{"id":24233,"date":"2018-06-23T16:37:30","date_gmt":"2018-06-23T14:37:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/?p=24233"},"modified":"2018-06-23T16:38:32","modified_gmt":"2018-06-23T14:38:32","slug":"under-francis-vaticans-pro-life-think-tank-seeks-360-degree-approach","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/under-francis-vaticans-pro-life-think-tank-seeks-360-degree-approach.html","title":{"rendered":"Under Francis, Vatican\u2019s pro-life think tank seeks 360-degree approach"},"content":{"rendered":"

Claire Giangrav\u00e8<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

ROME – Pope Francis is not the only one criticizing the separation of children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border, with the head of the Vatican\u2019s think tank on bioethics joining the U.S. bishops in condemning what he called \u201cmyopic politics.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plight of immigrants, said Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, \u201cis often forgotten,\u201d and \u201cshortsightedness regarding these questions risks hurting everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paglia made these remarks during a roundtable meeting with foreign press in Rome June 19, just ahead of a Global Conference on Bioethics that will be taking place at the Vatican June 25-27, titled \u201cEqual Beginnings: But Then? A Global Responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n

Asked directly about President Donald Trump\u2019s policy to hold immigrants attempting to cross the border illegally in jail while their children are kept in holding facilities, Paglia took the part of First Lady Melania Trump.<\/p>\n

(Trump\u00a0signed an executive order<\/a>\u00a0reversing the policy on Wednesday afternoon.)<\/p>\n

\u201cMelania (Trump) has already said it, it\u2019s hard to be clearer than that,\u201d the archbishop said, adding his personal support \u201cfor the right of the human family to inhabit the entire planet.\u201d<\/p>\n

The First Lady recently told CNN that \u201cshe hates to see children separated from their families,\u201d and expressed hope that the U.S. will be \u201ca country that follows all laws, but also a country that governs with heart.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bishops in the U.S. have also voiced strong opposition to the policy, with the president of the episcopal conference, Houston Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, calling it \u201cimmoral\u201d during their bi-annual meeting last week.<\/p>\n

In a new interview with\u00a0Reuters<\/em>, Francis voiced support for the statements made by the U.S. bishops this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cLet it be clear that in these things, I respect (the position of) the bishops\u2019 conference,\u201d the pope said.<\/p>\n

The Vatican Academy\u2019s concern for immigration is a new shift for the think tank, which in the past focused more on medical and health care issues concerning pre-natal and end-of-life bioethics. This change, Paglia explained, is part of a 360-degree approach to life that the academy wishes to incorporate under Francis.<\/p>\n

The pope is expected to make a speech opening the assembly next week where he will offer guidelines for reflection.<\/p>\n

\n
\u201cIt will be a discussion with the theme of an understanding of life in all its aspects,\u201d Paglia said, adding that this outlook presents \u201ca pretty large horizon that shows a widening of the scope of our academy.\u201d<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

From the hour-long informal conversation with the archbishop, three main aspects appear to undergird this \u201cAcademy for Life 2.0.\u201d First is a global understanding of life, encompassing the fetus in the womb, the immigrant on a vessel, the pensionless elderly, the terminally ill and the exploitation of the environment.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must broaden our horizons so as not to forget anyone,\u201d Paglia said.<\/p>\n

This \u201cbroadening of the horizons,\u201d representatives of the academy explained, does not mean that the classic bioethical concerns of the Catholic Church are not being looked after.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe primacy is the human person,\u201d said Italian Father Renzo Pegoraro, vice president of the academy, adding that it\u2019s on this foundation that the health of humanity and the environment depend.<\/p>\n

Another important aspect is bundling the usual \u201cNo\u201d with a more positive \u201cYes.\u201d To take a practical example, instead of merely condemning euthanasia, the academy also proposes an accompaniment of the sick and the need to improve palliative care.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday the academy is called not to live in a separate world dispensing judgment,\u201d Paglia said, but rather to engage in a \u201ccontinuous dialogue\u201d with an ever-changing society.<\/p>\n

Another key element is combining the academy\u2019s usual work, which is to offer reflection and research on pressing issues regarding life, with practical actions. This action takes a dual form, Pegoraro explained, with the cooperation of Francis to elevate these topics on the global agenda as well as collaboration with NGOs and international associations.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Pope Francis underlines very robustly is that life must be understood globally,\u201d Paglia said.<\/p>\n

The summit will witness the participation of over 130 academics and experts from different fields and from all over the world, including a section dedicated to young researchers, under 35, bringing the tally up to 200 people.<\/p>\n

While members of the academy remain for the most part European (57 percent), mainly Italian, there is also a notable percentage of North Americans (13 percent) and Central and South Americans (15 percent). The rest are from Oceania, Asia and Africa.<\/p>\n

Despite its large representation in the academy, Europe is increasingly embracing a secularized approach toward bioethics. Ireland\u2019s referendum to amend the Constitution in order to remove the ban on abortion, was voted for by the majority of the country.<\/p>\n

Ireland, once a stronghold of Catholicism in Europe, has grown in its mistrust of the Church after the sexual abuse scandals starting in the late \u201980s. Francis will be visiting the island in August for the World Meeting of Families, the first papal trip to the country since 1979.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the one who chose Dublin for the World Meeting of Families,\u201d Paglia said, adding later while speaking to a small group of reporters that he was met with staunch resistance. \u201cIreland has suffered enormous changes, and I insisted so that the entire world would go there in a show of help and support.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI am still certain I have made the right choice,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

The archbishop admitted that the history of the Church in Ireland is marked by \u201cenormous issues,\u201d but stated that he was not happy about the vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cMyself personally, and the Church, don\u2019t believe that we have to help death\u2019s dirty work,\u201d Paglia said.<\/p>\n

Inspired by Francis\u2019s pastoral approach, the archbishop said that the Church must instead \u201ctriplicate the closeness, the affection and the love\u201d for the women for whom having an abortion is always a \u201cdramatic experience.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want for the law to help Pontius Pilate wash his hands,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Paglia insisted that now \u201cwe must be close to women during, before and after\u201d pregnancy, describing this as what it really means to \u201cwork in favor of life.\u201d This message, he added, is the same in Ireland, as it is in Italy and even Argentina, which has been preparing for a referendum on abortion.<\/p>\n

Asked on whether the academy intends to discuss changes to\u00a0Humanae Vitae<\/em>, Paul VI\u2019s controversial 1968 encyclical banning artificial contraception and promoting traditional family archetypes, Paglia replied that \u201cit\u2019s not on the agenda.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have enormous problems to tackle, [that] are more important in certain aspects,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Finally, concerning the relationship between the academy and the Pontifical Council for Culture, led by Italian Cardinal Giancarlo Ravasi, the archbishop good-humoredly said that \u201clike good brothers we get along,\u201d following Francis\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf some plates fly\u2026 we will have to buy plastic ones!\u201d he added jokingly.<\/p>\n

(CRUX<\/strong>)<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Claire Giangrav\u00e8 ROME – Pope Francis is not the only one criticizing the separation of children from their families at the U.S.-Mexico border, with the head of the Vatican\u2019s think tank on bioethics joining the U.S. bishops in condemning what he called \u201cmyopic politics.\u201d The plight of immigrants, said Italian Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":24234,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,8,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24233","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-english","category-news","category-rassegna"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/paglia-690x450-e1529764626836.jpg?fit=400%2C261&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5mkxU-6iR","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24233"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24235,"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24233\/revisions\/24235"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24234"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vincenzopaglia.it\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}