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Cardinal Maida's Respect Life Month Message 2007
Dear Brothers and Sisters in the Lord:
This year, our annual Respect Life weekend will be observed on October 6-7. This occasion— indeed the whole month of October is dedicated to Respect Life— offers a special opportunity to recommit ourselves to the work of proclaiming the dignity of every human being from the first moment of conception until natural death.
The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has chosen a theme based on St. Luke's account of the Visitation: The Infant in My Womb Leaped for Joy. The experience of a baby stirring in his or her mother's womb is breathtaking for the parents and only increases the sacred bond between them and their child.
The image and likeness of God is woven into every human person but, as Pope Benedict XVI has frequently reminded us, our Western world has lost a certain passion for recognizing His presence in the least of our brothers and sisters, especially the most vulnerable. People who cannot fend for themselves are sometimes seen as an imposition or burden; an ailing, elderly grandparent can be thought of as a nuisance rather than a blessing. An unexpected pregnancy that might interrupt career plans is not acceptable. The cost of rearing children is indeed formidable and, sometimes, unacceptable for some. Care for migrants and the mentally and physically challenged can often seem one more strain on the health and welfare system of our nation. Yet we are all equally valued by our Creator and Redeemer. The value of human life is not in its utility, but in the fact it is created by God; its dignity is inherent.
A new challenge is now upon us: destroying human embryos to harvest stem cells for research. Here in our state, this year, the Bishops of Michigan are clarifying our Church's teaching regarding embryonic stem cell research. While some may attempt to make it sound promising and a possible solution to numerous diseases, such is simply not true. Furthermore, adult stem cell therapy has a proven track record of success and can generally accomplish the same purpose people seek through harvesting embryonic stem cells. Embryonic stem cell research and therapy is unnecessary, at best problematic in its success rate and, above all, immoral. You will hear about this at your parishes in the coming weeks.
Asking God's blessings upon you and all our efforts to affirm the dignity of life, I remain
Sincerely yours in the Lord,
†Adam Cardinal Maida
Archbishop of Detroit
Prayers:
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Video: "The Science of Stem Cells: Finding Cures and Protecting Life"
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