With a tip of the biretta to Mulier Fortis comes this piece of horror in Shanghai Times.
Aborted baby cries before cremation
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Aborted baby cries before cremationBy Wang Xiang | 2010-5-14
AN aborted baby declared dead by doctors in south China’s Guangdong Province cried before he was due to be cremated, but died hours later as doctors refused to treat him. [Wasn’t this the position of Pres. Obama when serving in Illinois and then in the Senate? Wasn’t it his position that babies who survived abortions should be denied any help so that they would die?]
A mortuary worker at Nanhai Funeral Home in Foshan City said the baby cried and scared him as he was about to throw the coffin into a furnace, Information Times reported today.
He opened the box and found the seven-month fetus moving, but apparently choking on some cotton wool in his mouth, the report said.
After the worker cleared his mouth, the baby yawned and breathed peacefully. Workers rushed him back to Guanyao Hospital which delivered the baby as medical waste earlier that day.
But doctors left him in the lobby, and confirmed after an hour that the baby died.
The vice head of the funeral house said Guanyao Hospital sent many aborted fetuses or still-born babies for cremation. This baby apparently survived an abortion at seven months, and he had videos to prove the baby was still alive before the cremation.
Hospital official Liu Sanhong said its staff checked the baby for an hour and made sure it was dead. Liu did not say whether the doctors tried to save the baby or not.
The body was later sent back to the funeral house. The report said all workers were ordered not to talk about the incident.
On March 31, at least 21 fetuses and dead babies were found dumped in a river in east China’s Jining City.
Eight had tabs with clinic code numbers attached to their feet. The Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical University responsible for the corpses said they were "medical waste."
Two hospital staffers have been detained while the director and deputy director of the hospital’s logistics department were sacked. A vice president of the hospital was suspended.
I am surprised they weren’t shot and then the families billed for the cost of the bullet.
The shape of things to come for the USA? Western Europe?
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This is DISGUSTING!!! My problems with pest birds at my bird feeder pale in comparison to the suffering of these people.
God, protect your children in China and in all places where they suffer such violence.
“For the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!'”St Luke 23:29
Is this the situation in China? I hear that the state is forcing abortions on the women. I was told that often the reason for the abortions being so late term is that the mother hides the pregnancy until the “show” is just too obvious.
Lord, have mercy on the souls of these babies! Have mercy on the souls of the adults responsible.
Reverend Fathers, a question. What is the situation for the souls of the poor babies who are unbaptised when they are murdured? What can we do for them?
Ralph asks:
“Reverend Fathers, a question. What is the situation for the souls of the poor babies who are unbaptised when they are murdured? What can we do for them?”
For reasons I’ve never understood the unbaptised Holy Innocents murdered on Herod’s orders have always been considered saints. Are these children, slain by an evil regime, any less deserving of God’s mercy?
I am hardly a Reverend Father, of course.
I underestimated what the story would contain when I saw the title “Horror Story”. I fear this is a reality in the U.S. as well, and there is nothing our upper administrations will do to stop it. As I read, I could not help but think of stories from Nazi Germany.
O Holy Innocents, pray for us!
Having just visited my newest niece (who was just three weeks old at the time), imagining this happening to any newborn child fills me with dread for the inhumanity of any person who would do this.
The delicate straining movements of a baby, the rolling head, hands extended out in instinctual neediness, the yawning and suckling movements of the mouth… all of these things feed into adult human responses for compassion at the deepest level. If our own instinctual positive response to assist and provide for a baby are severed by callousness and inhuman indifference, we have lost by definition the very qualities of what it means to be human. These barbaric crimes cry to Heaven for vengeance.
How long, O Lord?
It says somewhere that “God is not a disinterested observer in the affairs of mankind.” We best be on our knees crying out to God for Mercy.
This IS happening in the US. There have been stories left and right about babies being left in janitor’s closets or in an unused room on trays to die. We must PRAY.
Also, about unbaptized infants. We cannot know for sure what happens to their souls. St. Augustine had the theory of limbo. A place where the unbaptized baby’s soul would go to escape the pains of hell, but would still be separated from God. They would experience eternal happiness though. As a mother who’s experienced a miscarriage, with no opportunity to baptize her child, limbo is a comforting theory for me. Also, my priest said that another possibility, for Catholics anyway, would be baptism by desire. If the parents would have had in intention to baptize the child as soon as possible had the child lived, then baptism be desire may be conferred on the child’s soul. I don’t know if that would hold though for pagans?
