“Vatican Tempests. The Academy for Life Puts Its Neck on the Line”

Everyone… read this.  I just finished it on the Italian site and then found it in English.

This is about the civil war in the Pontifical Academy for Life over remarks made by Archbp. Rino Fisichella about a case of abortion in Brasile for an minor pregnant with twins.

This is a real education.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
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13 Comments

  1. Zosimas says:

    Three Cheers for the Bravery of Monsignor Michel Schooyans!

  2. TNCath says:

    This is truly unbelievable in this day and age. This is Reason #87,938 why the Pontifical Household needs someone (or several people) whose sole job is to monitor the Internet all day, every day, and report to the Holy Father what is REALLY going on in the Church. We heard about this back in March, 2009! Taking this long to inform the Pope in May is ridiculous. Besides, with something as important as this is, wouldn’t Cardinal Bertone have run this by the Pope (or at least the CDF) to insure that what Archbishop Fisichella said was free from error? And then, Archbishop Fisichella is still in charge of the Pontifical Academy for Life? Wow. I cannot help but wonder WHO is REALLY running the Church: the Pope or Cardinal Bertone?

  3. Tominellay says:

    There’ll be a fistfight over this…Thanks for pointing to this article…

  4. Laurinda1230 says:

    I am sending the link to friends and family to read, it has several clear points about abortion and the bad use of “compassion”.

  5. cmm says:

    As long as we’re at it, here’s another example of a bad use of “compassion” that Michel Schooyans forgot to mention: the complaints in Ireland that Archbishop Martin is not showing enough compassion for the members of the clergy.

    Overall I find Schooyans’s rebuttal unpleasantly antagonistic. Of course no priest would ever say that a “child will have a life which will not be worth living”, or that “one cannot impose on society the burden of living beings whose maintenance is costly, yet futile; a child handicapped at birth contributes nothing to society”, etc. He is using satire to make his point, but he comes out as mean-spirited.

  6. ckdexterhaven says:

    Schooyans had me at putting documentary in quotes *”documentary”* when discussing Algore’s movie! Talking about “compassion” for Gaia.

    He had me at Algore…. :)

    But seriously, agree with TN CAth, there needs to be an internet Czar in the Vatican.

  7. eulogos says:

    I wondered very much when I heard this statement in OR which was perceived as coming “from the Vatican.” I was sure that the Brazilian archbishop was correct. He is right to be disturbed that some in Rome undermined rather than supporting him.

    There was no justification for this abortion.
    Susan Peterson

  8. Father, thank you for referring your readers to this great site and the spendid articles. It goes into my scrapbook titled “Catholicism for Adults” which means YOU MAKE OF IT WHATEVER YOU WANT. There effectively was no Church for the last forty years, why should there be one one now? Sexual abuse by priests, abortion and euthanasia are all mentioned as protected by the cult of Compassion. If Abp. Fisichella can’t make a call of that nature, why should every layman be asked to do so in their daily lives? You are correct-it is a real education. “If the trumpet sounds an uncertain note, who girds himself for war?”

  9. Justalurkingfool says:

    It is this misappropriation of mercy into malignant false charity which is the paradigm for the plague of the “Spirit of Vatican II” which infects the Catholic Church.

    It is a central driving force behind the abuse of annulments, the abuse of the “brother and sister” accomodation “for the good of the children of adultery” and the abuse of the internal forum to justify the violation and mockery of valid marriages.

    It is insidious, ubiquitous and needs to be exorcised in all its manifestations.

    Bravo Father Z.

  10. Maltese says:

    I think it’s good this girl had a double-abortion! You guys are meanies! After an early pregnancy created unwantedly, I’m sure she’ll be much more adjusted in her future recollections that not one, but two innocent babies were ripped from her womb!

    I swear: there are a bunch of loafer wearing pansies in the Church these days! I admire the Prelates who fought to save this girls babies, but I deplore those who equivocated and gave succor to the “Doctor” (strange as he must be to the Hippocratic Oath) and the steady scalpel his his hand: and hand reigning death on unborn innocence.

    Interesting that Our Lady told Sister Sasagawa of Akita (a fully Church-approved apparition from the 1970’s, even though the visionary sister was banished by her modernist Bishop) that Bishops would oppose Bishops….

  11. taad says:

    Cardinal Bertone scares me at times. His positions on China and the underground
    church go against what Cardinal Zen believes who has a better insight. It’s as
    if Bertone is selling the underground church down the drain to the Communist.
    Then there is Bertone who says the Third Secret of Fatima has been completely
    revealed. Yet others who know have said it has only partly been revealed. Now the
    abortion of this little girl, and selling out the bishops of Brazil. Makes one
    question Bertone, and what he believes.

  12. Supertradmom says:

    Puhleeze, do not go in the direction of the Third Secret. That argument reminds me of those who still want to prove President O is not an American citizen. Waste of time and energy…when the facts are in. See Sister Lucy’s comments on the point…

    As to Bertone, we do not see all that happens in Rome and as Americans, have a very provincial view of the Universal Church. Thanks for the article, Father Z. I saw it earlier and was disgusted with the media coverage. Oversight is needed.

  13. BenFischer says:

    Back in October, the Pew research group issued a report about Pro-Life activities. In the report, they listed Catholics as group that “once clearly preferred keeping abortion legal”. The point was that even Catholics were trending pro-life. You read stuff like this news story and that poll result is not surprising. If the Vatican is divided on abortion, why should we expect a uniform response from the pews?
    http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=442

    Dear Lord, please guide our Bishops.

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