Philosopher backs abortion, Vatican appoints to pro-life academy

"Nigel Bigger has said: It is not clear that a human foetus is the same kind of thing as an adult"

This line of thinking always makes my face scrunch up. I usually question (in my head) the competency of the person saying it. I mean, what is a human fetus going to become......A toaster strudel? A mighty oak tree? A poodle?

It is ridiculous this line of thinking. This also angers me a great deal. There is no translation error. There is no language barrier. The man is pro- abortion and is "suggesting" that human beings are not human beings until they are adults, OR, at the very least, 18 weeks. And his use of the word "thing" bothers me too. Humans, both born and pre-born are made in the image and likeness of God and have intrinsic dignity.

NASA is going ape doo-doo over possible single cell life on Mars and we can't come up with a viable definition of human life? And Papa Francisco "feels" it is a good idea to promote a pro-abort person to a pro-life academy? Maybe us pro-lifers are too "rigid" in our thinking.

Apologies but this is just ridiculous. I pray for our pope and bishops and cardinals daily. May the Lord guide them to His Truth.

 

We MUST pray for the pope,
1) that he repent and convert and have final perseverance, or failing that,
2) that he and those working with him to advance heterodoxy be CONFOUDED in their diabolical plans.


http://biblehub.com/topical/c/confounded.htm

 

I was Confirmed by him in 1981.
Here is the sermon on that occassion....unfortunately it is a little degraded....actually ,a lot degraded...

 

I do as well Tanker. When I read this I thought that there has to be some kind of mistake with this quote or interview..something. When the spark of life is lit in a womb of a woman there can be no mistaking that it is in the sacred likeness of God. Regardless of the development of this sacred life it is life! Glorious, miraculous, a divine blessing and sacred. Nothing less.

When we no longer recognize this sacredness we begin to no longer have any regard for the things that our Lord tells us we should. The widow, the orphan, the infirm, the weak and the old all are tossed aside and trampled for that which is strong. This is the path of genocide.

We are in tumultuous times, the church has often been in times of controversy and turmoil yet the world and the spirit of it and many men who are in positions of authority and teaching are treading very shaky ground. They have been given and trusted with so much. I pray that their intentions and actions reflect that of our Lord and the Holy Spirit. God knows their hearts.

 

It just occurred to me that I should add some subtitles to this video.
Then I could say what I would like people to hear.
Like the way David has salivated all over the Evaristo subtitles.Maybe Kevin Symonds could even write a book about it.

 

I completely agree. We have lost so much as a community. Once we "ok'd" abortion, we lost the dignity of life. Life is no longer special or sacred and so anything goes. Humans are just another link in the planet and nothing special. I have often felt that we have boiled life down to a commodity and once we are no longer useful we are expendable. Now we see rampant abortion, birth control euthanasia, objectifying of women, men and children, and the list goes on. The violence we see worldwide on a daily basis is not surprising, even though it saddens me to see and hear about it. We are so desensitized we just flip past the channels or news article and go on with our lives. It ALL stems from birth control and abortion. Pope Paul VI encyclical is spot on. How prophetic it was.

 

Paglia: Our No to abortion is at all stages
The President of the Academy for Life speaks about the new appointee. Controversy over Biggar, Anglican theologian, for a sentence on the interruption of pregnancy said in an interview. But he has never published anything on the matter

Archbishop Paglia

Pubblicato il 18/06/2017
ANDREA TORNIELLI
VATICAN CITY
Pope Francis has appointed 45 new ordinary members to the Pontifical Academy for Life. The replacement did not take place without controversy, due to inclusion among new members of an Anglican moralist theologian, Nigel Biggar, professor of moral and pastoral theology at Oxford. The day after the appointment, the Catholic Herald recalled a dialogue between Biggar and fellow philosopher, Peter Singer in 2011, during which the new member of the Academy for Life said, “I would be inclined to draw the line for abortion at 18 weeks after conception, which is roughly about the earliest time when there is some evidence of brain activity, and therefore of consciousness”.

Vatican Insider has addressed some questions to Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, who chairs the Academy.

Why was Professor Biggar appointed?

"The nomination of Professor Biggar was directly recommended by the Primate of the Anglican Church, Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who was recently asked to single out a representative. The controversy was born following the rediscover of a 2011 dialogue between Biggar and Peter Singer’s, who is renown for his permissible views on abortion, in which he says to be inclined to draw the line for abortion at 18 weeks after conception, in terms of - and I quote – “maintaining a strong social commitment to preserving human life in hindered forms, and in terms of not becoming too casual about killing human life”. This is certainly not my personal position, and much less the Academy. It should be added, however, that Biggar, whom we have contacted these days, has published nothing on the subject of abortion - Biggar’s academic focus is rather on end-of-life matters, “where he has a position that coincides with Catholicism - Biggar also assured that He does not intend to enter into the debate on this issue in the future."

