held that, in the exercise of
public and professional duties, respect for other people's freedom of
choice requires that each one should set aside his or her own
convictions in order to satisfy every demand of the citizens which is
recognized and guaranteed by law; in carrying out one's duties the only
moral criterion should be what is laid down by the law itself.
Individual responsibility is thus turned over to the civil law, with a
renouncing of personal conscience, at least in the public sphere.
70. At the basis of all these tendencies lies the ethical relativism
which characterizes much of present-day culture. There are those who
consider such relativism an essential condition of democ- racy,
inasmuch as it alone is held to guarantee tolerance, mutual respect
between people and acceptance of the decisions of the majority, whereas
moral norms considered to be objective and binding are held to lead to
authoritarianism and intolerance.
But it is precisely the issue of respect for life which shows what
misunderstandings and contradictions, accompanied by terrible practical
consequences, are concealed in this position.
It is true that history has known cases where crimes have been
committed in the name of "truth". But equally grave crimes and radical
denials of freedom have also been committed and are still being
committed in the name of "ethical relativism". When a parliamentary or
social majority decrees that it is legal, at least under certain
conditions, to kill unborn human life, is it not really making a
"tyrannical" decision with regard to the weakest and most defenceless
of human beings? Everyone's conscience rightly rejects those crimes
against humanity of which our century has had such sad experience. But
would these crimes cease to be crimes if, instead of being committed by
unscrupulous tyrants, they were legitimated by popular consensus?
Democracy cannot be idolized to the point of making it a substitute for
morality or a panacea for immorality. Fundamentally, democracy is a
"system" and as such is a means and not an end. Its "moral" value is
not automatic, but depends on conformity to the moral law to which it,
like every other form of human behaviour, must be subject: in other
words, its morality depends on the morality of the ends which it
pursues and of the means which it employs. If today we see an almost
universal consensus with regard to the value of democracy, this is to
be considered a positive "sign of the times", as the Church's
Magisterium has frequently noted. 88 But the value of democracy stands
or falls with the values which it embodies and promotes. Of course,
values such as the dignity of every human person, respect for
inviolable and inalienable human rights, and the adoption of the
"common good" as the end and criterion regulating political life are
certainly fundamental and not to be ignored.
The basis of these values cannot be provisional and changeable
"majority" opinions, but only the acknowledgment of an objective moral
law which, as the "natural law" written in the human heart, is the
obligatory point of reference for civil law itself. If, as a result of
a tragic obscuring of the collective conscience, an attitude of
scepticism were to succeed in bringing into question even the
fundamental principles of the moral law, the democratic system itself
would be shaken in its foundations, and would be reduced to a mere
mechanism for regulating different and opposing interests on a purely
empirical basis. 89
Some might think that even this function, in the absence of anything
better, should be valued for the sake of peace in society. While one
acknowledges some element of truth in this point of view, it is easy to
see that without an objective moral grounding not even democracy is
capable of ensuring a stable peace, especially since peace which is not
built upon the values of the dignity of every individual and of
solidarity between all people frequently proves to be illusory. Even in
participatory systems of government, the regulation of interests often
occurs to the advantage of the most powerful, since they are the ones
most capable of manoeuvering not only the levers of power but also of
shaping the formation of consensus. In such a situation, democracy
easily becomes an empty word.
71. It is therefore urgently necessary, for the future of society and
the development of a sound democracy, to rediscover those essential and
innate human and moral values which flow from the very truth of the
human being and express and safeguard the dignity of the person: values
which no individual, no majority and no State can ever create, modify
or destroy, but must only acknowledge, respect and promote.
Consequently there is a need to recover the basic elements of a vision
of the relationship between civil law and moral law, which are put
forward by the Church, but which are also part of the patrimony of the
great juridical traditions of humanity.
Certainly the purpose of civil law is different and more limited in
scope than that of the moral law. But "in no sphere of life can the
civil law take the place of conscience or dictate norms concerning
things which are outside its competence",90 which is that of ensuring
the common good of people through the recognition and defence of their
fundamental rights, and the promotion of peace and of public morality.
91 The real purpose of civil law is to guarantee an ordered social
coexistence in true justice, so that all may "lead a quiet and
peaceable life, godly and respectful in every way" (1 Tim 2:2).
Precisely for this reason, civil law must ensure that all members of
society enjoy respect for certain fundamental rights which innately
belong to the person, rights which every positive law must recognize
and guarantee. First and fundamental among these is the inviolable
right to life of every innocent human being. While public authority can
sometimes choose not to put a stop to something which-were it
prohibited- would cause more serious harm, 92 it can never presume to
legitimize as a right of individuals-even if they are the majority of
the members of society-an offence against other persons caused by the
disregard of so fundamental a right as the right to life. The legal
toleration of abortion or of euthanasia can in no way claim to be based
on respect for the conscience of others, precisely because society has
the right and the duty to protect itself against the abuses which can
occur in the name of conscience and under the pretext of freedom. 93
In the Encyclical Pacem in Terris, John XXIII pointed out that "it is
generally accepted today that the common good is best safeguarded when
personal rights and duties are guaranteed. The chief concern of civil
authorities must therefore be to ensure that these rights are
recognized, respected, co-ordinated, defended and promoted, and that
each individual is enabled to perform his duties more easily. For ?to
safeguard the inviolable rights of the human person, and to facilitate
the performance of his duties, is the principal duty of every public
authority'. Thus any government which refused to recognize human rights
or acted in violation of them, would not only fail in its duty; its
decrees would be wholly lacking in binding force".94
72. The doctrine on the necessary conformity of civil law with the
moral law is in continuity with the whole tradition of the Church. This
is clear once more from John XXIII's Encyclical: "Authority is a
postulate of the moral order and derives from God. Consequently, laws
and decrees enacted in contravention of the moral order, and hence of
the divine will, can have no binding force in conscience...; indeed,
the passing of such laws undermines the very nature of authority and
results in shameful abuse".95 This is the clear teaching of Saint
Thomas Aquinas, who writes that "human law is law inasmuch as it is in
conformity with right reason and thus derives from the eternal law. But
when a law is contrary to reason, it is called an unjust law; but in
this case it ceases to be a law and becomes instead an act of
violence".96 And again: "Every law made by man can be called a law
insofar as it derives from the natural law. But if it is somehow
opposed to the natural law, then it is not really a law but rather a
corruption of the law".97
Now the first and most immediate application of this teaching concerns
a human law which disregards the fundamental right and source of all
other rights which is the right to life, a right belonging to every
individual. Consequently, laws which legitimize the direct killing of
innocent human beings through abortion or euthanasia are in complete
opposition to the inviolable right to life proper to every individual;
they thus deny the equality of everyone before the law. It might be
objected that such is not the case in euthanasia, when it is requested
with full awareness by the person involved. But any State which made
such a request legitimate and authorized it to be carried out would be
legalizing a case of suicide-murder, contrary to the fundamental
principles of absolute respect for life and of the protection of every
innocent life. In this way the State contributes to lessening respect
for life and opens the door to ways of acting which are destructive of
trust in relations between people. Laws which authorize and promote
abortion and euthanasia are therefore radically opposed not only to the
good of the individual but also to the common good; as such they are
completely lacking in authentic juridical validity. Disregard for the
right to life, precisely because it leads to the killing of the person
whom society exists to serve, is what most directly conflicts with the
possibility of achieving the common good. Consequently, a civil law
authorizing abortion or euthanasia ceases by that very fact to be a
true, morally binding civil law.
73. Abortion and euthanasia are thus crimes which no human law can
claim to legitimize. There is no obligation in conscience to obey such
laws; instead there is a grave and clear obligation to oppose them by
conscientious objection. From the very beginnings of the Church, the
apostolic preaching reminded Christians of their duty to obey
legitimately constituted public authorities (cf. Rom 13:1-7; 1 Pet
2:13-14), but at the same time it firmly warned that "we must obey God
rather than men" (Acts 5:29). In the Old Testament, precisely in regard
to threats against life, we find a significant example of resistance to
the unjust command of those in authority. After Pharaoh ordered the
killing of all newborn males, the Hebrew midwives refused. "They did
not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children
live" (Ex 1:17). But the ultimate reason for their action should be
noted: "the midwives feared God" (ibid.). It is precisely from
obedience to God-to whom alone is due that fear which is acknowledgment
of his absolute sovereignty-that the strength and the courage to resist
unjust human laws are born. It is the strength and the courage of those
prepared even to be imprisoned or put to the sword, in the certainty
that this is what makes for "the endurance and faith of the saints"
(Rev 13:10).
