The Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference have issued an extensive and wide-ranging Pastoral Letter, on upholding the dignity of human life. Reflecting on the debate preparing for Zimbabwe's new Constitution, the letter focuses particularly on capital punishment, abortion and same sex unions, with extensive references to Scripture, Papal and other documents. It is also interspersed with pauses for reflection.
Introduction:
In November 2011 Pope Benedict XVI visited Benin so as to hand over the Apostolic Exhortation 'Africae Munus’ (Africa’s Commitment). This was the fruit of the Second Special Assembly for Africa of the Synod of Bishops held in October 2009. The theme of the Synod had been: The Church in Africa at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace, and it sought to encourage the Catholic Church on the continent of Africa to become 'salt of the earth and light of the world’ (Mt 5:13, 14); a true sign of the redeeming presence of Christ in our world today.
How best can we as Catholics be at the service of reconciliation, justice and peace in Zimbabwe today? The Holy Father suggests in Africae Munus that if we are to be true witnesses to the power of Christ then we need to transform what we believe into concrete pastoral actions.
1. We are shaped by our faith and in turn our faith shapes and informs the choices we make. To be light and salt will involve living the truth of the Gospel in the daily choices and circumstances of our lives.
2. This is particularly important for us as we have begun the debate concerning a new Constitution for our nation. Writing a new Constitution is one thing but the words that are written need to be a serious reflection of the values we as people of Zimbabwe long to live by. We need a Constitution that is grounded and rooted in a living faith that bears witness to human and spiritual values. A Constitution that has a profound respect for the dignity of each human life and that takes us into the future confident that it will promote good governance and the lasting well-being of our country.
Among the many topics that have arisen in discussion in recent months have been issues surrounding capital punishment, abortion and same sex unions, these are all matters that touch the very core of our Christian values. We believe as Catholics that each person has been created in the image of God (Gen1:26f). It is therefore the responsibility of every society to ensure that every human life is protected and respected from the moment of conception until natural death. This is a basic principle of Catholic social teaching and so this is an opportune moment for us to reflect on what the Catholic Church teaches about the value and dignity of human life.
We do so because we have a responsibility to facilitate the formation of a genuinely informed Catholic conscience that can be salt and light in Zimbabwean society today. We do so in order 'to offer the faithful’ a 'catechesis which leads...to a deeper knowledge of Jesus Christ.'
3. We do so to encourage all of us to take the path that proclaims the great value of our God given life.
Choose Life not death:
Addressing the Israelites, Moses put before them a clear choice, life or death (Deut 30: 15-20). Of course given the choice none of us would willingly choose death. We desire to live. Indeed in his encyclical, 'Evangelium Vitae’ (The Gospel of Life), Blessed John Paul II reminds us that at the very heart of Jesus' message is a 'Gospel of Life'. His entire mission can be summed up in the words: 'I came that you may have life, and have it abundantly' (Jn10:10).
4. We are made for life, because we are made by 'life' itself and we share God's life and have been given the seed of eternal life through Baptism. The word 'life' is thus rich in meaning.
Yet we do not always choose life, why? In the passage from St John's gospel mentioned above, where Jesus invites us to embrace life he also points out that the sheep that belong to him 'listen to his voice' (John 10: 27-30). Perhaps here we meet the reason for our failure to live our faith fully. Are we always sure that it is the voice of Jesus we are following in the choices we make?
We are surrounded by many conflicting and seductive voices. We live in a world that at times seems to have grown tired or deaf to the voice of God and Christians too seem to chase after and absorb the most popular opinions of the day regardless of whether they reflect gospel values. We need to take to heart the plea made by Pope Benedict XVI when speaking to political and religious leaders in Benin. He invited them to adopt 'a courageous ethical approach' to their responsibilities and to become 'promoters of your people’s future...true servants of hope.'
5. It is not only political and religious leaders who should be 'servants of hope’, and 'promoters of the future’. Rather all who follow Jesus Christ should strive through their witness to make every element of human life correspond to the true dignity divinely given to every person. As Christians we have been given a mission to promote and defend life. When the Holy Trinity decided to enter creation through the incarnation, human beings became sharers in the very life of God hence every human being has immense value. The gospel of God's love for each person, the gospel of the dignity of each human being, and the gospel of life are therefore a single and indestructible gospel.
