September 14, 1999 - The Triumph of the Holy Cross
GOD'S GOOD GIFT OF LIFE
Pastoral Letter to
the Clergy, Religious
and Laity of the Church of Pittsburgh
Most Reverend Donald W. Wuerl, STD
Bishop of Pittsburgh
INTRODUCTION
On the eve of the Great Jubilee commemorating two millennia of Christian
experience and the opening of another millennium of grace, one of the most
obvious gifts for which all of us can be grateful is God's good gift of life.
The scriptures speak of the origins of human life as flowing from the very
breath of God. "The Lord God ...blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and
so man became a living being" (Gen. 2.7).
In announcing his new covenant with us, Jesus proclaimed that he has come
among us to give us life to the full. "I came so that they might have life and
have it more abundantly" (Jn. 10.10). Every other good gift that we have rests
on the gift of life. Whatever else we attempt to do to make this world a better
place must start with a profound respect for human life.
CALL TO RESPECT LIFE AT ALL TIMES
Time has proven the great wisdom of Pope Paul VI's statement, "If you
want peace, work for justice." This important and succinct message was
enriched by Pope John Paul II when he said, "If you want justice, respect
life. If you want life, embrace the truth - truth revealed by God."
The human family has come to recognize both by experience through rational
reflection and by the light of faith that every human being is of transcendent
importance and that each has inalienable rights. The convergence of philosophy
and theology on the dignity of human life reaffirms the ancient wisdom "that
faith and reason 'mutually support each other'; each influences the other" in
the pursuit of deeper meaning and the truth.
Our conviction about the dignity and sanctity of human life is confirmed in
the scriptures, the word of God. The Book of Genesis teaches us that human
beings are created in the image and likeness of God (Gen. 1.26). "Thou shall not
kill," says the Lord in transmitting the commandments to Moses (Ex. 20.13).
"Choose life, then, so that you and your descendents may live," Moses warned the
chosen people (Dt. 30.19). And of course the whole life teaching and ministry of
Jesus confirmed the dignity of human life and showed how dear each individual
person is to God. Jesus said, "Even the hairs of your head have all been
counted" (Lk. 12.7). This teaching of the scriptures, along with the clear and
consistent teaching of the Church throughout the ages, reveals God's infinite
love for the life he has created and therefore the love we should have for life.
In view of this testimony the primordial transgression against God, the giver of
life, is the act of destroying the life of others.
God holds us responsible for upholding human dignity. Never has that
responsibility been more difficult than in our day, as the third Christian
millennium dawns. At a time when many in society tend to judge a person's worth
on an obscure and subjective "quality of life" scale, we are convinced that
human dignity is not based on productivity or usefulness. Each person, created
by God, is endowed with a sacred and inviolable human dignity. In the Book of
Genesis God describes the persons he creates as "very good" not because of
anything they have accomplished or produced but by the very fact of their
existence as his creatures.
As members of the human family and as Christians, we must ensure that every
human life be protected from conception until natural death. This responsibility
must be accepted on many levels: each person has a charge; society and its
leaders have a duty, and most assuredly so does the church community. Respect
for every human being should be our first priority. Our words, actions and
prayers must reflect God's command that we love one another as he has loved us
(Jn. 13.34).
ESSENTIAL ROLE OF HEALTHY FAMILY LIFE
Our concern for the dignity of human life brings us face to face with the
family and our need to support family life if we hope to ensure a respect
for individual life in our society. It has become a truism to recognize that
family life in our country is breaking down and with its collapse we are
witnessing the unraveling of the fabric of society on the local, regional
and national levels.
The family is the first building block of the human community or, as the
Catechism of the Catholic Church states, it is the "original cell" of the whole
human community that grows in an ever widening set of relationships beginning
with a husband and wife, their children, the wider family and eventually all
those other communities, educational, cultural, social, economic and, of course,
political of which they become a part.
If the family, the original cell or the foundational building block, is
damaged in any way or even destroyed, neither the body of which it is a cell nor
the edifice of which it is the foundation can long endure.
Some might ask why this condition has reached such a critical point today.
There have always been failed marriages and irresponsible parents in the past.
