<http://www.sanpadrepio.com/piolife.htm>http://www.sanpadrepio.com/piolife.htm
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St. Padre Pio, Humanae Vitae, and Mandatory Abortion
St. Pio defended the controversial encyclical,
praising its “lofty teachings” and “eternal truths.”
An aspect of the document often overlooked
today is its grim warning that governments might
“impose” contraceptive methods on citizens.
In the light of the Humanae Vitae’s other accurate predictions,
are mandatory birth control and abortion on the horizon for America?
by Frank M. Rega, S.F.O.
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St. Padre Pio demonstrated the depth of his love
and loyalty to the Church when he publicly
praised and defended Pope Paul VI for his
encyclical Humanae Vitae, “Of Human Life.”
1 Upon its release in the summer of 1968, a
torrent of vilification and disobedience was
unleashed upon the Pontiff from within the
Church, as well as mockery and scorn from
without. Such open rebellion against Peter’s
successor was unprecedented, and yet he had done
nothing more than his solemn duty to uphold the
infallible, magisterial teaching of Catholicism
against unnatural methods of birth control.
The likes of Fr. Hans Kung, Fr. Charles Curran,
et. al., and the Canadian Bishops’ Winnipeg
Statement, brazenly stood in opposition to the
teachings of their own religion. Many did
defend the document; but one great saint, a man
whom God had raised up as a beacon to guide
countless souls during a century of wars and
materialism, was conspicuous in his support of
the Pope and his encyclical. Only two weeks
before his own death in September of that year,
St. Padre Pio wrote an inspired and moving letter
to the Holy Father which was printed in the
Vatican’s official newspaper L’Osservatore
Romano. 2 It is an epistle of great
significance, and will likely be part of the
evidence put forth in his favor should St. Pio be
declared a Doctor of the Church. He is effusive
in his praise of the Pope’s encyclical, referring
to its “lofty teachings,” “eternal truths,”
“clear and decisive words,” and its “inspired directives.”
In his letter, St. Pio recognizes that the source
of the pope’s greatest suffering is the
disobedience of so many within the Church to his magisterial teachings.
I know that Your heart suffers much these days on
account of the happenings in the Church: for
peace in the world, for the great needs of its
peoples; but above all, for the lack of obedience
of some, even Catholics, to the lofty teachings
which You, assisted by the Holy Spirit and in the name of God, have given us.
He understands that the Holy Father is carrying
his personal cross in Christ’s footsteps,
following the narrow way of the truth. St. Pio
offers his own sufferings and prayers so that the
Pope can persevere in his mission.
I offer Your Holiness my daily prayers and
sufferings, the insignificant but sincere
offering of the least of your sons, asking the
Lord to comfort you with His grace to continue
along the direct yet often burdensome way—in
defense of those eternal truths which can never change with the times.
He specifically mentions the encyclical and fully
supports and obeys what he considers its inspired teaching.
I thank Your Holiness for the clear and decisive
words You have spoken in the recent encyclical,
"Humanae Vitae," and I reaffirm my own faith and
my unconditional obedience to Your inspired directives.
Many liberal Catholics don't care if they disagree with Church teaching.
The reaction to Humanae Vitae institutionalized
dissent within the Church, and it became
fashionable for liberal Catholics to openly
disagree with and disobey church teachings that
were in conflict with their own personal
predilections. It is quite commendable that
today many Catholic Bishops are clearly
presenting the Church’s teaching on life issues,
especially in the light of the recent statements
by Catholic politicians who attempt to justify
their support for pro-abortion
legislation. Unfortunately, many liberal
Catholics don't particularly care if they
disagree with Church teaching. For such as
these, stronger medicine is needed, which goes
beyond presenting them with the truths of the Faith.
Padre Pio understood this, and administered this
powerful medicine in his confessional. Although
for the vast majority of penitents he was
gracious, cordial, and encouraging, when
necessary he had recourse to drastic methods that
even today shock those who learn of them. In
these extreme cases, when faced with an
unrepentant sinner, he would deny them absolution
in the Sacrament of Confession. To any who were
exceptionally stubborn in their refusal to admit
guilt, he would even publicly and vocally chase
them out of the confessional. But he only
administered these jolts in order to make such
people aware that their refusal to accept the
truths of the faith, and to live them out,
endangered their personal salvation. Padre Pio:
“If you only knew what it costs me to refuse
absolution! Remember, it is better to be
reprimanded by a man in this world, than by God in the next!” 3
Padre Pio did become involved in elections in
Italy after World War II, when there was as
strong possibility that the Communist Party would
win at the polls. He was known to tell pilgrims
visiting his friary at San Giovanni Rotondo that
they should not vote for Communists. In fact, the
Communist party blamed Padre Pio for their defeat
in two of the general elections held during the late 1940’s. 4
What would Padre Pio have said to those
pro-abortion Catholic politicians of today who
persist in describing themselves as faithful
Catholics? Would he boot the likes of Nancy
Pelosi and Joe Biden out of his confessional, if
they insisted on defending their support of
pro-abortion legislation? Hopefully, when in
the actual presence of the saint, they would be
touched by God’s grace and realize their mistake.
But if they persisted . . . ? Would he speak out
against a political party whose official platform
supported abortion, and whose candidate was an
extremist on the issue, resolutely committed to
the support of this intrinsic evil? Would he say
that those who vote for this such candidates are
endangering their own salvation and risking
eternal damnation? As St. Pio famously replied
to an unrepentant liberal who said he did not
believe in hell, “You will when you get there!” 5
The excuse most commonly offered by Catholic
politicians who support and enable legalized
abortion, is that they have no right to impose
their faith on other members of society. But
Pope Paul VI even addresses this issue in his
encyclical Humanae Vitae. He denotes the
priorities and hierarchy of duties which apply
to “ . . . the objective moral order which was
established by God, and of which a right
conscience is the true interpreter.” Our first
duty is to God, then to ourselves and our
salvation, to our families, and to
society. “In a word, the exercise of
responsible parenthood requires that husband and
wife, keeping a right order of priorities,
recognize their own duties toward God,
themselves, their families and human society,”
(Section #10). The “don’t want to impose”
politicians are placing duties towards society
before their duty to God, showing that they care
little for either by their support for this great evil.
