RU 18/2007 - AUSTRIA, FRANCE, ITALY

- WORLD: ABORTION. - Since 12 years the association SOS MOTHERS (UNEC) which saves hundreds of babies from imminent abortion, has declared that abortion is above all an inter-catholic problem and that it can be extensively resorbed by an effort of Christian charity alone, without uselessly call upon deputies and other mismanagers. Some recent facts prove the exactness of this analysis.

. AUSTRIA: After the 'Episcopal letter of Lent" of Dr Kapellari, bishop of Graz and president of the Austrian Episcopal conference, calling the Catholics to get more engaged in the pro-life fight, a layman stood up to criticize his bishop by an open letter. This is not an unknown layman, since he's Mr Andreas Kirchmair, father of 4 children, ex-president of the diocesan committee of the Catholic works of the diocese of Steiermark. He blames his bishop for his personal incredibility and the total failure of his pro-life strategy. In all recent scandals - the non-excommunication of Mr Lugner who installed an abortion mill right in his supermarket, invitation of pro-abortion physicians to come to speak in certain Catholic institutions, visit of abortion mills by Catholic private schools... - it would have appeared "to which extent the ideology of abortion has entered into our Church and to which extent the persons who are responsible of the Catholic Church in Austria found compromises with the mass murder of unborn children". It's necessary, says Kirchmeier, that finally one starts to speak clearly about this situation. At the time of his pro-life activity within the bishopric, he would have constantly fallen, inside the diocese, onto a wall of silence and refusal. Since 3 years he didn't stop discussing - without success - about this scandal with bishop Kapellari and other bishops, but sees himself today obliged to speak publicly about this intolerable situation by way of an open letter (dated March 25th, 2007) in order to wake up the consciences. He blames his bishop for: tolerating the abortion law peacefully while refusing its 'criminalisation' (200 babies are murdered every day in Austria); being quiet about the Gospel and the doctrine of the Church on Life, notably while forgetting to spell out that abortion is an 'abomination' (Vatican II); using soft terms to conceal the gravity of abortion, especially in repeating the false slogan 'helping instead of punishing'; refusing to accuse husbands and male partners for their miserable dishonesty facing the conception of their babies; never encourageing the burial of aborted babies; forbidding pro-life vigils before abortion clinics; refusing to preside as bishop over antiabortion public prayers; inviting abortionists to institutions and Catholic newspapers, like the famous chief abortionist Dr Fiala; not dismissing from Catholic organizations people who criticize the Church concerning the defense of life; giving the priority to the welcome of immigrants instead of promoting the help to women risking to abort their babies... He proposes to his bishop to declare openly his impotence in pro-life matters, in order to permit the starting of a real action of lifesaving in Austria.

. IN FRANCE, a clash which was maybe more polite, but not less fundamental, occurred between the president of the association Renaissance Catholique, Mr Jean-Pierre Maugendre, and the archdiocese of Bordeaux, seat of the president of the French Bishops Conference, cardinal Jean-Pierre Ricard. Renaissance Catholique, known for its yearly organization of the march for life in the avenues of Paris (4000 participants), the summer university (during one full week, 300 to 400 participants), the sale of books before Christmas with the dedication of hundreds of Christian authors etc., had published on October 14th, 2006, at the time of the march for life in Paris, a 'Supplication to the Bishops of France' in order to ask them to recall, on the occasion of the presidential and legislative elections in 2007, that the defense of the life culture must be the first criteria of choice for a Catholic voter. Mr Maugendre was received on April 17th at the archdiocese of Bordeaux in order to hand over the 5270 signatures that his association could collect under its 'Supplication to the Bishops'. It's not the cardinal who received him, but his secretary Rev. Fr. Fayolle. To the classic objection "The bishops do speak, but nobody listens to them, and yet less obeys to them", Mr Maugendre answered that the bishops should first prove their determination in things which depend on themselves: to refuse to give the Holy Communion to parliamentarians and physicians who promote abortion (Valery Giscard d'Estaing is said to have been admitted to receive Holy Communion at the time of the funeral of abbe Pierre in the cathedral Notre Dame of Paris); to participate in one or the other demonstration for life organized in France; to sustain committed laymen working in the temporal field for the service of life; to support religious works which are trying to assist women in distress during pregnancy; to make study in terminal classes of Catholic high schools the encyclical of John Paul II 'Evangelium Vitae'; to forbid to Catholic clinics and medical faculties to teach and to act without respect for life (cf. www.suppliqueauxeveques.info; sjn April 23rd)

- ITALY: The Genoese Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco who preached recently strongly against the legalization of homosexual civil unions, is in death danger. He had particularly asked the question: at the speed we are driving forward, why not legalizing pedophilia and incest? He received several threats of death, under which a mail containing a gun bullet. The same threats were spray painted on the portals of the Genoese cathedral: "Death to Bagnasco!" At the same time, fliers showing pornographic images with the Holy Virgin Mary were left in the cathedral. Pope Benedict XVI as well as the Secretary of State of the Vatican Mgr Tarcisio Bertone phoned and telegraphed to Mgr Bagnasco in order to give him strong backing during these threats. Police body gards are permenantly protecting Mgr Bagnasco. The president of the Italian Republic Giorgio Napolitano also assured the archbishop of his protection and his personal support. - (ru; cf. LSN May 1st)

- - O.A.M.D.G. - -