Vatican Paper Urges Obama to Remember War on Life (Practice and endorsement of abortion)

Zenit.org/L'Osservatore ^ | October 13, 2009 | Lucetta Scaraffia

[Salvation]

Vatican Paper Urges Obama to Remember War on Life

Notes Reservations on Criteria for Peace Prize Selection

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 13, 2009 (Zenit.org).- Upon accepting the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize, U.S. President Barack Obama should remember not only the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but also the war being waged against the unborn, according to an article in L'Osservatore Romano.

The semi-official Vatican newspaper published an article in Sunday's Italian edition that responded to Obama's peace prize win.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee announced the news Friday, saying it recognized the president's "extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples. The committee has attached special importance to Obama's vision of and work for a world without nuclear weapons."

L'Osservatore's article, signed by Lucetta Scaraffia, urged the president to recognize "that the longest war, with the greatest number of 'fallen,' is the practice of abortion, legalized and facilitated by international structures."

The article urged the president to recall the words of 1979 Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who called abortion the "greatest destroyer of peace today, [...] because it is a direct war, a direct killing -- direct murder by the mother herself."

The newspaper noted that Obama's Nobel win had "caught everyone a bit by surprise, first of all the President of the United States himself." It was the first time since Woodrow Wilson was awarded the prize in 1919 that a U.S. president received the award while in office.

The article stated that giving the award to Obama while he is in office makes it "a form of pressure to incline Obama toward peaceful choices in carrying out his mandate."
 
"Judged on the basis of the decisions taken to date, it would be difficult to describe the President as a wholehearted pacifist," the article stated.

L'Osservatore noted that Obama's policies on "Iraq and Afghanistan seem to be halfway between fidelity to pacifist principles proclaimed during the electoral campaign, and a more realistic policy, that some have actually described as a continuation of that of 'warmonger' Bush."
 
"It is an oscillating policy very similar to that held by the American president in addressing important bioethical topics, above all in regard to abortion, which has aroused so much controversy among U.S. Catholics," it added.

Questions

L'Osservatore Romano also called into question the process of choosing the winner of the peace prize, noting that Pope John Paul II had been passed over twice -- in 1999 and 2003.

The Nobel Committee chose Médecins Sans Frontières in 1999, and Iranian lawyer and human rights activist Shirin Ebadi in 2003.

The Pontiff was "considered a great favorite in 2003, after his condemnation of the war in Iraq," said L'Osservatore. "In that year many initiatives and the favor of a great part of the world seemed to destine him naturally to the prize. He was regarded as the favorite even by bettors."

Pope John Paul II "was regarded by members of the jury as being too conservative in other areas and it was feared that, by awarding with him the Catholic Church, an important religious confession would be favored to the detriment of the others."

"Fears," it noted, "that evidently were overcome in the case, far more controversial, of the award to Obama."
 
"Once again, therefore, the Nobel Prize for Peace has sparked questions and criticisms, given that the criteria for designation often seem influenced by politically correct thought," L'Osservatore noted.

"As the director of the Holy See Press Office stated," the article concluded, "we cannot but be delighted to see recognized in President Obama the effort for nuclear disarmament and the undoubted personal propensity to a policy turned more to peace than to affirming American power in the world."

[Salvation]

LOL! L'Osservatore labeled as semi-official Vatican newspaper because they post so much leftist nonsense!

[massgopguy]

“Remember it”? He started it.

[the invisib1e hand]

hunh. i admit i was oblivious to this angle. the most pro-abortion president in memory ('scepting perhaps clinton, who probably paid for more abortions than any other), and he gets a nobel.

nobel is cool with abortion, i guess.

[Salvation]

So according to this the Vatican is NOT buying the Nobel Peace Prize for Obortion Obama unless the resident of thw WH includes dropping a WAR ON LIFE

[Alex Murphy]

LOL! L'Osservatore labeled as semi-official Vatican newspaper because they post so much leftist nonsense!

Hey, it was just yesterday that I was being told by another Catholic here that (and I quote):

LOR is a semi-official newspaper, which is a whole lot more official than a "Vatican spokesman said". That's just a fact.

Laugh while you can.

[wagglebee]

I think someone has had a chat with the staff at L'Osservatore Romano.

Pro-Life Leaders Shocked at Vatican Spokesman "Appreciating" Obama Peace Prize

[Salvation]

They are putting in new electronic readers for our relectric meters and my computer and all the clocks went down.

Now — the Abortion War on Life — was the first thing I thought of when I heard that Obortion Obama had received the Nobel Peace Prize.

In fact, I posted on several threads that day — that unfortunately, no peace on earth for all the aborted babies — only peace in heaven.

Now, as for Obama, he will have to meet his maker someday too, and I doubt that it will be a pretty sight.

[the invisib1e hand]

if you’re paying attention you’ll see what’s trustworthy what isn’t.

[Salvation]

Catholic Ping.

I lost someone’s name who wanted to be on this list. Please freepmail me.

CL??????

[Campion]

Hey, it was just yesterday that I was being told by another Catholic here

I told you the truth. LOR is a "semi-official" newspaper, and never has been anything else. "Semi-official" means that they're run by the Vatican, but are more-or-less independent of in terms of what they publish.

And a statement from LOR on something means more than Reuters or some Brit newspaper quoting a Vatican official and then mutating it into "the Vatican said".

Not much more. But more.

[Campion]

And just to keep you laughing:

17. Does ZENIT represent the Vatican?

ZENIT is an independent, professional news agency that does not represent nor belong to the Vatican.

However, the agency's defining principle is "the world seen from Rome," which means that by way of its information service, it wants to offer a vision of the world as it is seen and proposed by the Holy See.

In order to fulfill this goal, ZENIT is in contact with various organizations within the Holy See, particularly the Pontifical Council for Social Communications. But it always maintains its independence as a news agency.

But Zenit's reliability in reporting on the Vatican is miles beyond that of any British source, and better than American secular ones as well.

[big'ol_freeper]

Before even reading your post I noticed that....semi-official...on other occasion when a Vatican janitor makes a statement it is “the Vatican says..”

[Lorica]

“The Vatican says” does not necessarily mean “the Pope says”. Sad but true.

[jacknhoo]

"As the director of the Holy See Press Office stated," the article concluded, "we cannot but be delighted to see recognized in President Obama the effort for nuclear disarmament and the undoubted personal propensity to a policy turned more to peace than to affirming American power in the world."

I do not understand how Obama/U.S. being so tolerant of North Korea's enriching uranium, Iran's enriching uranium, and the Taliban attempting to overthrow a nuclear armed Pakistan, is considered or "recognized" as "effort for nuclear disarmament," and these lunatic nations/groups having nuclear weapons will certainly reduce American power in the world, but also peace will be reduced. How can we agree with or award such a ludicrous policy?

It sure seems to me that the director of the Holy See Press Office missed the mark on this one.