ROME, SEPT. 18, 2007 (Zenit.org).- The president of the Italian bishops' conference rejected the new abortion policy adopted by Amnesty International and stressed the value of human life, family and the freedom of education.
Archbishop Angelo Bagnasco made his comments Monday at the inauguration of the Permanent Council meeting of the Italian prelates.
The prelate said that Amnesty International’s choice to embrace abortion as a right underlines the "dangerous erosion" of conscience and of the need to counteract similar trends.
The archbishop of Genoa indicated that among the "strongholds of the history and traditions of our people," there are nonnegotiable values. Examples he gave include the intangible value of the person and human life; the family founded on marriage; the freedom of parents to educate their children; the moral code that is rooted in the human person and expressed and perfected in Jesus; and freedom to adhere to what is true and good.
These values, he said, "constitute the fundamental ethos that -- despite inconsistencies and new challenges -- give form to that sense of reciprocal recognition and communal belonging that makes us feel like a 'society,' a house that is 'open' and welcoming to all."
The Italian bishops thus join a host of other Catholic leaders who have spoken out against Amnesty International's policy decision, including Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and bishops from England, Scotland, Australia and the United States.
