Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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I’ve worked in the pro-life movement for 41 years, for 40 years at national level in the United
Kingdom for the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, SPUC, the first pro-life
group to be established anywhere in the world, and the largest pro-life group in Europe. For
37 of those 40 years I have worked for the pro-life movement on a full-time basis, firstly,
from 1978 as SPUC’s general secretary, and secondly, from 1996 until now, as the Society’s
chief executive. SPUC was formed in 1966, and, 6 years before Roe v Wade, in 1967,
abortion was legalised in Britain. I am also joint vice-chairman of the International Right to
Life Federation, founded by Dr Jack Willke, whom many regard as the father of the pro-life
movement worldwide. May God rest Jack, who died last month after a lifetime of service,
and God rest Barbara too, his beloved wife. In my judgment, Jack and Barbara laid the prolife
foundations worldwide on which the rest of us can continue to build with confidence. I
feel blessed to be working this weekend in the State of Ohio, the scene and the domestic
home, as it were, of so much of their truly historic pro-life work.
When the pro-life movement came into existence almost fifty years ago, led by great pro-life
leaders like the late Jack and Barbara Willke, it was in response to the legalisation, and rapid
spread, of abortion around the world. Our task was to secure legal protection for unborn
children. However in recent decades we have witnessed the culture of death expand into new
areas of human life; including, for example, the most vulnerable unborn children of all,
newly-conceived human embryos, who are more and more threatened by the giant, universal,
anti-life in-vitro fertilisation industry, just as newly-conceived human embryos have been
threatened for many decades by the pharmaceutical industry and by so-called “contraceptive”
drugs and devices which also work by stopping newly-conceived embryos from implanting in
the womb and thus killed; the culture of death, based on contraception and abortion has also
expanded to our children at school who are threatened by destructive anti-life, anti-family sex
education; it has spread more and more to targeting and eliminating the disabled, the sick and
the elderly who are threatened by euthanasia and “assisted suicide”; and the very nature of
marriage and the family, the exclusive lifetime union of a man and a woman, open to life and
committed to the nurture and protection of their children, is being undermined and denied by
those who hold power and influence. The consequences of all this is catastrophic, not only for
millions of individuals, but for the whole of our increasingly globalised society.
In November 2011 the national council of the Society for the Protection of Children, our
organisation’s policy-making body, elected by its grassroots volunteers, passed, without
opposition, a resolution to defend marriage and to oppose so-called “same-sex marriage”.
The Society for the Protection of Unborn Children (SPUC), as a pro-life organization,
decided to fight against “same-sex marriage” legislation for two reasons. First, statistical
evidence on abortion clearly shows that marriage as an institution protects children, both born
and unborn.
Secondly, “same-sex marriage” represents an attempt to redefine marriage, thus undermining
marriage and family life, as a growing body of academic research clearly shows. It is this
undermining that lessens the protection for unborn children that true marriage provides.Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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Legalising “same-sex marriage” is not a question of being kind to people with same-sex
attraction and letting them get married if they want to. It is a question of the destruction of
the family, the oldest human institution in the world, which protects the mental and physical
wellbeing of men, women and children. No other grouping offers such a high level of that
security and stability that human beings need to flourish. Research shows overwhelmingly
that children growing up within marriage do better in terms of health, educational success,
happiness, careers and their own marriages. It is precisely because children matter, that real
marriage between one man and one woman matters so much.
Research by Dr Patricia Morgan, a leading researcher in family policy, commissioned by
SPUC and presented to the British Parliament, shows that in countries in which same-sex
marriage has been legalised, real marriage and family life are undermined – thus undermining
also the protection which marriage and family life provide to children, including unborn
children.
Based on research and data from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, Spain, Canada
and the US, Dr Morgan concluded that redefining marriage to accommodate same-sex
couples:
Reinforces the idea that marriage is irrelevant to parenthood
Accelerates the decline of marriage among heterosexual couples
Separates the concepts of “marriage” and “family” and triggers the dismemberment of
family structures in family-friendly societies.