In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, such as a law permitting
abortion or euthanasia, it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to
"take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law, or vote
for it".98
A particular problem of conscience can arise in cases where a
legislative vote would be decisive for the passage of a more
restrictive law, aimed at limiting the number of authorized abortions,
in place of a more permissive law already passed or ready to be voted
on. Such cases are not infrequent. It is a fact that while in some
parts of the world there continue to be campaigns to introduce laws
favouring abortion, often supported by powerful international
organizations, in other nations-particularly those which have already
experienced the bitter fruits of such permissive legislation-there are
growing signs of a rethinking in this matter. In a case like the one
just mentioned, when it is not possible to overturn or completely
abrogate a pro-abortion law, an elected official, whose absolute
personal opposition to procured abortion was well known, could licitly
support proposals aimed at limiting the harm done by such a law and at
lessening its negative consequences at the level of general opinion and
public morality. This does not in fact represent an illicit cooperation
with an unjust law, but rather a legitimate and proper attempt to limit
its evil aspects.
74. The passing of unjust laws often raises difficult problems of
conscience for morally upright people with regard to the issue of
cooperation, since they have a right to demand not to be forced to take
part in morally evil actions. Sometimes the choices which have to be
made are difficult; they may require the sacrifice of prestigious
professional positions or the relinquishing of reasonable hopes of
career advancement. In other cases, it can happen that carrying out
certain actions, which are provided for by legislation that overall is
unjust, but which in themselves are indifferent, or even positive, can
serve to protect human lives under threat. There may be reason to fear,
however, that willingness to carry out such actions will not only cause
scandal and weaken the necessary opposition to attacks on life, but
will gradually lead to further capitulation to a mentality of
permissiveness.
In order to shed light on this difficult question, it is necessary to
recall the general principles concerning cooperation in evil actions.
Christians, like all people of good will, are called upon under grave
obligation of conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which,
even if permitted by civil legislation, are contrary to God's law.
Indeed, from the moral standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate
formally in evil. Such cooperation occurs when an action, either by its
very nature or by the form it takes in a concrete situation, can be
defined as a direct participation in an act against innocent human life
or a sharing in the immoral intention of the person committing it. This
cooperation can never be justified either by invoking respect for the
freedom of others or by appealing to the fact that civil law permits it
or requires it. Each individual in fact has moral responsibility for
the acts which he personally performs; no one can be exempted from this
responsibility, and on the basis of it everyone will be judged by God
himself (cf. Rom 2:6; 14:12).
To refuse to take part in committing an injustice is not only a moral
duty; it is also a basic human right. Were this not so, the human
person would be forced to perform an action intrinsically incompatible
with human dignity, and in this way human freedom itself, the authentic
meaning and purpose of which are found in its orientation to the true
and the good, would be radically compromised. What is at stake
therefore is an essential right which, precisely as such, should be
acknowledged and protected by civil law. In this sense, the opportunity
to refuse to take part in the phases of consultation, preparation and
execution of these acts against life should be guaranteed to
physicians, health-care personnel, and directors of hospitals, clinics
and convalescent facilities. Those who have recourse to conscientious
objection must be protected not only from legal penalties but also from
any negative effects on the legal, disciplinary, financial and
professional plane.
"You shall love your neighbour as yourself" (Lk 10:27):"promote" life
75. God's commandments teach us the way of life. The negative moral
precepts, which declare that the choice of certain actions is morally
unacceptable, have an absolute value for human freedom: they are valid
always and everywhere, without exception. They make it clear that the
choice of certain ways of acting is radically incompatible with the
love of God and with the dignity of the person created in his image.
Such choices cannot be redeemed by the goodness of any intention or of
any consequence; they are irrevocably opposed to the bond between
persons; they contradict the fundamental decision to direct one's life
to God. 99
In this sense, the negative moral precepts have an extremely important
positive function. The "no" which they unconditionally require makes
clear the absolute limit beneath which free individuals cannot lower
themselves. At the same time they indicate the minimum which they must
respect and from which they must start out in order to say "yes" over
and over again, a "yes" which will gradually embrace the entire horizon
of the good (cf. Mt 5:48). The commandments, in particular the negative
moral precepts, are the beginning and the first necessary stage of the
journey towards freedom. As Saint Augustine writes, "the beginning of
freedom is to be free from crimes... like murder, adultery,
fornication, theft, fraud, sacrilege and so forth. Only when one stops
committing these crimes (and no Christian should commit them), one
begins to lift up one's head towards freedom. But this is only the
beginning of freedom, not perfect freedom".100
76. The commandment "You shall not kill" thus establishes the point of
departure for the start of true freedom. It leads us to promote life
actively, and to develop particular ways of thinking and acting which
serve life. In this way we exercise our responsibility towards the
persons entrusted to us and we show, in deeds and in truth, our
gratitude to God for the great gift of life (cf. Ps 139:13-14).
The Creator has entrusted man's life to his responsible concern, not to
make arbitrary use of it, but to preserve it with wisdom and to care
for it with loving fidelity. The God of the Covenant has entrusted the
life of every individual to his or her fellow human beings, brothers
and sisters, according to the law of reciprocity in giving and
receiving, of self-giving and of the acceptance of others. In the
fullness of time, by taking flesh and giving his life for us, the Son
of God showed what heights and depths this law of reciprocity can
reach. With the gift of his Spirit, Christ gives new content and
meaning to the law of reciprocity, to our being entrusted to one
another. The Spirit who builds up communion in love creates between us
a new fraternity and solidarity, a true reflection of the mystery of
mutual self-giving and receiving proper to the Most Holy Trinity. The
Spirit becomes the new law which gives strength to believers and
awakens in them a responsibility for sharing the gift of self and for
accepting others, as a sharing in the boundless love of Jesus Christ
himself.
77. This new law also gives spirit and shape to the commandment "You
shall not kill". For the Christian it involves an absolute imperative
to respect, love and promote the life of every brother and sister, in
accordance with the requirements of God's bountiful love in Jesus
Christ. "He laid down his life for us; and we ought to lay down our
lives for the brethren" (1 Jn 3:16).
The commandment "You shall not kill", even in its more positive aspects
of respecting, loving and promoting human life, is binding on every
individual human being. It resounds in the moral conscience of everyone
as an irrepressible echo of the original covenant of God the Creator
with mankind. It can be recognized by everyone through the light of
reason and it can be observed thanks to the mysterious working of the
Spirit who, blowing where he wills (cf. Jn 3:8), comes to and involves
every person living in this world.
It is therefore a service of love which we are all committed to ensure
to our neighbour, that his or her life may be always defended and
promoted, especially when it is weak or threatened. It is not only a
personal but a social concern which we must all foster: a concern to
make unconditional respect for human life the foundation of a renewed
society.
We are asked to love and honour the life of every man and woman and to
work with perseverance and courage so that our time, marked by all too
many signs of death, may at last witness the establishment of a new
culture of life, the fruit of the culture of truth and of love.
CHAPTER IV - YOU DID IT TO ME
FOR A NEW CULTURE OF HUMAN LIFE
"You are God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of
him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Pet
2:9): a people of life and for life
78. The Church has received the Gospel as a proclamation and a source
of joy and salvation. She has received it as a gift from Jesus, sent by
the Father "to preach good news to the poor" (Lk 4:18). She has
received it through the Apostles, sent by Christ to the whole world
(cf. Mk 16:15; Mt 28:19-20). Born from this evangelizing activity, the
Church hears every day the echo of Saint Paul's words of warning: "Woe
to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1 Cor 9:16). As Paul VI wrote,
"evangelization is the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her
deepest identity. She exists in order to evangelize".101
Evangelization is an all-embracing, progressive activity through which
the Church participates in the prophetic, priestly and royal mission of
the Lord Jesus. It is therefore inextricably linked to preaching,
celebration and the service of charity. Evangelization is a profoundly
ecclesial act, which calls all the various workers of the Gospel to
action, according to their individual charisms and ministry.
