To be Catholic...

"To be Catholic means to be pro-life."

~ Bishop J. Peter Sartain, March for Life, Washington, D.C., January 22, 2010 ~

Let me tell you...

"Let me tell you why I believe abortion is the crucial issue of our age. First, because abortion, too, is about living within the truth. The right to life is the foundation of every other human right. If that right is not inviolate, then no right can be guaranteed. Or to put it more bluntly: Homicide is homicide, no matter how small the victim."

~ Most Reverend Charles Chaput, Archbishop of Denver, CO, Living within the truth: Religious liberty and Catholic mission in the new order of the world, August 24, 2010 ~

What society...

"What society would continue if it declared that it is the right of citizens to kill innocent persons by majority [vote]? In the best scenario it would be converted into a tyranny, against which upright persons would have to react, according to this advice by Gandhi: 'As soon as one understands that obeying unjust laws is contrary to his dignity as a man, no tyranny can dominate him.'"

~ Most Reverend Francisco Gil Hellin, Archbishop of Burgos, Spain, July 11, 2010 ~

When we consider...

"When we consider that women are treated as property, it is degrading to women that we should treat our children as property to be disposed of as we see fit."

~ Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Women's Rights Movement Organizer, October 16, 1887 ~

The extermination of...

"The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against poverty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings."

~ Pope Benedict XVI, Message for the World Day of Peace, 12/11/08 ~

As bad as the economy is...

"As bad as the economy is, as bad as the war is, the destruction of innocent human life, especially in the womb, is a greater evil, and correction of this grave evil must take place. Each of us has a role in making this correction in our duties as citizens."

~ Bishop Samuel J. Aquila, Has America Lost Its Way?, October 24, 2008 ~

That every national...

"That every national and trans-national institution may strive to guarantee respect for human life from conception to natural death."

~ Pope Benedict XVI, General Prayer Intention for June 2010 ~

We always must remember...

"We always must remember that when a difficult medical situation involves a pregnant woman, there are two patients in need of treatment and care; not merely one. The unborn child’s life is just as sacred as the mother’s life, and neither life can be preferred over the other. A woman is rightly called ‘mother’ upon the moment of conception and throughout her entire pregnancy is considered to be 'with child.'"

~ Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted, Statement of the Diocese of Phoenix Re: Situation at St. Joseph’s Hospital, May 14, 2010 ~

I express my deep appreciation...

"I express my deep appreciation for all those social and pastoral initiatives aimed at combating the socio-economic and cultural mechanisms which lead to abortion, and openly concerned with defending life and promoting the reconciliation and healing of those harmed by the tragedy of abortion.

Initiatives aimed at protecting the essential and primary values of life from its conception, and of the family based on indissoluble marriage between a man and a woman, help to respond to some of today's most insidious and dangerous threats to the common good. Such initiatives represent, along with many other forms of commitment, essential elements in the building of the civilization of love".

~ Pope Benedict XVI, Charity is Principal Strength and Guide of the Church, Fatima, Portugal, May 13, 2010 ~

Connected with our prayer...

"Connected with our prayer must be the thoughtful and faithful reflection upon the Church's teaching on the respect for all human life and the integrity of the family. In our homes, in our Catholic schools and universities, in parish study groups, and in everyday conversations and discussions with our neighbors, we are called to give an uncompromising witness to the Gospel of Life. Parents, parish priests and institutions of Catholic education must be aware of the constant anti-life and anti-family messages which constantly bombard us and our young people."

~ Archbishop Raymond Burke, Keynote Address at the National Prayer Breakfast, May 8, 2009 ~

The mystery of the Incarnation...

"The mystery of the Incarnation reveals the specific value of the dignity of human life. God gave us this gift and sanctified it when the Son became man and was born of Mary. It is a gift that must be protected, from conception until natural death. With all my heart I join people involved in various initiatives aimed at respecting life and promoting a new social awareness."

~ Pope Benedict XVI, Our Holy Father Speaking to Polish Pilgrims, March 24, 2010 ~

Likewise, if we really believe that abortion...

