The Consistent Life Ethic

The Catholic Church has developed what we call the “Social Justice Teachings” [1].

Every human person is created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, each person’s life and dignity must be respected, whether that person is an innocent unborn child in a mother’s womb, whether that person worked in the World Trade Center or a market in Baghdad, or even whether that person is a convicted criminal on death row. We believe that every human life is sacred from conception to natural death, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it protects and respects the life and dignity of the human person.

Scriptures and Doctrines

There are many scriptures that speak of this. The most obvious is Matthew 25:34-40:

Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink? [...] And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

Jesus takes the social justice very seriously. Our salvation depends on it. James also shows how important this is by saying if you do not care for your neighbor your faith is dead:

Jas 2:15-17 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

Zechariah even goes so far as blaming the destruction of Israel on that same issue:

Zec 7:10-14 And oppress not the widow, nor the fatherless, the stranger, nor the poor; and let none of you imagine evil against his brother in your heart. But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, and stopped their ears, that they should not hear [...] But I scattered them with a whirlwind among all the nations whom they knew not. Thus the land was desolate after them, that no man passed through nor returned: for they laid the pleasant land desolate.

We see that the scriptures and the teachings of the Church are very consistent. The social justice aspect of our faith is extremely serious and we cannot ignore it. It is all centered on Christ’s death. He gave His life for us. Life and it’s dignity are the most precious gifts we have received and we need to respect them from the beginning in the womb to the natural end without exception.

Problems and Issues

The above is very close to political action and we must be careful about this. The Church is not in the business to promote one party over another. It does not matter if you are republican or democrat, conservative or liberal, there are some core issues that are not negociable. Those the issues of Life and the “Option for the Poor.”

Some people accuse the Church to be inconsistent with her own teachings. One of the biggest reproach that is made against the Church is the fact that she does not allow the use of condoms even for people who are at risk of HIV/AIDS. “Banning Condoms Kills” says an advertisement from Catholics for a Free Choice. It is easy to blame the Church for all evils but we must remember that in the early 80’s, when nobody would touch a patient who might possibly have AIDS, mother Theresa of Calcutta was the first to open hospices for AIDS victims in California and New York, New Delhi and Haiti. In India where Catholics are 2% of the population they take care of 20% of the hospitals and schools[2].

We condemn the use of condoms, we do not condemn those who use them. In the same way we condemn abortion but we do not condemn those who had abortions. On the contrary we love them and we do all we can to help them and follow them medically and psychologically. Does Planned Parenthood follow women with post-abortion medical care or do they leave them on their own? The consistency of the Church teachings is to tell the truth but also to follow up with love.

I mentioned the “Option for the Poor” and the condoms/abortion issues because these are two major social teachings. The problem with those issues is that it can polarize people. Those who are extremely sensitive to the plight of the poor might turn to “Liberation Theology” [3]. The problem with liberation theology is that it relies on the Marxist interpretation of class warfare. In South America a few Catholic priests have promoted this ideology [4]. The Catholic Church is a church for all, poor and rich, republicans and democrats. She does not care about which party you belong to, she cares about the truth and she wants us to vote for the truth not for a party. We will go to heaven whether we voted for life not whether we voted for conservatives or liberals. Clinton is Methodist, Barack Obama is United Church of Christ, both are democrats and pro-abortion. Giuliani is Catholic and pro-abortion. McCain is Episcopalian, he does not support abortion but supports embryonic stem cell research. I am forced to ask here who is consistent?

Conclusion

My point is this. We can vote for the party we think will best promote our life values, be it republican or democrat. But, looking at the 2008 line up of presidential candidates, it becomes obvious that life does not belong to a single party. Life comes from Jesus Christ and His Church alone. Salvation is from Jesus Christ and His Church alone.