This is also the case with regard to the proclamation of the Gospel of
life, an integral part of that Gospel which is Jesus Christ himself. We
are at the service of this Gospel, sustained by the awareness that we
have received it as a gift and are sent to preach it to all humanity,
"to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). With humility and gratitude we
know that we are the people of life and for life, and this is how we
present ourselves to everyone.
79. We are the people of life because God, in his unconditional love,
has given us the Gospel of life and by this same Gospel we have been
transformed and saved. We have been ransomed by the "Author of life"
(Acts 3:15) at the price of his precious blood (cf. 1 Cor 6:20; 7:23; 1
Pet 1:19). Through the waters of Baptism we have been made a part of
him (cf. Rom 6:4-5; Col 2:12), as branches which draw nourishment and
fruitfulness from the one tree (cf. Jn 15:5). Interiorly renewed by the
grace of the Spirit, "who is the Lord and giver of life", we have
become a people for life and we are called to act accordingly.
We have been sent. For us, being at the service of life is not a boast
but rather a duty, born of our awareness of being "God's own people,
that we may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called us out of
darkness into his marvellous light" (cf. 1 Pet 2:9). On our journey we
are guided and sustained by the law of love: a love which has as its
source and model the Son of God made man, who "by dying gave life to
the world".102
We have been sent as a people. Everyone has an obligation to be at the
service of life. This is a properly "ecclesial" responsibility, which
requires concerted and generous action by all the members and by all
sectors of the Christian community. This community commitment does not
however eliminate or lessen the responsibility of each individual,
called by the Lord to "become the neighbour" of everyone: "Go and do
likewise" (Lk 10:37).
Together we all sense our duty to preach the Gospel of life, to
celebrate it in the Liturgy and in our whole existence, and to serve it
with the various programmes and structures which support and promote
life.
"That which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you" (1 Jn 1:3):
proclaiming the Gospel of life
80. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we
have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and touched with our
hands, concerning the word of life ... we proclaim also to you, so that
you may have fellowship with us" (1 Jn 1:1, 3). Jesus is the only
Gospel: we have nothing further to say or any other witness to bear.
To proclaim Jesus is itself to proclaim life. For Jesus is "the word of
life" (1 Jn 1:1). In him "life was made manifest" (1 Jn 1:2); he
himself is "the eternal life which was with the Father and was made
manifest to us" (1 Jn 1:2). By the gift of the Spirit, this same life
has been bestowed on us. It is in being destined to life in its
fullness, to "eternal life", that every person's earthly life acquires
its full meaning.
Enlightened by this Gospel of life, we feel a need to proclaim it and
to bear witness to it in all its marvellous newness. Since it is one
with Jesus himself, who makes all things new 103 and conquers the
"oldness" which comes from sin and leads to death, 104 this Gospel
exceeds every human expectation and reveals the sublime heights to
which the dignity of the human person is raised through grace. This is
how Saint Gregory of Nyssa understands it: "Man, as a being, is of no
account; he is dust, grass, vanity. But once he is adopted by the God
of the universe as a son, he becomes part of the family of that Being,
whose excellence and greatness no one can see, hear or understand. What
words, thoughts or flight of the spirit can praise the superabundance
of this grace? Man surpasses his nature: mortal, he becomes immortal;
perishable, he becomes imperishable; fleeting, he becomes eternal;
human, he becomes divine".105
Gratitude and joy at the incomparable dignity of man impel us to share
this message with everyone: "that which we have seen and heard we
proclaim also to you, so that you may have fellowship with us" (1 Jn
1:3). We need to bring the Gospel of life to the heart of every man and
woman and to make it penetrate every part of society.
81. This involves above all proclaiming the core of this Gospel. It is
the proclamation of a living God who is close to us, who calls us to
profound communion with himself and awakens in us the certain hope of
eternal life. It is the affirmation of the inseparable connection
between the person, his life and his bodiliness. It is the presentation
of human life as a life of relationship, a gift of God, the fruit and
sign of his love. It is the proclamation that Jesus has a unique
relationship with every person, which enables us to see in every human
face the face of Christ. It is the call for a "sincere gift of self" as
the fullest way to realize our personal freedom.
It also involves making clear all the consequences of this Gospel.
These can be summed up as follows: human life, as a gift of God, is
sacred and inviolable. For this reason procured abortion and euthanasia
are absolutely unacceptable. Not only must human life not be taken, but
it must be protected with loving concern. The meaning of life is found
in giving and receiving love, and in this light human sexuality and
procreation reach their true and full significance. Love also gives
meaning to suffering and death; despite the mystery which surrounds
them, they can become saving events. Respect for life requires that
science and technology should always be at the service of man and his
integral development. Society as a whole must respect, defend and
promote the dignity of every human person, at every moment and in every
condition of that person's life.
82. To be truly a people at the service of life we must propose these
truths constantly and courageously from the very first proclamation of
the Gospel, and thereafter in catechesis, in the various forms of
preaching, in personal dialogue and in all educational activity.
Teachers, catechists and theologians have the task of emphasizing the
anthropological reasons upon which respect for every human life is
based. In this way, by making the newness of the Gospel of life shine
forth, we can also help everyone discover in the light of reason and of
personal experience how the Christian message fully reveals what man is
and the meaning of his being and existence. We shall find important
points of contact and dialogue also with non- believers, in our common
commitment to the establishment of a new culture of life.
Faced with so many opposing points of view, and a widespread rejection
of sound doctrine concerning human life, we can feel that Paul's
entreaty to Timothy is also addressed to us: "Preach the word, be
urgent in season and out of season, convince, rebuke, and exhort, be
unfailing in patience and in teaching" (2 Tim 4:2). This exhortation
should resound with special force in the hearts of those members of the
Church who di- rectly share, in different ways, in her mission as
"teacher" of the truth. May it resound above all for us who are
Bishops: we are the first ones called to be untiring preachers of the
Gospel of life. We are also entrusted with the task of ensuring that
the doctrine which is once again being set forth in this Encyclical is
faithfully handed on in its integ- rity. We must use appropriate means
to defend the faithful from all teaching which is contrary to it. We
need to make sure that in theological faculties, seminaries and
Catholic institutions sound doctrine is taught, explained and more
fully investigated. 106 May Paul's exhortation strike a chord in all
theologians, pastors, teachers and in all those responsible for
catechesis and the formation of consciences. Aware of their specific
role, may they never be so grievously irresponsible as to betray the
truth and their own mission by proposing personal ideas contrary to the
Gospel of life as faithfully presented and interpreted by the
Magisterium.
In the proclamation of this Gospel, we must not fear hostility or
unpopularity, and we must refuse any compromise or ambiguity which
might conform us to the world's way of thinking (cf. Rom 12:2). We must
be in the world but not of the world (cf. Jn 15:19; 17:16), drawing our
strength from Christ, who by his Death and Res- urrection has overcome
the world (cf. Jn 16:33).
"I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made" (Ps 139:14):
celebrating the Gospel of life
83. Because we have been sent into the world as a "people for life",
our proclamation must also become a genuine celebration of the Gospel
of life. This celebration, with the evocative power of its gestures,
symbols and rites, should become a precious and significant setting in
which the beauty and grandeur of this Gospel is handed on.
For this to happen, we need first of all to foster, in ourselves and in
others, a contemplative outlook. 107 Such an outlook arises from faith
in the God of life, who has created every individual as a "wonder" (cf.
Ps 139:14). It is the outlook of those who see life in its deeper
meaning, who grasp its utter gratuitousness, its beauty and its
invitation to freedom and responsibility. It is the outlook of those
who do not presume to take possession of reality but instead accept it
as a gift, discovering in all things the reflection of the Creator and
seeing in every person his living image (cf. Gen 1:27; Ps 8:5). This
outlook does not give in to discouragement when confronted by those who
are sick, suffering, outcast or at death's door. Instead, in all these
situations it feels challenged to find meaning, and precisely in these
circumstances it is open to perceiving in the face of every person a
call to encounter, dialogue and solidarity.
It is time for all of us to adopt this outlook, and with deep religious
awe to rediscover the ability to revere and honour every person, as
Paul VI invited us to do in one of his first Christmas messages. 108
Inspired by this contemplative outlook, the new people of the redeemed
cannot but respond with songs of joy, praise and thanksgiving for the
priceless gift of life, for the mystery of every individual's call to
share through Christ in the life of grace and in an existence of
unending communion with God our Creator and Father.
