Archbishop Leonard P. Blair
In late June, I published a letter about the Supreme Court decision overturning abortion on demand as a constitutional right in the United States. In that letter, I referred to a great champion of life, Pope St. John Paul the Great, and cited his words: “No absolution offered by beguiling doctrines, even in the areas of philosophy and theology, can make a person truly happy: only the Cross and the glory of the Risen Christ can grant peace to one’s conscience and salvation to one’s life.” (Veritatis Splendor, n. 120)
What the late Pope is saying is that we can-not absolve ourselves of what faith and reason present to our conscience as the good to be done and the evil to be avoided, the truth to be followed and the falsehood to be shunned. The obligation to live by a correctly formed and upright conscience is not simply an “ideal” beyond our ability. It is an attainable goal thanks to Christ’s death and resurrection, which free us from the shackles of sin and death. Does that mean the obligation is easy? Not always. But the grace of God accompanies us. Jesus says, “take up your cross every day,” faithfully doing what is right in keeping with the commandments.
Those engaged in Project Rachel, the Church’s ministry to women (and men) who decided to have an abortion, can tell you about the scars left on the consciences of many people precisely because in their heart of hearts they know the evil of what they have done and are often haunted by it.
In our country alone, over 60 million unborn babies have been aborted as a result of Roe v. Wade. It is staggering to imagine the loss of this many individual people who from their conception — according to science, not religion — already possessed all their potentialities as individual human beings. I am reminded of the renowned Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, who was born blind, and how he has publicly thanked his mother for not aborting him despite the doctors’ warning that he would be born with some disability. How many American Andrea Bocellis have been aborted among the 60 million!
For a very long time, people of upright conscience and goodwill have worked and prayed for an end to the scourge of abortion on demand in our country and around the world. Now that Roe v. Wade has finally been set aside, it is for the people of the United States, and not the Supreme Court, to decide the protections that can and should be afforded to the unborn. We need to make every effort to ensure that this happens in Connecticut, and that life is respected from conception until natural death.
When abortion was first legalized, its supporters claimed that the goal was to make it “safe, legal and rare.” Now assisted suicide is being promoted as “a compassionate choice.” But the result of both is a “culture of death” where suicide among young people, lethal violence by guns or other means and disrespect and intolerance are increasing.
Resisting a “culture of death” begins with our own change of heart. When we encounter God and experience his love, we become more aware of our own God-given dignity and value as creatures made in the divine “image and likeness.” We become more respectful of our neighbor’s life and dignity as well. And when someone is tempted to abortion or suicide, we will want, in the words of Pope Francis, to “accompany” them with understanding, compassion, prayer and whatever help it takes for them to choose life.
Our Catholic Church has a monumental commitment to fostering the spiritual, moral and material well-being of our nation and our world, beginning in our own families, com-munities and parishes. Outreach and care for pregnant women in difficult and trying circumstances have been an integral part of Catholic pro-life efforts, and we need to commit ourselves all the more to the Respect Life ministry of our archdiocese and to our parish pro-life groups.
I want to thank once again all the faithful of the Archdiocese of Hartford who have persevered in their pro-life commitment through thick and thin and have never given up hope that one day the evil of abortion on demand would no longer be the untouchable law of the land and who continue to resist the arguments for assisted suicide. I join you in praying that truth and love may prevail in our country and in our world.
PHOTOS BY AARON JOSEPH