6. In the light of this we invite you to choose life and to be genuine catalysts of hope and life.
Pause for reflection: Pope Benedict has declared October 11, 2012 – Christ the King 2013 a ‘Year of Faith’. How does your faith challenge and affect the choices you make? What challenges to human dignity and respect of life do you encounter?
St Paul in Rom12: 1-4 invites us to not be conformed to the pattern of this present world but to be transformed by the ‘renewal of our minds’. Where have your own ideas about moral issues been influenced by the media and popular opinion?
Justice and peace have embraced:
Discussion surrounding the issue of capital punishment calls for careful and prayerful reflection because it deals with values of utmost importance: respect for the sanctity and protection of life, the preservation of law and order in society so as to provide a safe environment for our citizens and the dispensation of true justice. As Bishops we are aware that there are no simple solutions to these complex issues. Yet we recognise that our Catholic tradition has much to contribute to the current debate.
7. The teaching of the Catholic Church, as expressed in the Catechism, explains clearly the principles that are fundamental to understanding the issues surrounding the death penalty.
8. The Church has accepted that a State has a duty to protect its citizens from harm. Thus on this basis the death penalty has, in the past, been justified. The question for our present consideration is whether capital punishment is truly the most humane and Christian way of attending to the problem of criminal behaviour. Does depriving an individual of life change society?
Traditionally three arguments have been put forward to justify capital punishment: retribution, deterrence and reform. In reality it is doubtful whether the threat of capital punishment actually deters people from committing serious criminal acts.
Indeed there are strong arguments to suggest that people who are going to commit crime rarely consider the consequences. Reform likewise cannot be used as a justification since the person who is deprived of life is also deprived of the possibility of reform. As for retribution, of course it is true that people should pay for their crimes, but nothing is gained by taking the life of another as the person executed has no opportunity of making amends or reforming their character. Punishment for crimes, therefore, must be determined by moral objectives which go beyond the mere infliction of injury on the guilty person.
In the context of the gospel message of life, justice is always at the service of mercy.
9. It is only the mercy of God that establishes justice and without mercy there can be no justice. Therefore the question of justice, mercy and forgiveness
(Africa Munus, 83; Evengelium Vitae 56-57 8 CCC2265-2266 9 Dives in Misericordia 12; Deus Caritas Ets 26 are intimately related to the debate surrounding capital punishment.)
10. Indeed faced with the teaching and example of Jesus we are confronted with the fundamental question: What is the prime purpose of our penal system? If we answer that prison is concerned with punishment, then logically we can take someone's life for a serious crime. On the other hand, if we consider prison to be a place of reform, then we see it also as a means of redemption.
Clearly people who commit crimes need to take responsibility for their action and that will require them to serve a prison sentence but the reformation of their character is the ultimate purpose of incarceration and taking their life does not in fact restore to others what has been taken from them. Prison does not address the problem of criminal behaviour unless it involves a genuine program of rehabilitation. We believe that the punishment that any State imposes upon those who have broken the law needs careful monitoring and 'ought not to go to the extreme of executing' another human being.
11. Sacred Scripture makes clear, we do not have the right to deprive someone of life, even if they themselves have committed this crime. Life is sacred, God takes '... no pleasure in the death of anyone...' rather he wants everyone to live (Ezk18:32). The message of the gospel of life began with creation when human beings were given dignity because they were bearers of the image and likeness of God (Gen1:26; 9:6) Thus the very blood of Cain cried out against the crime of murder (Gen 4:9-12). Through the experience of the exodus God reveals that he is the sole giver of life and saves rather than destroys (Ex 1:15-22). As the Lord and giver of life God alone has the right to take away the gift that has been given. In fact he teaches through his revelation that life is sacred by proclaiming: 'You shall not kill' (Exd20:13). The deepest desire of God is to protect life and thus requires that we follow him by showing reverence and love for each person (Wis 2:33).
This culminates in the teaching of Jesus. 'An eye for an eye' is radically changed by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:21-26; 38-42). He declares himself to be the 'way the truth and life' (Jn15:6). 'To believe in him is to have eternal life' (Jn11:25f) and his very personal experience of torture and crucifixion leads him to ask for forgiveness for the perpetrators (Lk23:34). On this basis we firmly believe that the abolition of the death penalty would send a clear message to the citizens of Zimbabwe concerning our deep belief in the worth and dignity of each person, no matter what they have done. Indeed it reminds us that the destructive cycle of violence can be broken, that the taking of another person's life ultimately solves nothing. More humane methods of responding to serious crimes can be envisioned.
