On October 9, 2010 "The World Congress For Life" was held. His Eminence, Raymond Cardinal Burke, the Prefect of the Apostolic Signatura gave the main address. It was titled, "Catholic Orthodoxy; antidote against the culture of death."
In the introduction he made this statement, "Now more than ever, the world needs the consistent witness to the truth, expressed in the Sacred Scriptures and in Tradition, which is the condition of the possibility of a culture which respects fully the gift of human life and its origin in procreation, that is, in the cooperation of man and woman with God through the conjugal union and through education in the home which they have formed by marriage."
The essence of this statement is that the truth of the culture of life comes to us through Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition which joined to the voice of the Holy Father comprises the teaching office of the Church, The Magisterium. The Church teaches that marriage between one man and one woman is indissoluble and rests on the foundations of unity and procreation. The Vicars of Christ, the Popes, have proclaimed against contraception for centuries. Pope Benedict does so today. It is contraception that is the enemy of the culture of life and of the family.
Under the heading of, "Fundamental presuppositions", Cardinal Burke makes this statement, "A second fundamental presupposition of my presentation is the essential relationship of the respect for human life and the respect for the integrity of marriage and the family. The attack on the innocent and defenseless life of the unborn has its origin in the erroneous view of human sexuality, which attempts to eliminate by mechanical or chemical means, the essential procreative nature of the conjugal act. The error maintains that the artificially altered conjugal act retains its integrity. The claim is that the act remains unitive or loving, even though the procreative nature of the act has been radically violated. In fact it is not unitive, for one or both of the partners withholds an essential part of the gift of self, which is the essence of the conjugal union."Pope Benedict XVI makes clear that the teaching in Humanae Vitae was not simply a matter of individual morality: declaring Humanae Vitae indicates the strong links between life ethics and social ethics, ushering in a new area of Magisterial teaching that has gradually been articulated in a series of documents, most recently, John Paul II's Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (Caritas In Veritatate No. 15)
"His Holiness reminds us of the essential part which a right understanding of our sexuality has in true human development"
The next section of Cardinal Burke's address is titled, "The Magisterium and the promotion of the culture of life."
"The relationship of the Magisterium to our eternal salvation lies at the very foundation of our life in Christ. In a world which prizes, above all else, individualism and self determination, the Christian is easily tempted to view the Magisterium in relationship to his individualism and self-pursuit. The phenomenon today is popularly known as, "cafeteria Catholicism".
"The service of the bishop, as the shepherd of the flock, is essential, indeed irreplaceable. The Venerable Pope, John Paul II, in his post synodal apostolic exhortation, "Pastoris Gregis", on the bishop, servant of the gospel of Jesus Christ for the hope of the world", promulgated on October 16, 2003, the 25th anniversary of his election to the See of St. Peter, recalled the rite of ordination of a bishop and specifically, the imposition of the book of the gospels, "on the head of the bishop elect," during the prayer of consecration, which contains the form of the sacrament, observing.
"This gesture indicates, on the one hand, that the word embraces and watches over the bishop's ministry and, on the other, that the bishop's life is to be completely submitted to the word of God in his daily commitment of preaching the gospel in all patience and sound doctrine (2 Tim. 4 )
A little further on Cardinal Burke says this, "The responsibility for the deposit of faith and its transmission in every age belongs to the living teaching office of the Church alone, (18 November 1965 No.10 Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution Dei Verbum, on divine revelation). The living teaching office or Magisterium of the Church exercised by the Roman Pontiff and the bishops in communion with him, has its authority from our Lord Jesus Christ. Christ has conferred upon the Apostles, with Peter as their head, and their successors, the bishops with the successor of Peter as their head, the authority to teach authentically (Catechism of the Catholic Church, No 85 )
Under the heading - "Challenges to the obedience to the Magisterium" are these words quoted from Pope John Paul II Encyclical, "Veritatis Splendor" of August 6, 1993. He taught us that there can be no compromise in the obedience to the moral teaching of The Magisterium. "Even in the most difficult situations man must respect the norm of morality so that he can be obedient to God's Holy Commandments and consistent with his own dignity as a person. Certainly, maintaining a harmony between freedom and truth occasionally demands uncommon sacrifices, and must be won at a high price: It can even involve martyrdom. (n 102 a ).
Having spoken of the culture of life which is embodied in the values of the family Cardinal Burke speaks also of those elements and activities which oppose life and the family; those that are not only commissions but also omissions.
In the next part of our discussion on the defense of the family we will look more closely at the Catholic hierarchy, especially at the role of the bishop.
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