“TFP Newsletter”, Vol. V –
No. 4 – 1989
A
Call to All Catholics – A Call to All Americans
ABORTION:
“A REAL SALUGHTER OF THE INNOCENTS IS BEING CARRIED OUT EVERY DAY THROUGHOUT
THE WORLD” – JOHN PAUL II
The
American TFP Convokes All Catholics to Oppose This Calamity
THROUGHOUT its two thousand year history, the Catholic
Church has never given the slightest approval to abortion. Much to the
contrary, Popes, bishops, doctors and moralists have been very emphatic about
the importance of Catholics abstaining from anything injurious to human life
developing in the mother's womb.
This emphasis, however, has been especially felt from
the reign of Pius XI on. This is so because, although the campaign in favor of
abortion has long been waged throughout our century with fluctuating
intensities, it has taken on a special vigor in our days as a result of an immensely
sad fact: with the infiltration of progressivism into Catholic ranks, there is
a growing number of persons who, while professing to be Catholics, also
manifest themselves in favor of abortion. In so doing, they do not hesitate to
clearly oppose the voice of the Popes. Of course, some of those who so proceed
may be ignorant that this is the official teaching of the Chair of Saint Peter.
Others, however—and it pains us to say this—do it knowing full well what is the unwavering teaching of the Roman Pontiffs.
Such a situation sows the seeds of confusion and
disorientation among many Catholics and non-Catholics alike. The Catholic
Church's grandiose and unshakable firmness in opposing abortion was always a
pillar to even those who, though not belonging to the Church, nevertheless felt
admiration and respect for Her position. This
confirmed their own opposition to abortion.
On the contrary, they must evidently feel disoriented
when they see Catholics rising up in favor of abortion even after the most recent
Papal condemnations. This weakens the entire line of resistance against this
crime, including those segments outside the Holy Catholic Church.
Thus, the American Society for the Defense of
Tradition, Family and Property (TFP)—the defense of the sacred institution of
the family being one of the essential elements of its trilogy (Tradition,
FAMILY and Property)—thought it indispensable to publicly show those Catholics
in favor of abortion how they are misinformed or perhaps misguided, while at
the same time strengthening the resolve of those who are against it.
However, the voices of the Popes themselves are better
than any arguments. We will, therefore, proceed to cite ten very conclusive
Papal texts on this subject. The reader, however, should not delude himself
that this exhausts the subject. There are many more. We limit ourselves to
these for brevity's sake.
Papal texts:
* "Those who hold the reins of government should
not forget that it is the duty of public authority by appropriate laws and sanctions
to defend the lives of the innocent, and this all the more so since those whose
lives are endangered and assailed cannot defend themselves. Among whom we must
mention in the first place infants hidden in the mother's womb. And if the
public magistrates not only do not defend them, but by their laws and
ordinances betray them to death at the hands of doctors or of others, let them
remember that God is the Judge and Avenger of innocent blood which cries from
earth to Heaven.”(1) Pius XI
* "But
another very grave crime is to be noted, Venerable Brethren, which regards the
taking of the life of the offspring hidden in the mother's womb. Some wish it
to be allowed and left to the will of the father or the mother; others say it
is unlawful unless there are weighty reasons which they call by the name of
medical, social, or eugenic `indications.' . . . There are those, moreover, who
ask that the public authorities provide aid for these death-dealing operations,
a thing, which, sad to say, everyone knows is of very frequent occurrence in
some places... What could ever be a sufficient reason for excusing in any way
the direct murder of the innocent? This is precisely what we are dealing with
here. Whether inflicted upon the mother or upon the child, it is against the
precept of God and the law of nature: 'Thou shall not kill.' The life of each
is equally sacred, and no one has the power, not even the public authority, to
destroy it." (2) Pius XI
* "Moreover,
every human being, even the child in its mother's womb, receives its right to
life directly from God, not from his parents, nor from any human society or
authority. Therefore there is no man, no human authority, no science, no
'indication' whether medical, eugenical, social,
economic or moral, that can show or give a valid juridical title for a
deliberate and direct disposing of an innocent human life, that is to say, for
an action which aims at its destruction, whether such destruction be intended
as an end or as a means towards some other end which may itself be in no way
illicit. So, for example, to save the life of the mother is a most noble end,
but the direct killing of the child as a means to that end is not lawful. The
direct killing of the so-called 'valueless life,' whether born or unborn, which
was practiced a few years ago in numerous instances, can in no way be
justified." (3) Pius XII
* "Indeed,
all must regard the life of man as sacred, since from its inception, it
requires the action of God the Creator. Those who depart from this plan of God
not only offend His divine majesty and dishonor themselves and the human race,
but they also weaken the inner fiber of the commonwealth." (4) John XXIII
* "Vatican
II reiterated the point: 'Abortion and infanticide are abominable crimes.' . .