Today, however, I believe we are recognizing an extensive and perhaps
overwhelming collapse of individual families precisely because our society no
longer supports the basic and essential values on which families rest and our
community is built.
If we look to the teaching of the Church, we find a vision of family life
that is not always replicated in the secular society in which we live. In the
apostolic exhortation of Pope John Paul II on the family (Familiaris Consortio)
and the 1994 Letter to Families in the International Year of the Family as well
as in the teaching of the Catechism, we find a beautiful vision of marriage and
family that corresponds to God's plan, our true happiness and what we are called
to sustain as faithful members of the Church.
In contrast, it is precisely the rejection of these principles that has
resulted in a society where some children are killed before they are born, many
children no longer have a relationship with both of their parents, some parents
take no responsibility for the children they generate, and a relatively large
number of marriages are of such short duration that children experience a
variety of adult figures in their lives without the necessary rapport with a
caring and loving father or mother.
The picture of family life painted by the Church with broad strokes includes:
the personal commitment of the partners in the marriage; openness to the
generation of new life if it is God's plan for their marriage; the joyful
acceptance of the responsibility and privilege of raising children and helping
them to grow in wisdom, age and grace; and finally the recognition that this
action is a graced response to the love of God that elevates married life to the
level of sacramental participation in Christ's own redeeming action, allowing
parents to participate in the building up of the body of Christ by bringing new
life into the world and into the Church.
It would not be far off the mark to say that our secular society's denial of
the intimate connection between sexual activity and the marriage bond is
responsible for most of the unraveling of family and, therefore, community life
in our time. Once the principle is established that sexual activity and the
generation of children is for personal satisfaction alone and carries with it no
particular relationship either to a committed bond of partnership or to the
education and raising of children, you have what we face today -- an ever
growing number of children who cannot identify in any meaningful sense with
their parents and parents who are not in any realistic sense participants in
sustaining, educating and developing their offspring. More disconcerting is the
position of some that the solution to the problem is simply to kill the child
before it is born.
TODAY'S SIGNS OF GROWING DISREGARD FOR HUMAN LIFE
We have seen society's tragic acceptance of the devaluation of human life
gain momentum on what has been appropriately termed the "slippery slope." A
watershed in this movement was the Supreme Court decision in January 1973
when abortion on demand was legalized in this country. With one stroke the
Justices obviated the political consensus across this land that abortion
needs to be controlled and created a new right, "the right to privacy," that
is supposed to take precedence over even the right to life. Since then and
until very recently the number of abortions has escalated, and fostered an
increasing level of disrespect and violence throughout society.
Two generations after the Supreme Court legalized abortion we are now
experiencing a disheartening increase in all the social problems that abortion
was supposed to fix. Teen pregnancy, promiscuous activity, sexually transmitted
diseases, child abuse and the number of children born to single parent families
are dramatically higher now than in 1973 before abortion was legalized.
Pope John Paul II rightly warned that we are abandoning a "civilization of
love" for a "culture of death." Since the court approved abortion on demand we
have seen a 92 percent increase in the incidence of infanticide. The judgment
that our children are disposable if we deem them inconvenient has had a
tremendous impact on the way our society looks at all life. Violence has become
an accepted mainstay in our society. Our youth now struggle in the midst of
violence within the walls of their schools, on the streets in their
neighborhoods and even in their own homes. The irrefutable connection between
the abortion mentality and increasing violence especially among our youth can be
denied only at the risk of still more upheaval. Violence breeds violence.
An important indicator of a growing indifference toward human life is the
position of those who excuse themselves from the abortion debate by arguing that
they are "personally opposed to abortion but publicly neutral." This display of
indifference sends the message that it is acceptable to withhold protection from
certain persons. The idea that a person can oppose abortion personally and
defend and support it publicly is no more applicable to abortion than it is to
any other critical social or moral question that challenges our nation today.
Sanctioned disregard for the unborn has broadened into a so-called "right to
die" and a "duty to die" mentality. Our elderly and disabled brothers and
sisters are now seen as burdensome to society. Isolated but well-publicized
efforts to give legal sanction to assisting in the suicide of sick or elderly
people are only thinly disguised attempts to legalize the killing of such
persons. This eugenic philosophy only adds to the problems of our society,
already mired in violence and death.
