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POPE JOHN PAUL II ON POPULATION CONTROL
AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Vatican Releases New Book On Environmental
Issues
ROME, August 22,
2002 (LSN.ca) - The Vatican's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace
published a new book, released yesterday, entitled, "From Stockholm to
Johannesburg: An Historical Overview of the Concern of the Holy See
for the Environment." The book, which comes out just prior to the
United Nations' Aug. 26-Sept. 4 World Summit on Sustainable
Development in South Africa highlights the position of the church on
various issues including the controversial issue of population
control.
Written by Sister Marjorie Keenan the book includes excerpts from 24
papal or Vatican documents concerning environmental issues. The
current Pope has contributed largely to the discussion with numerous
writings on the subject. John Paul II's teachings on population
control are also available from the Vatican website.
In a 1994 message to the then director of the United Nations
Population Fund the Pope summed up the stand of the church succinctly:
"In defence of the human person, the Church stands opposed to the
imposition of limits on family size." Moreover he slammed the
organization for promoting population control with fear tactics. "All
propaganda and misinformation directed at persuading couples that they
must limit their family to one or two children should be steadfastly
avoided, and couples that generously choose to have large families are
to be supported," he said.
The Pope echoed these statements in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae
(the Gospel of Life), and in his apostolic exhortation Familiaris
Consortio (The Family in the Modern World). In Evangelium Vitae the
mild-mannered Pope issues a stinging criticism of population
controllers comparing them to the evil Egyptian Pharaoh who attempted
to cull the Hebrew population. "The Pharaoh of old, haunted by the
presence and increase of the children of Israel, submitted them to
every kind of oppression and ordered that every male child born of the
Hebrew women was to be killed (cf. Ex 1:7-22). Today not a few of the
powerful of the earth act in the same way. They too are haunted by the
current demographic growth, and fear that the most prolific and
poorest peoples represent a threat for the well-being and peace of
their own countries. Consequently, rather than wishing to face and
solve these serious problems with respect for the dignity of
individuals and families and for every person's inviolable right to
life, they prefer to promote and impose by whatever means a massive
programme of birth control. Even the economic help which they would be
ready to give is unjustly made conditional on the acceptance of an
anti-birth policy," he wrote.
The Pope offers a simple solution to poverty which can be exacerbated
by large populations - sharing. "Solutions must be sought on the
global level by establishing a true economy of communion and sharing
of goods, in both the national and international order".
See the Pope's letter to UNFPA, Evangelium Vitae and Familiaris
Consortio:
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_19
031994_population-develop_en.html
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_250
31995_evangelium-vitae_en.html
http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_exhortations/documents/hf_jp-ii_
exh_19811122_familiaris-consortio_en.html
http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2002/aug/02082201.html |
