The Wrong Call
I came online to check out the radar on this thunderstorm that's over us right now. I open my browser, where my startup website is BBC News, to find this headline:
"Vatican urges end to Amnesty aid"
Now, as a Roman Catholic who is concerned about human rights, I clicked to read the article. You can do so yourself here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6750887.stm
The basic gist of it is, the Roman Catholic Church's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace has issued a statement saying that Amnesty International "promotes abortion," and therefore Catholics should not donate money to the organization.
I'm still....in complete disbelief on this stance.
Both the Catholic Church and Amnesty International have a common goal: that all peoples worldwide are guaranteed basic human rights. While Amnesty International is not a religious organization, it teaches that freedom of religion is a basic human right, and that Catholics, Christians, people of all faiths have the right to worship without discrimination. And human rights themselves are supported by the Catholic Church, as a direct command from Jesus Christ for us to "Love one another as I love you" (John 15:12).
Yet because of ONE issue, the Pontifical Council has asked us to shun Amnesty? Amnesty International does NOT "promote abortion;" it simply says that, especially in cases of rape and incest, women have a right to choose. Does the simple fact of saying it's a possibility count as promotion? Of course not! It ignores all the good that Amnesty action has brought in the freeing of prisoners of conscience and casts the ever-burning candle of hope as the fire of damnation.
The Catholic Church has lamented the falling away of Catholics in recent years. Even those of us who stay true to the faith hold different views. And that's our right as human beings; God has given us free will and reasoning to draw our own conclusions. In many cases, like my own, it was my experiences that brought me closer to God and the Church, experiences that required me to delve beyond the "party line" of the Church. For the Church to tell us to view other organizations in full-on "with us or against us" mode, which is very apparent in this announcement, is to further distance itself from the faithful, further distance itself from its lifeblood, and ultimately, further distance itself from reality.
I am a proud Catholic card-carrying member of Amnesty International. I believe that God calls us all to respect the human rights of all individuals. I believe that Amnesty has been a continued force for good for the past 46 years, and will continue to be so for years to come. None of this will change because of one edict.