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Wednesday March 3, 2004
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Bishop Admits Bioethical Truths Sometimes Denied by those on the Inside of the Church
Says that Christians should reject the "agree to disagree" approach regarding errors on the life issues
SYDNEY, March 3, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - In a candid interview with Zenit News Agency, Australia's Bishop Anthony Fisher, a founding director and professor of bioethics and moral theology of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and the Family in Melbourne, hinted at a common frustration for pro-life groups around the world. He indicated, in what many seasoned pro-life leaders might view as a charitable understatement, that sometimes the stand of the Catholic Church on bioethical issues is countered by those within the Church, sometimes those in high positions.
Regarding bioethical issues, Bishop Fisher, an Auxiliary of the Sydney Archdiocese, said, "we should be aware that the clash of cultures is not just between 'the Church' and 'the world' on these matters: It often cuts through people affiliated to the Church as much as through others. We may often have allies outside the Church on some of these foundational issues while having rival conceptions within the Church."
Bishop Fisher, who was appointed a Bishop by Pope John Paul II last year, speaks from personal experience. Prior to his being made a bishop, he was a pro-life activist serving as President of the Society for the Protection of Unborn Children.
The Bishop, a member of the Pontifical Academy for Life, encouraged the faithful to work with those outside the church who hold common philosophies on the sanctity of life to defend life against abortion, embryonic stem cell research, abortifacient drugs, and similar destructive measures.
Bishop Fisher also countered the proposal that since modern society has rejected the theological and philosophical foundations at the core of the respect for life, we should agree to disagree. "If I may be bold: To the extent that our theological and philosophical foundations are true ones, we must seek to convert people to sharing them," said the Bishop. "We should not resign ourselves to the fact that we and they have different starting points and 'ne'er the twain shall meet.' We must work to ensure they do meet, by correcting any false presuppositions on our own part and convincing other people to adopt true premises on their part."
See the full Zenit interview:
http://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=49911
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