I am not sure what is happening within the Church, but to hear that the recently-appointed head of the Pontifical Academy for Life, Father Maurizio Chiodi, reportedly justifying the use of artificial contraception in certain cases in a December 14th lecture is, to put it mildly, troubling. To put the matter more clearly, Father Chiodi’s claims, based on the (rather vague) ‘principles’ outlined in Amoris Laetitia, constitutes quite simply a scandal. I strive for truth in what I write, so to further clarify: I did not hear the address, and am not sure exactly what Father said, but the fact that his views are reported in this way, and that he apparently refuses to clarify his remarks, leaving this ambiguity hanging like a noxious fog in the moral air, itself is a scandal.
The noble Josef Siefert, an erudite and orthodox, even profound, philosopher, recently removed from the same Academy for Life, is calling for Father Chiodi’s resignation, reminding him and the rest of us, if such a reminder is necessary, that contraception is an intrinsic evil, as Paul VI stated most clearly in Humanae Vitae, the 50th anniversary of which is coming up this July.
A scandal is any act that leads another person to sin. There is active scandal, in those who lead, and passive scandal, in those who are so led, as in, those who follow the errant advice of Father Chiodi. But for those with ears to hear, the teaching of the Church is clear as light. Alas, for various reasons, there are some who know it not, or, worse, who ignore or distort this teaching. We can only pray for Father Chiodi and others with his mindset, and hope that, by the grace of God, he does clarify his comments in the right and orthodox direction.
And to add to the scandal is the awarding of the honour of ‘Commander in the Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great’, signifying great and noble work, to Lilianne Ploumen, former minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation in the Netherlands, who is not only pro-abortion, but has raised millions in the cause of safe access to the procedure.
The Order of Saint Gregory is given to people, “in recognition of their personal service to the Holy See and to the Roman Catholic Church, through their unusual labors, their support of the Holy See, and their excellent examples set forth in their communities and their countries”.
Whatever else Ms. Ploumen has done, good, bad and indifferent, her work in the ongoing violation of the right to life of the unborn stands as a scandalous testament. What is one to say?
Speaking of scandals, Patty Hajdu, the Minister for Employment, has double-doubled down on the requirement for institutions to attest that their ‘core mandate’ supports a woman’s right to choose and access abortion. Ah, yes, that attestation box, on which I have written twice already, so you know of what I speak: That innocuous-looking little empty space on the on-line application for government funding for student employment, that one must check off, or be rejected.
As the Minister put it:
In terms of church groups that are concerned that this may invalidate them from funding, in fact, my perspective is that it won’t, as long as their core mandate agrees with those hard won rights and freedoms that Canadians expect us to stand up for.
Rights and freedoms only make sense, and can only be used properly, in the truth. The silver lining here is that we are finally getting access to the ‘Liberal’ mindset, and it’s not a pretty sight. But know thy enemy, said Sun Tzu.
Ms. Hadju seems to tolerate no dissent, a rather intolerant position, one might think:
We’re working very closely, as I said, with faith groups to make sure that they understand that as long as their core mandate is not in violation of Canadian human rights and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and it’s not violating a woman’s ultimate right to control her own body, that they should have absolutely no problem receiving grant money, provided they, you know, fill out the application properly
Yes, fill it out properly, like a good little munchkin, and all will be well.
There are 70,000 students across Canada who receive this funding through various associations, many of them Christian, with a ‘core mandate’ that holds abortion to be a grave evil. Now, many of those thousands will be barred from funding, except those who, you know, submit. Hmm.
The State is waxing in its lust for power and control, as is the tendency of all government, unless held in check by a strong populace, by many private associations, by its Constitution, the rule of law, the balance of power and, overall, a sense of virtue, goodness and decency in society.
That is why the Church has always taught, and still teaches (albeit more mutedly than in previous generations) that a society must be Catholic, which means at the least that its laws and policies are informed by the teaching of Judeo-Christian revelation, as embodied in the true religion in the Church Christ founded, which subsists in the Catholic Church. As much we deviate from the Church’s teaching, we also deviate from truth, with all the disastrous effects that follow, for ideas have consequences, and at times most dire ones.
The ‘idea’ that a child has no rights until he has completely exited the birth canal, with the umbilical cord cut, makes no sense in the realms of reason, science or faith. All three teach that human life begins at conception, and any other point an arbitrary, shifting and totalitarian one.
So stand firm in the truth, dear reader, and resist, or be assimilated.