Advocates of the redefinition of marriage, such as Teresa May, the British Home Secretary,
the minister responsible for immigration, security and law and order, often claim that opening
marriage to homosexuals will strengthen the institution of marriage as a whole, encouraging
more heterosexual couples to embrace marriage.
However Dr Morgan found, across all the countries that she analysed, that no causal link has
been established to support the idea that so-called “same-sex marriage” prevents the decline
of the institution of marriage.
In fact, she argues that the redefinition of marriage is either the end-game of long-term
strategy to destroy the family, such as in Sweden, or it is an early opening salvo in countries
such as Spain in which family structures have, until recently, remained strong.
Dr Morgan explains that Sweden has witnessed probably the most concerted attempt in
history to engineer a liberated sexuality free from moral and social norms, the freedom of
women from child care responsibilities, and the demise of the interdependence of husband
and wife. This has been brought about through deliberate economic manipulation, social
pressures and a massive campaign of public “re-education”.
By the 1980s the boast was that Sweden was “moving faster than most other advanced
industrialised countries towards a society of cohabiting individuals, temporary families, and
single individuals with and without children.” Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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The culmination of such policies was that the Scandinavian nations became the first in the
world to recognise homosexual unions, with Denmark in 1989, followed by Norway in 1994
and Sweden in 1995.
The boast in Sweden, according to Dr Morgan’s research, is that the model society for the
future is “cohabiting individuals”, “temporary families” and “single individuals with and
without children.” Our opponents can only achieve this through the destruction of the
traditional family, our families, and thus destroying the possibility of healthy and normal
family life for our children and grandchildren, born and unborn.
Spain provides a good example of how “same-sex marriage” is an effective weapon against
the traditional family structure. In Spain family structures had remained relatively strong.
However, the recognition of so-called “same-sex marriage” in 2005 was followed by a
pronounced acceleration in the decline of real marriage. The annual number of marriages fell
by an average of nearly 15,000 during the three years immediately following the legislation.
For the next three years after that the annual fall was over 34,000.
The destruction of traditional family structures has very grave consequences for all members
of society, but it is children, born and unborn, who are especially vulnerable. Government
statistics from the United Kingdom show that children conceived outside of marriage are 4 to
5 times more likely to be aborted than those conceived within marriage.
There’s a website I looked up when I was preparing this talk called Rainforest Concern.
Rainforest Concern tells us that half of the Earth’s wildlife and at least two-thirds of its plant
species live in tropical rainforests ... These plants provide food and shelter for many rare
animals that depend on the rainforest for their survival ... Destroy the rainforest and you
destroy protection for that wildlife ... In the same way, the family, founded on marriage
between a man and a woman is the natural habitat of children, of unborn children. Indeed, the
natural family is a pre-political and pre-Christian institution. Destroy that institution in
society and you destroy protection for children, both born and unborn.
Historically, our nations’ laws protected unborn children from being killed, and so, quite
logically and rightly, pro-life movements worldwide have worked tirelessly to restore, or to
uphold, such laws.
By the same token, historically, families based on the indissoluble union in marriage of a man
and a woman, have provided children, both born and unborn, with their best hope of life and
fulfilment in life ... so, quite logically and rightly, pro-life movements worldwide must work
tirelessly to defend marriage and the family.
The pro-life movement cannot possibly succeed in its efforts to end abortion if the family
based on marriage between a man and a woman is destroyed.
What’s more, a major way in which the so-called “homosexual rights” lobby is actively
undermining the family and the culture of life, is through targeting its message at little
children in their schools including, in the UK, I am ashamed to say as a Catholic myself, in Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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Catholic primary schools. I have little doubt that the same pattern is repeated in other
countries too.
I am sorry to have to share with you that homosexual militants are being invited into schools
in Britain, including into Catholic schools with the blessing of the local bishop, to train
teachers how to educate little boys as young as four years old that they might grow up to
marry a man rather than a woman – and the same with little girls.
Catholic schools in Britain, and around the world, have long been complicit in the culture of
death, providing access to abortion and contraception for the under 16s without parental
knowledge. This is happening, to my shame as a Catholic, with the co-operation of the
Catholic authorities.
