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<\/a><\/p>\nIn a conservative parish, some might waffle on capital punishment or war, but again, hopefully after learning about the consistent life ethic and working on the related issues at their parish, they\u2019ll be led to an understanding of why the Catholic Church opposes the death penalty and modern warfare. Similarly to the situation above, when Catholics who are pro-life on abortion and\/or euthanasia apply pro-life principles to war and the death penalty as well (as several recent popes have done), they may find that, far from watering down their advocacy for the unborn and elderly, the CLE will get them a better hearing by being pro-life across the board.<\/p>\n
Particularly in a left-leaning parish, it\u2019s important to introduce people to the non-stereotypical pro-life organizations such as Feminists for Life<\/a>, Democrats for Life<\/a>, New Wave Feminists<\/a>, Rehumanize International<\/a>, Secular Pro-Life<\/a>, and of course the Consistent Life Network<\/a>. That way they’ll learn that being pro-life isn\u2019t an inherently religious thing, not something that a stodgy Catholic Church pushes on them, and not an impediment to women’s rights, but something that fits their way of thinking.<\/p>\n Another suggestion is to contact the pro-life or peace-and-justice committees of other parishes to find out what they do. You could contact some of the parishes listed on the CLN website<\/a> that have endorsed the ethic, or your diocesan pro-life office, which might be aware of CLE efforts elsewhere in the diocese.<\/p>\n Of course, one can always ask permission of the pastor and\/or pro-life committee and\/or peace and justice committee for you to make a presentation about the CLE. Have literature available. If you aren\u2019t keen to give a presentation yourself, ask the diocesan pro-life office if there is anyone they can send.<\/p>\n As to the pastor, you could encourage him to include the CLE in his homilies since Catholicism promotes the CLE. Offer to bring him any materials he might need to learn more and offer to back up his homily by passing out CLN literature at Masses or at some church event.<\/p>\n Alternatively, ask the pastor just for permission to pass out literature at the Masses or services and have your promotion listed among the announcements at your church.<\/p>\n If the parish has a school, you have a prime opportunity to teach the Consistent Life Ethic. Suggest to the principal that they use the CL Kids!<\/a> resources to teach the ethic. Another possibility is to make a presentation about the CLE to the upper-grade students.<\/p>\n The person who made the inquiry to CLN goes to a parish that\u2019s very reluctant to talk about abortion. They\u2019re largely pro-choice and see abortion as a political hot potato that none of them wants to touch. This situation makes for a hard nut to crack when no one is responsive to overtures about the CLE. Sometimes, you have to just keep trying.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n If the pastor is the problem, perhaps you could ask another priest who is a CLE advocate to gently broach the subject for you. Tragically, far too often, parish priests try to avoid talking about specific life issues because they think they\u2019re too controversial, and they don\u2019t want to offend anybody. This is, of course, a priest who\u2019s failing in his duties to teach the Church\u2019s principles.<\/p>\n One parish pastor told me that when he gives a homily that mentions the prohibition of abortion, his collection goes down. I reminded him that he works for God, not for money. Nonetheless, parish priests feel a great deal of pressure to not stir up trouble. So, let them know that the CLE, with its emphasis on all the life issues, not just abortion, makes the subjects more palatable, especially when he can quote all the most recent popes on the importance of the consistent life ethic in Catholic teaching.<\/p>\n Pope Leo, for example, said in an address in Chiclayo, Peru, in 2023, when he was Cardinal Robert Prevost, that Cardinal Bernardin\u2019s framework was coherent and \u201canchored in respect for human dignity.\u201d Admittedly, he described discovering ways to \u201cteach and promote precisely this kind of thinking\u201d as one of the \u201cgreatest challenges\u201d facing Catholics, but he has continued as Pope to promote the Consistent Life Ethic. Like Cardinal Bernardin, he includes modern warfare and the rights of migrants, as well as abortion, among pro-life issues.<\/p>\n Again, tying together warfare, immigration, and abortion as well as capital punishment, racism, poverty, and euthanasia will get people to pause, think, and start making connections.<\/p>\n In our divisive society, it\u2019s hard to talk about life issues, even among Church members who ought to be receptive, and even to a pro-life committee or a peace and justice committee that might have a negative impression of the consistent life ethic because of bad information. All the more reason, though, to make the effort so that you can make a difference and spread adherence to the consistent life ethic.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n =====================<\/p>\n For more of our posts on similar topics, see:\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n Becoming a Catholic Conscientious Objector<\/a><\/p>\n The Consistent Life Consensus in Ancient Christianity<\/a><\/p>\n Abortion and the Christian Bible: A Consistent-Life Perspective<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Lois Kerschen Recently, a Consistent Life Ethic (CLE) advocate wrote to ask how one successfully introduces our principles to one\u2019s Catholic church community, especially if, as in this person\u2019s case, it\u2019s a congregation with a heavily pro-choice attitude. The following are some suggestions about what one can do. These suggestions are specific to Catholic… <\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a>Fratelli Tutti \u2013 Consistent-Life Excerpts<\/a><\/p>\n