What is a "strong statement from the magisterium"?

[hail_theotokos]

Okay, so the Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics’ Q&A contains the following requirement for an issue to be a part of the voter’s guide:

“The issue had to be the subject of a strong statement from the Magisterium.”

What is a strong statement from the magisterium?

Furthermore, I was under the impression that cloning is so new that there isn’t anything really “strong” against it in the magisterium. What source does this strong statement come from?

Thanks so much and God bless,
hail theotokos

 

[Fr.Vincent_Serpa]

Dear ht,

Okay, with regard to # 4 of the “Voter’s Guide” on Human Cloning, how’s this: “(32) Also, attempts or hypotheses for obtaining a human being without any connection with sexuality through “twin fission”, cloning or parthenogenesis are to be considered contrary to the moral law, since they are in opposition to the dignity both of human procreation and of the conjugal union.” This is from the “Introduction on Respect for Human Life in It’s Origin and on the Dignity of Procreation / Replies to Certain Questions of the Day. / # 4 How to Evaluate /6. What judgment should be made on other procedures of manipulating embryos connected with the ‘techniques of human reproduction?’

To state that cloning is contrary to the moral law is a rather strong statement and it is from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith—which is a teaching arm of the Magisterium.

The word, “Magisterium” comes from the Latin, “magister” or teacher. The Magisterium is the teaching authority of the Church. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states: “’In order that the full and living a Gospel might always be preserved in the Church, the apostles left bishops as their successors. They gave them ‘their own position of teaching authority’” Indeed, “the apostolic preaching, which is expressed in a special way in the inspired books, was to be preserved in a continuous line of succession until the end of time.” (#77)

Cloning is not up for grabs. There are some subtleties in some areas that still remain to be clarified. But the Church is quite clear on the morality of cloning—as well as the other four topics found in the “Voter’s Guide for Serious Catholics.

Fr. Vincent Serpa, O.P.