Every time a pope speaks out on issues regarding morality sex, birth control-abortion and condoms]and upholding the perennial truths of the Catholic Church, the outcry is predictable. It isn’t just with Benedict XVI. John Paul II constantly spoke out the same issues throughout his pontificate and was just as constantly ridiculed and deemed irrelevant and completely out of touch.
The hysteria and gnashing of teeth reached an absolute fever pitch back in 1994. In September of that year, the U.N. called the International Conference on Population and Development, in Cairo, Egypt. One of the propositions was a U.S. backed one that stated “The access to safe, legal and voluntary abortion is the fundamental right oif women”. In effect that abortion was an undeniable right of women in every country of the world and no government could legislate otherwise… The U.S, put great pressure on the delegates to accept this proposition. The Vatican fought it tooth and nail and eventually made a concord with Muslim delegates in order to stop it from being adopted. They were successful and the final statement actually read; “In no case should abortion be permitted as a means of family planning”.
The opprobrium heaped on John Paul II’s head was disgusting. He was called everything to the Anti-christ, Satan in priestly garb, uncaring of the starving millions in Third World countries, a throw-back to the dark ages, a relic of ancient times that was totally out of touch with modern society and on and on. Some went so far as to say that his intervention would result in catastropic consequences for the entire over-populated world and the blame would rest squarely on his shoulders.
Nowadays when I see the media and others taking the same kind of pot-shots at the Pope, I just offer up a prayer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus that one day people will come to their senses and recognize that actions have consequenses and we are all supposed to be responsible for our own conduct.
my German Sheppard!