Did you know about that dialogue with Singer?

"No, I had no knowledge of that phrase said in an interview of 2011. But I would like to repeat that Biggar has never written anything on the subject of abortion."

Does the refusal of abortion, at any stage of pregnancy, remain unchanged?

"Yes, of course. In the most certain way. It would be foolish to even think of a change. The Pontifical Academy for Life, as specified in the new Statute signed by Pope Francis, aims at " promoting and defending human life and the dignity of the person" through research, training and education (Article 1 ). We are therefore serving and defending life, from the very first moment of its conception to the last breath. Nothing and no one will ever change this clear orientation. We will go everywhere to convince as many as possible. In this sense, the Academy is also called "to come out". I would like to repeat that again: we will always be against every abortion practice. And we want to get more and more personalities involved in this battle. There is a need to broaden both the people and the battles: the big issues that mark our time must be addressed together, patiently earning the utmost possible consensus. The Academy - with all its old and new members, is determined to defend and promote human life at all stages and in any condition. Life is worthy per se."

What meaning do the last appointments carry?

"The 45 academics nominated by Pope Francis are excellent scientists from 25 countries around the world and represent, to the maximum extent possible, the various disciplines that today need to converge to create a culture of life that responds to the great challenges of a globalized and hyper-technology world marked by inexhaustible inequalities. Several of the nominees had already been part of the Academy. To them, according to a precise statement by Pope Francis who asked me to foster "cordial and effective dialogue with other scientific institutes and academic centres, also in an ecumenical or interreligious setting, both of Christian inspiration and of other traditions and cultures” (August 15, 2016), some scientists from other Christian denominations or other religious and cultural traditions have been added: among them the Nobel Prize in Medicine, Shinya Yamanaka. The Pope has also appointed five honorary members representing the precious history of the Academy that should not be forgotten in this new season: the widow of Professor Lejeune, founder of the Academy; The Presidents emeritus (Cardinal Sgreccia, Professor Vial Correa, Monsignor Carrasco de Paula) and Cardinal Caffarra.

When will the new and younger members of the Academy be appointed?

"According to the Statute, the Governing Council, which will be appointed by the Pope in the next few days, oversees the appointment of the other two associations of academics. Within a few weeks I believe that the Academy - finally fully staffed - will be able to start its work. I am pleased there is a group of young researchers - a novelty wanted by Pope Francis - to help the growth of the new generations of scientists and scholars to deal with the great issues of life. "

What are the Academy's expectations after these appointments?

"We can finally work at full capacity! In these past months, we have already identified some particularly urgent issues present in our national newspapers. For example, the issue of the human genome, the brain-consciousness relationship, the end of life ... We also inaugurated a world-wide project for palliative care - called PALLIFE - for which we have scheduled an important event next February in Rome preceded by regional meetings in the various continents. Our most important event, however, will be our General Assembly in Rome from October 5 to 7, which will be opened by Pope Francis, and whose theme is: "Accompanying life. New responsibilities in the technological era ". We are hoping next week to issue the whole program, which will include as usual, a moment open to the public, which I hope will be particularly numerous: Certain issues are decisive and we must face them together! "

http://www.lastampa.it/2017/06/18/v...all-stages-u1VauEtYDtPknwJHzzpd1K/pagina.html

 

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Wow I feel I can really trust this guy.

View attachment 6527

 

Vatican defends membership for theologian over abortion flap

• Associated Press
  June 19, 2017

In an interview with Italy's La Stampa, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia reaffirmed the Vatican's unwavering opposition to abortion. He said Nigel Biggar, a new member of Pontifical Academy for Life, had been personally recommended by the archbishop of Canterbury, had never written about the issue of when life begins and wouldn't engage in abortion debates as a member.

ROME - The head of the Vatican’s bioethics panel is defending the decision to name as a member an Anglican moral theologian who has said that abortion could be condoned up until the 18th week of gestation. He spoke out Saturday after conservative commentators criticized the inclusion of Oxford University professor Nigel Biggar as a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life.

Biggar, a noted Christian ethicist, was quoted as saying in 2011 that he would draw the line for abortion at 18 weeks, since that is “roughly about the earliest time when there is some evidence of brain activity, and therefore of consciousness.” Catholic Church teaching holds that life begins at conception and must be defended until natural death.

In an interview with Italy’s La Stampa, Paglia reaffirmed the Vatican’s unwavering opposition to abortion. He said Biggar had been personally recommended by the archbishop of Canterbury, had never written about the issue and wouldn’t engage in abortion debates as a member.

Biggar, for his part, confirmed in an email to The Associated Press that Paglia’s office had asked him to clarify his position after the ruckus broke out. He said he had provided the Vatican with copies of the few and incidental remarks he had made about abortion over the past 30 years.

