Papal Nuncio Demands Respect, Protection of Unborn Humans

by Valerian Kkonde

PEARL NEWS SERVICE

KAMPALA- Friday, June 10, 2016

Pope Francis kisses a kid at Namugongo Martyrs' Shrine, Uganda. The Catholic Church's teaching calls for the protection of the person right from conception.

The Papal Nuncio to Uganda, His Excellency Archbishop Michael August Blume, has reiterated the Catholic Church’s position on abortion saying that the practice remains murder no matter what terminology is used to downplay it.

Archbishop Blume sounded this strong warning during a press conference at the Catholic Secretariat convened to further shed light on Pope Francis’ exhortation entitled Amoris Laetitia, “The Joy of Love” for English.

“Ideological colonization and the throwaway culture are the cause of all these problems. Is a baby not a human being because of the size and being defenseless? Who of you curse your mothers because she did not abort you?

“Who makes these women to abort? It is the boyfriend who is 100 kilometers away and will never even return to her. That is irresponsible sex.”

Archbishop Blume also blamed the doctors who deceive the women that the discomfort and pain of abortion would be gone in a few days, saying nothing about the psychological torture they have to endure.

Stressing that the Catholic Church is bent on protecting life, the Archbishop urged the media to stop collaborating with those promoting things against life. He cited songs, adverts and programs to that regard. The Papal Nuncio pointed out that the women who become pregnant after rape need support and should be guided on how to handle those children.

The Nuncio revealed that Pope Benedict VI, and Pope Francis, refer to Africa as the continent of hope because they preserve and respect life. He decried the embracing of the throwaway culture that has made it legal in Europe to kill the elderly and those considered “useless” to society.

The throwaway culture is about exploitation, using things and then throwing them away without considering keeping or repairing them. The Nuncio said that it is the same thing being done to the natural environment. The ideological colonization refers to the use of tricks to get one’s goal without going through the legal or normal channels.

About “The Joy of Love” the Nuncio observed that it attracted a lot of international media attention, which suddenly stopped, because they thought the Pope was introducing change of the Catholic teaching on divorce and the gay people.

“This Apostolic Exhortation is the fruit of two Synods of Bishops in 2014 and 2015, both dealing with marriage and the family, both important events involving representatives from all over the world, not only bishops but lay faithful and ecumenical partners.”

Calling on everyone to have respect for the family: father, mother and children, Archbishop Blume said that the Catholic Church’s constant teaching is that it is in the family where we learn how to pursue the good as well as resist evil in any country.

“It is in the family that children learn to pray, to recognise the mysterious presence of God in their lives, to act justly, to settle conflicts in peaceful ways, to love one another, to honour their elders, to sacrifice selfish interests, to contribute to the common good of the family and society, to carry out their civic duties, to learn the value of beauty and respect for nature and to reject the throwaway culture of the contemporary world.”

Archbishop Blume further observed that if these and many other lessons of life are not learnt in the family, then the world should not be surprised when society and its institutions are beset by indifference, hostility and corruption. He added that the family is the basic unit of society, the survival and happiness of each one of us depends on its strength and vitality.

“When the family is strong in Christ, our society and culture becomes more human, honest, gentle and caring for the least of the brethren.”