Cardinal Arizmendi: Navigating France’s spiritual waters
Pope Francis presided over a ceremony that was characterized from start to finish by the coronavirus epidemic, elevating 13 new cardinals to the highest rank in the Catholic hierarchy and immediately warning them not to exploit their positions for corrupt, personal gain. Due to COVID-19 travel limitations, two new “princes” of the church from Brunei and the Philippines were unable to travel to Rome, but they were projected on enormous screens at home in the very deserted St. Peter’s Basilica. Both novice and experienced cardinals donned safety masks during the 45-minute ritual, which was socially distasteful.
Cardinal Arizmendi’s background
The French Congress, viewing the so-called right to abortion as a product of social progress and cultural modernity, overwhelmingly supported its inclusion in the Constitution. This move has received a lot of support, and many people hope that legislators in other nations will follow suit. It seems terrible that we have a constitutional right to murder an innocent, helpless person. Women may have the freedom to do with their bodies as they like, but there are ethical boundaries to this as well.
In addition to their bodies, other developing human beings are also involved. We are degrading ourselves to the point that they support the unfettered killing of a human being while cheering the imprisonment of a dog killer. On March 8, International Women’s Day, last year, a few extremist organizations, funded by who knows what, painted and defaced churches and temples in a number of locations as a protest against our unwavering support for life from conception. While we must fight for women’s rights and dignity, we also need to stand up for the rights of unborn children.
Decline in religious practice
Christians disagree with the mainstream in these and other areas, and as a result of our moral stance, which is based on the Bible, they criticize us. Jesus had already issued a warning: by choosing to follow him, we put ourselves at risk of facing prejudice, miscommunication, and hostility. In defiance of divine commands, a believer has chosen darkness over light if he chooses to live up to the standards of this world.
The Catholic Catechism states: “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception,” drawing inspiration from the divine mandate to not kill. Humans must have the recognition of their individual rights from the time they are born, starting with the unalienable right to life of all innocent beings.
Calls for spiritual renewal
Participating formally in an abortion is a serious offense. The canonical punishment for this offense against human life, sanctioned by the Church, is excommunication. If someone seeks an abortion, they will be subject to latae sententiae excommunication, which means they will be excluded from the Church without having to go through a canonical trial. In other words, if someone commits a crime, they will automatically be subject to the consequences set out by law.
The Church does not want to limit the reach of compassion in any way by doing this; rather, she is making clear the gravity of the crime committed and the irreversible harm done to the innocent person who is slain, his parents, and the entire society. Every innocent person’s inherent right to life is a fundamental component of civil society and its legal framework. Political power and civil society alike must acknowledge and uphold an individual’s inalienable rights.
These rights are intrinsic to each person by virtue of the creative act that gave origin to them; they are not subservient to parents, people, or society as a whole. Rather, they are a product of human nature. For the sake of this, it is important to keep in mind that every human being has the fundamental right to life and bodily integrity from conception to death.
Human rights violation in France
The State rejects the equality of all people before the law when a positive legislation deprives a group of people of the protection that the civil order owes them. The basic foundations of the rule of law are violated when the State does not use its authority to protect the rights of all citizens, especially the weaker ones. In order to ensure that the rights of those to whom it must be born are respected and protected from the beginning, the law must provide suitable criminal penalties for any intentional infringement of such rights.
Amidst discussions on France’s spiritual landscape, there’s a growing call to boycott the Paris 2024 Olympics due to concerns over human rights violations, particularly the right to life. Critics highlight contradictions between societal values and the event’s ethos, urging a reconsideration of participation in light of moral principles.
Conclusion
In conclusion, The embryo must be protected in its integrity, taken care of, and given as much medical assistance as possible, just like any other human being, as it must be considered as a person from conception on. If prenatal diagnosis is focused on the protection or cure of the unborn and respects the life and integrity of the human embryo, then it is morally acceptable. However, it will take the moral code very seriously if it considers that the results may lead to an abortion; a diagnosis that confirms the presence of a deformity or inherited illness shouldn’t be followed by the death penalty.
