"We therefore implore you to end the filthy campaigns that promote a civilization of death"
"4. We are all wounded in the depths of our hearts as Pastors by the attacks against life, the family, all that is sacred, the healthy human development of our youth..., the full blossoming of women and respect for our elderly....Selfish and perverse interests are imposing themselves on our continent with a speed that keeps on accelerating, with unabated aggressiveness, in an ever more organized and powerfully financed manner, introducing individualism and hedonism, both of which are so foreign to what we are and want to be, into our societies.
"5. We therefore implore you to end the filthy campaigns that promote a civilization of death on our continent. This has to do with a terrifying resurgence of a colonialist spirit under the guise of the appealing names of liberty, equality, rights, autonomy, democratization and development. Condoms, contraceptives, sex education programs fabricated elsewhere, purely technical and deprived of moral content, so-called 'safe abortions'....It can no longer be denied that under the euphemism of 'sexual and reproductive health and rights', such programs are plainly imposed as a condition for development assistance. Such is also the case of the so-called 'gender perspective,' according to which motherhood, the filial and nuptial identity of the human being and the family based on marriage between a man and a woman would be 'discriminatory stereotypes'....Scandal has long been festering in "Catholic" health care. In the face of longstanding and continued efforts to advocate for conscience protections by the Pa Catholic Conference and the USCCB, the Catholic Health Association of the USA was instrumental in passing the conscience-protection-free Affordable Care Act (ACA) and lauds its relationship with the ACA's primary architect (cf., Bishop James Conley, 6/11/15). President Obama has, in turn, tirelessly praised CHAUSA's Sister Carol Keehan (cf, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNG6xNT1ObU).
"6....The agents of the civilization of death are using ambivalent language, seducing decision-makers and entire populations, in order to make them partners in the pursuit of their ideological objectives. They are coopting a great many in partnerships of which they are, in reality, the masters. They take advantage of poverty, weakness and ignorance in order to subject peoples and governments to their blackmail.
"7....This is a new type of slavery! We want the dignity of our people to be respected.....[We are] not a great potential market for the pharmaceutical industry of contraceptives and condoms....
"10....These political and economic pressures have but one objective: the drastic control and reduction of the African population, the planned destruction of marriage and the family....Pope Francis exhorts us to 'be on guard against colonization by new ideologies. There are forms of ideological colonization which are out to destroy the family. They are not born of dreams, of prayers, of closeness to God or the mission which God gave us; they come from without, and for that reason I am saying that they are forms of colonization. Let's not lose the freedom of the mission which God has given us, the mission of the family. Just as our peoples, at a certain moment of their history, were mature enough to say "no" to all forms of political colonization, so too in our families we need to be very wise, very shrewd, very strong, in order to say "no" to all attempts at an ideological colonization of our families'....
"11. The billions of dollars allotted to the production and distribution of condoms and contraceptives and to the establishment of sex-education programs that do not respect universal moral norms are a scandal that cries to heaven..., a new slavery at the service of the idol 'money'....
"12....these agendas are by no means African! They are, from A to Z, piloted by agents external to Africa: from the introduction of normative 'development' concepts such as 'gender' or 'reproductive health'....We urge political and religious leaders, who have the heavy task of leading and protecting our African populations, to study with attention and analyze with great care and a sense of responsibility the documents, strategies and development programs of global governance. These documents, even though they appear, in their external presentation and formulation, to procure elements of well-being and prosperity for all, are in reality real programs of destruction of the poor and humanity's values, and not of a development that would respect the dignity and sacredness of the human person and the well-being of the family, when they integrate, often in hidden ways, the agenda of the western sexual revolution....
"14. We, the Bishops of Africa and Madagascar, know that our concerns are shared by the members of other religious confessions present in Africa: Christians, Muslims and followers of traditional religions. They are also those of our peoples, rooted in cultures that celebrate the beauty and sacredness of life and the family....every human person will have to render an account of their actions before God....
"16. The State and international organizations are bound to respect that which all men and women can recognize as real, true, and good in their conscience and in their heart. They are bound to honor the transcendence, centrality and superiority in value of the family founded on marriage between a man and a woman, of maternity and life, and of religion...
17. Our wishes, our desire, our prayer, our pastoral labors are that in this era of globalization, Africa will today offer humanity its unique and irreplaceable contribution, according to the gifts she has received from God and are properly hers" (Common Declaration of the Bishops of Africa and Madagascar, Accra (Ghana), June 8-11, 2015).
This past week, the Holy Father reminded us that "Every hospital and nursing home can be a visible sign and setting in which to promote the culture of encounter and peace, where the experience of illness and suffering, along with professional and fraternal assistance, helps to overcome every limitation and division." What would the bishops of Africa and Madagascar think of "Catholic" hospitals allowing privileges to health care workers who are involved with abortion, contraceptives, and immoral "reproductive" techniques like IVF?
