Archbishop Charles Chaput's speech upon receiving the Becket Fund’s Canterbury Medal:
Archbishop Chaput said this view of the value of human life was in direct contrast to a contemporary American spirit in which science can “comfortably” coexist alongside “superstition or barbarism.” As the Western moral consensus weakened alongside the progress of science, people did not become more ethically mature.
“The 20th century was the bloodiest in history, and today the occult is flourishing right alongside our computers and Blackberries,” he said.
“Knowledge is merely knowledge. Power is merely power. Nothing inherent to knowledge or power guarantees that it will translate into wisdom or justice or mercy.”
He quoted a passage from President Barack Obama’s inaugural speech about restoring science to “its rightful place,” contrasting this with a passage from the 2008 Vatican document Dignitas Personae:
“The dignity of a person must be recognized in every human being from conception to natural death. This fundamental principle expresses a great ‘yes’ to human life, and must be at the center of ethical reflections on biomedical research, which has an ever greater importance in today’s world.”
Archbishop Chaput said that the rightful place of science is “in the service of human dignity, and under the judgment of God’s justice.”
“Science can never stand outside or above moral judgment. And people of faith can never be neutral or silent about its uses. Otherwise, sooner or later -- but unavoidably – human beings, their rights and their dignity pay the price.”
Give this man a Red Hat! Thank God we will have bishops like this around when the Nannified Brownshirts come to round us up for our "Cookies and Waterboarding" at the summer camp sponsored by the Obamessiah's newly founded and fully funded Committee for the Promotion of Religious Diversity and the Propagation of the Gospel of Moloch.
High Priestess Linda Sanchez, House Representative Democrat from CA, has fired a major salvo in this summer's war on the Christian faith. Sanchez is ready to toss into jail any emailer, blogger, website operator who posts anything that might be taken to cause "substantial emotional distress to a person." Of course, far be from me to miss a chance here.
When I look at the 25 books on my WISH LIST and see that no one has bought me any books today, I begin to feel a substantial emotion distress. Even a bit weepy, actually. So, I suggest that all of you click over to the WISH LIST and shoot a book my way before the Mujerista of Moloch, Ms Sanchez, sics her Brownshirts on you for making me cry.
For a devastating fisking of Uberfrauline Sanchez's fascistic tendencies, check this out.
Have you read his book that came out last year -- Render Unto Caesar? I am almost done with it now and I really recommend it. Chaput is an amazing bishop and the book is one that should be read by all Catholics who want to know how to live their faith in the public and political sphere.
ReplyDeleteBob Bellamy
Fr.,
ReplyDeleteYour other comments aside, the remark regarding "Cookies and Waterboarding" seems to reflect the belief that water boarding--torture--is not an important matter to discuss.
It's my understanding that torture is intrinsically evil, and thereby, worthy of discussion.
Have I misunderstood you?
Thanks,
Patrick
Patrick,
ReplyDeleteYup, you have.
Thanks Fr.
ReplyDeleteWhat were you trying to say then?
I'd like to understand.
Patrick
Ummmm, that cookies from Democrats are as bad as waterboarding?
ReplyDeleteWhat were you trying to say then?He was being hyperbolic (but only slightly in my view). Saying that faithful Catholics will be rounded up and tortured, but it will sound nice by adding "Cookies" to the program.
ReplyDeleteNow one may object that the democrats are against waterboarding, but given that they knew what was going on and ignored it demonstrates that they are only against it in as far is it is a useful stick to beat the GOP. It is a good stick I'll grant as we can see that party flying to pieces in part for it's shameful and dishonorable game-playing on this issue, but historically, progressives are just fine with brutal dictators and practices as long as they are not in support of things like free trade. No, I'm not a conservative. In my view, Catholics need to stop smoking democrack. :)