Issues of Human Life, Justice, and Peace
(Summary from the USCCB web page)

Pro-Life Teachings and Issues

  • The inviolability of the person which is a reflection of the absolute inviolability of God, finds its primary and fundamental expression in the inviolability of human life. Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights-for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture- is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination. Pope John Paul II, Christifideles Laici (1988), no. 38
  • We urge those Catholic officials who choose to depart from Church teaching on the inviolability of human life in their public life to consider the consequences for their own spiritual well being, as well as the scandal they risk by leading others into serious sin. We call on them to reflect on the grave contradiction of assuming public roles and presenting themselves as credible Catholics when their actions on fundamental issues of human life are not in agreement with Church teaching. No public official, especially one claiming to be a faithful and serious Catholic, can responsibly advocate for or actively support direct attacks on innocent human life. Living the Gospel of Life: A Challenge to American Catholics (1998), no. 32

Key Issues of Faithful Citizenship

  • Protecting human life begins with our opposition to abortion and euthanasia.
  • Promoting family life focuses on support of marriage, parental choice in education, responsible communications, and moral and economic supports for families.
  • Pursuing social justice requires working for a more just economic life with decent jobs and just wages, providing adequate assistance to poor families, overcoming a culture of violence, combating discrimination, and defending the right to quality health care, housing, and food.
  • Practicing global solidarity addresses overcoming hunger and global poverty, reducing debt and promoting development, responding to the needs of immigrants and refugees, pursuing peace, and reducing regional conflicts in the Middle East, Africa and other parts of the world.

Responding to Global HIV/AIDS

  • Throughout the world the Catholic Church is the largest single provider of care for people affected by HIV and AIDS, serving 25 percent of those who suffer from the disease. Catholic Relief Services current AIDS projects serve approximately four million people affected by HIV/AIDS in 30 countries. Activities are concentrated in Africa, but the agency also has HIV/AIDS programming in Asia and Latin America. Catholic Relief Services
  • “We must walk in solidarity with those who are living with HIV/AIDS and with those at risk. As witnesses of Christ, we are called to respect the dignity of each person and to promote healthy living - physically, spiritually, morally and psychologically - through prevention and treatment.” Washington Archbishop, Theodore Cardinal McCarrick, The Fullness of Life, 2003.
  • “The drama of AIDS threatens not just some nations or societies, but the whole of humanity. It knows no frontiers of geography, race, age or social condition…(calling) for a supreme effort of international cooperation on the part of government, the world medical and scientific community and all those who exercise influence in developing a sense of more responsibility in society.” Pope John Paul II, Visit to Tanzania, 1990

Human Cloning

  • I am speaking of a tragic spiral of death which includes murder, suicide, abortion, euthanasia…. To this list we must add irresponsible practices of genetic engineering, such as the cloning and use of human embryos for research, which are justified by an illegitimate appeal to freedom, to cultural progress, to the advancement of mankind. When the weakest and most vulnerable members of society are subjected to such atrocities, the very idea of the human family, built on the value of the person, on trust, respect and mutual support, is dangerously eroded. A civilization based on love and peace must oppose these experiments, which are unworthy of man. Pope John Paul II, Message for the Celebration of the World Day of Peace (2001), no. 19
  • In the cloning process the basic relationships of the human person are perverted: filiation, consanguinity, kinship, parenthood…. In vitro fertilization has already led to the confusion of parentage, but cloning will mean the radical rupture of these bonds…. Pontifical Academy for Life, Reflections on Cloning (1997), no. 3

Global Climate Change

  • As people of faith, we are convinced that “the earth is the Lord’s and all it holds” (Ps 24:1). Our Creator has given us the gift of creation: the air we breathe, the water that sustains life, the fruits of the land that nourish us, and the entire web of life without which human life cannot flourish. All of this God created and found “very good.” We believe our response to global climate change should be a sign of our respect for God’s creation. Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good
  • At its core, global climate change is not about economic theory or political platforms, nor about partisan advantage or interest group pressures. It is about the future of God’s creation and the one human family. It is about protecting both “the human environment” and the natural environment. It is about our human stewardship of God’s creation and our responsibility to those who come after us. Global Climate Change: A Plea for Dialogue, Prudence, and the Common Good
Notes[1] Catholic Social Teaching Quotes
[2] AIDS and the Consistent Ethic of Life
[3] Instruction on Certain Aspects of the “Theology of Liberation”
[4] Fr. Jon SobrinoVatican Documents

US Conference of Catholic Bishops

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