Now what happens when little Johnny at Our Lady’s School, say, in south London, says to
his teacher: “Please Miss! Can boys who grow up to marry a man have babies like mummies
and daddies can?” Without a shadow of doubt, very many teachers will say “Yes they can. In
a different way ... but yes they can.”
As you know, same-sex couples are now demanding the right to have children– making it
even more difficult for pro-life groups effectively to oppose surrogacy and in vitro
fertilisation. According to peer-reviewed research, for every baby born by IVF, 23 are either
discarded, or frozen, or used in destructive experiments, or miscarry. Defending the right to
life of unborn children will increasingly be viewed as an attack on the rights of homosexual
couples.
Thus, this is one of the most fundamental reasons why, as the title of my talk this morning
states: “The pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face
defeat.”
No wonder that Pope John Paul II made it clear that there’s no hope of building a culture of
life without teaching young people the truth about human sexuality. I am a Catholic as was
Pope John Paul II, you won’t be surprised to hear! But I quote the Pope Saint John Paul II in
this context, in his role as prophet speaking to the whole of humanity, regardless of people’s
religion or belief in God. He wrote in his pro-life encyclical, Evangelium Vitae, number 97:
“In particular, there is a need for education about the value of life from its very origins. It is
an illusion to think that we can build a true culture of human life if we do not help the
young to accept and experience sexuality and love and the whole of life according to their
true meaning and in their close interconnection. Sexuality, which enriches the whole person,
‘manifests its inmost meaning in leading the person to the gift of self in love’. The
trivialization of sexuality is among the principal factors which have led to contempt for new
life. Only a true love is able to protect life. There can be no avoiding the duty to offer,
especially to adolescents and young adults, an authentic education in sexuality and in love,
an education which involves training in chastity as a virtue which fosters personal maturity
and makes one capable of respecting the ‘spousal’ meaning of the body.”Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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It is important that we realise that the persecution of the Christian faithful and of all who
adhere to the moral law written in our hearts, not least parents of school-age children, is not
something to be feared for the future but it’s something which is already here.
In Britain, our organisation, the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, has been
funding, at great expense, the employment tribunal battle of a Catholic teacher in a Catholic
school forbidden by order of the Catholic authorities, including by the local bishop, from
spreading the case against the legalisation of same-sex marriage amongst his fellow teachers.
I am sure you are all aware of many cases across the western world in which individuals from
all walks of life - bakers, hoteliers, firemen, policemen, florists, registrars – and no doubt
many others – have had their livelihoods threatened and destroyed by an aggressive and
intolerant homosexual lobby.
One can see why, during the Eucharistic Congress in Philadelphia in 1976, the future Pope St
John Paul II told those gathered:
“We are now standing in the face of the greatest historical confrontation humanity has ever
experienced. I do not think that the wide circle of the American Society, or the whole wide
circle of the Christian Community realize this fully. We are now facing the final
confrontation between the Church and the anti-church, between the gospel and the antigospel,
between Christ and the antichrist. The confrontation lies within the plans of Divine
Providence. It is, therefore, in God’s Plan, and it must be a trial which the Church must take
up, and face courageously…”
Unfortunately such courage has often not been forthcoming. I do speak now as a Catholic. I
am a pro-life leader who happens to be a Catholic and there’s no reason why I should hide
that fact. Indeed, I believe there’s every reason for a pro-life leader to focus on the
profoundly grave problems in his church and I intend to do so, for the sake of giving witness
to Christ who founded the church, and for the sake of authentic church renewal. Throughout
Britain, Europe, North America, and much of the world, the failure of Catholic bishops to
teach their flocks on matters relating to sexuality and the fundamental right to life is directly
responsible for great confusion and, consequently, for the failure of the overwhelming
majority of Catholics, both clerical and lay, to provide truly effective resistance to the
greatest legalized slaughter of human beings in the history of the world. Countless millions of
unborn children are being killed each year and the policy of very many Catholic bishops in
Europe and elsewhere is contributing hugely to this deplorable situation. Their policy in
England and Wales, for example, as I have mentioned, includes complicity, clearly on record,
with the provision, without the knowledge of their parents, of contraception and abortion
advice and services to children under the age of consent attending Catholic schools.
