Hong Kong cardinal says Rome-Beijing close to accord [CC]

[wllmjoseph]

No, there i not going to be any diminution or watering down of values. The church has never backed down on Faith and Morals, and it isn’t going to start now, 2000 years later.

I agree. The Church can not back down on Faith and Morals. That being said it is going to be very difficult for the Vatican and China to have an accord. In China it is different as compared to the U.S. or Europe. In the west we have a choice as to weather or not we will use birth control and terminate a pregnancy. In China both birth control and abortion are state sanctioned and are strictly enforced in the larger urban areas. I hope and pray I am wrong but I don’t see how the Vatican is going to be able to arrive at a accord with China and not give in on it’s Faith and Morals.

 

[August_Carlson]

Abortion by government coercion is the law in the PRC. Abortion by choice is the law in the US. In one sense, it makes no difference to the child if her life is taken by government force or by the will of a mother’s choice. Yet the Church supposedly has an accord with the USA and not with China – and this despite the fact that abortion is legal in both countries. Is the Church’s distaste of government coercion so strong that the Church would permit, by means of a formal accord, an abortion to take place if the one doing the coercive act is an individual rather than a State?

Somehow, I don’t think the hold-up in signing an accord with China has to do with laws pertaining to abortion. I think the real concern is ecclesial. Will the Church allow the Chinese government to select its own bishops? And, if it does, will the Church ratify that choice by the laying on of hands?

 

[otjm]

An accord has nothing to do with approval of internal laws of the country. It is in essence a treaty. And as a treaty, it addresses specific issues - in this case appointments of bishops.

 

[Tomdstone]

Abortion by government coercion is the law in the PRC. Abortion by choice is the law in the US. In one sense, it makes no difference to the child if her life is taken by government force or by the will of a mother’s choice. Yet the Church supposedly has an accord with the USA and not with China – and this despite the fact that abortion is legal in both countries. Is the Church’s distaste of government coercion so strong that the Church would permit, by means of a formal accord, an abortion to take place if the one doing the coercive act is an individual rather than a State?

Somehow, I don’t think the hold-up in signing an accord with China has to do with laws pertaining to abortion. I think the real concern is ecclesial. Will the Church allow the Chinese government to select its own bishops? And, if it does, will the Church ratify that choice by the laying on of hands?

I saw high Roman Catholic clergyman shake the hand of Mr. Joe Biden with all smiles. Yet, the last I checked, Mr. Biden was for legal abortion rights?

 

[wllmjoseph]

Abortion by government coercion is the law in the PRC. Abortion by choice is the law in the US. In one sense, it makes no difference to the child if her life is taken by government force or by the will of a mother’s choice. Yet the Church supposedly has an accord with the USA and not with China – and this despite the fact that abortion is legal in both countries. Is the Church’s distaste of government coercion so strong that the Church would permit, by means of a formal accord, an abortion to take place if the one doing the coercive act is an individual rather than a State?

Somehow, I don’t think the hold-up in signing an accord with China has to do with laws pertaining to abortion. I think the real concern is ecclesial. Will the Church allow the Chinese government to select its own bishops? And, if it does, will the Church ratify that choice by the laying on of hands?

I agree with you on the point that the primary issue holding up the accord between the Vatican and the PRC is ecclesial and if the Church will continue to allow the Chinese government to select its own bishops. I do disagree with you on your point on state sanctioned abortion vs. freedom of choice. Granted it makes to difference to the baby that is being aborted if their life is being terminated due to the government or to the choice of the mother. There is a huge difference in terms of the mothers responsibility in a forced abortion as opposed to freedom of choice.