What began as a "right" to abortion might become a "duty"
It is often pointed out that Humanae Vitae was
quite prophetic in its warning of the general
moral decline in society that would result from
its adoption of artificial birth control methods.
In Section #17 certain specific predictions were
made by the Holy Father. “Let them first
consider how easily this course of action could
open wide the way for marital infidelity and a
general lowering of moral standards.” Along with
infidelity and a lowering of morality, this
section of the document makes a third and fourth
prediction. The third is that the partner would
be considered as nothing more than a mere
instrument for the satisfaction of selfish desires.
Since the above three have come to pass in
Democratic societies, it is well advised to at
least try to prevent the fourth from doing so,
since it involves the most serious of
consequences. This prophetic warning from
section #17 is the fear that governments will
“impose” mandatory birth control upon their
citizens. It is one to which too little
attention has been paid, since it is as yet
largely unfulfilled, with the possible exception
of Communist China, although that government
denies responsibility for forced abortions in
implementing its “one child policy”. 6,7
Although Pope Paul VI in his encyclical
formulates this warning while addressing
contraception, forty years later it applies even
more importantly to abortion. (At the time of
Humanae Vitae legalized abortion in the West was
still five to ten years in the future).
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 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.
He continues by emphasizing the danger that
people “. . . may give into the hands of public
authorities the power to intervene in the most
personal and intimate responsibility of husband
and wife.” Essentially, what started out as a
“right” to choose to prevent or terminate a
pregnancy, might end up as a “duty” to choose to
terminate.” Humanae Vitae is more relevant today than ever.
“The first thing I’d do as president is sign the
Freedom of Choice Act,” Barack Obama said in a
speech to abortion advocates concerned about
pro-life protections at the state level. 8 The
Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) 9 is legislation
co-sponsored by Barack Obama which would nullify
all state laws that in any way attempt to limit
or regulate abortion, including partial-birth
abortion. Ironically, it specifies that
government will not interfere with a woman’s
choice to keep or to kill her unborn
child. Nevertheless, FOCA would be a major move
towards the dangerous precipice of
government-mandated abortion, since it would
consolidate all power over birth control into the
hands of federal law and authorities. From there
it would only be a small step to amend it in the
light of overriding national health interests,
environmental or population concerns, or any
other reason deemed appropriate. Thus the FOCA
clause in section 4.b.1.a, stating that a woman
has the “right to choose to bear a child” could
conveniently and easily be changed to, for
example, that a woman has the right to choose to
bear up to two children. More ominously, it
could be amended to state that a woman has the
right to bear a child, except in cases of rape, incest, Down syndrome, etc.
This is not to imply that any particular
individual or group currently has an agenda for
mandatory abortion, but the potential clearly
exists. The growth of the culture of death is
not going to stop with the codification of Roe v.
Wade by FOCA, but will continue unless it is
rooted out completely. Roe v. Wade was one of the
early phases in the march along this highway of
ruin. FOCA would take us another step closer to
the fulfillment of Humanae Vitae’s prophetic
warning of government imposition and intervention
in the area of “ . . . the most personal and
intimate responsibility of husband and wife.”
Perhaps the greatest glory of the Catholic Church
today is its public stand against the culture of
death. Let us pray along with Padre Pio, at the
close of his letter to His Holiness, that these
“disturbing clouds pass over,” and that the
onslaught of the abortion juggernaut will be
derailed through the efforts of loyal Catholics and others.
May God grant truth to triumph, and, may peace be
given to His Church, tranquility to the people of
the earth, and health and prosperity to Your
Holiness, so that when these disturbing clouds
pass over, the Reign of God may triumph in all
hearts, through the Apostolic Works of the Supreme Shepherd of all Christians.
References
* Encyclical Letter Humanae Vitae of the
Supreme Pontiff Paul VI.
<http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html>http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html
* Una Lettera di Padre Pio, in L’Osservatore
Romano, September 29, 1968.
<http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/PIOPOPE.HTM>http://www.ewtn.com/library/MARY/PIOPOPE.HTM
* Mary F. Ingoldsby, Padre Pio: His Life and
Mission, (Dublin: Veritas Publications, 1978), p. 68.
* C. Bernard Ruffin, Padre Pio: The True
Story, (Huntington, IN: Our Sunday Visitor, 1991), p. 272.
* Gherardo Leone, Padre Pio Teaches Us, (San
Giovanni Rotondo, Italy: La Casa Sollievo Editions, 1974), p. 97.
* Cases of Forced Abortion Surface in China.
<http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9766870>http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9766870
* China’s One Child
Policy.
<http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/onechild.htm>http://geography.about.com/od/populationgeography/a/onechild.htm
* Obama's Abortion Bombshell: Unrestricted
Abortion Over Wishes of Individual States a
Priority for
Presidency.
<http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08061010.html>http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/jun/08061010.html
* Freedom of Choice Act
(FOCA).
<http://www.nrlc.org/foca/FOCA2007S1173.html>http://www.nrlc.org/foca/FOCA2007S1173.html
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Lord, may everything we do begin with Your
inspiration and continue with Your help,
so that all our prayers and works may begin in You and by You be happily ended.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
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