"Likewise, if we really believe that abortion is an intimate act of violence – and of course, it is – then we can't aim at anything less than ending abortion. It doesn't matter that some abortions have always occurred, or that some will always occur. If we really believe that abortion kills a developing, unborn human life, then we can never be satisfied with mere 'reductions' in the body count."

~ Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, Why This Work Matters: Human Dignity and the Road Ahead, March 9, 2010 ~

In this current period of economic difficulties...

"In this current period of economic difficulties, the effect of those mechanisms which produce poverty and create deep social inequality becomes ever more dramatic, injuring and offending life, and striking especially at the weakest and most defenseless. This situation calls on us to promote integral human development in order to overcome want and need, and above all to recall that the goal of each man and women is not wellbeing, but God Himself, and that human life must be defended and supported at every stage. No-one, in fact, is master of his own existence; rather, we are all called to safeguard and respect life, from the moment of conception until natural end".

~ Pope Benedict XVI, All of Us Must Safeguard and Respect Life, February 7, 2010 ~

Because the efforts to dislodge...

"Because the efforts to dislodge what is evil are so arduous – we know that evil will not give up without a fight; It shouldn’t surprise us that certain groups – even those under the banner of 'Catholic,' have set a different agenda, one that while supporting a public work of assistance to those in need, nonetheless chooses not to address unjust and destructive laws that take their daily toll of thousands of human lives."

~ Most Reverend Robert W. Finn, What Laity Must Do in the Battle for Life, August 16, 2009 ~

We will stand up

"...we will stand up every time that human life is threatened. When the sacredness of life before birth is attacked, we will stand up and proclaim that no one ever has the authority to destroy unborn life. When a child is described as a burden or is looked upon only as a means to satisfy an emotional need, we will stand up and insist that every child is a unique and unrepeatable gift of God, with the right to a loving and united family..."

~ Pope John Paul II, Homily at the Holy Mass at the Capital Mall, October 7, 1979 ~

Failing to name error...

"Failing to name error because of some kind of fear of offending the person in error is neither compassion nor charity. Confronting or challenging the error or evil of another is never easy yet it must be done."

~ Bishop Robert Vasa, Excommunication is a declaration of acts that severs ties, January 11, 2010 ~

The Catholic Church does not teach...

"...the Catholic Church does not teach that government should directly provide health care...The proper role of the government is to regulate the private sector, in order to foster healthy competition and to curtail abuses. Therefore any legislation that undermines the viability of the private sector is suspect. Private, religious hospitals and nursing homes, in particular, should be protected, because these are the ones most vigorously offering actual health care to the poorest of the poor."

~ Bishop Nickless, Voice Your Concern over Health Care Reform, August 19, 2009 ~

The change which brings hope...

"The change which brings hope can only be the renewal of our nation in the divine love which respects the inviolable dignity of every human life, from the moment of its inception to the moment of natural death, and which creates and gives growth to new human life through the love of man and woman in marriage. Any hope which is incoherent with the great hope is truly illusory and can never bring forth justice and its fruit, peace, for our nation and world"

~ Archbishop Raymond Burke, Keynote Address at the National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, May 8, 2009 ~

At the same time a new cultural climate is developing...

"At the same time a new cultural climate is developing and taking hold, which gives crimes against life a new and – if possible – even more sinister character, giving rise to further grave concern: broad sectors of public opinion justify certain crimes against life in the name of the rights of individual freedom, and on this basis they claim not only exemption from punishment but even authorization by the State, so that these things can be done with total freedom and indeed with the free assistance of health-care systems."

~ Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life, no. 4 ~

All persons of good will need to understand...

"All persons of good will need to understand the clear and present danger with which the US is being menaced by the health reform proposed by the Obama Administration. Abortion will be multiplied, the U.S. will move ahead on the road towards euthanasia, conscience rights will be in jeopardy: but what is worse, the United States would start moving towards a tyrannical, socialist government that would be the source of all sort of moral evils."

~ Msgr. Ignacio Barreiro Carámbula, American Health Care Reform - A Good End Does Not Justify Evil Means, August 20, 2009 ~