Britain is witnessing the fulfilment of the prophetic message of Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul
VI's historic encyclical which celebrates its 50th anniversary in three years’ time. Speaking
about the inseparable connection between the unitive and procreative aspects of sexual
intercourse he wrote: “Finally, careful consideration should be given to the danger of this
power passing into the hands of those public authorities who care little for the precepts of the
moral law. Who will blame a government which in its attempt to resolve the problems Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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affecting an entire country resorts to the same measures as are regarded as lawful by married
people in the solution of a particular family difficulty? Who will prevent public authorities
from favoring those contraceptive methods which they consider more effective? Should they
regard this as necessary, they may even impose their use on everyone.” When Pope Paul VI
wrote these words, he was referring to governments imposing birth control practices on
whole societies. His words apply, tragically, with terrifying consequences for our families, to
Catholic bishops in England and Wales, who co-operate with the British government policy
of imposing birth control practices on families like mine.
Also in England and Wales, rather than offer steadfast opposition to the homosexual agenda,
the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales has cravenly surrendered by producing
scandalous equality guidelines which utterly betray the lay faithful, and especially parents
who are trying to bring up their children in conformity with the natural moral law and the
teaching of the Church. These guidelines from the Catholic bishops of England and Wales
insist, for example, that Catholic institutions, including Catholic schools, must comply with
British government and EU legislation requiring equal employment rights of male and female
homosexuals and bisexuals and transsexuals. Indeed, the bishops’ policy statement welcomes
this legislation, seeks to implement it within the Church, and promises to monitor its
implementation including in Catholic schools.
Since the bishops’ guidelines were published, a pro-abortion document prepared at the
request of the European Union on conscientious objection, links rights relating to sexual
orientation to other supposed rights, including the “right” to abortion and the “right” to
euthanasia and assisted suicide. The EU Commission document quotes, in part, from the
Diversity and Equality Guidelines of the Catholic bishops of England and Wales in a
generally approving way.
Thus the policy of the Catholic bishops’ conference of England and Wales in its Diversity
and Equality Guidelines is helping the British government to promote the homosexual rights
agenda throughout Europe via a document from the European Commission which, in its turn,
links homosexual rights to abortion rights.
Pro-life movements around the world ignore these kinds of developments, which have
massive geopolitical significance, at their peril. I am aware that you encounter similar evils in
the United States.
In fact the Archbishop of Westminster, Vincent Cardinal Nichols, has publicly stated that the
Church may one day recognise homosexual unions. Despite this bold contradiction of the
Church’s unchangeable teaching on this matter he was recently selected to serve on the
Congregation responsible for the appointment of new bishops.
He was appointed to that congregation at the same time that the great pro-life champion,
Raymond Cardinal Burke was removed from it.
By way of complete contrast, I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks as a parent to the
Catholic bishops of Nigeria.Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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Last year, they publicly thanked Goodluck Jonathan, Nigeria's president, for signing into law
the Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill, which prohibits same-sex marriages, civil
partnerships, and the promotion of homosexuality.
Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama, president of the bishops' conference, commended President
Jonathan for his:
"decision...not to bow to international pressure in the promotion of unethical and immoral
practices of same sex union and other related vices"
And Archbishop Kaigama spoke of:
"the conspiracy of the developed world to make our country and continent, the dumping
ground for the promotion of all immoral practices, that have continued to debase the
purpose of God for man in the area of creation and morality, in their own countries."
Archbishop Kaigama and other African bishops also offered a courageous defence of the
unchangeable teachings of the Church on matters relating to human sexuality at the
Extraordinary Synod on the family held last October in Rome.
I was at the Synod as co-founder of Voice of the Family, an international coalition of 23 prolife
and pro-family groups, representing people from many nations and five continents.
