Pope Francis Condemns Abortion and Euthanasia "...the waste of children that we do not want to accept, with that abortion law...." and there is also the law of "hidden" euthanasia...” FULL TEXT
ADDRESS OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS
TO THE PLENARY ASSEMBLY OF THE PONTIFICAL ACADEMY FOR LIFE
Sala Clementina - Monday, 27 September 2021
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Dear Sisters and Brothers ,
I am pleased to be able to meet you on the occasion of your General Assembly and I thank Archbishop Paglia for his words. I also address a greeting to the many connected academics.
The theme you have chosen for these days of work is particularly topical: that of public health in the context of globalization.
Indeed, the pandemic crisis has made "both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor" resound even more strongly (Encyclical Laudato si ' , 49). We cannot be deaf to this double cry, we must listen to it well! And that's what you set out to do.
Examining the numerous and serious issues that have arisen over the past two years is no easy task. On the one hand, we are worn out by the Covid-19 pandemic and by the inflation of speeches that have been raised: we almost don't want to hear about it anymore and we are in a hurry to move on to other topics. But on the other hand, it is essential to reflect calmly to examine in depth what has happened and to glimpse the way towards a better future for all.
Truly, "worse than this crisis there is only the drama of wasting it" ( Homily of Pentecost, May 31, 2020). And we know that a crisis does not come out the same: either we will come out better, or we will come out worse. But not the same. The choice is in our hands. And, I repeat, worse than this crisis there is only the drama of wasting it. I encourage you in this commitment; and I find the dynamic of discernment according to which your meeting takes place wise and opportune: first of all, listen carefully to the situation, in order to foster a real conversion and arrive at specifying concrete decisions to get out of the crisis better.
The reflection you have undertaken in recent years on global bioethics is proving to be invaluable. I encouraged you in this perspective with the letter Humana communitas , on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of your Academy. The horizon of public health makes it possible to focus on aspects that are important for the coexistence of the human family and for the strengthening of a fabric of social friendship. These are central themes in the Encyclical Fratelli Tutti (cf. chapter 6 ).
The pandemic crisis has highlighted how profound is the interdependence both between us and between the human family and the common home (cf. Enc. Laudato si ' , 86 ; 164). Our societies, especially in the West, have tended to forget this interconnectedness. And the bitter consequences are under our eyes. In this period of time it is therefore urgent to reverse this harmful trend, and it is possible to do so through the synergy between different disciplines. Knowledge of biology and hygiene, medicine and epidemiology is needed, but also economics and sociology, anthropology and ecology. In addition to understanding the phenomena, it is also a question of identifying technological, political and ethical criteria for action regarding health systems, the family, work and the environment.
This approach is particularly important in the field of health, because health and disease are determined not only by the processes of nature but also by social life. Furthermore, it is not enough for a problem to be serious for it to attract attention and be addressed in this way: many very serious problems are ignored due to a lack of adequate commitment. Let us think of the devastating impact of certain diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis: the precariousness of sanitary conditions causes millions of avoidable deaths in the world every year. If we compare this reality with the concern that the Covid-19 pandemic has caused, we see how the perception of the seriousness of the problem and the corresponding mobilization of energy and resources is very different.
Of course, we do well to take all measures to stem and defeat Covid-19 on a global level, but this historical juncture in which we are closely threatened in our health should make us attentive to what it means to be vulnerable and to live in precariousness on a daily basis. In this way we will also be able to make ourselves responsible for those serious conditions in which others live and in which up to now we have little or no interest. In this way we will learn not to project our priorities on populations living in other continents, where other needs are more urgent; where, for example, not only vaccines are lacking, but drinking water and daily bread. I don't know whether to laugh or cry, sometimes cry, when we hear rulers or community leaders advising slum dwellers to sanitize themselves several times a day with soap and water. But, dear, you have never been to a slum: there is no water there, they do not know soap. “No, don't leave the house!”: But there the house is the whole neighborhood, because they live ... Please, let's take care of these realities, even when we reflect on health. Therefore, the commitment to an equitable and universal distribution of vaccines is welcome - this is important - but taking into account the wider field in which the same criteria of justice are required, for the needs of health and the promotion of life. because they live ... Please, let us take care of these realities, even when we reflect on health. Therefore, the commitment to an equitable and universal distribution of vaccines is welcome - this is important - but taking into account the wider field in which the same criteria of justice are required, for the needs of health and the promotion of life. because they live ... Please, let us take care of these realities, even when we reflect on health. Therefore, the commitment to an equitable and universal distribution of vaccines is welcome - this is important - but taking into account the wider field in which the same criteria of justice are required, for the needs of health and the promotion of life.
