Pope lectures Pelosi on abortion stance. Heck, yeah:
After their meeting the Vatican issued a statement that read:
“His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development.”
The statement emphasizes that the church considers life to begin at conception and that legislators such as Pelosi are “enjoined” to work to create laws that “protect life at all stages of development.”
Here’s the Vatican statement:
“Following the General Audience the Holy Father briefly greeted Mrs Nancy Pelosi, speaker of the United States House of Representatives, together with her entourage.
His Holiness took the opportunity to speak of the requirements of the natural moral law and the Church’s consistent teaching on the dignity of human life from conception to natural death which enjoin all Catholics, and especially legislators, jurists and those responsible for the common good of society, to work in cooperation with all men and women of good will in creating a just system of laws capable of protecting human life at all stages of its development.”
Moe:
Based on what I wrote earlier, I’m thinking that while the Church is hopeful to avoid a confrontation in the American Church over abortion, it is not expectant that they can avoid it. Ed Morrissey is right when he notes the use of the word “consistent” in the above: it’s in direct contradiction to the excuse Pelosi uses to justify her heresy on abortion. I keep using the term “heresy” here because that’s what it is, by the way: pro-choice Catholics are not having a debate with the Church on this doctrine, much as they’d like to pretend otherwise. That would imply that the Roman Catholic Church recognizes their right to have a variant opinion on this topic and still be a good Catholic, which it pointedly does not – which is why Benedict XVI made sure to have this statement sent out.
If there’s any doubt whatsoever as to the Catholic Church’s position on abortion, hopefully this clarifies it.
Roundup and more commentary at The Anchoress.
Words like heresy are precisely why the Bill of Rights prohibits establishment of religion. Sure life would be grand if we all had to live under your religious rules, but would you be comfortable living under MY religious rules? I expect not. Such quandaries, with the Wars of the Reformation in mind, and relatively recent memory, are the foundation for a nation of people who are free to use words like heresy, and not risk public executions or tortured-derived confessions over differences of opinion on matters canonical.
Now if the Pope was lecturing me, a Lutheran slightly to the right of Gustavus Adolphus, then his admonishment would be an infringement. But since Speaker Pelosi claimed to speak as a practicing Catholic and represented Catholic dogma then the Pope not only has the right to correct her but as head of his Church is enjoined to do so. And it beggars the imagination to leap from the internal doctrinal affairs of one religion to imply that the US is somehow in danger of Inguisitional Courts.