"The Catholic Church professes a consistent ethic of life. Pope John Paul writes in The Gospel of Life, 'Where life is involved, the service of charity must be profoundly consistent. It cannot tolerate bias and discrimination, for human life is sacred and inviolable at every stage and in every situation; it is an indivisible good. We need then to show care for all life and for the life of everyone.' (Evangelium Vitae #87, John Paul II,1995 ).

Catholics, and all people by their common humanity, are called to be concerned about abortion and euthanasia, education and health care, capital punishment and crime, war and hunger, and a much lengthier list of issues impacting the dignity of human life. In fact, we are called to see the person before we see the "issue." With this view, we are not so much concerned about "homelessness" as we are about the homeless person; we do not simply look at "capital punishment," but at the person on death row.

This makes sense from many angles. If, for example, one sees killing as a solution to the problems of society, that view encourages capital punishment as well as abortion. If one holds that a person's value depends on his or her productivity, that can spell trouble for a terminally ill patient as well as for an uneducated immigrant.

If we can create a society that welcomes the poor and opens the door to a good education for them, we reinforce the attitude that enables that same society to welcome the unborn and make room for them as well" (The Consitent Ethic of Life: Myths and Realities, Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life).

It cannot be forgotten, however, that the most fundamental of all rights is the right to life. John Paul II, in The Vocation and the Mission of the Lay Faithful in the Church and the World writes," The common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights -- for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture -- is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition of all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination" (38).

As Catholics, we must come together with a common conviction that we can no longer tolerate the moral scandal of poverty in our land and so much hunger and deprivation in our world. As believers, we can debate how best to overcome these realities, but we must be united in our determination to do so. Our faith teaches us that poor people are not issues or problems but sisters and brothers in God's one human family (A Place at the Table, USCCB).

Right now in Arizona 824,000 people live in poverty, 29% of them are children under the age of five. In American 37 million people live below the poverty line, and 854 million people across the world are hungry. Every day, almost 16,000 children die from hunger-related causes. In the time it takes you to read this paragraph 3 children in our world will die from a preventable plague - hunger.

There is nothing new about migration. It is an issue as old as humanity. Lives of people all over the world are touched by the need of some to migrate to enjoy the fruits of their labor and claim lives of dignity. We debate, we legislate, but do we investigate immigration in light of our scriptural and social teaching?

Who are these people we call immigrants? They could be your parents, your grandparents, your teachers, your friends, your doctors, your policemen, your grocer, your waiter, your cook, your babysitter, your gardener, your lawyer, your favorite actor, actress, or sports hero, your shopkeeper. Immigrants permeate the fabric of America. They are an integral part of our society, its goals and its values.

"And God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:25). These words from the first chapter of the Book of Genesis reveal the meaning of what God has done. To men and women, the crown of the entire process of creation, the Creator entrusts the care of the earth (cf. Gen. 2:15). This brings concrete obligations in the area of ecology for every person. Fulfillment of these obligations supposes an openness to a spiritual and ethical perspective capable of overcoming selfish attitudes and "life-styles which lead to the depletion of natural resources".

In this area too, so relevant today, the action of believers is more important than ever. Alongside legislative and governmental bodies, all people of good will must work to ensure the effective protection of the environment, understood as a gift from God" (Ecclesia in America, Pope John Paul II, 1999)

Find out more >

^back to top