To the
participants in the International Congress
of Catholic
Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
AND GUARDIANS OF LIFE
Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. I warmly welcome your visit on the occasion
of the International Congress of Catholic Obstetricians and Gynaecologists,
at which you are reflecting upon your future in the light of the fundamental
right to medical training and practice according to conscience. Through you, I
greet all those health workers who, as servants and guardians of life, bear
unceasing witness throughout the world to the presence of Christ’s Church in
this vital field, especially when human life is threatened by the burgeoning
culture of death. In particular, I thank professor Gian Luigi Gigli for his kind
words on your behalf, and I greet Professor Robert Walley,
co-organizer of your Meeting.
2. Christian obstetricians, gynaecologists
and obstetric nurses are always called to be servants and guardians of life,
for "the Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus’ message. Lovingly
received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless
fidelity as ‘good news’ to the people of every age and culture" (Evangelium Vitae, 1). But your profession has become still
more important and your responsibility still greater "in today’s cultural
and social context, in which science and the practice of medicine risk losing
sight of their inherent ethical dimension, [and] health-care professionals can
be strongly tempted at times to become manipulators of life, or even agents of
death" (ibid., 89).
Until quite recently, medical ethics
in general and Catholic morality were rarely in disagreement. Without problems
of conscience, Catholic doctors could generally offer patients all that medical
science afforded. But this has now changed profoundly. The availability of
contraceptive and abortive drugs, new threats to life in the laws of some
countries, some of the uses of prenatal diagnosis, the spread of in vitro
fertilization techniques, the consequent production of embryos to deal with
sterility, but also their destination to scientific research, the use of
embryonic stem cells for the development of tissue for transplants to cure
degenerative diseases, and projects of full or partial cloning, already done
with animals: all of these have changed the situation radically.
Moreover, conception, pregnancy and childbirth
are no longer understood as ways of cooperating with the Creator in the
marvelous task of giving life to a new human being. Instead they are often
perceived as a burden and even as an ailment to be cured, rather than being
seen as a gift from God.
3. Inevitably Catholic obstetricians and gynaecologists and nurses are caught up in these tensions
and changes. They are exposed to a social ideology which asks them to be agents
of a concept of "reproductive health" based on new reproductive
technologies. Yet despite the pressure upon their conscience, many still
recognize their responsibility as medical specialists to care for the tiniest
and weakest of human beings, and to defend those who have no economic or social
power, or public voice of their own.
The conflict between social pressure and the
demands of right conscience can lead to the dilemma either of abandoning the
medical profession or of compromising one’s convictions. Faced with that
tension, we must remember that there is a middle path which opens up before
Catholic health workers who are faithful to their conscience. It is the path of
conscientious objection, which ought to be respected by all, especially
legislators.
4. In striving to serve life, we must work to
ensure that the right to professional training and practice that is respectful of
conscience in law and in practice is guaranteed. It is clear, as I noted in my
Encyclical Evangelium Vitae, that "Christians,
like all people of good will, are called upon under grave obligation of
conscience not to cooperate formally in practices which, even if permitted by
civil legislation, are contrary to God’s law. Indeed, from the moral
standpoint, it is never licit to cooperate formally in evil" (No. 74).
Wherever the right to train for and practice medicine with respect for one’s
moral convictions is violated, Catholics must earnestly work for redress.
In particular, Catholic universities and
hospitals are called to follow the directives of the Church’s Magisterium in every aspect of obstetric and gynaecological practice, including research involving
embryos. They should also offer a qualified and internationally recognized
teaching network, in order to help doctors who are subject to discrimination or
unacceptable pressure on their moral convictions to specialize in obstetrics
and gynaecology.
5. It is my fervent hope that at the beginning
of this new millennium, all Catholic medical and health care personnel, whether
in research or practice, will commit themselves whole-heartedly to the service
of human life. I trust that the local Churches will give due attention to the
medical profession, promoting the ideal of unambiguous service to the great
miracle of life, supporting obstetricians, gynaecologists
and health workers who respect the right to life by helping to bring them
together for mutual support and the exchange of ideas and experiences.
Entrusting you and your mission as guardians
and servants of life to the protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I cordially
impart my Apostolic Blessing to you and to all who work with you in bearing
witness to the Gospel of life.