84. To celebrate the Gospel of life means to celebrate the God of life,
the God who gives life: "We must celebrate Eternal Life, from which
every other life proceeds. From this, in proportion to its capacities,
every being which in any way participates in life, receives life. This
Divine Life, which is above every other life, gives and preserves life.
Every life and every living movement proceed from this Life which
transcends all life and every principle of life. It is to this that
souls owe their incorruptibility; and because of this all animals and
plants live, which receive only the faintest glimmer of life. To men,
beings made of spirit and matter, Life grants life. Even if we should
abandon Life, because of its overflowing love for man, it converts us
and calls us back to itself. Not only this: it promises to bring us,
soul and body, to perfect life, to immortality. It is too little to say
that this Life is alive: it is the Principle of life, the Cause and
sole Wellspring of life. Every living thing must contemplate it and
give it praise: it is Life which overflows with life".109
Like the Psalmist, we too, in our daily prayer as individuals and as a
community, praise and bless God our Father, who knitted us together in
our mother's womb, and saw and loved us while we were still without
form (cf. Ps 139:13, 15-16). We exclaim with overwhelming joy: "I give
you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your
works. You know me through and through" (Ps 139:14). Indeed, "despite
its hardships, its hidden mysteries, its suffering and its inevitable
frailty, this mortal life is a most beautiful thing, a marvel ever new
and moving, an event worthy of being exalted in joy and glory".110
Moreover, man and his life appear to us not only as one of the greatest
marvels of creation: for God has granted to man a dignity which is near
to divine (Ps 8:5-6). In every child which is born and in every person
who lives or dies we see the image of God's glory. We celebrate this
glory in every human being, a sign of the living God, an icon of Jesus
Christ.
We are called to express wonder and gratitude for the gift of life and
to welcome, savour and share the Gospel of life not only in our
personal and community prayer, but above all in the celebrations of the
liturgical year. Particularly important in this regard are the
Sacraments, the efficacious signs of the presence and saving action of
the Lord Jesus in Christian life. The Sacraments make us sharers in
divine life, and provide the spiritual strength necessary to experience
life, suffering and death in their fullest meaning. Thanks to a genuine
rediscovery and a better appreciation of the significance of these
rites, our liturgical celebrations, especially celebrations of the
Sacraments, will be ever more capable of expressing the full truth
about birth, life, suffering and death, and will help us to live these
moments as a participation in the Paschal Mystery of the Crucified and
Risen Christ.
85. In celebrating the Gospel of life we also need toappreciate and
make good use of the wealth of gestures and symbols present in the
traditions and customs of different cultures and peoples. There are
special times and ways in which the peoples of different nations and
cultures express joy for a newborn life, respect for and protection of
individual human lives, care for the suffering or needy, closeness to
the elderly and the dying, participation in the sorrow of those who
mourn, and hope and desire for immortality.
In view of this and following the suggestion made by the Cardinals in
the Consistory of 1991, I propose that a Day for Life be celebrated
each year in every country, as already established by some Episcopal
Conferences. The celebration of this Day should be planned and carried
out with the active participation of all sectors of the local Church.
Its primary purpose should be to foster in individual consciences, in
families, in the Church and in civil society a recognition of the
meaning and value of human life at every stage and in every condition.
Particular attention should be drawn to the seriousness of abortion and
euthanasia, without neglecting other aspects of life which from time to
time deserve to be given careful consideration, as occasion and
circumstances demand.
86. As part of the spiritual worship acceptable to God (cf. Rom 12:1),
the Gospel of life is to be celebrated above all in daily living, which
should be filled with self-giving love for others. In this way, our
lives will become a genuine and respon- sible acceptance of the gift of
life and a heartfelt song of praise and gratitude to God who has given
us this gift. This is already happening in the many different acts of
selfless generosity, often humble and hidden, carried out by men and
women, children and adults, the young and the old, the healthy and the
sick.
It is in this context, so humanly rich and filled with love, that
heroic actions too are born. These are the most solemn celebration of
the Gospel of life, for they proclaim it by the total gift of self.
They are the radiant manifestation of the highest degree of love, which
is to give one's life for the person loved (cf. Jn 15:13). They are a
sharing in the mystery of the Cross, in which Jesus reveals the value
of every person, and how life attains its fullness in the sincere gift
of self. Over and above such outstanding moments, there is an everyday
heroism, made up of gestures of sharing, big or small, which build up
an authentic culture of life. A particularly praiseworthy example of
such gestures is the donation of organs, performed in an ethically
acceptable manner, with a view to offering a chance of health and even
of life itself to the sick who sometimes have no other hope.
Part of this daily heroism is also the silent but effective and
eloquent witness of all those "brave mothers who devote themselves to
their own fam- ily without reserve, who suffer in giving birth to their
children and who are ready to make any effort, to face any sacrifice,
in order to pass on to them the best of themselves".111 In living out
their mission "these heroic women do not always find support in the
world around them. On the contrary, the cultural models frequently
promoted and broadcast by the media do not encourage motherhood. In the
name of progress and modernity the values of fidelity, chastity,
sacrifice, to which a host of Christian wives and mothers have borne
and continue to bear outstanding witness, are presented as obsolete ...
We thank you, heroic mothers, for your invincible love! We thank you
for your intrepid trust in God and in his love. We thank you for the
sacrifice of your life ... In the Paschal Mystery, Christ restores to
you the gift you gave him. Indeed, he has the power to give you back
the life you gave him as an offering".112
"What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has
not works?" (Jas 2:14): serving the Gospel of life
87. By virtue of our sharing in Christ's royal mission, our support and
promotion of human life must be accomplished through the service of
charity, which finds expression in personal witness, various forms of
volunteer work, social activity and political commitment. This is a
particularly pressing need at the present time, when the "culture of
death" so forcefully opposes the "culture of life" and often seems to
have the upper hand. But even before that it is a need which springs
from "faith working through love" (Gal 5:6). As the Letter of James
admonishes us: "What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has
faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister
is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, ?Go
in peace, be warmed and filled', without giving them the things needed
for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no
works, is dead" (2:14-17).
In our service of charity, we must be inspired and distinguished by a
specific attitude: we must care for the other as a person for whom God
has made us responsible. As disciples of Jesus, we are called to become
neighbours to everyone (cf. Lk 10:29-37), and to show special favour to
those who are poorest, most alone and most in need. In helping the
hungry, the thirsty, the foreigner, the naked, the sick, the
imprisoned-as well as the child in the womb and the old person who is
suffering ornear death-we have the opportunity to serve Jesus. He
himself said: "As you did it to one of the least of these my breth-
ren, you did it to me" (Mt 25:40). Hence we cannot but feel called to
account and judged by the ever relevant words of Saint John Chrysostom:
"Do you wish to honour the body of Christ? Do not neglect it when you
find it naked. Do not do it homage here in the church with silk fabrics
only to neglect it outside where it suffers cold and nakedness".113
Where life is involved, the service of charity must be profoundly
consistent. It cannot tolerate bias and discrimination, for human life
is sacred and inviolable at every stage and in every situation; it is
an indivisible good. We need then to "show care" for all life and for
the life of everyone. Indeed, at an even deeper level, we need to go to
the very roots of life and love.
It is this deep love for every man and woman which has given rise down
the centuries to an outstanding history of charity, a history which has
brought into being in the Church and society many forms of service to
life which evoke admiration from all unbiased observers. Every
Christian community, with a renewed sense of responsibility, must
continue to write this history through various kinds of pastoral and
social activity. To this end, appropriate and effective programmes of
support for new life must be implemented, with special closeness to
mothers who, even without the help of the father, are not afraid to
bring their child into the world and to raise it. Similar care must be
shown for the life of the marginalized or suffering, especially in its
final phases.
88. All of this involves a patient and fearless work of education aimed
at encouraging one and all to bear each other's burdens (cf. Gal 6:2).
It requires a continuous promotion of vocations to service,
particularly among the young. It involves the implementation of
long-term practical projects and initiatives inspired by the Gospel.
