Canadian Cardinal equates abortion to killing in self-defense

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Sailor_Kenshin said:
People now call good evil and evil good, and they do it every day.
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It’s particularly disturbing when the “people” are supposed to be part of the Magisterium… and this person no longer qualifies as being in union with the Pope on this.
 
Self-defense? More like inviting someone into your house for dinner and then shooting that person in the head. :mad:

If the Cardinal did make this statement, he is very misguided indeed. Sad when we cannot even trust the leaders of our church to speak God’s truth.
 
cathgal said:
A Canadian…no wonder!

Whatever was said of that country is said enough. Anymore would just be wasting my time…and I’ve already wasted enough ! :eek:
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People in GIGANTIC glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.How would you like it if I said…An American…no wonder!..Etc.Please have a little more charity.Your xenophobia is showing.:rolleyes:
 
Has anyone so far, verified the Cardinal’s remarks? Any comment from the Vatican?
 
"Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves." (Mt 7:15).

These attacks from within will only make us stronger in our Faith and in our witness to the Truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Sancta Maria, Mater Dei, Ora Pro Nobis Peccatoribus!

Mark
 
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. :signofcross: :gopray2:
 
“The road to hell is paved with the skulls of bishops.” – Saint John Eudes
 
cjns1947 said:
Le Devoir is a French Language newspaper so it would be better to find out WHO did the translation - we’ve seen Vatican pronouncements SUFFER a lot in translation - even the Catechism wasn’t exempt from translation ERRORS.😦
Let us pray for the Cardinal and hope it won’t be too long before we get the TRUE story.
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Here is the link to the article in French:
ledevoir.com/2009/04/11/245045.html

I speak French and can testify that the LifeSite quotation is more or less word-for-word, but it’s more complicated than that. First of all, the original article is typically “French” – that is, the author himself is clearly secular (“laique,” as they pride themselves on being over here in France), and almost undoubtedly took the cardinal out of context in writing his article. But secondly, I’d be happy to translate the cardinal’s other comments in the article in an attempt to get at his broader message. So, some select snippets, for those who are interested:

First of all, in talking about the Brazil controversy (the true context of the comments), the article notes:

After deep reflection on the Brazilian controversy, Monseigneur Turcotte, archbishop of Montreal and cardinal of the Church, has leaned towards understanding and compassion rather than towards excommunication, situating things in terms of the workings of the modern media: “For the last seven or eight years, something has been changing in the media, and it’s this kind of immediacy of information. As soon as something happens somewhere, the entire world hears about it.” In such circumstances, some time for reflection is indispensable before a news story is commented upon. Having said this, he continues: “The least one can say is that that incident seems to have been handled clumsily by the bishop over there.”

After having extensively reviewed the case, he has tried to diminish the significance of the Church’s general tendency in favor of that canon law which praises automatic excommunication in certain cases and in the specific context of the profound debate which is currently taking place on abortion within a Catholic country like Brazil: “I understand deeply that people are shocked by what has been reported by the media, and I myself was extremely surprised by it; it doesn’t make any sense.” An example illustrates his position: “Personally, I am against murder, but I can understand that sometimes a person who is attacked can kill his attacker in order to defend himself; this doesn’t mean that I support murder. I am against abortion, but I can understand that, in certain cases, one has hardly any other choice than to practice it.”

He goes on to talk about the pope’s statements on condoms (and a little personal editorializing: contrary to LifeSite’s jump-the-gun response, I don’t believe the cardinal is contradicting Church teaching here), denying that the Church is retreating into a medieval dogmatism:

First of all, says Monseigneur Turcotte, “It’s very difficult, because there are certain demands which come to us from the Gospel and from its wisdom. There are, deep down, a lot of things which are not easy to live out, and the Church has the duty to defend these Scriptural demands.”

Notably, one reads in the Bible: “Be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” The bar is placed high.

But there is also an attitude of compassion in the Gospel: “Christ does not agree with adultery, but he demonstrates an enormous amount of compassion for the adulterous woman. On the one hand, you have the Gospel’s moral demands, and on the other hand, you have something which speaks to its application in particular cases, which is what the Church is currently doing.”

The cardinal gives a more specific explanation: “The Gospel must often give instruction relating to, for instance, the spirit of the times. But it’s difficult, when you teach or remind people of the truth, to be compassionate, as you go about ministering to individuals. This is not easy for any priest.”

Next, he explains how some popes – like John XXIII – are in fact most successful as pastors, and that Benedict, who possesses a great charisma, could also be understood like this if only the media would give him a chance:

In the particular case of the announcement on AIDS and condom use, that’s what’s happened: “Essentially, the pope said that it takes two things to combat this disease – certainly, the practical means, but also a change in people’s mentality. He said this, implying that condoms are not in and of themselves a perfect solution; but everyone took this statement out of context and blew it out of proportion.” He clarifies his position: “It’s made to sound as though the pope had said you must never use condoms. But look, when someone has AIDS, it’s his responsibility to protect the people with whom he has intercourse.”

The article concludes by saying how the cardinal’s foremost personal concern this Easter is to give people hope in the face of the current economic crisis:

For that matter, he underlines that the main purpose of the pope’s trip to Africa was really to wake people up to poverty and the fight for peace, which went practically unnoticed in the media whirlwind that formed around AIDS and the condom.

I hope this helps!

Peace,
+AMDG+
 
I hope this is a case of faulty journalism rather than errant teaching. Technically, the bishop (as quoted here) maintains an opposition to abortion, though his claim of ‘understanding’ that a pregnant woman is equivalent to a victim of violent attack boggles the mind. Where did this guy study moral theology?
 
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