TODAY'S SIGNS OF HOPE FOR IMPROVING RESPECT FOR LIFE
While we must acknowledge that a culture of death is growing up around
us, we can also identify emerging signs of hope. Currently we have the
lowest annual rate of abortion since 1975. The number of abortion providers
and abortion clinics has dropped significantly in recent years. Even some
proponents of legalized abortion admit that abortion is a "bad thing," "a
failure" and "killing."
More Americans than ever before are pro-life. Many believe that abortion
should not be legal in any circumstance. Even more believe that abortion should
only be legal in those rare cases when the pregnancy is a result of rape or
incest or when the mother's life is threatened by the pregnancy. Almost
three-quarters of all Americans believe that killing the unborn child merely to
give a woman a choice is wrong. Yet these significant statistics are not usually
presented in much of the media discussion over abortion or the laws of the land.
Another positive trend is the lowest teen pregnancy rate since 1975.
Increasing numbers of young people are now choosing to live chaste lives,
valuing responsible love, and accepting the teaching that the sexual expression
of love is reserved for marriage. In this way, young people are responding
positively to efforts to address the vital moral questions inherent in our
sexuality.
This shift in the attitude and behavior of many young people is encouraging.
More and more often teens are speaking out for life without hesitation or
apology. A recent national survey of college freshman found that the generous
love praised in the gospels remains attractive, volunteerism is up, casual sex
down, and the acceptance of legalized abortion at its lowest point since 1977.
This positive shift does not rest solely with our young people. Our Holy
Father continues to receive a favorable response from people the world over to
his call to counter a society "in which the powerful predominate, setting aside
and even eliminating the powerless: I am thinking here of unborn children,
helpless victims of abortion; the elderly and incurably ill, subjected at times
to euthanasia; and the many other people relegated to the margins of society by
consumerism and materialism. Nor can I fail to mention the unnecessary recourse
to the death penalty when other bloodless means are sufficient to defend human
lives against an aggressor and to protect public order and the safety of
persons."
OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO DEFEND LIFE
Every responsible person and each follower of Jesus Christ have an
obligation to defend and protect innocent human life. This witness can take
place in many ways: teaching, non-violent public demonstrations, the
legislative process, preaching, outreach to those in crisis pregnancy, care
for the disabled and the dying, as well as financial support, prayer and
ministry to those who have had an abortion.
If we are to put an effective end to those things that threaten human life,
we must work as good citizens in the area of public policy to change laws. But
it is also necessary to change hearts and minds as well as laws. Pope John Paul
II reminds us that a pro-life educational endeavor must have "as its goal that
shift of perception and change of heart which accompany true conversion."
It is said that evil exists when good people do nothing. We must find a way
to make our convictions known and effective. For Catholics, the parish community
is an ideal context in which to do this and the role of the priest, as leader,
places him in a perfect position to reiterate this most basic principle of
respect for life. In particular, the homily at appropriate times can be an
effective means for communicating this truth. Other opportunities include the
regular intentions of the general intercessions, the use of the parish bulletin,
parish newsletters and increasingly web sites. The United States bishops offer
guidance and a starting point: "We must begin with a commitment never to
intentionally kill, or collude in the killing, of any innocent human life, no
matter how broken, unformed, disabled or desperate that life may seem."
The proclamation of the gospel of life is not reserved to the parish priest.
All of those involved in parish activity and especially the parish staff must be
both committed to the message and able to express it in a convincing manner.
Given the importance of the gospel of life regular updating sessions to deal
with current issues and to review the teaching of the Church would be a valuable
resource for all involved in the life of the parish.
We must also incorporate the Church's teachings on social concerns and
respect life issues into the mainstream of Catholic education. All those who
teach in Catholic schools and religious education programs must become
intelligent and clear voices in defense of life. The U.S. bishops remind us that
this educational effort must be made at every level. "The commitment to human
life and dignity, to human rights and solidarity, is a calling all Catholic
educators must share with their students. It is not a vocation for a few
religion teachers, but a challenge for every Catholic educator and catechist."