Many are the means towards this end which need to be developed with
skill and serious commitment. At the first stage of life, centres for
natural methods of regulating fertility should be promoted as a
valuable help to responsible parenthood, in which all individuals, and
in the first place the child, are recognized and respected in their own
right, and where every decision is guided by the ideal of the sincere
gift of self. Marriage and family counselling agencies by their
specific work of guidance and prevention, carried out in accordance
with an anthropology consistent with the Christian vision of the
person, of the couple and of sexuality, also offer valuable help in
rediscovering the meaning of love and life, and in supporting and
accompanying every family in its mission as the "sanctuary of life".
Newborn life is also served by centres of assistance and homes or
centres where new life receives a welcome. Thanks to the work of such
centres, many unmarried mothers and couples in difficulty discover new
hope and find assistance and support in overcoming hardship and the
fear of accepting a newly conceived life or life which has just come
into the world.
When life is challenged by conditions of hardship, maladjustment,
sickness or rejection, other programmes-such as communities for
treating drug addiction, residential communities for minors or the
mentally ill, care and relief centres for AIDS patients, associations
for solidarity especially towards the disabled-are eloquent expressions
of what charity is able to devise in order to give everyone new reasons
for hope and practical possibilities for life.
And when earthly existence draws to a close, it is again charity which
finds the most appropriate means for enabling the elderly, especially
those who can no longer look after themselves, and the terminally ill
to enjoy genuinely humane assistance and to receive an adequate
response to their needs, in particular their anxiety and their
loneliness. In these cases the role of families is indispensable; yet
families can receive much help from social welfare agencies and, if
necessary, from recourse to palliative care, taking advantage of
suitable medical and social services available in public institutions
or in the home.
In particular, the role of hospitals, clinics and convalescent homes
needs to be reconsidered. These should not merely be institutions where
care is provided for the sick or the dying. Above all they should be
places where suffering, pain and death are acknowledged and understood
in their human and specifically Christian meaning. This must be
especially evident and effective in institutes staffed by Religious or
in any way connected with the Church.
89. Agencies and centres of service to life, and all other initiatives
of support and solidarity which circumstances may from time to time
suggest, need to be directed by people who are generous in their
involvement and fully aware of the importance of the Gospel of life for
the good of individuals and society.
A unique responsibility belongs to health-care personnel: doctors,
pharmacists, nurses, chaplains, men and women religious, administrators
and volunteers. Their profession calls for them to be guardians and
servants of human life. In today's cultural and social context, in
which science and the practice of medicine risk losing sight of their
inherent ethical dimension, health-care professionals can be strongly
tempted at times to become manipulators of life, or even agents of
death. In the face of this temptation their responsibility today is
greatly increased. Its deepest inspiration and strongest support lie in
the intrinsic and undeniable ethical dimension of the health-care
profession, something already recognized by the ancient and still
relevant Hippocratic Oath, which requires every doctor to commit
himself to absolute respect for human life and its sacredness.
Absolute respect for every innocent human life also requires the
exercise of conscientious objection in relation to procured abortion
and euthanasia. "Causing death" can never be considered a form of
medical treatment, even when the intention is solely to comply with the
patient's request. Rather, it runs completely counter to the health-
care profession, which is meant to be an impassioned and unflinching
affirmation of life. Bio- medical research too, a field which promises
great benefits for humanity, must always reject experimentation,
research or applications which disregard the inviolable dignity of the
human being, and thus cease to be at the service of people and become
instead means which, under the guise of helping people, actually harm
them.
90. Volunteer workers have a specific role to play: they make a
valuable contribution to the service of life when they combine
professional ability and generous, selfless love. The Gospel of life
inspires them to lift their feelings of good will towards others to the
heights of Christ's charity; to renew every day, amid hard work and
weariness, their awareness of the dignity of every person; to search
out people's needs and, when necessary, to set out on new paths where
needs are greater but care and support weaker.
If charity is to be realistic and effective, it demands that the Gospel
of life be implemented also by means of certain forms of social
activity and commitment in the political field, as a way of defending
and promoting the value of life in our ever more complex and
pluralistic societies. Individuals, families, groups and associations,
albeit for different reasons and in different ways, all have a
responsibility for shaping society and developing cultural, economic,
political and legislative projects which, with respect for all and in
keeping with democratic principles, will contribute to the building of
a society in which the dignity of each person is recognized and
protected and the lives of all are defended and enhanced.
This task is the particular responsibility of civil leaders. Called to
serve the people and the common good, they have a duty to make
courageous choices in support of life, especially through legislative
measures. In a democratic system, where laws and decisions are made on
the basis of the consensus of many, the sense of personal
responsibility in the consciences of individuals invested with
authority may be weakened. But no one can ever renounce this
responsibility, especially when he or she has a legislative or
decision-making mandate, which calls that person to answer to God, to
his or her own conscience and to the whole of society for choices which
may be contrary to the common good. Although laws are not the only
means of protecting human life, nevertheless they do play a very
important and sometimes decisive role in influencing patterns of
thought and behaviour. I repeat once more that a law which violates an
innocent person's natural right to life is unjust and, as such, is not
valid as a law. For this reason I urgently appeal once more to all
political leaders not to pass laws which, by disregarding the dignity
of the person, undermine the very fabric of society.
The Church well knows that it is difficult to mount an effective legal
defence of life in pluralistic democracies, because of the presence of
strong cultural currents with differing outlooks. At the same time,
certain that moral truth cannot fail to make its presence deeply felt
in every conscience, the Church encourages political leaders, starting
with those who are Christians, not to give in, but to make those
choices which, taking into account what is realistically attainable,
will lead to the re- establishment of a just order in the defence and
promotion of the value of life. Here it must be noted that it is not
enough to remove unjust laws. The underlying causes of attacks on life
have to be eliminated, especially by ensuring proper support for
families and motherhood. A family policy must be the basis and driving
force of all social policies. For this reason there need to be set in
place social and political initiatives capable of guaranteeing
conditions of true freedom of choice in matters of parenthood. It is
also necessary to rethink labour, urban, residential and social service
policies so as to harmonize working schedules with time available for
the family, so that it becomes effectively possible to take care of
children and the elderly.
91. Today an important part of policies which favour life is the issue
of population growth. Certainly public authorities have a
responsibility to "intervene to orient the demography of the
population".114 But such interventions must always take into account
and respect the primary and inalienable responsibility of married
couples and families, and cannot employ methods which fail to respect
the person and fundamental human rights, beginning with the right to
life of every innocent human being. It is therefore morally
unacceptable to encourage, let alone impose, the use of methods such as
contraception, sterilization and abortion in order to regulate births.
The ways of solving the population problem are quite different.
Governments and the various international agencies must above all
strive to create economic, social, public health and cultural
conditions which will enable married couples to make their choices
about procreation in full freedom and with genuine responsibility. They
must then make efforts to ensure "greater opportunities and a fairer
distribution of wealth so that everyone can share equitably in the
goods of creation. Solutions must be sought on the global level by
establishing a true economy of communion and sharing of goods, in both
the national and international order".115 This is the only way to
respect the dignity of persons and families, as well as the authentic
cultural patrimony of peoples.
Service of the Gospel of life is thus an immense and complex task. This
service increasingly appears as a valuable and fruitful area for
positive cooperation with our brothers and sisters of other Churches
and ecclesial communities, in accordance with the practical ecumenism
which the Second Vatican Council authoritatively encouraged. 116 It
also appears as a providential area for dialogue and joint efforts with
the followers of other religions and with all people of good will. No
single person or group has a monopoly on the defence and promotion of
life. These are everyone's task and responsibility. On the eve of the
Third Millennium, the challenge facing us is an arduous one: only the
concerted efforts of all those who believe in the value of life can
prevent a setback of unforeseeable consequences for civilization.
"Your children will be like olive shoots around your table" (Ps 128:3):
the family as the "sanctuary of life"
92. Within the "people of life and the people for life", the family has
a decisive responsibility. This responsibility flows from its very
nature as a community of life and love, founded upon marriage, and from
its mission to "guard, reveal and communicate love".117 Here it is a
matter of God's own love, of which parents are co-workers and as it
were interpreters when they transmit life and raise it according to his
fatherly plan. 118 This is the love that becomes selflessness,
receptiveness and gift. Within the family each member is accepted,
respected and honoured precisely because he or she is a person; and if
any family member is in greater need, the care which he or she receives
is all the more intense and attentive.