I’m scared. Are those giving the orders really humans?
that is the closest i’ve gotten to becoming physically ill at reading something. that poor tiny child. Thank God he was spared the suffering of being burned alive.
I cried. This is so sad. Terrible. Could we not pray for the souls of these poor children, all children lost through abortion? Couldnt we pray that the Precious Blood of Jesus be poured out and baptize all of those lost to abortion? I have prayed for that for this child and all others. I trust in the mercy and love of God.
Thank you TC for your comment. The Holy innocents are saints…
Why God doesn’t send another flood, I do not know.
It is already happening here. There are reports of infants surviving abortion and then drowned or otherwise left to die. I know one pro-life person who, in charity, maintains that if abortions and staff really knew what they were doing, they would cease. I disagree. When they piece body parts together for sale or allow a breathing fetus to die, they do know what they are doing and that it is to a human being. Big money in abortions and the selling of ‘medical waste’ which is what more and more human beings will be thought of as our culture of life deepens. The unloved elderly and disabled are quietly dying too. This will increase as money is the bottom line especially as the ‘health care’ deform swings into gear. There is little respect for human life and its dignity. This is playing out to its sad end. First try to dehumanize the person in the mind of society and then they can be killed without much oppostion.
I do not know how long God will allow this blood sacrifice to evil to go on. Are we doing what we can, at least on our knees, to end it?
I had the same reaction as lux_perpetua. Wow.
There are many in our country who admire China for its economy and the ability of its government to act without the friction of democratic processes – not to mention the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics. As terrible as articles like this are, it’s important for people to get the full story on China.
Limbo’s been officially declared a bunk theory: there is either heaven or hell.
Also, God’s not sending another flood because he said he wouldn’t.
DavidJ,
I am not so sure that the Holy Father’s recent comments about Limbo constitute an official declaration that belief in the existence of Limbo is “bunk theory”. Perhaps you read something I did not?
Dies Irae, dies illa solvet sæclum in favilla: Teste David cum Sibylla! Lacrimosa dies illa, qua resurget ex favilla iudicandus homo reus. Huic ergo parce, Deus.
DavidJ: Limbo is considered a theological opinion. This is not the same thing as calling it “a bunk theory.”
DavidJ, MichaelJ,
To my understanding, Limbo is simply a theological opinion. It has never been formally decreed or defined in either direction. It has lost popularity in the Church over the last several decades, supposedly out of “pastoral concern”, but hasn’t been forbidden/debunked as far as I know.
@TC,
I’m just thinking aloud with this suggestion: Baptism not achieved by water but by blood is sufficient. The Holy Innocents were slaughtered as a direct consequence of persecution of Christ.
A child killed in an abortion in China (or any other country) to ‘reduce consumption’ or ‘improve economic conditions’ is different than a child aborted for being a Christian or potential Christian. There are many Priests on this blog from whom I welcome a correction.
@DavidJ,
Err, no. Limbo is not a ‘bunk theory.’
It is not a dogma of the Church and as such the fate of the unbaptized, especially infants and particularly the unborn, remains a greater mystery than others.
However, it has been favored over the years. I tend to favor the existence of Limbo, and this serves as a real motivator to encourage parents not to wait to have their children Baptized.
In my view, Baptism by Desire’s narrow crack has been ripped open into a chasm and linked to this is the presumption that unbaptized infants go to Heaven. Well, if an infant must, than what about a 2 year old? Surely that 2 year old can’t be expected to have reason any more than an infant. Then what about two unbaptized 5 year olds tragically killed. Does one of the two lose entry to heaven because he threw his blocks? And so on.
The fact is that too many of us today are looking for loop holes rather than just doing what Christ asked us.
Presuming the mercy of God is wrong, whether it is in the form of believing one is past forgiveness (Calvinism) or one is owed it or need not merit it with God (Modernism/Arianism.)
If post-Vatican II popularity were an accurate barometer, Universalism would be the only binding article of faith. In other words, that Limbo isn’t popular now doesn’t mean much.
As far as I know, prayer for the dead can include the non-Baptized, so it would not hurt to offer it.
In 1905: Pope Pius X made a definitive declaration confirming the existence of Limbo. However, this was not an infallible statement by the pope:
“Children who die without baptism go into limbo, where they do not enjoy God, but they do not suffer either, because having Original Sin, and only that, they do not deserve paradise, but neither hell or purgatory.”
