Little Madeleine McCann - does this cause scandal?

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We all know about little Maddy McCann, abducted in Portugal recently and the terrible tragedy of her family.

This question is not in any way about her parents’ behaviors or concerned in the least with determining right or wrong on their part. My mother’s heart breaks for these people and I pray nothing but a blessed outcome for them.

My question is a broader one - having to do with the fact that these parents are almost always referred to in the media as ‘devout Catholics’ and we know that this past weekend they were blessed to meet and greet our Holy Father Benedict to seek blessings and prayers for their daughter’s welfare and return.

The media (at least where I live) also regularly reiterates that Maddy as well as the couple’s other 2 children (twins) were conceived through in-vitro methods.

My question is only this: What do you all think about possible / any scandal to the Church when the family is noted as conceiving their children through in-vitro and simultaneously noted as being devout Catholics and having an audience with the pope?

Again, I am making no judgement about the parents, one way or the other. I don’t know if they would still practice in-vitro fertilization or if they have changed their minds on that or what.

I am asking about the possible impression given, to the world at large, when only those two facts - devout Catholics and in-vitro fertilization are put out there side by side and no further info is given.

Can this kind of thing potentially add to the misunderstanding and/or misconstruing of Catholic teaching, esp to those who are only nominally Catholic?

Thanks to all for your opinions. 🙂
 
mchium said:
We all know about little Maddy McCann, abducted in Portugal recently and the terrible tragedy of her family.

This question is not in any way about her parents’ behaviors or concerned in the least with determining right or wrong on their part. My mother’s heart breaks for these people and I pray nothing but a blessed outcome for them.

My question is a broader one - having to do with the fact that these parents are almost always referred to in the media as ‘devout Catholics’ and we know that this past weekend they were blessed to meet and greet our Holy Father Benedict to seek blessings and prayers for their daughter’s welfare and return.

The media (at least where I live) also regularly reiterates that Maddy as well as the couple’s other 2 children (twins) were conceived through in-vitro methods.

My question is only this: What do you all think about possible / any scandal to the Church when the family is noted as conceiving their children through in-vitro and simultaneously noted as being devout Catholics and having an audience with the pope?

Again, I am making no judgement about the parents, one way or the other. I don’t know if they would still practice in-vitro fertilization or if they have changed their minds on that or what.

I am asking about the possible impression given, to the world at large, when only those two facts - devout Catholics and in-vitro fertilization are put out there side by side and no further info is given.

Can this kind of thing potentially add to the misunderstanding and/or misconstruing of Catholic teaching, esp to those who are only nominally Catholic?

Thanks to all for your opinions. 🙂
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To avoid scandal, I suggest not watching television or reading [most] newspapers.

If, in fact, they were “devout Catholics”, they wouldn’t have used in vitro fertilization. I’m not coming down in judgment, I’m just agreeing with the Church on this issue, and assuming the word “devout” means they follow the precepts of the Church. Perhaps the word “devout” means, to the newspapers and television reporters, that the go to Mass every Sunday. These days, with religion so far out of people’s lives, simply going to church every Sunday probably is seen as being “devout”.
 
I wouldn’t focus too much on the in-vitro fertilization even though as “devout” Catholics they must know that it is against Church teachings. I would be more concerned with the parents leaving their small children alone while they went out for dinner. They were in a strange place and they left the children. No matter what religion they are, this is bad parenting.
And what about the politicians who claim to be Catholic but are pro-choice? Of course, they usually say they are against abortion, BUT -------. I’d be more concerned about them giving mixed messages about the Catholic Church. After all, the Church speaks out very strongly against abortion so those politicians are the ones giving mixed messages about Church teachings, not the McCann’s with their in-vitro fertilization. Most non-Catholics probably don’t even know the Church’s teaching on that subject but everyone knows how the Church feels about abortion.
 
I had the initial reaction that the children were left alone. But from what I have seen of pictures and accounts of that, it is not quite what we think in this country. They were apparently eating in a garden area outside the small hotel, and were not very far from their room. This was a little European hotel, kind of different than we’re used to here. They had done it several times before with no problem. It was likened to eating dinner outside in your garden when your children are in your house. And I’m sure if they could redo that day differently, they would.
 
My friend, who is a non-catholic, asked me if it was a perculiarly Catholic thing to leave your children unattended, as she never would.
 
apricot_yogurt said:
My friend, who is a non-catholic, asked me if it was a perculiarly Catholic thing to leave your children unattended, as she never would.
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No, of course not. But what they did is more common in Europe than in the states. Child supervision laws and norms are different in different countries. Putting your children to bed and then stepping a few doors down to chat with neighbors or get a bite to eat is a normal thing in many places. They were not off hotel property, just not right in the room. I also understand that they were going back to the room to check on the children periodically.

It is very sad, but the dissapearance has nothing to do with them being Catholic. As to the OP, there are some fertility practices that are allowed for Catholics. I don’t know exactly what this couple did, but there is a difference between taking drugs to assist with ovulation and IVF. Does the media know for sure it was IVF? Or was it just assisted fertility and they assume it was IVF?
 
