Standing up for life - Archbishop Buechlein: Responsible citizenship requires respect for sanctity of all human life
Three-year-old Iranelly Madrigal holds a pro-life sign promoting adoption in front of the SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral rectory in Indianapolis during the Central Indiana Life Chain on Oct. 5 as part of national Respect Life Sunday observances. She is the daughter of St. Bartholomew parishioner Rocio Sanchez of Columbus. (Photo by Mary Ann Wyand)
By Mary Ann Wyand
Responsible citizenship requires respect for the sanctity of every human life, Archbishop Daniel M. Buechlein told more than
450 pro-life supporters of all ages during the archdiocesan Respect Life Sunday Mass on Oct. 5 at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis.
“Our Church stands up for the dignity of all human life from the moment of conception to the moment of [natural] death,” Archbishop Buechlein emphasized in his homily. “Sometimes it may seem like ours is a lonely voice. My heartfelt thanks to so many of you who hold fast to our pro-life commitment in a culture drifting more and more from the source, the Creator of our human dignity, drifting away from God himself. I commend you, and I pray for you and with you.”
He reminded Catholics that “the most important thing we do in order to promote the cause of life is to pray, and our pre-eminent prayer … is the Eucharist.”
In the context of the national and local elections, the archbishop said, people should be concerned about the dignity of human life and all its dimensions.
“Many fellow citizens struggle to understand the meaning of human freedom and individual rights,” he said. “Individual freedom is a good, but it goes wrong if … the individual does harm to the common good of the society. … If there is no absolute truth then human values are up for grabs.”
People “sometimes forget that justice begins with our responsibilities toward God himself,” Archbishop Buechlein said. “We owe everything to God. That includes respecting his image and likeness mirrored in all of human life.”
It is responsible citizenship to speak out about grave social justice issues in our national and local cultures at this time, he said, but “if God is absent [then] justice is meaningless.”
Voters need to form their conscience so they can approach the ballot box responsibly next month, Archbishop Buechlein said, adding that it is both important and necessary to consider moral issues that are not arbitrary for a political party or candidate.
“In the forefront, of course, are issues pertaining to the dignity of human life,” he said. “… Among these, the premier priority is the protection of the unborn from the moment of conception. Abortion is not permissible under any circumstance.”
The protection of the elderly, the sick and the dying also is not negotiable, the archbishop said, and embryonic stem-cell research is unacceptable because it involves killing human embryos.
“We can’t do wrong in order to do good,” he said. “The purpose of what we do does not justify the means.”
The morality of war is a complex issue, Archbishop Buechlein said, quoting Pope John Paul II’s statement that “war is never a solution to human conflict,” but innocent people must still be protected from aggression.
Regarding the immigration debate, he said that “approaches to resolve the complex situation of immigration must respect the human dignity of our foreign sisters and brothers. Some folks don’t want to hear this, but the search for solutions to the complex immigration situation in our country must be fair and workable.”
The Church’s position opposing the death penalty also is not negotiable, the archbishop said. “Only in the rarest of circumstances is capital punishment necessary to protect the innocent. Revenge is not a justifiable reason nor does it bring solace to those whose loved one has been murdered.”
Concern for the poor is another serious moral issue that is often overlooked in political discourse, he said. “Responsible citizenship and political leadership calls for a pro-active search to provide opportunities for gainful employment, health care and the just treatment of the poor by our society, especially by those of us who embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”
As Americans prepare to vote on Nov. 4, the archbishop said, “prayer is the most important context for our preparation to meet that challenge. So is prayer for the candidates.”
At the conclusion of the liturgy, Archbishop Buechlein presented the Archbishop Edward T. O’Meara Respect for Life Award to St. Patrick parishioner Cecelia Lundstrom of Terre Haute, who founded a Birthright chapter in Vigo County 34 years ago to help women experiencing crisis pregnancies choose life for their babies.
As part of Birthright’s pro-life ministry, Lundstrom arranged transportation for a Latino woman to return home to Puerto Rico, where family members could help her raise her child.
Lundstrom accepted the award on behalf of all the Birthright volunteers.
The archbishop also presented the Our Lady of Guadalupe Pro-Life Youth Award to St. Agnes parishioner Sherry Bube of Nashville, a 16-year-old home-schooled student, for her pro-life activism and dedicated Church and community service, which includes visiting Alzheimer’s patients at a Brown County nursing home.
After the Mass, Sherry said she is thankful for her God-given talents and grateful for guidance from her parents and other mentors.
“I am constantly reminded that each and every moment in life is precious,” she said. “Whenever I see a baby, I thank God for the gift that he has given to the world. And whenever I see an elderly person, I am thankful for the years of their life and hope that they have touched the lives of others in a positive and meaningful way.”
Father Eric Johnson, archdiocesan vocations director and the sacramental minister and priest moderator at St. Agnes Parish, said Sherry’s award “recognizes somebody who is very generous in spirit, very generous in heart.”
Holy Cross Sister Eileen Flavin, parish life coordinator at St. Agnes Parish, said parishioners are proud of Sherry and appreciate her faithful service to Church ministries as a teenager.
Also on Respect Life Sunday, thousands of Catholics and Christians from other denominations prayed for an end to abortion during one-hour prayer vigils in Indianapolis, Bloomington, Columbus, Connersville, Greencastle, Greenfield and Terre Haute. †