Efforts should be made to integrate this teaching into the curriculum of our
education programs at every level.
The U.S. bishops also urge parents, as the primary educators of their
children, to give priority to the important areas of human sexuality and respect
for all human life. The faithful not only have a responsibility to promote life
issues in their homes but also in the workplace, the courts and the legislature.
The lay faithful are called to give daily witness to respect for life, in family
life, public education, government, institutions of health care, and the
instruments of mass communication.
Only in this way can these fundamental human values which are rooted in our
very nature as the fruit of God's loving creation make an impact on our growing
secular world that seems all too comfortable disregarding human dignity and
ignoring the basic truth about the true origins, nature and destiny of every
human person.
As children of God we must pray and fast for an end to anti-life practices;
be active in the political process and elect responsible leaders; assist women
facing unintended pregnancies; support with compassion those who suffer from
having had an abortion; affirm the lives of the elderly and the disabled;
forgive those who have committed grave offenses, and tirelessly promote the
truth about the importance of each human person.
SPECIFIC ISSUES: ABORTION
Abortion has been nothing less than a blight on our society. Since 1973
more than 38 million people are not alive to offer us their God-given gifts
because their mothers chose to end those lives by abortion. As defenseless,
voiceless victims the unborn were the first to succumb to a "life vs.
convenience" test. With the legalization of abortion, the right to life that
had been guaranteed became conditional - and millions of unborn persons lost
their lives by abortion.
Let us make no mistake or be fooled by the rhetoric of choice. The 1.4
million unborn, defenseless children killed last year in abortions had no
choice. Others made a decision for them. No choice was offered the child. Only a
decision: "The child must die."
Whether or not a pregnant woman wants to have a child is not the issue. She
already has a child - in her womb. The issue is whether the child will be
allowed to live. Two lives are involved in this partnership of human life. It is
unfair for only one to make the choice, the decision - about the life of the
other.
Unborn babies are not the only victims of abortion. All too often women are
coerced, manipulated or enticed into having an abortion. Without truly
understanding the implications of their actions, many women act out of fear and
panic and rush to what they believe is a logical solution. They tend to isolate
themselves from those who can support them through the pregnancy and thus are
not aware of organizations or Church programs that offer alternatives to
abortion. Only later do they and often those who have helped them find out that
abortion is a very difficult decision to live with.
A SPIRITUAL RESPONSE
To all who have had an abortion or who have facilitated one, the Church
continues to hold out the loving mercy and forgiveness of Christ. At Saint
Mary of Mercy Church in downtown Pittsburgh a memorial chapel commemorating
the unborn child invites everyone who may have been involved in the tragedy
of an abortion to bring that suffering and pain, that evil and heartache to
the Lord for forgiveness and healing. The same memorial chapel is a reminder
to all of us to pray for those tempted to have an abortion so that they may
avail themselves of the support that the Church freely offers to help them
make a life-giving decision to have their child.
The memorial also calls us to pray for a change of heart both for those who
perform this cruel and destructive action and for those in political office who
falsely rationalize their support of abortion in the guise of freedom. Similar
shrines or memorials in other churches and on the grounds of parishes, schools,
cemeteries, Knights of Columbus halls and private residences, witness to the
prayers for the unborn and their mothers by so many compassionate and caring
people.
In an effort to assist our priests, I have recently made available to each
parish a resource manual for priests entitled "Post-Abortion Ministry" prepared
by the secretariats for priestly life and ministry and pro-life activities of
the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. The material is intended to provide
insight into the emotional, psychological and spiritual trauma suffered by many
women who have had abortions. It addresses "How best to minister to these women
(and others) both in the sacrament of reconciliation and in pastoral
counseling."
A great tragedy in these more than 38 million abortions is that they are
unnecessary in a country where positive alternatives abound. Compassionate
assistance is available in all forms from committed pro-life people working to
ensure that no woman should feel compelled to walk through the doors of an
abortion clinic.