The family has a special role to play throughout the life of its
members, from birth to death. It is truly "the sanctuary of life: the
place in which life-the gift of God-can be properly welcomed and
protected against the many attacks to which it is exposed, and can
develop in accordance with what constitutes authentic human growth".119
Consequently the role of the family in building a culture of life is
decisive and irreplaceable.
As the domestic church, the family is summoned to proclaim, celebrate
and serve the Gospel of life. This is a responsibility which first
concerns married couples, called to be givers of life, on the basis of
an ever greater awareness of the meaning of procreation as a unique
event which clearly reveals that human life is a gift received in order
then to be given as a gift. In giving origin to a new life, parents
recognize that the child, "as the fruit of their mutual gift of love,
is, in turn, a gift for both of them, a gift which flows from them".120
It is above all in raising children that the family fulfils its mission
to proclaim the Gospel of life. By word and example, in the daily round
of relations and choices, and through concrete actions and signs,
parents lead their children to authentic freedom, actualized in the
sincere gift of self, and they cultivate in them respect for others, a
sense of justice, cordial openness, dialogue, generous service,
solidarity and all the other values which help people to live life as a
gift. In raising children Christian parents must be concerned about
their children's faith and help them to fulfil the vocation God has
given them. The parents' mission as educators also includes teaching
and giving their children an example of the true meaning of suffering
and death. They will be able to do this if they are sensitive to all
kinds of suffering around them and, even more, if they succeed in
fostering attitudes of closeness, assistance and sharing towards sick
or elderly members of the family.
93. The family celebrates the Gospel of life through daily prayer, both
individual prayer and family prayer. The family prays in order to
glorify and give thanks to God for the gift of life, and implores his
light and strength in order to face times of difficulty and suffering
without losing hope. But the celebration which gives meaning to every
other form of prayer and worship is found in the family's actual daily
life together, if it is a life of love and self-giving.
This celebration thus becomes a service to the Gospel of life,
expressed through solidarity as experienced within and around the
family in the form of concerned, attentive and loving care shown in the
humble, ordinary events of each day. A particularly significant
expression of solidarity between families is a willingness to adopt or
take in children abandoned by their parents or in situations of serious
hardship. True parental love is ready to go beyond the bonds of flesh
and blood in order to accept children from other families, offering
them whatever is necessary for their well-being and full development.
Among the various forms of adoption, consideration should be given to
adoption-at-a-distance, preferable in cases where the only reason for
giving up the child is the extreme poverty of the child's family.
Through this type of adoption, parents are given the help needed to
support and raise their children, without their being uprooted from
their natural environment.
As "a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the
common good",121 solidarity also needs to be practised through
participation in social and political life. Serving the Gospel of life
thus means that the family, particularly through its membership of
family associations, works to ensure that the laws and institutions of
the State in no way violate the right to life, from conception to
natural death, but rather protect and promote it.
94. Special attention must be given to the elderly. While in some
cultures older people remain a part of the family with an important and
active role, in others the elderly are regarded as a useless burden and
are left to themselves. Here the temptation to resort to euthanasia can
more easily arise.
Neglect of the elderly or their outright rejection are intolerable.
Their presence in the family, or at least their closeness to the family
in cases where limited living space or other reasons make this
impossible, is of fundamental importance in creating a climate of
mutual interaction and enriching communication between the different
age-groups. It is therefore important to preserve, or to re-establish
where it has been lost, a sort of "covenant" between generations. In
this way parents, in their later years, can receive from their children
the acceptance and solidarity which they themselves gave to their
children when they brought them into the world. This is required by
obedience to the divine commandment to honour one's father and mother
(cf. Ex 20:12; Lev 19:3). But there is more. The elderly are not only
to be considered the object of our concern, closeness and service. They
themselves have a valuable contribution to make to the Gospel of life.
Thanks to the rich treasury of experiences they have acquired through
the years, the elderly can and must be sources of wisdom and witnesses
of hope and love.
Although it is true that "the future of humanity passes by way of the
family",122 it must be admitted that modern social, economic and
cultural conditions make the family's task of serving life more
difficult and demanding. In order to fulfil its vocation as the
"sanctuary of life", as the cell of a society which loves and welcomes
life, the family urgently needs to be helped and supported. Communities
and States must guarantee all the support, including economic support,
which families need in order to meet their problems in a truly human
way. For her part, the Church must untiringly promote a plan of
pastoral care for families, capable of making every family rediscover
and live with joy and courage its mission to further the Gospel of life.
"Walk as children of light" (Eph 5:8): bringing about a transformation
of culture
95. "Walk as children of light ... and try to learn what is pleasing to
the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness" (Eph 5:8,
10-11). In our present social context, marked by a dramatic struggle
between the "culture of life" and the "culture of death", there is need
to develop a deep critical sense, capable of discerning true values and
authentic needs.
What is urgently called for is a general mobilization of consciences
and a united ethical effort to activate a great campaign in support of
life. All together, we must build a new culture of life: new, because
it will be able to confront and solve today's unprecedented problems
affecting human life; new, because it will be adopted with deeper and
more dynamic conviction by all Christians; new, because it will be
capable of bringing about a serious and courageous cultural dialogue
among all parties. While the urgent need for such a cultural
transformation is linked to the present historical situation, it is
also rooted in the Church's mission of evangelization. The purpose of
the Gospel, in fact, is "to transform humanity from within and to make
it new".123 Like the yeast which leavens the whole measure of dough
(cf. Mt 13:33), the Gospel is meant to permeate all cultures and give
them life from within, 124 so that they may express the full truth
about the human person and about human life.
We need to begin with the renewal of a culture of life within Christian
communities themselves. Too often it happens that believers, even those
who take an active part in the life of the Church, end up by separating
their Christian faith from its ethical requirements concerning life,
and thus fall into moral subjectivism and certain objectionable ways of
acting. With great openness and courage, we need to question how
widespread is the culture of life today among individual Christians,
families, groups and communities in our Dioceses. With equal clarity
and determination we must identify the steps we are called to take in
order to serve life in all its truth. At the same time, we need to
promote a serious and in-depth exchange about basic issues of human
life with everyone, including non-believers, in intellectual circles,
in the various professional spheres and at the level of people's
everyday life.
96. The first and fundamental step towards this cultural transformation
consists in forming consciences with regard to the incomparable and
inviolable worth of every human life. It is of the greatest importance
to re-establish the essential connection between life and freedom.
These are inseparable goods: where one is violated, the other also ends
up being violated. There is no true freedom where life is not welcomed
and loved; and there is no fullness of life except in freedom. Both
realities have something inherent and specific which links them
inextricably: the vocation to love. Love, as a sincere gift of self,
125 is what gives the life and freedom of the person their truest
meaning.
No less critical in the formation of conscience is the recovery of the
necessary link between freedom and truth. As I have frequently stated,
when freedom is detached from objective truth it becomes impossible to
establish personal rights on a firm rational basis; and the ground is
laid for society to be at the mercy of the unrestrained will of
individuals or the oppressive totalitarianism of public authority. 126
It is therefore essential that man should acknowledge his inherent
condition as a creature to whom God has granted being and life as a
gift and a duty. Only by admitting his innate dependence can man live
and use his freedom to the full, and at the same time respect the life
and freedom of every other person. Here especially one sees that "at
the heart of every culture lies the attitude man takes to the greatest
mystery: the mystery of God".127 Where God is denied and people live as
though he did not exist, or his commandments are not taken into
account, the dignity of the human person and the inviolability of human
life also end up being rejected or compromised.
97. Closely connected with the formation of conscience is the work of
education, which helps individuals to be ever more human, leads them
ever more fully to the truth, instils in them growing respect for life,
and trains them in right interpersonal relationships.
In particular, there is a need for education about the value of life
from its very origins. It is an illusion to think that we can build a
true culture of human life if we do not help the young to accept and
experience sexuality and love and the whole of life according to their
true meaning and in their close interconnection. Sexuality, which
enriches the whole person, "manifests its inmost meaning in leading the
person to the gift of self in love".128 The trivialization of sexuality
is among the principal factors which have led to contempt for new life.
Only a true love is able to protect life. There can be no avoiding the
duty to offer, especially to adolescents and young adults, an authentic
education in sexuality and in love, an education which involves
training in chastity as a virtue which fosters personal maturity and
makes one capable of respecting the "spousal" meaning of the body.