It has only been since the 50’s (from my research) that Limbo has really been questioned. People don’t like to think that God could be that heartless. But our God IS a just God. We are taught that baptism is necessary for Salvation. If a child is miscarried, they die with NO chance of baptism in the state of original sin. We would thus conclude that they go to hell. But many saints and Popes have proposed the existance of Limbo. Like Pope Pius X above. Personally, I don’t know what to believe and entrust them into God’s mercy. Something we all should hope for.
May God grant rest to that poor little soul and the souls of all aborted children. And may God have mercy on Western society, we who approve such things by our silence and indifference!
JonM’s comments are very intriguing, and I hope some priests on here will offer thoughts. The “Baptism of Desire” has always been a bit mysterious (theologically).
If the parents would have had in intention to baptize the child as soon as possible had the child lived, then baptism be desire may be conferred on the child’s soul.
Baptism of desire is only valid when the person dying desires it. Since this requires conscience thought on the part of the person doing the “desiring”, it would not be valid for a baby. Another person can not desire baptism for a baby, someone they love, etc. and make it effectual.
Pope Benedict has stated that limbo is not to be considered as a “place” where the unbaptised go. Only heaven, purgatory and hell have been revealed to us. The unbaptised would go to hell. This does not necessarily the place of the damned. Hell (in Greek) simply means the place of the dead.
In the creed we hear “Christ decended into Hell and on the third day he rose again”. This is very important! Christ went to get those who had merited heaven, but were barred from entering until Chirst opened the gates of heaven. They were in what was called “The bosom of Abraham”, but essentially this was Hell.
Since we do not know WHAT happens to an unborn child who dies, without commiting ACTUAL sin, we do know that one can NOT get to HEAVEN with original sin on our soul. Baptism of desire if for those who are old enough to know how to desire heaven, baptism of blood would only apply to a child martyred for being a Christian. The only salvavific baptism for an infant is by water.
Pius XII was very clear in this when he gave his allocution to midwives. He stated that Midwives should baptise any child, even against the parents wishes, if the child was in danger of death and the midwives thought there was even the slimest possibility the child would be tought the faith in the future. If midwives did not look out for the childs soul, what good would there be in taking care of the body?
I have a question that’s been bothering me for a while. I’ve read that if an unborn baby’s life is in danger it is good practice to do an intra unterine baptism. But why not do that on all unborn babies if we’re not sure what will happen to them if they die? Why do we rush to baptize babies who are born but not unborn babies when statistically, they probably have a higher chance of dieing even if there are no apparent problems? I personally don’t know anyone who has had a baby die after it was born but I know so many people who have had miscarriages.
Going back to the original topic, I think that what we are seeing in China is precisely what we see in the United States. I do not find it as happenstance, therefore, that China and the US are intensely linked with trade and economic policy.
It is what Pope Benedict identified as the crushing evil of Mammonism. This is why laissez-faire captialism is wrong and was condemned by a number of Popes; men become only instruments to largess. We call ourselves now ‘human resources’ as if we were oxen or iron ore instead of the dynamic intelligent creatures with eternal souls that we are.
Unbridled pursuit of money invariably degrades society in other ways as people stop learning real skills (woodworking, metal fabrication, farming) and instead pursue more lucrative lines of work like financial management, tax accounting, tort law, etc. that don’t really contain innate trades but often rely on political connections or policy.
Now that we have advanced technology that can perform a particular action in a tiny fraction of the time it previously required, society can rapidly spiral into trouble. We can make mistakes so quickly and on such a scale now that a sin or dearth of virtue spreads like a fungus.
So, it is easy to kill offspring and society encourages it and even demands it in order to increase the pace of shuffling money back and forth among fewer hands (our measures of economic health.)
A good start to fixing things would be becoming more community focused and stop wasting time laboring over how to manage factories in China, shipping by Indonesians, distributions by Dutch, purchasing by Americans, and financing by Goldman Sacks (who will make money when the company collapses by taking the other side of the bet.)
As Catholics, we need to practically work to shaping a truly Christian society (not a nationalist one with cheap ecclesiastic wrapping.) Having actually been a candidate for House of Representatives, I can tell you that if we are going to pay any attention at all to the political game, the only practical actions is a new Church-based political party led by Catholic shepherds. If half of practicing Catholics voted in a bloc, we would have at least 30% of the House of Representatives.
Work has brought me within 5 km of the Dutch border for the past two years, and I must strongly disagree with JonM’s analysis of capitalism as though it were an evil and the form of socialism practiced in (non-)Christian Europe as though it were the universal panacea for all moral wrongs. (It’s hard not to laugh while merely writing that sentence.)