We are clear, that the death penalty goes against God's law of life and the revelation that each person is unique. As Blessed John Paul II has written: Evangelium Vitae 56 “..to kill a human being, in whom the image of God is present, is a particularly serious sin. Only God is the master of life!”
12. Furthermore capital punishment is open to mistakes and misuse. People can and have been wrongly accused, and sentenced for crimes that they have not committed. To have deprived an innocent person of life is a moral evil. There is no justice system throughout the world that is totally free from error and to continue along the path of capital punishment is to inflict deep emotional as well as physical harm upon a creature made by God, upon their families and upon those who must carry out this tragic order as servants of the State. Zimbabwe is one of the few remaining nations in Africa that has retained capital punishment.
If we proclaim Jesus‟ respect for life then we do not have the right to deny life to anyone. This is why the Catholic Church speaks out in defence of the sacredness of human life from the moment of conception until natural death. Capital punishment should be abolished because it is God alone who can give and take away life. By standing for the abolition of the death penalty in our country we are not unaware of the need to offer sympathy and support to victims of violent crime and their families. We know that reform of our prison system is not an easy task but we are convinced that it is necessary so that we can become agents of genuine reform and rehabilitation of convicted criminals. Rather than maintaining the death penalty let us look towards a more creative and pastorally fruitful way of empowering people to choose to live life in the way God intends.
Pause for reflection: Read carefully Gen1; Ezk18: Jn19. Do these passages and the reflections above change your thoughts concerning the death penalty? If so how? If not, why?
In what one or two practical ways could the Catholic Church improve its pastoral care of those in prison and those newly released?
13. The Right to life: If we are truly to be at the service of justice then it is important to recognise that the first victim of abortion is the unborn child whose life has been deliberately ended. Taking the life of a child in the womb is as unjust as taking the life of any human being. The Catholic Church speaks out against abortion because it acknowledges the human rights and dignity of all people. To wilfully destroy life is an “unspeakable crime” against an innocent and defenceless gift from God.
14. The Church’s defence of life is based on the intrinsic value and inalienable rights that each individual has.
15. Because, as we mentioned above, we are made in the image and likeness of God, this gives to each life a divine property. Human life is thus untouchable and those who destroy this gift are attacking the creator
12 Evangelium Vitae 55 14 Gaudium Et Spes 51; EV 53, 73 CDF: Declaration on Procured Abortion, 1974, 1 Himself.
16. From the first to the last the message of scripture is unambiguous, the very foundation of human dignity and human rights is to be found in God's creative plan and purpose. The Catholic Church has thus a duty to incarnate this message in every culture and in every constitutional and social system.
The logic of abortion begins in the mentality that underpins the concept of contraception, abortion becomes yet another form of contraception, and a means of disposing of what is considered inconvenient and challenging. This naturally leads to a move to dispense with the sick, disabled and the elderly. With the willing complicity of many governments throughout the world colossal means have been used against people, at the dawn of their life or when thought to be a burden on national medical resources. It is for this reason that the Catholic Church has consistently stood against abortion because it degrades human rights and dignity.
What the Church teaches is consistent with the whole Christian teaching about the rights of the innocent to live. Without it, no other human rights are secure. Long before science was able to reveal the stages of development within the womb the Catholic Church has regarded the unborn, at all stages of pregnancy, as possessed of a distinct new life which no one could willingly choose to destroy.
17. As our understanding increased the Church began to defend life from the moment of conception. From the moment the father fertilizes a living cell from the mother„ the adventure of a human life begins’.
18. This is an important principle: Each new life is the life not of a potential human being, but of a human being with potential. It is impossible to point to the actual week of pregnancy and say that this is the time when the foetus suddenly becomes a human being.
19. The moment of conception begins the life story of each person and so is to be protected.
20. No human law can thus legislate for the deliberate killing of a human being and 'there is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws’.
21. If we speak of human rights then the child in the womb has rights no matter whether we choose to call this child a neonate (newly born) a foetus or embryo (child within the womb). The Catholic Church is clear, human rights are not arbitrary and there should be no interference with the natural development of the child in its mother's womb. Not even the parents have this right since the child is an independent life.