The synod was ostensibly called to find solutions to the crisis facing the family in our world
today. In fact, as I am sure most of you are already very well aware, the synod threatened to
make the situation a good deal worse.
During the synod those faithful to unchangeable Catholic teaching had to defend marriage
from assaults coming from within the Church by a well organised, highly disciplined group
of senior prelates who were determined to undermine her immutable teachings.
I must tell you, that our team personally witnessed scenes of dissent and manipulation,
carried out by the official organs of the Holy See, on a scale that I could not previously have
envisaged.
Many of you will be well aware that half-way through the synod a scandalous document,
containing very grave errors, was presented to the press, which purported to be an interim
report reflecting the discussions of the synod fathers.
In fact, as the Archbishop of Durban, Wilfrid Cardinal Napier, immediately pointed out, the
report did not accurately represent the views of the bishops.
Cardinal Napier said "The message has gone out: This is what the synod is saying, this is
what the Catholic church is saying.
"And it's not what we're saying at all.”
George Cardinal Pell, Prefect for the Economy, stated that the document “didn’t represent
accurately the feelings of the Synod fathers” and was “tendentious and skewed”.Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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He continued:
“One father said to me... that he wouldn’t want his young adult children to read it because
they’d be confused.”
That is the gravity of the situation today. Catholic fathers do not want their children reading
documents produced by authorities in Rome.
It is crucially important then to get to grips with this document, especially Catholics but also
non-Catholics, because it is nothing less than the manifesto of a group within the Church who
wish to dismantle her entire edifice of teaching on human sexuality – which is such a crucial
factor in our historic struggle to defend life and marriage.
The document contains many gravely problematic aspects, but I wish to focus on what I
consider the two major threats to marriage and the family contained within it.
The first is the attempt to change the teaching of the Church on the question of the admission
of the divorced and “remarried” to Holy Communion without amendment of life.
Now, as we all know, the Catholic Church has clearly taught, since the beginning of her
existence, that a ratified and consummated sacramental marriage cannot be dissolved by any
authority on earth. This teaching has been repeated unceasingly by the Church for twenty
centuries, without prejudice to the annulment procedure the purpose of which is to discover
whether there was a valid marriage contract in the first place.
So, we must ask, why is sacramental marriage now being challenged?
Cardinal Pell has publicly stated that this proposal is a “stalking horse” being proposed by
“radical elements” within the Church who want, and I quote the Cardinal, “who want wider
changes, recognition of civil unions, recognition of homosexual unions.”
Let us be clear: Cardinal Pell is telling us that there are figures, at the highest levels of the
Church, who want the Church to approve of homosexual unions.
Indeed, as I said earlier, this is already considered an open question by influential clerics,
such as Cardinal Nichols of Westminster.
It causes me great pain to say it but our families are now being directly threatened, not only
by those who hold power in the state, but also by those who hold power in the Church. And
we always need to draw a distinction here between those who hold power in the church and
the Church itself, the bride of Christ.
Let us reflect for a moment on those passages of the interim report, which suggest that the
Church should identify and affirm positive aspects of gravely sinful relationships.
The report states, and I quote:
“A new element in today’s pastoral activity is a sensitivity to the positive aspects of civilly
celebrated marriages and, with obvious differences, cohabitation. While clearly presenting Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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the ideal, the Church needs also to indicate the constructive elements in these situations,
which do not yet or no longer correspond to that ideal.”
It continues, in a section entitled “The discernment of values present in wounded families and
in irregular situations”:
“Some ask whether the sacramental fullness of marriage does not exclude the possibility of
recognizing positive elements even the imperfect forms that may be found outside this
nuptial situation, which are in any case ordered in relation to it.”
There is obviously a great deal that could be said about such proposals, but I want to suggest
a few key points for your reflection.
It is the duty of the Church to lead people to life in Jesus Christ, who is “the way, the truth,
and the life”.
It is impossible to find true peace and happiness if we live in a way that is contrary to the
truths of the moral law, which are accessible to us through the use of reason and in the
authoritative teaching of the Church. It is therefore a solemn duty of the Church to teach the
truth in love, “in season and out of season”.