“Abortion is a very important and, I think, difficult moral issue. But, although I have provisional views about it, it is not one that I have published anything substantial on,” he said in the email. “I have on the other hand written a lot about voluntary euthanasia and assisted suicide, spoken about it in the UK, Ireland, France, and Canada, and consistently opposed their legalization. On those two issues, my conclusions align with those of the Roman Catholic Church.”

The Pontifical Academy for Life is the Vatican’s bioethics advisory board, founded in 1994 by St. John Paul II to promote Catholic teaching on the defense of life. Under John Paul and Pope Benedict XVI, the academy took a very conservative line on issues surrounding sexual morals, and some of its more hard-line members occasionally made headlines for calling out perceived lapses in upholding church teaching.

Pope Francis announced the academy’s new members this past week, leaving off some of its more outspoken members.

https://cruxnow.com/vatican/2017/06/19/vatican-defends-membership-theologian-abortion-flap/

 

Yes, doesn't he ooze humility. He could have had himself depicted as Jesus in the mural but settled for a bit part in the crowd scene.

 

My thoughts exactly!

It's really too much to expect the faithful to have respect for what he says now

 

I wonder why they seem to think that this exonerates him

 

It´s very, very clear where all this is going for those who have eyes to see.

Monsignor Gilfredo Marengo is “the coordinator of the commission nominated by Pope Francis to ‘re-interpret’ the encyclical Humanæ Vitæ by Paul VI, in the light of Amoris laetitia, on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the former’s promulgation, which falls next year.”

Marengo is quoted as saying:

“The polemical game – the pill yes – the pill no, like today’s – Communion to the divorced yes – Communion to the divorced no – is only an appearance of discomfort and strain, [which is] much more decisive in the fabric of ecclesial life.”

“Every time the Christian community falls into error and proposes models of life derived from too abstract and artificially constructed theological ideals, it conceives its pastoral action as the schematic application of a doctrinal paradigm.”

“A certain way of defending and acknowledging the teaching of Paul VI was, probably one of the factors for which [alluding to AL] we have presented a too abstract theological ideal on marriage, almost artificially constructed, far from the concrete situation and the effective possibilities of families as they really are. This excessive idealization, above all when we have reawakened trust in grace, has not made marriage more attractive and desirable, but quite the opposite.”

As always, clear as mud. But I think if you read it a couple of times the meaning will become crystal clear.

 

"Clear as mud" to true believer, but exactly the convoluted language that liberals love to hear, because it leaves it up to them to do what they want. RELATIVISM at its finest. Whenever I read language like this it always brings me back the the garden of Eden with the half truths of Satan.

 

Y

Yes blizzard. . Just what I think. I call them waffle words. Maybe a better word would be Swiss cheese. Lots of holes to escape through if anyone tries to pin you down.

 

This quote or something very close to it has been used so many times on the forum. I know I'll be abused for saying this again but it does confirm so precisely the saying of Pope Francis, "The rigorist knows everything in advance".

The reason you think 'everything is so clear' is because you are forcing things into your pre-conceived ideas. You are not looking at things with an open mind.

 

Exactly. Someone here made the very interesting comment that the Ten Commandments are about to become TEN GOOD IDEAS. Yes, relativism at its finest. After all it was the pope who said:

In another in a long stream of apparent attacks on his critics, Pope Francis gave a homily last week accusing Christians who avoid taking risks out of concern for the Ten Commandments as suffering from “cowardliness,” warning that such people become “paralyzed” and unable to “go forward.”

“‘Not taking risks, please, no… prudence…Obeying all the commandments, all of them…,’” the pope said, characterizing the thinking of such Christians. “Yes, it’s true, but this paralyzes you too, it makes you forget so many graces received, it takes away memory, it takes away hope, because it doesn’t allow you to go forward.”

Such people become “confined souls” who suffer from the sin of “cowardice,” the pope added. “And the presen[ce] of a Christian, of such a Christian, is like when one goes along the street and an unexpected rain comes, and the garment is not so good and the fabric shrinks…Confined souls…This is cowardliness: this is the sin against memory, courage, patience, and hope.”

The remarks were made during a homily delivered on January 27th during a mass he was celebrating in Casa Santa Marta….. A translation was provided by both Rome Reports and Vatican Radio (the Rome Reports translation is quoted above).

 

The Ten Commandments given by God to His servant Moses, and 2000 years of the Magisterium are preconceived ideas? I am aghast.
Jesus came to save our souls, redeem us, and He was quite explicit about what we needed to do. He told us that narrow was the way, indeed, to salvation, and broad was the highway to destruction. Enough said. I'm over here looking at MOG videos today, being my rigorist self to the hilt! I have a few remnant people on my side, too Always room for one more rigorist.