Unbridled pursuit of ANYTHING besides holiness degrades the individuals and/or society pursuing it.
Case in point: The Netherlands has perfected abortion to the extent that women whose monthly flow is merely *late* can have their wombs scraped to start the flow again (I’m trying not to be indelicate here and apologies if I haven’t succeeded). No need even to find out if you’re pregnant! Just visit the doctor, have a non-surgical procedure, and you’re back to a sexually unrestricted life. Sick granny getting you down? Euthanasia to the rescue. Want to marry your same-sex life partner? Come on down! Drank or gambled away your rent money this month/year/decade? No need to amend your life; confiscatory tax rates to the rescue.
And all this paid for by the glorious revolution of OPM (Other People’s Money for the uninitiated) — otherwise known as socialism.
Capitalism means you pay for your own sins; socialism means you get others to pay for them for you.
With all due respect to JonM, capitalism isn’t the source of moral wrongdoing. The heart of man is. And of all the social systems currently in place, democratic capitalism has ensured the greatest objective moral good for the greatest number of souls (yes, souls) than any other type of governance in recorded. If it’s being corrupted in the name of globalization and the pursuit of unrestricted license, envy, and greed, well, that’s no argument against it.
Corruptibility, thy name is humanity.
There is something even worse in China — a horror that is unspeakable and makes this pale in comparison. Some restaurants serve aborted babies to customers. Heaven help us all…
I’d like a source for that one, Byzcat.
To clarify my post, I respond to an incorrect interpretation of my last entry.
Capitalism as practiced in America is a form of evil. More below. But I never said or even hinted that European socialism is good let alone a ‘universal panacea for all moral wrongs.’ It isn’t.
I agree with qualification: Unbridled pursuit of any one thing will take away from a person. But unbridled pursuit of our stations (vocations and the responsibilities that flow from them) are necessary. This is a form of holiness and presumably you concur.
So, I think we agree here, but I want hash it out because a sore point for me is people thinking that they must be cloistered Priests in order to attain holiness. How often in our parishes do we see parents try to crowd into Father’s role (while note tending to their own immediate concerns of house and support of it)?
It’s quite late here, so please excuse the hurried response.
“Drug addicts tend to be bad workers and eventually get fired. Now with no money, drug addicts resort to stealing or prostitution in order to get money. Ransacked households will claim insurance and this increases premiums for everyone (and police costs.) Those frequenting prostitutes put themselves in mortal sin and place in peril their own families.” *All are illegal as well as immoral. The costs are not enshrined in taxes as such — at least I’ve never gotten a Drug Addict Tax on my pay stub — but thanks to the recent insurance bill, Americans will be directly financing abortion through community clinics.*
“Regional and national collectivism (socialism) has been condemned loudly by a number of Popes (the same who also condemned laissez-faire capitalism.)” *I didn’t champion capitalism without any restraints, which the U.S. has never had at any rate. Even the most ardent, anarchist libertarian wouldn’t ask for some controls, and I’m no libertarian.*
I don’t understand your point re: monarchy or atheistic communism, which I can’t imagine you’d champion if you’re a frequent visitor to Fr. Z’s blog (?).
“You suggest that it has been better than any other system for souls. I cannot protest this assertion enough.” *Well, OK, but I stand by my assertion. I didn’t live in feudal times, but I can’t imagine serfdom is more conducive to morality than freedom. Lack of imagination, perhaps.*
Good for you re: your stand on same-sex unions and pornography! I wish more politicians had that courage (and I mean this with all sincerity).
I, too, own The Outline of Sanity. Like you, I think it’s brilliant, and an ownership society based on Chester-Belloc ideas would be a wonderful place to live. As far as I know, that particular society has never existed, and democratic capitalism is the best form of governance in existence. But that’s just my opinion, which, along with a couple of bucks, will buy a cup of coffee.
I heard that daughters who were not aborted as just thrown in the river by their parents. Because the state limits the number of offsprings, the parents want to have a son who can earn better. We need to send more missionaries there or at least prayers.
@Mr. Graves,
I want to continue this conversation because this is a real pursuit of truth. It’s also a deeper level of analysis than I ever enjoyed in campaigning. Also I think I’m not quite communicating myself well. But I think in fairness to Father, it should be through email (you can email me at my website.)
Another serious effect of the killing of girls in China is the huge gender imbalance. There are millions of men who demographically will never have the chance to marry. Speculations regarding the result of this include mass (mental) depression, a homosexual epidemic, or even a massive war China instigates in order to ‘shake off’ some of its population.