By focusing on supposedly positive aspects of objectively sinful unions we deny people the
full truth and risk giving them a false understanding of their situation. We not only run the
risk of giving them excuses not to change their lives but also seem to suggest that the Church
in some way approves of their behaviour.
The confusion only deepens when we turn to the section dealing with homosexuality.
The document states:
“Homosexuals have gifts and qualities to offer to the Christian community. Are we capable
of providing for these people, guaranteeing them a place of fellowship in our communities?
Oftentimes, they want to encounter a Church which offers them a welcoming home. Are our
communities capable of this, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation...?”
It continues:
“Without denying the moral problems connected to homosexual unions it has to be noted
that there are cases in which mutual aid to the point of sacrifice constitutes a precious
support in the life of the partners.”
It goes on to say that “unions between people of the same sex cannot be considered on the
same level as marriage between man and woman”, which of course implies that there is a
level on which they can be accepted.
Perhaps most disturbingly of all, the document speaks of “children who live with homosexual
couples” without giving any indication whatsoever that there is anything objectively wrong
with this situation. Children are being sacrificed on the altar of adults’ “sexual rights”.Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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There is much that can be said about all these passages.
Firstly, we should never tire of pointing out that the value and dignity of every human being,
lies in our creation in the image and likeness of God, and our possession of a rational soul
capable of knowing and choosing the good.
It is offence against human dignity to say that the Church must accept and value a sexual
orientation which the Catholic Church clearly teaches is “intrinsically disordered”.
This is a false mercy, a false compassion, which shows no interest for the good of the
individual, who is at risk of being confirmed in behaviour which the Catechism refers to as
“great depravity.”
Note well, there is nothing, absolutely nothing, in this entire section which indicates that
homosexual acts are sinful.
I repeat: this is false mercy, false compassion, and one must question what is foremost in the
minds of these clerics. Do they genuinely care about individuals struggling with homosexual
tendencies, or those who are divorced or remarried, or is this rather a political act, the first
step towards destroying the entire edifice of Catholic teaching on matters of human
sexuality?
His Eminence Raymond Cardinal Burke has stated:
“You do not have to be a rocket scientist to see the approach at work, which is certainly not
of the Church”.
And, of course, it is primarily the good of children which is to be sacrificed.
It was precisely for these reasons, because the gravity of the threat was realised, that many
cardinals and bishops have spoken out strongly, not only against this document but against
the entire way in which the synod has been conducted.
Senior prelates have publicly protested against the consistent manipulation of the synod
fathers by the organisers of the synod and against the censorship and distortion that they were
subjected to by Vatican press office.
Cardinal Burke said:
“It is clear that whoever wrote the Relatio has an agenda and simply used the authority of
a solemn meeting of Cardinals and Bishops to advance his agenda without respect for the
discussion which took place during the first week of the Synod.
He continued:
“The fact that none of the interventions of the Synod Fathers were permitted to be
published and that their content was filtered through the daily briefings organized by
Father Lombardi facilitated the manipulation.”Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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Despite such protests the manipulation continues.
A team from the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, and other Voice of the
Family colleagues, recently attended a conference on the Synod organised by the Pontifical
Council for the Family in Rome.
The conference was purportedly organised to allow lay groups to contribute to the Pontifical
Council’s own input into the Synod. However it rapidly became clear to my colleagues that
opinions which challenged the radical agenda were not welcomed by some of those persons
responsible for the conference.
Our team raised the issues of abortion, parental rights, euthanasia, assisted suicide, “gender
theory” and many other important topics. Yet the relators of the English-language group
failed to relay any of these contributions to the plenary sessions. Yet they were quite happy to
relay contributions about such issues as “transgender rights”.
I am also sorry to have to inform you that the President of the Pontifical Council for the
Family, Mgr Vincenzio Paglia, not only refused, when asked, to uphold the Church’s
teaching on Holy Communion for the divorced and “remarried”, but in fact strongly indicated
that he would accept such a change of doctrine.