. The first and most fundamental right of man is the right to life, that is, to
the protection of his life. And no one can have a contrary right where an
innocent person is concerned. The weaker the subject is, the more he needs
protection, and the more all have a duty to protect him. The mother is
particularly accountable as long as she has the baby in her womb." (5) Paul VI
* "I do not
hesitate to proclaim before you and before the world that all human life—from
the moment of conception and through all subsequent stages—is sacred, because
human life is created in the image and likeness of God. . . . Let me repeat
what I told the people during my recent pilgrimage to my homeland: "If a
person's right to life is violated at the moment in which he is first conceived
in his mother's womb, an indirect blow is struck also at the whole of the moral
order, which serves to ensure the inviolable goods of man. Among those goods,
life occupies the first place. The Church defends the right to life not only in
regard to the majesty of the Creator, who is the first giver of life, but also
in respect to the essential good of the human person." (6) John Paul II
* "I wish to
recall emphatically to your memory today only the following: the killing of
unborn life is not a legitimate means of family planning. I repeat what I said
on May 31st of this year to workers in the Parisian suburb of
* "On my
part I owe it to my apostolic office to reaffirm as clearly and as strongly as
possible what the Church of Christ teaches in this respect, and to reiterate
vigorously her condemnation of artificial contraception and abortion. Yes, from
the moment of conception and through all subsequent stages, all human life is
sacred, for it is created in the image and likeness of God." (8) John Paul II
* "Dear
brothers and sisters: on this evening when we celebrate life, we are also
mindful of the many threats to life which exist in our technological society.
Of incalculable danger to all humanity is the rate of abortion in society
today. This unspeakable crime against human life which rejects and kills life
at its beginning sets the stage for despising, negating and eliminating the
life of adults, and for attacking the life of society." (9) John Paul II
* "Over the
last twenty years, many states have renounced their dignity as defenders of
innocent human life, enacting laws permitting abortion. A real slaughter of the
innocents is being carried out every day throughout the world
." (10) John Paul II
________________________________________
1. On
Christian Marriage,
2. Ibid., pp. 31-32.
3. Address of Pope Pius XII
to the Italian Catholic
4. Mater et Magistra,
St. Paul Editions, Boston, p. 55.
5. The Pope Speaks, vol. 17, no. 1, pp. 334-335.
6. Homily at the Mass on
the Capitol Mall, Washington, D.C., October 7, 1979, Sacred in All Its Forms,
St. Paul Editions, Boston, pp. 160-161.
7. Homily at the Mass for
families, in Cologne, Germany, November 15, 1980, Sacred in All Its Forms, St.
Paul Editions, Boston, p. 196.
8. Homily at the Mass for
families, in Cebu City, the Philippines, February
19, 1981, Sacred in All Its Forms, St. Paul Editions, Boston, p. 204.
9. Address to the youth, to
the aging, and the disabled in
10. L'Osservatore
Romano, English edition,