The legalization of abortion has also played a major role in the breakdown of
the family. Abortion-rights rhetoric has given sole control and responsibility
for child bearing to women. By not legally recognizing the rights of men in the
abortion decision, society has taken away some of the impetus for the male's
role as a father. Men no longer feel obligated to do more than offer to pay for
an abortion.
One of the sad signs of the times is the ease with which a man will father a
child and then walk away from both mother and child. The action of bringing new
life into the world carries with it a weighty responsibility to nurture and
support that life. A man is not free to decline his duties toward the new life
he has helped engender. As a society we should reflect in our laws both the
right that the man has regarding the new life he has fathered and the
concomitant duty he also faces for the same new life.
THE NON-VIOLENT NATURE OF ALL PROMOTION OF LIFE
Our witness to God's truth must be peaceful, prayerful, non-violent and
respectful of the dignity of all people. The Catholic Church opposes both
the violence of abortion and the use of violence to oppose abortion. There
is no appropriate reason to advocate or carry out murder or violence in the
name of the pro-life cause. Such acts cannot be justified. They deny the
fundamental value of each human life and do harm to genuine pro-life
witness.
ASSISTED SUICIDE AND EUTHANASIA
The effects of the culture of death are not confined to the unborn. The
elderly and disabled of our society are more and more considered as burdens.
The disrespect for human life that began with the very first legal abortion
has now grown into a culture where people will have to meet a certain
"quality of life" standard in order to justify their continued existence.
The assumption that to be old, disabled or dying renders you worthless has
fostered a terrible premise that seeks to eliminate the "imperfect" from our
society. Masked by a false mercy, euthanasia is being promoted as the right and
good thing for society to do. Many are actively working to legalize euthanasia,
already a reality in the state of Oregon. Often those who support the killing of
the elderly do so under the guise of an act of mercy. Words like "intolerable
pain," "agony" and "terrible suffering" are often used when in fact modern
science today can and should control pain.
The origins of the word euthanasia are found in the desire for a "happy" or
"easy death." Today in our culture the word is translated "mercy killing." Most
of the media emphasis is now on mercy, but we must never forget that the action
is killing. Advocates of assisted suicide, carried out either by a physician or
by a family member, challenge the Church's teaching. They say, in effect, "I can
end life if I have the intention of doing it with mercy." Yet suicide and
euthanasia are "false mercy." We do not respect human life by destroying it,
whether in the womb or near the end of life. We must care for those who are
dying with our presence, our prayers, and the sacraments of the Church.
There is a long-standing Catholic tradition of praying for a happy and
provided death. Saint Joseph is the patron of a happy death. To him we offer
prayers that when the time for our death arrives we might be provided the
sacraments - the anointing of the sick, an opportunity for confession and
viaticum - as we conclude our pilgrimage to the Father.
CARING FOR THE TERMINALLY ILL
Our faith provides the context not only for our own death but for the way
in which we approach the death of others. For those who believe, "life is
changed not ended" and when, as the liturgy teaches us, "the body of our
earthly dwelling lies in death, we gain an everlasting dwelling place
heaven." It is this lively faith that instructs us in how we are present to
and stand with someone who is dying.
The caring presence of family, friends, chaplains, and parish priests cannot
be underestimated. Heartfelt prayers bring comfort. Ritual prayers allow
participation of the family members. For an ill person the priest celebrates the
rite of anointing of the sick. For the dying the priest (or other pastoral care
worker) brings viaticum, which is the Eucharist for the journey through death to
eternal life.
Each of us is unique, and so too are the circumstances of each dying person.
Sensitivity is always part of a spiritual response. Everyone has the need of
support, consolation and hope. Our Christian faith, expressed in our presence,
words, prayers, and love provides rich resources for overcoming our initial fear
and caring for a person who is dying.
Death is the natural conclusion to our earthly life. Rather than deny it we
need to be able to embrace its reality and assist one another in our encounter
with death. As our Holy Father teaches us: "We never celebrate and exalt life as
much as we do in the nearness of death and in death itself. Life must be fully
respected, protected and assisted in those who are experiencing its natural
conclusion as well."