22 To go against this teaching and to procure an abortion is to put oneself outside the Church and incur the penalty of excommunication. This can only be lifted through the sacrament of reconciliation with a special dispensation of the Bishop.
We acknowledge that people find themselves facing difficult and confusing situations. Young girls find themselves used sexually by older youths or men and deserted when found to be pregnant. There are cases of rape and occasions when the pregnancy could injure the mothers‟ health. These are real life situations. The pressure to terminate can be great but we cannot use murder of the innocent as a solution to an unwanted problem.
Acting justly and facilitating reconciliation and peace in these tragic situations will involve us as Catholics in upholding the teaching of the Church concerning the sanctity of life.
23. A possible response to this pastoral letter is for parish communities and religious congregations to evaluate how best we can give practical support to women in their choice for life. Pre-abortion counselling, practical guidance and medical help during pregnancy, a safe place to deliver and the appropriate adoption advice are all concrete measures that we as the Catholic Church ought to see as our contribution to eradicate a culture of death.
Teaching the sanctity of life is one thing but we need to minimise the stress and confusion of those who find themselves with difficult life choices to make.
It is crucial that no matter how traumatic the conception of the child, no matter whether the woman intended to get pregnant or not, the newly conceived life cannot be blamed for its existence, the child surely has a right to life. This child is not to be labelled as an inconvenience, an obstacle, a problem; ultimately it is a human being who has a right to life. When we acknowledge the basic principle of the sanctity of life, the unique value of every person made in the image of God and the dominion of God over each life, we then see that abortion can never be in the plan of God. As Jesus said the golden rule is to be found in the way we treat one another: “What you did to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did to me!” (Matt 25:31-46) Human life not only has its origin in the manner of its creation but it carries within itself the promise of eternal life.
24. We simply have no right to destroy the gift of God.
Pause for Reflection: In what ways could we better understand the Church’s teaching on the value of each human being so as to promote a culture of life? What practical steps could we take so as to assist married couples and single mothers to choose life rather than abort?
Created to Love as God loves:
We come now to the issue of homosexuality, which is certainly not unconnected with human dignity and respect for life. Increasingly over the years homosexuality has become an accepted 'alternative lifestyle' in many societies.
Indeed many national Constitutions have enshrined the acceptance and protection of same-sex unions as another form of liberation and safeguard
(Gaudium et Spes, December 1965, 51 24 ibid, 39; Spe Salvi 10 against discrimination. While we must uphold and work for the human rights and respect of each person created by God, while we cannot tolerate discrimination, prejudice and violence against any sector of our society because of gender, age, political views or sexual orientation.
25. We must equally be clear what the Church teaches concerning sexual orientation and sexual acts.
As we approach this issue we do so recognising that we are not dealing with an academic topic for debate, a question of personal likes or dislikes, rather we are touching the lives of real people, men and women who struggle daily with an orientation that they have not freely or at times willingly chosen. There is, however, a deep and profound meaning in our sexual orientation, human sexuality and sexual activity go to the very core of who we are as human beings.
When it comes to homosexuality the Catholic Church has seen a distinction between tendency and behaviour. What we might call sexual desire and sexual expression. Our sexuality points to who we are as male or female, it is something we have no choice about, we are simply born male or female. Sexual expression on the other hand is a choice.
Consider for example those who struggle with alcohol abuse or eating disorders. They have a strong desire to drink or eat in excess or starve themselves. These desires are not a matter of sin, but that does not mean that they can freely indulge their desires. When God created us male and female our sexuality became inseparable from our call to a life-giving communion in the image and likeness of God. Original sin has obscured this call and we do not therefore see one another in the way that God intended. Hence one could validly say that all sexual desire, whether it is heterosexual or homosexual, suffers from a distortion because of the sin of Adam and Eve (Gen 3).26
Written into the very fabric of our bodies is a 'nuptial' meaning, we are made for marriage, (Gen2:24f)
27. Because marriage expresses God’s original purpose for creation. If someone experiences a strong attraction towards the same sex then this attraction, real as it is, cannot be said to be in accordance with God's original plan. It departs radically from God’s creation of the complementary nature of male and female.