You are right. For all we know, they used GIFT (gamete intrafallopian transfer) which I understand is legit for Catholics. Assisted fertility is not the same as IVF.

They’re in enough agony. They need our prayers not our condemnation.
 
The gift of the child is the issue and her disapperance. Not how she was brought into the world. Devout may also mean repentance and forgiveness have been completed.

Please Lord be with the little girl and return her soon.
 
Sr_Sally said:
No, of course not. But what they did is more common in Europe than in the states. Child supervision laws and norms are different in different countries.
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No it isn’t. I’ve never met a parent who would leave three children unsupervised. It was a foolish thing to do and is certainly not the norm in England.
 
Sr_Sally said:
As to the OP, there are some fertility practices that are allowed for Catholics. I don’t know exactly what this couple did, but there is a difference between taking drugs to assist with ovulation and IVF. Does the media know for sure it was IVF? Or was it just assisted fertility and they assume it was IVF?
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I don’t know the intricacies of the actual methods they used. That isn’t important to my question. The media reports it as ‘in-vitro’ - I don’t know what they mean by it either and I don’t think most hearers are going to go into thus much detail. That’s my point. The world hears ‘devout Catholic’ and ‘in-vitro’ and that’s all they hear.

Now, maybe other posters are right and most non-Catholics (and maybe even a good share of Catholics) don’t know what the Church teaches so my point is moot. But I don’t think so. I think, either way, that information gives an erroneous picture of the Church by giving the impression you can be both ‘devout’ as a Catholic and use IVF. At best it’s confusing and a disservice to the Church.

I’m not all that surprised, don’t get me wrong - it’s same old, same old…but nonetheless, it’s not good.
 
Liberanosamalo said:
You are right. For all we know, they used GIFT (gamete intrafallopian transfer) which I understand is legit for Catholics. Assisted fertility is not the same as IVF.

They’re in enough agony. They need our prayers not our condemnation.
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I hope you read my original post. I went out of my way to try to assure everyone that my interest here is not in the least about the rightness or wrongness of the parents. I did not say one condemning thing. Read carefully in the future. Thank you. :banghead:
 
They need prayers. The little girl should be our top priority and justice for the one who took her.

God is just. The reason she was taken is not for us but God to deal with.

We need to focus on **the girl **now. And pray justice is done to the one who will wish he had a millstone around the neck than to harm one of the little Children that Christ told us he LOVED so much and to let them Come to Him

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us, keep Maddy close to you, despise not our petitions, we ask this in your Son’s name, our Lord, our Life
Amen
 
Liberanosamalo said:
You are right. For all we know, they used GIFT (gamete intrafallopian transfer) which I understand is legit for Catholics. Assisted fertility is not the same as IVF.

They’re in enough agony. They need our prayers not our condemnation.
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GIFT has not been accepted as moral for Catholics as of yet.It is still “under discussion”.
 
OP here: fyi, my idea in starting this thread was to discuss the affect of partial, incomplete information about the Church or Catholics in thhe news, on the world at large and to hear everyone’s thoughts on the topic viz a current case that everyone knows about.

As I feared (but I didn’t listen to myself 😛 ) the discussion immediately went off into whether the parents were right or wrong in leaving their kids alone while they had dinner, whether in-vitro really means in-vitro, how we should not judge people who use in-vitro and everything BUT what I was hoping to hear opinions on.

It’s ok if y’all want to take this in that direction. Just wanted to clarify it was not the direction I started in…

:nope:
 
Well, we all know the answer to THAT. Just tune in to the tube and hear the misinformation and misrepresentation of the most basic teachings of the church in a 2-minute sound bite. The modern media seems incapable of any sort of in-depth examination of anything serious.
 
Well conception techniques aside, I haven’t encoutered to many devout Catholics that spent time hanging out in strip clubs.🤷
 
Non Catholics often misunderstand what a devote Catholic is. My neighbor called me a devote Catholic simply because I go to church weekly :o My guess is, the media assumes, simply because the family is Catholic, they were devote. I’m guessing that the Pope agrees or he wouldn’t have met with the parents.

As far as leaving the kids, I wouldn’t judge. When I lived on a military base, my friend lived about 5 doors down. We’d often sit outside between the two houses, with the windows and doors open so we could hear the kids if they woke. Like these parents, we never dreamed someone would sneak in and steal one of our kids.

This is tragic. I hope they find this little girl soon.

Kim
 
Perhaps since the births of their children, they have repented of using IVF. It’s hard for us to know.

It is a potential source of scandal.

When John F. Kennedy Jr and his wife died, I was a little off put to hear the Kennedys cited as devout Catholics. May God have mercy on their souls.
 
CCM08 said:
Well conception techniques aside, I haven’t encoutered to many devout Catholics that spent time hanging out in strip clubs.🤷
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Are you SURE they were in a strip club? The news report I heard said “Tapas Bar” which is a type of Spanish appetizer. A “topless bar” would indeed be a whole different kettle of fish!
 
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