Posted on 12/17/2007 10:32:01 PM PST by Quiet Man Jr.
ZAGREB, December 17, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Croatia has experienced a very dramatic drop in the abortion rate from 1989 when the nation's 51,289 abortions were nearly equal to the number of live births. The latest statistics, from 2005, indicate there were 4,563 abortions - a drop of nearly 90% since 1989. Significantly the law on abortion has not changed.
The main reason for the change of hearts and minds on abortion in the country has been the strength of the leadership of the Catholic hierarchy according to pro-life activists and others familiar with Croatia.
Dr. Antun Lisec the director of Human Life International in Croatia attests that his many successes in saving the lives of unborn children in the country comes thanks to the superb support and cooperation of Catholic bishops and priests in the nation which is over 80% Catholic.
Canadian Catholic novelist and painter Michael D. O'Brien, who won the Croatian national Buvina award for achievement in faith and culture, has travelled to Croatia three times in order to do research for his latest novel just released by Ignatius Press. (To order O'Brien's latest novel Island of the World click here: http://studiobrien.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=152&Itemid=1 )
During his trips O'Brien had frequent contact with the nation's Catholic hierarchy and told LifeSiteNews.com that their success in fighting the culture of death is not surprising given their outstanding courage. "The culture of death in its many forms has assaulted that nation relentlessly, has crucified that church relentlessly," said O'Brien. "They have maintained a dynamic orthodoxy in their seminaries, in their clergy, in their religious orders. There is no vocation crisis in Croatia. And they are united totally with the Holy Father."
"The fruits of this are more than evident," continued O'Brien. "They are a sign for the West."
O'Brien observed: "When you have been bombed, when you have been imprisoned, when you have seen your own lay people and priests tortured and exterminated you do not let yourself be intimidated by the subtle nuances of dissident theologians. The corrupt moral theology, so dominant in Western Europe and the Americas has little or no influence."
"The people have tasted death in many forms and they recognize it when it comes in theological disguises," concluded O'Brien.
While many bishops, and bishops conferences in the West and Europe have, when dealing with the issue of embryonic stem cell research refused to touch the underlining issue of in vitro fertilization (IVF), the Croatian bishops conference did just that. Going straight to the core of the debate on embryonic stem cell research, the bishops in 2005 noted that IVF, the source of most of the worlds embryos for embryonic stem cell research, is "a serious crime against conceived human lives and their dignity".
Jim Hughes, Vice President of International Right to Life Federation, commented to LifeSiteNews.com on the work of the Catholic bishops in Croatia saying, "Thank God for their leadership. Hopefully their efforts will resonate throughout the world to give courage to other bishops and faithful to speak up in defense of human life."
Everyone here at FR knows that abortion is the sole province of the US President.
More kids to play with?
You are saying something innocent, I hope?
ping!
Just why are American bishops allowed to act like an extention of the democrat caucus.
Support abortion? No problem, the catholic church here will still look the other way if your name is say Kennedy or Kerry.
That’s very good news. Hopefully the Christian birthrate will keep up with or outpace the Muslim birthrate.
If no law change was required, maybe our focus has been in the wrong direction. It makes semse/ If you get everybody to understand that it’s wrong then you won’t have to rely on the law.
Yes?
Please, what exactly did the Bishops say or do that turned the situation around?
Sure, as innocent as the Roman Catholic church.
sr4402 asks, “Please, what exactly did the Bishops say or do that turned the situation around?”
Apparently, they and other priests lived and preached their faith. I like O’Brien’s analysis. It seems wherever Catholics are persecuted, the faith is considered precious and numerous men answer to religious vocations. Mother Teresa said that in the USA we suffer spiritual poverty. She was right. So, to Catholics and non-Catholics alike, let’s pray for all people to know truth and respond accordingly - all for the greater glory of God.
Merry Christmas!
Only sick people fill the hospitals, after all.
White European Christians (Catholic or not) better start having more children and immediately or their whole world is going to continue to become a third-world muslim $hithol%!
Do not the Catholic Priest in America preach their faith? Then what is the difference?? I really want to know what they did that was different. 90% is a big change, so I think there is a lot more to the story and the story needs to come out to defeat abortion in other countries.
General platitudes may be at the base of it, but the success must be propagated.
“Do not the Catholic Priest in America preach their faith? Then what is the difference?? I really want to know what they did that was different. 90% is a big change, so I think there is a lot more to the story and the story needs to come out to defeat abortion in other countries.
General platitudes may be at the base of it, but the success must be propagated.”
Hey sr4402, there is nothing platitudenous about supposing the priests live and preach their faith.
God doesn’t ask much. He asks to obey the commandments and love one another as we love ourselves. There’s nothing shallow about that. If a priest is faithful and holy, he can change many lives. Most likely, they are teaching pro-life reality too.
Like I said, O’Brien seems to get it. Read his part of the interview again.
Thanks for responding. Bye
Excellent news! If only that would happen here....
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