END OF LIFE DECISIONS
The call for uninterrupted respect for all human life requires
that people of faith act responsibly in end-of-life situations. When we deal
with the last stages of human life we need to be particularly sensitive to
both our capabilities and our limitations. Eventually all physical remedies
fail. All life begins, grows, matures, declines and ends in death. As
responsible Christians we are called to provide medical treatment for the
body while there is still hope of healing and restoration of health. But
even when healing is no longer possible, treatment is futile and death is
inevitable, we are still obliged to care for the dying.
The provision of nutrition and hydration is a normal part of human care. The
United States Bishops' pro-life committee provides us direction in this area
when it writes: "We reject any omission of nutrition and hydration intended to
cause a patient's death. We hold for a presumption in favor of providing
medically assisted nutrition and hydration to patients who need it, which
presumption would yield in cases where such procedures have no medically
reasonable hope of sustaining life or pose excessive risks or burdens."
The Church wisely makes a distinction between medical treatment and common
care. We are obliged to utilize ordinary medical treatment in dealing with our
physical condition. The Church distinguishes between morally ordinary and
extraordinary treatment. No one is obliged to use morally extraordinary
treatment to sustain human life.
The Catholic Church teaches that when medical treatment becomes futile, and
it is no longer possible to prevent a patient's death, or when the only result
of intensive medical treatment would be to add suffering or prolong dying, we
must accept the inevitability of death. At this point respect for the dying
indicates that it is no longer necessary to offer medical treatment.
While it is true that the means of supplying nutrition and hydration can in
themselves become morally extraordinary in some circumstances, the presumption
should always be in favor of sustaining human life through the provision of
nutrition and hydration.
Never, however, is it acceptable to take actions that deliberately take the
life a dying person. Lethal injections or any other means to assist in suicide
are never condoned as acts that respect the inherent dignity of the human
person. Advances in hospice care and palliative care have made it possible to
control pain and suffering during the last days of a person's life.
Our Judeo-Christian heritage believes that life is the gift of a loving God
and that we may never choose to cause our own deaths. As a people who believe in
God and in eternal life we must always remember that despite its human tragedy,
death is the gateway to our final and eternal union with God.
HUMAN CLONING AND GENETIC TECHNOLOGY
Respect for human life is also challenged by technological advances and
the desire to perfect the genetic make-up of human beings. Religion and
science are not adversaries but can influence and compliment one another.
Pope John Paul II clearly articulated this relationship when he wrote, "The
Church remains profoundly convinced that faith and reason `mutually support
each other,' each influences the other, as they offer to each other a
purifying critique and a stimulus to pursue the search for deeper
understanding."
While science seeks to find the best solution for physical human problems,
the Church reminds science that there is more to a human being than just
physical form - the material dimension. We welcome science that serves and
enhances the human person by upholding criteria of respect, generosity and
service while resisting the slide to a new criterion of efficiency,
functionality and usefulness.
As society moves to understand genetic make-up and provide for the
possibility of human intervention to alter life in future generations, we must
remember that God is the author of life. We need to acknowledge the role that
the Creator continues to play in the creation of life.
Human embryo research raises ethical problems because it either allows for
scientific experimentation on human beings or redefines human life in a way that
classifies some human beings as "subhuman." Most research of this type ignores
the fact that at the moment of conception God creates a new, unique, individual
human being that, from that moment, through all of life is worthy of the
protection and respect that every human life deserves.
Human cloning and human embryo research deny the dignity and uniqueness of
the human being. Human persons should never be treated as means to an end. We
have only to look at our environment to be reminded that we often do not have
the necessary insight to understand all the consequences of our actions. Simply
because we have the ability to do something does not mean that we should do it.
A healthy religious reverence for the Providence of God, as well as a respect
for the law of unintended consequences, call us to observe the moral law
whenever we move forward in scientific discovery.
ETHICAL REFLECTION ON TECHNOLOGY
As Catholics we believe that the reason some procedures are
prohibited is because they are in themselves wrong and therefore undermine
and hinder our very attempts to achieve human good. In this day of
widespread moral relativism, if not outright confusion, it is all the more
important that the Church continue her witness to moral truth. Some actions,
even if technologically feasible, are still wrong.