The work of educating in the service of life involves the training of
married couples in responsible procreation. In its true meaning,
responsible procreation requires couples to be obedient to the Lord's
call and to act as faithful interpreters of his plan. This happens when
the family is generously open to new lives, and when couples maintain
an attitude of openness and service to life, even if, for serious
reasons and in respect for the moral law, they choose to avoid a new
birth for the time being or indefinitely. The moral law obliges them in
every case to control the impulse of instinct and passion, and to
respect the biological laws inscribed in their person. It is precisely
this respect which makes legitimate, at the service of responsible
procreation, the use of natural methods of regulating fertility. From
the scientific point of view, these methods are becoming more and more
accurate and make it possible in practice to make choices in harmony
with moral values. An honest appraisal of their effectiveness should
dispel certain prejudices which are still widely held, and should
convince married couples, as well as health-care and social workers, of
the importance of proper training in this area. The Church is grateful
to those who, with personal sacrifice and often unacknowledged
dedication, devote themselves to the study and spread of these methods,
as well to the promotion of education in the moral values which they
presuppose.
The work of education cannot avoid a consideration of suffering and
death. These are a part of human existence, and it is futile, not to
say misleading, to try to hide them or ignore them. On the contrary,
people must be helped to understand their profound mystery in all its
harsh reality. Even pain and suffering have meaning and value when they
are experienced in close connection with love received and given. In
this regard, I have called for the yearly celebration of the World Day
of the Sick, emphasizing "the salvific nature of the offering up of
suffering which, experienced in communion with Christ, belongs to the
very essence of the Redemption".129 Death itself is anything but an
event without hope. It is the door which opens wide on eternity and,
for those who live in Christ, an experience of participation in the
mystery of his Death and Resurrection.
98. In a word, we can say that the cultural change which we are calling
for demands from everyone the courage to adopt a new life-style,
consisting in making practical choices-at the personal, family, social
and international level-on the basis of a correct scale of values: the
primacy of being over having, 130 of the person over things. 131 This
renewed life-style involves a passing from indifference to concern for
others, from rejection to acceptance of them. Other people are not
rivals from whom we must defend ourselves, but brothers and sisters to
be supported. They are to be loved for their own sakes, and they enrich
us by their very presence.
In this mobilization for a new culture of life no one must feel
excluded: everyone has an important role to play. Together with the
family, teachers and educators have a particularly valuable
contribution to make. Much will depend on them if young people, trained
in true freedom, are to be able to preserve for themselves and make
known to others new, authentic ideals of life, and if they are to grow
in respect for and service to every other person, in the family and in
society.
Intellectuals can also do much to build a new culture of human life. A
special task falls to Catholic intellectuals, who are called to be
present and active in the leading centres where culture is formed, in
schools and universities, in places of scientific and technological
research, of artistic creativity and of the study of man. Allowing
their talents and activity to be nourished by the living force of the
Gospel, they ought to place themselves at the service of a new culture
of life by offering serious and well documented contributions, capable
of commanding general respect and interest by reason of their merit. It
was precisely for this purpose that I established the Pontifical Acad-
emy for Life, assigning it the task of "studying and providing
information and training about the principal problems of law and
biomedicine pertaining to the promotion of life, especially in the
direct relationship they have with Christian morality and the
directives of the Church's Magisterium".132 A specific contribution
will also have to come from Universities, particularly from Catholic
Universities, and from Centres, Institutes and Committees of Bioethics.
An important and serious responsibility belongs to those involved in
the mass media, who are called to ensure that the messages which they
so effectively transmit will support the culture of life. They need to
present noble models of life and make room for instances of people's
positive and sometimes heroic love for others. With great respect they
should also present the positive values of sexuality and human love,
and not insist on what defiles and cheapens human dignity. In their
interpretation of things, they should refrain from emphasizing anything
that suggests or fosters feelings or attitudes of indifference,
contempt or rejection in relation to life. With scrupulous concern for
factual truth, they are called to combine freedom of information with
respect for every person and a profound sense of humanity.
99. In transforming culture so that it supports life, women occupy a
place, in thought and action, which is unique and decisive. It depends
on them to promote a "new feminism" which rejects the temptation of
imitating models of "male domination", in order to acknowledge and
affirm the true genius of women in every aspect of the life of society,
and overcome all discrimination, violence and exploitation.
Making my own the words of the concluding message of the Second Vatican
Council, I address to women this urgent appeal: "Reconcile people with
life".133 You are called to bear witness to the meaning of genuine
love, of that gift of self and of that acceptance of others which are
present in a special way in the relationship of husband and wife, but
which ought also to be at the heart of every other interpersonal
relationship. The experience of motherhood makes you acutely aware of
the other person and, at the same time, confers on you a particular
task: "Motherhood involves a special communion with the mystery of
life, as it develops in the woman's womb ... This unique contact with
the new human being developing within her gives rise to an attitude
towards human beings not only towards her own child, but every human
being, which profoundly marks the woman's personality".134 A mother
welcomes and carries in herself another human being, enabling it to
grow inside her, giving it room, respecting it in its otherness. Women
first learn and then teach others that human relations are authentic if
they are open to accepting the other person: a person who is recognized
and loved because of the dignity which comes from being a person and
not from other considerations, such as usefulness, strength,
intelligence, beauty or health. This is the fundamental contribution
which the Church and humanity expect from women. And it is the
indispensable prerequisite for an authentic cultural change.
I would now like to say a special word to women who have had an
abortion. The Church is aware of the many factors which may have
influenced your decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases it
was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may
not yet have healed. Certainly what happened was and remains terribly
wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. Try
rather to understand what happened and face it honestly. If you have
not already done so, give yourselves over with humility and trust to
repentance. The Father of mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness
and his peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. You will come to
understand that nothing is definitively lost and you will also be able
to ask forgiveness from your child, who is now living in the Lord. With
the friendly and expert help and advice of other people, and as a
result of your own painful experience, you can be among the most
eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life. Through your commitment
to life, whether by accepting the birth of other children or by
welcoming and caring for those most in need of someone to be close to
them, you will become promoters of a new way of looking at human life.
100. In this great endeavour to create a new culture of life we are
inspired and sustained by the confidence that comes from knowing that
the Gospel of life, like the Kingdom of God itself, is growing and
producing abundant fruit (cf. Mk 4:26-29). There is certainly an
enormous disparity between the powerful resources available to the
forces promoting the "culture of death" and the means at the disposal
of those working for a "culture of life and love". But we know that we
can rely on the help of God, for whom nothing is impossible (cf. Mt
19:26).
Filled with this certainty, and moved by profound concern for the
destiny of every man and woman, I repeat what I said to those families
who carry out their challenging mission amid so many difficulties: 135
a great prayer for life is urgently needed, a prayer which will rise up
throughout the world. Through special initiatives and in daily prayer,
may an impassioned plea rise to God, the Creator and lover of life,
from every Christian community, from every group and association, from
every family and from the heart of every believer. Jesus himself has
shown us by his own example that prayer and fasting are the first and
most effective weapons against the forces of evil (cf. Mt 4:1-11). As
he taught his disciples, some demons cannot be driven out except in
this way (cf. Mk 9:29). Let us therefore discover anew the humility and
the courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will break down
the walls of lies and deceit: the walls which conceal from the sight of
so many of our brothers and sisters the evil of practices and laws
which are hostile to life. May this same power turn their hearts to
resolutions and goals inspired by the civilization of life and love.
"We are writing this that our joy may be complete" (1 Jn 1:4): the
Gospel of life is for the whole of human society
101. "We are writing you this that our joy may be complete" (1 Jn 1:4).
The revelation of the Gospel of life is given to us as a good to be
shared with all people: so that all men and women may have fellowship
with us and with the Trinity (cf. 1 Jn 1:3). Our own joy would not be
complete if we failed to share this Gospel with others but kept it only
for ourselves.
The Gospel of life is not for believers alone: it is for everyone. The
issue of life and its defence and promotion is not a concern of
Christians alone. Although faith provides special light and strength,
this question arises in every human conscience which seeks the truth
and which cares about the future of humanity. Life certainly has a
sacred and religious value, but in no way is that value a concern only
of believers. The value at stake is one which every human being can
grasp by the light of reason; thus it necessarily concerns everyone.
