On Sunday, October 1, the Church observes Respect Life Sunday. In our culture, significant issues pertinent to the right to life are challenged daily. The annual observance of Respect Life Sunday enables the pastors of the Church to place once again before their people the teachings of the Church on life issues. This provides me as well with an opportunity to review with you a major contribution of Pope John Paul II to the substantial body of Church teaching on the dignity of all human life.

On March 25, 1995, Pope John Paul II issued his eleventh encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (“The Gospel of Life”). In the wake of a culture deeply affected by hedonism, utilitarianism and materialism, the dignity of the human person-the dignity of human life itself-was assailed by forces who viewed life as a choice, an option, and which valued the right to choose over the right to live. Pope John Paul II penned this landmark encyclical to awaken the world to the message of life. “The Gospel of Life is at the heart of Jesus’ message. Lovingly received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as ‘good news’ to the people of every age and culture” (no. 1).

The encyclical is concerned with the overall view of human life: each human being is sacred and has value. Each human person, from the first moment of existence, has a dignity which is inviolable. Yet, in the latter part of the twentieth century, the pragmatism which dominated the philosophy of the day dictated that some human life can be eliminated: the unwanted, unborn child in the womb; the incapacitated person confined to a hospital bed; the convicted criminal in prison. The purpose of the encyclical, in the words of Pope John Paul II, was, “to be a precise and vigorous reaffirmation of the value of human life and its inviolability, and at the same time a pressing appeal addressed to each and every person, in the name of God: respect, protect, love and serve life, every human life! Only in this direction will you find justice, development, true freedom, peace and happiness” (no. 5).

Abortion

Beginning with the biblical account of the murder of Abel by his brother Cain (cf. Gen 4: 2-16), Pope John Paul II explained the violence which has tainted the human race: “Cain’s killing of his brother at the very dawn of history is thus a sad witness of how evil spreads with amazing speed: man’s revolt against God in the earthly paradise is followed by the deadly combat of man against man” (no. 8). God alone is the author of life, and since all life belongs to Him, each violent act against life cries out to God for justice.

The violence committed against innocent human life is most pronounced in the horror of abortion. The contraceptive mentality condemned by Pope Paul VI in his 1968 encyclical Humanae Vitae has intensified into an assault against the most innocent, most defenseless human being-the unborn child. In a materialistic and pragmatic culture, an unborn child is viewed as an inconvenience to be eliminated. Pope John Paul II emphasized that a procured abortion is “deliberate and direct killing ... of a human being” (no 58). The brutality of this act is heightened due to the complete innocence, helplessness and defenselessness of the unborn child. “He or she is weak, defenseless, even to the point of lacking that minimal form of defense consisting in the poignant power of a newborn baby’s cries and tears” (no. 58).

Euthanasia

The latter decades of the twentieth century witnessed an increased awareness of physical fitness and a desire to maintain youth. As people became more immersed in what can be termed a “cult of the body,” so illness, physical disability and deterioration became viewed with distaste, discomfort and fear. Furthermore, in a society dominated by a utilitarian philosophy, a person has value only as long as that person is useful, or is able to support himself or herself. This utilitarian view, supported by the fear of debilitation, has resulted in Euthanasia.

“In a social and cultural context which makes it more difficult to face and accept suffering,” wrote Pope John Paul II, “the temptation becomes all the greater to resolve the problem of suffering by eliminating it at the root, by hastening death so that it occurs at the moment considered most suitable” (no. 15). “Thus [euthanasia] is proposed to eliminate malformed babies, the severely handicapped, the disabled, the elderly, especially when they are not self-sufficient, and the terminally ill” (no. 15).

The Death Penalty

Throughout the encyclical, Pope John Paul II reemphasizes that only God is the author and master of life. In this context, the Pontiff presented the topic of the death penalty. As cases of murder increase, the question of justice also arises. Many wish to see convicted murderers executed. Yet even the most brutal killer is a human being whose life is sacred.

The problem of the death penalty “must be viewed in the context of a system of penal justice ever more in line with human dignity and thus, in the end, with God’s plan for man and society... Public authority must redress the violation of personal and social rights by imposing on the offender an adequate punishment for the crime, as a condition for the offender to regain the exercise of his or her freedom” (no. 56).

Pope John Paul II acknowledged that capital punishment is used solely as a last resort in order to render the aggressor incapable of causing further harm. However, the Pontiff noted that, because of improvements in the penal system, cases of capital punishment ought to be very rare and practically non-existent (cf. no. 56).

The contemporary problems listed above moved our late beloved Holy Father to reaffirm the constant teaching of the Church on issues related to the dignity of human life: “Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral. This doctrine, based upon that unwritten law which man, in the light of reason finds in his own heart (cf. Rom 2: 14-15), is reaffirmed by the Sacred Scripture, transmitted by the Tradition of the Church and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium” (no. 57).

The Culture of Life

The message of the encyclical, the call to embrace a culture of life, is a call to evangelization. The Gospel of Life must be preached and lived by all who are called to confront the culture of death, to overturn that culture which has produced the bad fruits of abortion, euthanasia and other forms of violence.

In the years following the publication of Evangelium Vitae, further assaults on human life have become more prominent. The issue of embryonic stem cell research, the use of stem cells harvested from aborted children, has taken on a new and frightening dimension. Some researchers seek to clone human embryos solely for the purpose of harvesting embryonic stem cells. The Church is vigorously opposed to embryonic stem cell research. However, the Church fully supports adult stem cell research, which has yielded tremendous success in various therapeutic treatments. The Church also repudiates human cloning, which seeks as its end the creation of human life, through various immoral means, for the purpose of subservience, the harvesting of organs or stem cells.

The issues of human cloning and embryonic stem cell research are the focus of a legal battle in Missouri. A constitutional amendment, which bans any inhibition or restriction of embryonic stem cell research and cloning, has been proposed. This proposed amendment is a new menace to the dignity of human life. It must also be viewed as a renewed rallying call to men and women of good will to know, live and proclaim the Gospel of Life.

The contemporary human race has been confronted by the mystery of suffering. Through that mystery, particularly as it has been revealed in the mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ, people who believe in the Gospel can no longer tolerate the assaults on innocent human life. This Respect Life Sunday, and indeed the whole month of October which is dedicated to Respect Life awareness, remind us of our duty to live the Gospel of Life. I encourage everyone to read in its entirety Evangelium Vitae and allow the profound message of Pope John Paul II to strengthen our resolve to build a culture of life.

September 28, 2006