When historians look back in history they sometimes criticize bishops or popes for not speaking out forcefully enough against the atrocities of their age. No historian will be able to say that about Bishop Peter Elliot.
The Australian reports:
THE “warped practice of eugenics is rising from its Nazi tomb” in Australia, a senior Catholic bishop says.
Bishop Peter Elliott, head of Melbourne’s John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family told mass-goers in Bendigo Cathedral on Sunday: “A seek-and-destroy policy kills little human beings in the womb because they are ‘guilty’ of Down Syndrome, dwarfism or other imperfection.
“They are deemed to be unfit to live for they do not come up to the standard of the ‘designer baby’ and a healthy, sport-loving race.
“It is no surprise that euthanasia is being strongly promoted today. Nor should it be a surprise that this is the policy of a political and ideological force that puts more value on wattle and wombats than people.
“Resurgent aggressive secularism resorts to killing as it strives to engineer, direct and control not only society, but your life and mine.”
Could you imagine hearing this at Sunday Mass? I think I’d applaud. And then weep that it was necessary.
November 5, 2010 at 5:47 am
Wow, a bishop with a backbone.
November 5, 2010 at 6:04 am
The Australian story does not mention that the sermon took place at a traditional mass marking the end of the 20th Christus Rex pilgrimage from Ballarat to Bendigo. The liturgy of the pilgrimage is the traditional Latin rite ('extraordinary form'), and is dedicated to the social kingship of Christ. It occurs over three days – 32 km the first day, 35 km the second, 20 or so the third. It has its highest ever numbers this year – 430 pilgrims, overwhelmingly young (not surprising given the distances walked, although an 85 year old pilgrim, Evelyn, should be given credit). I was on it – it was unseasonably cold and rainy, adding to the penitential aspect, but a great success.
November 5, 2010 at 7:08 am
The good Bishop is correct, "Lebensunwertes Leben" has raised its ugly head again in our so-called "advanced" society.
November 5, 2010 at 11:09 am
So the question is why do we not hear it at Mass.
Was it because our parents saw two world conflicts and realised the way to resolution and peace was through our Creator.
Do we have to have more conflict for people to find the way back to Christ.
I was recently at a 50 year school reunion and was staggered..I shouldn't have been..by the real faith in those old classmates and their absolute love of Holy Mass.
The meaning of Faith and the teaching of that Faith quite obviously never left those men as they grew older.This generation has no grasp, and, who do we blame for it not being passed on, us the parents, the muted instruction from the pulpit or as many seem to blame,the changes brought about by Vatican 2 and it's total inability to grow our Faith in times of change and social upheaval.
Here in Australia we had the wonderful World Youth Days which were overpowering for the week they took place. More's the pity that little was done to add to the genuine love of God shown by Australians and visitors. Another opportunity lost. So many young people looking for others to rise up with them for love of Christ and absolutely nothing to continue the unification after the week was over.
Likewise the canonisation of out first Saint last week highlighted St.Mary of the Cross' devotion to the Will of God but so little substance to the devotion of the masses of people who tuned into the telecast. "Pretty good woman that but it's all a little tough for me' seems to be the feelings of this generation.
2000 years on from the birth of Christ and we "discover" gay rights, gay marriage,on demand abortion and euthanasia as if these things never crossed the minds of the faithful over all those centuries.Now we must legislate all these wrongs for a secular agenda.
Everything advances supposedly, medicine,science, civil liberties, arms, conservation issues, but we want no part of a Saviour who exercises compassion despite all of our indiffernce to Him.
I see Bishop Elliott's remarks as a telling concern over the way our Australian political system is heading. He no doubt has great concerns about the alliance between Australian Labor and the Greens, particularly the latter who have shown themselves to be morally corrupt and devoid of decency. This all being hidden by a conservation platform which the Bishop alluded to when he mentioned wattles and wombats, two Australian icons, one a flowering bush, the other an Australian native animal.
November 5, 2010 at 11:40 am
Bishop Elliott is a great man. My oldest son was able to serve Mass (TLM) for him 3 times last summer during the bishop's visit to DC. He is the epitome of what a Roman Catholic bishop SHOULD be. (my husband says quite often that if he did his job as badly as most bishops do theirs, he would be in prison for life) I only wish there were more men in the Church leadership like Bishop Elliott.
November 5, 2010 at 6:44 pm
As a parent of 3 young boys – it IS the parents' fault. God gave them to you, you threw them at the schools and priests who had other issues. It's your final responsibility – grab a book or a pamphlet and teach and SHOW your kids. You go to hell if they didn't get taught sufficiently.
Old? Piss of your kids with an apology and instruction now and then pray without ceasing. You owe it to them, your God, your SOUL.
Stop blaming the Culture of Death – it is a CULTURE, you are the antidote and cure, you are the BEING here!
It's a war every bit and more tough than the great war of the greatest generation – they won against the bombs but didn't fight enough against the evil. We must fight the evil by fightfing for our childrens' souls IN the home, in the family.
November 6, 2010 at 6:25 am
It doesn't matter what Bp Elliot says, the historians will accuse the Church of silence and probably blame them for being in concert with the eugenicists, regardless of the historic record. Consider the case of Pope Pius XII, whose efforts to save the Jews from the Holocaust are documented extensively. Less than twenty years later, everyone had forgotten and were quick to believe he was silent. Now, all the secularists believe he was complicit. The same will be true when the horror of eugenics becomes apparent to the government because the people will refuse to give up their children to the slaughter.