Consequently, all that we do as the "people of life and for life"
should be interpreted correctly and welcomed with favour. When the
Church declares that unconditional respect for the right to life of
every innocent person-from conception to natural death-is one of the
pillars on which every civil society stands, she "wants simply to
promote a human State. A State which recognizes the defence of the
fundamental rights of the human person, especially of the weakest, as
its primary duty".136
The Gospel of life is for the whole of human society. To be actively
pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the
promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further the common
good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which
all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from
which they develop. A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one
hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and
peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by
allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is
devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized.
Only respect for life can be the foundation and guarantee of the most
precious and essential goods of society, such as democracy and peace.
There can be no true democracy without a rec- ognition of every
person's dignity and without respect for his or her rights.
Nor can there be true peace unless life is defended and promoted. As
Paul VI pointed out: "Every crime against life is an attack on peace,
especially if it strikes at the moral conduct of people... But where
human rights are truly professed and publicly recognized and defended,
peace becomes the joyful and operative climate of life in society".137
The "people of life" rejoices in being able to share its commitment
with so many others. Thus may the "people for life" constantly grow in
number and may a new culture of love and solidarity develop for the
true good of the whole of human society.
CONCLUSION
102. At the end of this Encyclical, we naturally look again to the Lord
Jesus, "the Child born for us" (cf. Is 9:6), that in him we may
contemplate "the Life" which "was made manifest" (1 Jn 1:2). In the
mystery of Christ's Birth the encounter of God with man takes place and
the earthly journey of the Son of God begins, a journey which will
culminate in the gift of his life on the Cross. By his death Christ
will conquer death and become for all humanity the source of new life.
The one who accepted "Life" in the name of all and for the sake of all
was Mary, the Virgin Mother; she is thus most closely and personally
associated with the Gospel of life. Mary's consent at the Annunciation
and her motherhood stand at the very beginning of the mystery of life
which Christ came to bestow on humanity (cf. Jn 10:10). Through her
acceptance and loving care for the life of the Incarnate Word, human
life has been rescued from condemnation to final and eternal death.
For this reason, Mary, "like the Church of which she is the type, is a
mother of all who are reborn to life. She is in fact the mother of the
Life by which everyone lives, and when she brought it forth from
herself she in some way brought to rebirth all those who were to live
by that Life".138
As the Church contemplates Mary's motherhood, she discovers the meaning
of her own motherhood and the way in which she is called to express it.
At the same time, the Church's experience of motherhood leads to a most
profound understanding of Mary's experience as the incomparable model
of how life should be welcomed and cared for.
"A great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun" (Rev
12:1): the motherhood of Mary and of the Church
103. The mutual relationship between the mystery of the Church and Mary
appears clearly in the "great portent" described in the Book of Rev-
elation: "A great portent appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the
sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve
stars" (12:1). In this sign the Church recognizes an image of her own
mystery: present in history, she knows that she transcends history,
inasmuch as she constitutes on earth the "seed and beginning" of the
Kingdom of God. 139 The Church sees this mystery fulfilled in complete
and exemplary fashion in Mary. She is the woman of glory in whom God's
plan could be carried out with supreme perfection.
The "woman clothed with the sun"-the Book of Revelation tells us-"was
with child" (12:2). The Church is fully aware that she bears within
herself the Saviour of the world, Christ the Lord. She is aware that
she is called to offer Christ to the world, giving men and women new
birth into God's own life. But the Church cannot forget that her
mission was made possible by the motherhood of Mary, who conceived and
bore the One who is "God from God", "true God from true God". Mary is
truly the Mother of God, the Theotokos, in whose motherhood the
vocation to motherhood bestowed by God on every woman is raised to its
highest level. Thus Mary becomes the model of the Church, called to be
the "new Eve", the mother of believers, the mother of the "living" (cf.
Gen 3:20).
The Church's spiritual motherhood is only achieved-the Church knows
this too-through the pangs and "the labour" of childbirth (cf. Rev
12:2), that is to say, in constant tension with the forces of evil
which still roam the world and affect human hearts, offering resistance
to Christ: "In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The
light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it" (Jn
1:4-5).
Like the Church, Mary too had to live her motherhood amid suffering:
"This child is set ... for a sign that is spoken against-and a sword
will pierce through your own soul also-that thoughts out of many hearts
may be revealed" (Lk 2:34-35). The words which Simeon addresses to Mary
at the very beginning of the Saviour's earthly life sum up and
prefigure the rejection of Jesus, and with him of Mary, a rejection
which will reach its culmination on Calvary. "Standing by the cross of
Jesus" (Jn 19:25), Mary shares in the gift which the Son makes of
himself: she offers Jesus, gives him over, and begets him to the end
for our sake. The "yes" spoken on the day of the Annunciation reaches
full maturity on the day of the Cross, when the time comes for Mary to
receive and beget as her children all those who become disciples,
pouring out upon them the saving love of her Son: "When Jesus saw his
mother, and the disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his
mother, ?Woman, behold, your son!' " (Jn 19:26).
"And the dragon stood before the woman ... that he might devour her
child when she brought it forth" (Rev 12:4): life menaced by the forces
of evil
104. In the Book of Revelation, the "great portent" of the "woman"
(12:1) is accompanied by "another portent which appeared in heaven": "a
great red dragon" (Rev 12:3), which represents Satan, the personal
power of evil, as well as all the powers of evil at work in history and
opposing the Church's mission.
Here too Mary sheds light on the Community of Believers. The hostility
of the powers of evil is, in fact, an insidious opposition which,
before affecting the disciples of Jesus, is directed against his
mother. To save the life of her Son from those who fear him as a
dangerous threat, Mary has to flee with Joseph and the Child into Egypt
(cf. Mt 2:13-15).
Mary thus helps the Church to realize that life is always at the centre
of a great struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness.
The dragon wishes to devour "the child brought forth" (cf. Rev 12:4), a
figure of Christ, whom Mary brought forth "in the fullness of time"
(Gal 4:4) and whom the Church must unceasingly offer to people in every
age. But in a way that child is also a figure of every person, every
child, especially every helpless baby whose life is threatened,
because-as the Council reminds us-"by his Incarnation the Son of God
has united himself in some fashion with every person".140 It is
precisely in the "flesh" of every person that Christ continues to
reveal himself and to enter into fellowship with us, so that rejection
of human life, in whatever form that rejection takes, is really a
rejection of Christ. This is the fascinating but also demanding truth
which Christ reveals to us and which his Church continues untiringly to
proclaim: "Whoever receives one such child in my name receives me" (Mt
18:5); "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these
my brethren, you did it to me" (Mt 25:40).
"Death shall be no more" (Rev 21:4): the splendour of the Resurrection
105. The angel's Annunciation to Mary is framed by these reassuring
words: "Do not be afraid, Mary" and "with God nothing will be
impossible" (Lk 1:30, 37). The whole of the Virgin Mother's life is in
fact pervaded by the certainty that God is near to her and that he
accompanies her with his providential care. The same is true of the
Church, which finds "a place prepared by God" (Rev 12:6) in the desert,
the place of trial but also of the manifestation of God's love for his
people (cf. Hos 2:16). Mary is a living word of comfort for the Church
in her struggle against death. Showing us the Son, the Church assures
us that in him the forces of death have already been defeated: "Death
with life contended: combat strangely ended! Life's own Champion,
slain, yet lives to reign".141
The Lamb who was slain is alive, bearing the marks of his Passion in
the splendour of the Res- urrection. He alone is master of all the
events of history: he opens its "seals" (cf. Rev 5:1-10) and proclaims,
in time and beyond, the power of life over death. In the "new
Jerusalem", that new world towards which human history is travelling,
"death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor
pain any more, for the former things have passed away" (Rev 21:4).
And as we, the pilgrim people, the people of life and for life, make
our way in confidence towards "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev
21:1), we look to her who is for us "a sign of sure hope and solace".142
O Mary,
bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause of life
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers
of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women
who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of life
with honesty and love
to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel
as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilization of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.
Given in Rome, at Saint Peter's, on 25 March, the Solemnity of the
Annunciation of the Lord, in the year 1995, the seventeenth of my
Pontificate.