Considering health in its many dimensions and on a global level helps to understand and responsibly assume the interconnection between phenomena. And so it is better observed how even the living conditions, which are the result of political, social and environmental choices, produce an impact on the health of human beings. If we examine life expectancy - and healthy life - in different countries and in different social groups, we discover strong inequalities. They depend on variables such as the level of salary, the educational qualification, the neighborhood of residence even in the same city. We affirm that life and health are equally fundamental values for all, based on the inalienable dignity of the human person. But, if this statement does not follow the adequate commitment to overcome inequalities, we in fact accept the painful reality that not all lives are the same and health is not protected for everyone in the same way. And here I would like to repeat my disquiet [concern], so that there is always a free health system: the countries that have it, for example Italy and others, which have a nice free health system, do not lose it; do not lose it, because otherwise it would result that, in the population, only those who can pay for it will be entitled to health care, the others not. And this is a very big challenge. This helps overcome inequalities. for example Italy and others, which have a nice free health system; do not lose it, because otherwise it would result that, in the population, only those who can pay for it will be entitled to health care, the others not. And this is a very big challenge. This helps overcome inequalities. for example Italy and others, which have a nice free health system; do not lose it, because otherwise it would result that, in the population, only those who can pay for it will be entitled to health care, the others not. And this is a very big challenge. This helps overcome inequalities.
Therefore, international initiatives are to be supported - I am thinking for example of those recently promoted by the G20 - aimed at creating a global governance for the health of all the inhabitants of the planet, that is to say a set of clear and internationally agreed rules, respectful of human dignity. Indeed, the risk of new pandemics will continue to be a threat for the future as well.
The Pontifical Academy for Life can also offer a precious contribution in this sense, feeling itself as a traveling companion of other international organizations committed to this same purpose. In this regard, it is important to participate in common initiatives and, in appropriate ways, in the public debate. This naturally requires that, without "watering down" the contents, we try to communicate them with a suitable language and understandable arguments in the current social context; so that the Christian anthropological proposal, inspired by Revelation, can also help the men and women of today to rediscover "as primary the right to life from conception to its natural end". [1]
Here too I would like to mention that we are victims of a throwaway culture. Msgr. Paglia, in the presentation, mentioned something, but there is the waste of children that we do not want to accept, with that abortion law that sends them to the sender and kills them directly. And today this has become a "normal" way, a habit that is very ugly, it is really a murder, and to understand it well perhaps it helps us to ask a double question: is it right to eliminate, to take out a human life to solve a problem? Is it okay to hire a hitman to solve a problem? This is abortion. And then, on the other hand, the elderly: the elderly who are also a little "waste material", because they are not needed ... But they are wisdom, they are the wisdom roots of our civilization, and this civilization discards them! Yes, in many parts there is also the law of "hidden" euthanasia, as I call it: it is the one that makes people say: “medicines are expensive, only half is given”; and this means shortening the life of the elderly. With this we deny hope: the hope of the children who bring us the life that keeps us going, and the hope that is in the roots that the elderly give us. We discard both. And then, that everyday waste, that life is discarded. Let's be careful with this culture of waste: it is not a problem of one law or another, it is a problem of waste. And on this point [in this direction] you academics, Catholic universities and even Catholic hospitals cannot afford to go. This is a road on which we cannot go: the road of waste. and this means shortening the life of the elderly. With this we deny hope: the hope of the children who bring us the life that keeps us going, and the hope that is in the roots that the elderly give us. We discard both. And then, that everyday waste, that life is discarded. Let's be careful with this culture of waste: it is not a problem of one law or another, it is a problem of waste. And on this point [in this direction] you academics, Catholic universities and even Catholic hospitals cannot afford to go. This is a road on which we cannot go: the road of waste. and this means shortening the life of the elderly. With this we deny hope: the hope of the children who bring us the life that keeps us going, and the hope that is in the roots that the elderly give us. We discard both. And then, that everyday waste, that life is discarded. Let's be careful with this culture of waste: it is not a problem of one law or another, it is a problem of waste. And on this point [in this direction] you academics, Catholic universities and even Catholic hospitals cannot afford to go. This is a road on which we cannot go: the road of waste. We discard both. And then, that everyday waste, that life is discarded. Let's be careful with this culture of waste: it is not a problem of one law or another, it is a problem of waste. And on this point [in this direction] you academics, Catholic universities and even Catholic hospitals cannot afford to go. This is a road on which we cannot go: the road of waste. We discard both. And then, that everyday waste, that life is discarded. Let's be careful with this culture of waste: it is not a problem of one law or another, it is a problem of waste. And on this point [in this direction] you academics, Catholic universities and even Catholic hospitals cannot afford to go. This is a road on which we cannot go: the road of waste.
Therefore, the study that your Academy has carried out in recent years on the subject of the impact of new technologies on human life and, more specifically, on "algorithms", should be welcomed, in such a way that "science is truly at the service of of man, and not man in the service of science ". [2] In this regard, I encourage the work of the newly founded renAIssance Foundation , for the dissemination and study of the Rome Call for AI Ethics , which I sincerely hope will receive the support of many.
Finally, I would like to thank you for the commitment and contribution that the Academy has provided by actively participating in the Vatican's Covid Commission. Thank you for this. It is nice to see the cooperation taking place within the Roman Curia in the realization of a shared project. We must increasingly develop these processes carried out together, in which I know many of you have participated, urging greater attention to the most vulnerable people, such as the elderly, the disabled and the youngest.
With these sentiments of gratitude, I entrust to the Virgin Mary the work of this Assembly and also the whole of your activity as an Academy for the defense and promotion of life. I cordially bless each of you and your loved ones. And I ask you, please, to pray for me, because I need it. Thanks!
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[1] Speech to the participants in the meeting promoted by the Scienza e Vita Association , 30 May 2015.
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