All but a handful of pharmacies - across the country - sell abortifacients and contraceptives. What would the bishops of Africa and Madagascar think about parishes allowing pharmaceutical advertisements in their bulletins?
We need to pray that the prophetic witness of the brave shepherds of Africa and Madagascar inspire their brothers over the next two months!
Defund Planned Parenthood - NOT One Dime
Passing pro life bills is absolutely a vital witness. Yet with an avowedly pro-abortion governor and an avowedly pro-abortion president, pro life bills will more than likely be vetoed. Hence, the real key to stopping Planned Parenthood seems to be in the budgeting process.
- As per the Pennsylvania Family Institute, "the Administration, following what can only be described as a cursory review of Planned Parenthood abortion sites in Pennsylvania, stated that the organization’s hands are clean in the burgeoning nationwide scandal involving the gruesome procurement and trafficking in the remains of unborn children aborted in Planned Parenthood clinics....the taxpayers of Pennsylvania can have no confidence that Gov. Tom Wolf and his administration can or did conduct a fair and thorough probe, given his close ties with Planned Parenthood before, during and after his campaign for Pennsylvania Governor." Email all of Bucks County's representatives and senators in Harrisburg, to urge a state moratorium on monies for Planned Parenthood.
- Thirty-one members of the U.S. House pledged ''that we cannot and will not support any funding resolution — an appropriations bill, an omnibus package, a continuing resolution, or otherwise — that contains any funding for Planned Parenthood, including mandatory funding streams.'' Some "pro life" representatives and senators have been fearful of being blamed for a government "shutdown." Email Representative Fitzpatrick, Senator Casey, and Senator Toomey, to urge them to get on board with a moratorium. Please also ask pro life Representatives Joe Pitts ((202) 225-2411), Pat Meehan ((202) 225-2011), and Ryan Costello ((202) 225-4315 ) to back a moratorium.
HB 1510/SB 974, the so-called "Fairness Act"
- The Pennsylvania Catholic Conference warns that Pennsylvania HB 1510/SB 974, the so-called "Fairness Act" would "jeopardize many churches and their charitable outreach if they continue to adhere to their religious beliefs. In other states, this law has closed Catholic adoption agencies and violated religious liberty. These bills could mean that Catholic agencies would no longer be able to make our contributions to the common good of Pennsylvania without violating our religious beliefs....Simply put, this legislation is intolerant and prejudiced against people of faith."
- HB 1510/SB 974 is receiving a surprising amount of support among state legislators who identify as Catholic or who have received Catholic schooling. From Bucks County, Representatives Steve Santarsiero (D), Tina Davis (D) John Galloway (D), Scott Petri (R) Marguerite Quinn (R), and Kathy Watson (R) are among the 84 co-sponsors of HB 1510. While Galloway identifies as Catholic, the others have studied at Catholic schools (i.e., Santarsiero, MEd, Holy Family; Davis, Bachelors, LaSalle; Petri, JD, Villanova; Quinn, BA, St Joseph's, and Watson (studied at Villanova).). Senator Chuck McIlhinney (R), who identifies as Catholic, is among the 26 co-sponsors of SB 974.
- "Stand for true tolerance: oppose Senate Bill 974 and House Bill 1510" (Pa Family Council).
Religious Liberty
- As per the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, "The First Amendment Defense Act (H.R. 2802, S. 1598) would bar the federal government from discriminating against individuals and organizations based upon their religious beliefs or moral convictions that marriage is the union of one man and one woman or that sexual relations are properly reserved to such a marriage. The Act provides broad protections against adverse federal actions directed toward individuals and organizations that act on such beliefs." Representative Fitzpatrick is NOT among the 148 co-sponsors of HR2802; NEITHER Senator Casey NOR Senator Toomey are among the 37 co-sponsors of S1598. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has an alert for contacts to Fitzpatrick, Casey, and Toomey, re: the First Amendment Defense Act (HR2802 / S1598): http://cqrcengage.com/catholicbishops/app/make-a-call?0&engagementId=113753
- As per the USCCB, "Urge Congress to Reauthorize the US Commission for International Religious Freedom."
Alerts, Alerts Central, NCHLA, and Justice for Immigrants
- To aid us in applying the commandments to our modern world, the Pennsylvania Catholic Conference offers "alerts" and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) offers "Alerts Central." The USCCB notes that "Action alerts for pro-life issues can also be found through our partner organization, the "National Committee for the Human Life Amendment" (NCHLA), and that "Action alerts for issues related to immigration reform can be found through the USCCB-led Catholic coalition, "Justice for Immigrants."
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