Our society approaches ethical and moral decisions in sharply contrasted
ways. One view accepts God's plan and the preservation and enrichment of human
life within that plan. Another position concentrates on the autonomy of the
human person who is assumed to have virtually limitless freedom to manipulate
and reorder the human body according to norms accountable only to some human
convention. This divergence of views is what Pope John Paul II in his encyclical
Evangelium Vitae describes as a struggle between the culture of death and the
civilization of love.
An excellent summary of the place of moral directives regarding life issues
is found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. This study of the faith refers
to the Ten Commandments as a "privileged expression of the natural law." This
ancient tradition of moral norms that guide human activity is the most
challenged in our increasingly technological world where scientific advances
often outpace the necessary moral reflection. More and more, we meet those who
have concluded that moral reflection is not even necessary.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Pope John Paul II has persistently reminded us of our duty to reverence
every life, and he asks us to be faithful to this ideal in reflecting on
capital punishment. The Catholic Church's moral teaching has always agreed
that lawful authorities have the power to enforce law, prosecute
lawbreakers, and imprison convicted criminals. It has also recognized the
right, in extreme circumstances, to execute certain convicted criminals,
especially when there seems to be no other way to guard innocent lives.
Today, however, the Church has become convinced that less than lethal means
are available and morally appropriate to punish criminals convicted of
certain crimes and still protect society from them.
Our Holy Father teaches that "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 the same ways that abortion, euthanasia, infanticide and human cloning
disrespect human life so too does capital punishment. We believe that human life
is sacred and deserves to be protected. While the state has the right and
responsibility to punish, the Catholic Church teaches that if other means, such
as life-long imprisonment, are sufficient to protect the safety of persons,
public authority should limit itself to those means, and thereby better conform
its policies to the inherent dignity of all human beings.
Capital punishment causes irreparable harm. It can turn the institution that
serves as an instrument of justice into a means of seeking revenge. The practice
of capital punishment continues the cycle of violence that it was supposed to
end. The destruction of human life, even in the form of punishment, takes away a
gift that is God's alone to take. It extinguishes the possibility for
rehabilitation and atonement.
The facts show that capital punishment falls disproportionately on racial
minorities, the uneducated, and the poor and disadvantaged. Too often inadequate
and ineffective legal representation has led these disadvantaged groups to be
executed at a disproportionately higher rate.
As Christians, we are called to forgive those who have harmed us. The healing
nature of forgiveness is a gift from God that should never be taken for granted
or ignored. We are challenged to see in the imprisoned the very face of Christ,
visit them regularly and respect them as fellow human beings (Mt. 25.36).
At the same time we must respond pastorally to those who have been victimized
by the crimes of others and find ways to help alleviate their sometimes
unbearable pain. One particular ministry that has responded to those who deal
with effects of sudden, tragic or violent death in their family is the We are
Remembered Ministry. Annually a special Mass is celebrated bringing together
all of those who continue to deal with the pain of tragic death in their lives.
It is a time of spiritual renewal, re-commitment in faith and above all
prayerful support for each other.
CONCLUSION
Each October Catholics in the United States observe Respect Life Month.
This year we do so on the eve of the new millennium. As we prepare to
celebrate the Great Jubilee, let us renew our firm belief in the dignity of
every human life and address with fresh vigor the whole range of issues that
erode this most fundamental of human rights. These issues include every
aspect of human life - prenatal care, birth, nurture and growth, marriage
and family life, housing, employment, care for disabled and handicapped
persons, rehabilitation of those addicted to alcohol and drugs, care of the
elderly -- indeed, any issue related to the dignity of human life.
In concluding these reflections I ask that we join together in a renewed
commitment to work and pray more fervently for the building up of the
civilization of love in our midst. To the extent that each of us is personally
involved in the defense of human life, to that extent will we achieve a truly
good and just society and manifest a civilization of love - one that will enrich
our lives and the lives of our children and their children for generations to
come.
May God grant us all the grace to recognize the inestimable dignity of human
life and the courage to defend and support it in our words and deeds.
Faithfully in Christ,
Donald W. Wuerl
Bishop of Pittsburgh