Posted on 06/30/2006 7:35:59 AM PDT by mware
Scientists who carry out embryonic stem cell research and politicians who pass laws permitting the practice will be excommunicated, the Vatican said yesterday.
"Destroying human embryos is equivalent to an abortion. It is the same thing," said Cardinal Alfonso Lopez Trujillo, head of the Pontifical Council for the Family.
"Excommunication will be applied to the women, doctors and researchers who eliminate embryos [and to the] politicians that approve the law," he said in an interview with Famiglia Christiana, an official Vatican magazine.
Excommunication forbids Catholics from receiving communion, assisting in any Church duties, and sometimes from having a Church burial.
But the threat was shrugged off yesterday by Italy's leading expert on cloning, Prof Cesare Galli, of the Laboratory of Reproductive Technologies in Cremona, who was the first scientist to clone a horse.
Prof Galli likened the Vatican to the Taliban and added: "I can bear excommunication. I was raised as a Catholic, I share Catholic values, but I am able to make my own judgment on some issues and I do not need to be told by the Church what to do or to think.
"I will be, together with Elena Cattaneo [a scientist working in the University of Milan] the first to be affected by the excommunication and then there are two other labs that I know using imported embryonic stem cells."
The research is opposed by the Catholic Church because it involves destroying embryos. This occurs at the point when they consist of about 100 to 200 cells and the so-called inner cell mass is removed. These stem cells can grow indefinitely and turn into any of the body's 200 cell types.
Scientists believe research making use of the cells could eventually yield treatments for a range of diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and Parkinson's.
The Vatican's tough stance on the issue came as the Pope prepared to visit Valencia for the fifth annual world conference on the Catholic family. Spain passed a law permitting embryonic stem cell research two years ago to the dismay of the Church.
An Italian senator, Paola Binetti, a member of Opus Dei and a prominent campaigner for Catholic rights, also spoke against the Church's line.
"I am upset and stunned," she said. "It is a mistake to give out the idea that God is angry with Man because he is not in agreement with him."
Cardinal Trujillo said it was not just Spain which had "thrown out the fundamental laws of nature" but also Belgium, Holland, the Scandinavian countries and France. He did not mention Britain, which is at the forefront of embryonic stem cell research.Belgium's divided State.
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The politicians can play at taking part in Communion, but it don't take.
Consider this statistic. There are 300,000 cases a year of sexual abuse of children by teachers and other school personnel. There were 10,000 cases involving priests over 50 years. Why do you suppose one was a big scandal and the other not? Considering the multimillion $ settlements church victims got vs nothing to teacher's victims , if you were going to be fondled who would you choose to do it?
When he was talking about getting Catholic Charities out of the Adoption business MA Senate President Travaligni said that "we can't let the Vatican act like a Theocracy." Ah, brains.
And he's a Knight of Columbus?
No one hires a priest to read the mass - an electrician could "read" the mass.
A garbage collector could "read" the mass.
That's NOT the job.
It's also an outrage when a teacher has sex with a child because the teacher is in a position of trust. We're paying them to take care of our children, not to exploit them. And yeah, a bigger deal is made of it than when an ex-con has sex with a child. Both are wrong, both are evil, but one also breaks the trust we've placed in that profession ... Also, an example must be made of the teacher or priest because they have access to so many who are innocent and vulnerable. Don't you understand this?
I'm not sure I believe anything they say. They appear to be best friends with Kennedy and Kerry. They tolerate pedophile priests. There recently was another pedophile priest in chicago who was being sheltered by the Church while abusing other little boys. Kennedy and Kerry support stem cell research and want it funded. I like the new Pope and I am still hoping that the Church will stop being afraid of the Kennedys. If they don't enforce adherence to the tenets of the Church, then the Church will continue to lose its young people who can see right through the hypocrisy.
A couple of quick points.
1. Anyone involved in an abortion is automatically excommunicated by their very involvement, and the church has been pretty tough with politicians who support abortion.
2. All priests who have committed any substantiated case of sexual abuse (on minors or otherwise) are removed from ministry and sometimes defrocked.
3. Haboring illegal aliens is not an offense against God. Whether we LIKE it or not, sanctuary has long been a tradition of the church and isn't likely to change. Many mid-guided clerics do not see the problems that illegal immigration cause, but that makes them no less immoral than the politicians and sheeple who do the same.
All that being said, the church has a 2000 year history of being very reluctant to "throw out" anyone! Her mission is to bring souls to Christ, not to satisfy anyone's notion of right or wrong. Forgiveness for repentant sinners is not the example of the church (although it has always tried its best to witness to that) it is the example of Jesus. It is not incumbent upon her to "throw out" God's people, it is instead incumbent upon her to admonish the sinner to try to do better and welcome them back into the fold as was the prodigal son.
In the case of priests, the issue is even more complicated. A bishop is considered the spiritual parent of the men who serve as presbyters in his diocese, and as such, owes them even greater service, love, and understanding than they do other souls in their care. It is his responsibility to discipline and correct them, and to forgive them just as he would any other member of his flock. This paternal duty has, unfortunately, obscured the fact that this does not relieve a law breaking member of the clergy from the legal responsibility to pay for their crimes in the manner that is prescribed by society.
Please note:
1. Catholics believe in the communion of saints in heaven and on earth. We only "pray to the saints" to ask them to pray for us, in the same way that I ask family and friends to pray for me. We do not pray to saints as we pray to God.
2. Catholics do believe that Protestants are part of the body of Christ who have separated themselves from the Church of Christ.
"protestants are not actually part of the body of Christ"
Actually, Catholics don't believe this.
Have any of these pedophiles actually been excommunicated? I have only heard of those who were asked to avoid active ministry, but they should not only be defrocked but excommunicated. Taking away the childhood of a living child through rape or abuse is every bit as evil as the killing of the unborn.
"(2) Catholics do believe that validly baptized Protestants are incorporated into the Body of Christ. When a validly baptized Protestant converts to Catholicism, the Church does not baptize them because the Church considers them to have already been baptized into Christ.
I can verify this observation. I crossed the Tiber some time ago, and my Methodist baptism was accepted as being part of the Body of Christ."
Me too. I was baptized Methodist and joined the Catholic church this past Easter.
>>There are 300,000 cases a year of sexual abuse of children by teachers and other school personnel. There were 10,000 cases involving priests over 50 years.<<
I haven't seen these statistics before. Can you give me a source?
Appreciate your other comments on this thread too. Welcome Home to the RCC.
Excellent! Now what about abortion?
As far as I know, all those baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are considered to be members of the body of Christ.
Praying to the saints we can take up another day 8-)
Good points, elegantly expressed.
The point ClaireSolt was making is that abuse by priests has been a huge, widely covered story - while much more widespread abuse by teachers has been woefully underreported.
Finding pedophiles in the ranks involves more than asking for a show of hands, if you get my point.
Benedict is doing an amazing job. The Church will be around long after you and I rest in the arms of Jesus.
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