It is in this sense that the Catholic Church speaks of homosexual orientation as 'disordered'
28. Which sounds harsh but what in reality is being said is that homosexuality is not the intended mode of sexual attraction and expression given by God. But disordered is not the same as saying that homosexuals are evil or sinful and beyond redemption. Homosexuality simply departs, as does so much of what passes as sexual expression among heterosexuals, from the original order established by God.
29. (Personae humanae: Declaration On Certain Problems of Sexual Ethics (1975) 8 See the Documents The Pastoral Care of Homosexuals, CDF on Sexual issues)
To experience true freedom in the area of human sexuality we all need redemption and must allow our sexual desires to be transformed by Christ. In this way we can begin to express ourselves sexually in the way God intended. To love as Christ loves, calls us to learn the true meaning of ourselves as male and female. It calls for conversion of heart. When God created human beings the invitation was to love either through marriage or celibacy.
30. This is what Adam and Eve discovered when they looked at each other for the first time. What they saw was the plan of love, the plan of God inscribed in their bodies. What they desired was to love as God loves in and through their bodies.
31. Sexuality and sexual activity unite us to the love of God. It is therefore not about mere physical pleasure or satisfying our curiosity.
True sexual union is union between a man and a woman, a union that is open to the possibility of children. It is simply impossible for members of the same sex to engage in the kind of sexual act that God had in mind.
32. Homosexuals are to be treated justly but the Catholic Church could never sanction a legal category such as 'same sex marriage'. This would be a contradiction, as marriage can only be between a man and woman. This however is not the same as 'civil partnerships' which is a legal acceptance of a bond of friendship, by the State, for matters of insurance, funeral arrangements, medical care, rights of inheritance etc.
People struggle with same-sex attraction and while we must never do anything that contributes to their being alienated or discriminated against, we must do everything in our power to help them, and ourselves, work towards a true redemption of our human sexuality in conformity to Christ.
33. The Catechism of the Catholic Church is clear; chastity is the only acceptable expression of love for those who experience themselves as homosexual. Abstaining from our disordered sexual desires is the true path to justice, peace and reconciliation for all of us no matter what our sexual orientation.
34. Pause for Reflection: How best could we create a deeper understanding of the beauty of human sexuality in our schools and Church groups?
As agents of reconciliation, justice and peace how can we provide pastoral care to those who are homosexual while upholding the sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman?
Conclusion:
(30 Familiaris Consortio 11;16 31 Theology of the Body For Beginners, Christopher West 26 32
CDF: Letter to Bishops of the Catholic Church on the Pastoral Care of Homosexual Persons (1986) 6 33
See Christopher West’s book: Good News About Sex and Marriage (2000), Servant Publications, USA) On his return to Rome from Benin Pope Benedict said: "In Africa, I saw freshness in the 'yes' to life...a freshness of hope."
35. It is to that Gospel of Life, that 'yes' to life, that we have tried to point in this pastoral letter. As we reflect on 'Africae Munus' and seek to implement its fundamental guidelines we offer this pastoral letter as a step towards becoming 'salt to the earth and light to the world'. We need to grow deeper into our faith so that we can 'bear witness to Christ in the power of the Spirit.....while holding fast to the values of the Gospel.'
36. We need to create opportunities where we can reflect more deeply upon the great gift God has given through the Gospel of life. We need to be promoters of respect for life at all stages and in all ages and conditions. We need to integrate into our daily faith-filled living the teaching that we are not, as human beings, mere accidents of history. We are at root windows into the very heart of God and it is from that theological context that all discussion and understanding of capital punishment, abortion, and same sex unions should begin and find their fulfilment.
May our Mother the Blessed Virgin Mary, who bore the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the life of the world, help us to be people who choose life not death.
+Angel Floro, Bishop of Gokwe (ZCBC President)
+Robert C Ndlovu, Archbishop of Harare
+Alex Thomas, Archbishop of Bulawayo
+Alexio Churu Muchabaiwa, Bishop of Mutare (ZCBC Vice President)
+Michael D Bhasera, Bishop of Masvingo
+Martin Munyanyi, Bishop of Gweru (ZCBC Secretary/Treasurer)
+Dieter B Scholz SJ, Bishop of Chinhoyi
+Albert Serrano, Bishop of Hwange
+Patrick M Mutume, Auxiliary Bishop of Mutare
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