To those in the Church who argue that what’s being proposed is not a change of doctrine
about marriage but simply a change in the Church’s discipline, here’s what Cardinal Burke
had to say in an interview with Rorate Coeli earlier this month on 2nd March:
“I think it's very important to address a false dichotomy that's been drawn by some who say,
‘Oh no, we're just changing disciplines. We're not touching the Church's doctrine.’ But if you
change the Church's discipline with regard to access to Holy Communion by those who are
living in adultery, then surely you are changing the Church's doctrine on adultery. You're
saying that, in some circumstances, adultery is permissible and even good, if people can live
in adultery and still receive the sacraments. That is a very serious matter, and Catholics have
to insist that the Church's discipline not be changed in some way which would, in fact,
weaken our teaching on one of the most fundamental truths, the truth about marriage and the
family.”
Thank God, I say, for Cardinal Burke.
The Pontifical Council for the Family is at the present moment “a house divided against
itself” and its current leadership is submitting to an agenda that will prove radically
destructive of our families. Let’s never forget that fact. It’s our families, yours and mine,
which are under attack by certain senior clerics in Rome and elsewhere.
The situation at the Pontifical Council is, unfortunately, indicative of a wider situation in
Rome, and in the Church as a whole.
Faced with such a threat, to our faith, to our families, and to our children, what can the
Catholic laity, and non-Catholics too I would say, do? Everyone has a stake in this matter.Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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In the first place we must follow the call made by the Latvian archbishop, the Archbishop of
Riga, Archbishop Stankevičs, and commit ourselves to prayer. We must pray unceasingly for
the Pope, for the cardinals, for the bishops, and for clergy, religious and laity that we may all
remain firm and unyielding in our profession of the gospel.
“But though we,” says St. Paul, “or an angel from heaven preach a gospel to you other than
that which we have preached to you, let him be anathema” (Gal. 1:8).
Secondly, we must remember that we, the lay faithful, have both the right and the duty to
make known to our pastors our views about the crisis engulfing the Catholic Church.
We have a right and a duty to require from our clergy unwavering obedience to the natural
law and the teaching of the Church. No authority, not even the Pope, has the power or the
right to alter in any way that which has been revealed to the Church by Almighty God.
Canon 211 of the Code of Canon Law states that:
“All the Christian faithful have the duty and right to work so that the divine message of
salvation more and more reaches all people in every age and in every land.”
This is followed by Canon 212, which states:
“The Christian faithful are free to make known to the pastors of the Church their needs,
especially spiritual ones, and their desires.
“According to the knowledge, competence, and prestige which they possess, they have the
right and even at times the duty to manifest to the sacred pastors their opinion on matters
which pertain to the good of the Church and to make their opinion known to the rest of the
Christian faithful, without prejudice to the integrity of faith and morals, with reverence
toward their pastors, and attentive to common advantage and the dignity of persons.”
Please let me know if you would like to receive from me Voice of the Family’s full briefing
on the Family Synod and the deeply disturbing developments connected to the Synod. And
please consider writing to, or better still, visiting your local bishop and the bishops elected by
the United States Conference of Bishops to participate in the General Family Synod in
October this year.
The most notable achievement of the pro-life movement is that we exist. Yes, pro-life
organizations have enjoyed successes and saved lives. We’ve also had our setbacks. But,
brutally realistically, we’re tiny – compared with the overwhelming reach of the culture of
death, and compared with the universal reach of the Catholic Church in particular. That’s
why Catholics here – and everyone here who has an interest in the common good – must
study what’s happening at the highest levels in the Catholic Church and take action and we
must have the maturity to speak out when things are badly wrong at the highest levels of the
Church. In June, 2014, I had the privilege of addressing the Catholic bishops of Nigeria at a
conference in Abuja on “Why the Pro-Life Movement needs the Catholic Church” and I have
copies of my talk with me this weekend if any of you are interested are reading it.Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
13
Finally of course, we must strive to remain faithful in our own lives and strive, with God’s
assistance, to lead our families, and all those with whom we come into contact, to life in Jesus
Christ.
The pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage or face defeat as the title of my
talk this morning says – but, at this stage in history, this is not primarily a political or
legislative matter albeit we must keep up the legislative battle and speak out politically as
Cleveland Right to Life is doing so courageously and prophetically. Embracing the defence
of marriage is primarily about handing on what we know to be the truth about the nature of
marriage to the next generation upon whose shoulders the burden of the pro-life struggle is
rapidly falling: that marriage is the exclusive lifetime union of one man and one woman
which is open to life and committed to the nurture and protection of their children; I refer in
particular, of course, to the inseparability of the unitive and procreative dimensions of the
marriage act.
Cardinal Burke, on 9
th October, 2010, at the World Prayer Congress for Life in Rome, said
the following: “The attack on the innocent and defenceless life of the unborn has its origin in
an erroneous view of human sexuality, which attempts to eliminate, by mechanical or
chemical means, the essentially procreative nature of the conjugal act. The error maintains
that the artificially altered conjugal act retains its integrity. The claim is that the act remains
unitive or loving, even though the procreative nature has been radically violated. In fact, it is
not unitive, for one or both of the partners withholds an essential part of the gift of self, which
is the essence of the conjugal union. The so-called ‘contraceptive mentality’ is essentially
anti-life. Many forms of so-called contraception are, in fact, abortifacient, that is, they
destroy, at its beginning, a life which has already been conceived.”
Dear Fellow Pro-lifers, it’s never easy to say this but it’s never been more important to speak
out: The use of contraceptive drugs and devices by so many Christians, including Catholics,
which may, according to the manufacturers, cause an early abortion, is draining the pro-life
movement of the support of the community most likely to support the battle against abortion.
Couples who may be turning a blind eye to the practice of abortifacient birth control in the
intimacy of their married lives may well find it difficult to support our unequivocal
campaigns against abortion, IVF, human embryo research and euthanasia. This
understanding of pro-life work – linking unequivocal defence of the right to life to the truth
about the transmission of human life through the marriage act – must become the foundation
stone of the pro-life movement in the United States and worldwide.
I think in a sense, speaking on behalf of the oldest pro-life organization in the world, after
nearly 50 years, our work is just beginning. Where do we begin? We begin with the family,
with mothers and fathers as primary educators, whom John Paul II teaches that the church
exists to serve.
Parents, as the primary educators of their children, must find ways of teaching their children,
including our older children who have fled the nest, the truth about the sanctity of human life
and its transmission, the truth found in Humanae Vitae and in Evangelium Vitae and in
Familiaris Consortio, because we have the right and the authority to do so and because, at
this point in human history, the overwhelming majority of Episcopal leaders, who also have
authority, are failing to do their duty. There’s nothing left out there – except the family, Why the pro-life movement must embrace the defence of marriage and the family or face defeat
John Smeaton, Bringing America Back to Life Convention, Cleveland, Ohio, 7th March 2015
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based on the marriage between a man and a woman, to pick up the billions of broken babies,
the billions of broken lives, and start again.
At this point in history, observing events in the Church and in the State we have much to be
fearful of, yet we know that we can take comfort from the fact that history shows that no
matter how grave the crisis, a time will come when the Church and Her teaching will stand
vindicated, while error and sin will stand powerless and condemned.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery, in his book Wind, Sand and Stars, writes:
“Water is worth its weight in gold; the smallest drop kindles in the sand the green spark of
a blade of grass. If rain falls anywhere, a great exodus brings life to the Sahara.”
The modern west, and the Church in many other parts of the world, seems, like the Sahara, to
be a lifeless desert. Yet, just beneath the surface, life waits to be given the opportunity to
spring forth. Faithful Catholics, all faithful Christians, all men and women of good will
worldwide, many of whom we are privileged to work with in the pro-life movement, are the
seeds of this new life. Let us pray that the harvest will be very great in the months and years
ahead.
God bless America and the American pro-life movement. God bless Molly, her committee
and her incredible volunteers. And God bless Cleveland Right to Life and its supporters.....
