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ISSUE 2006

1 / 2006
>> Message on the World Day of the Sick 2006
>> News from Bali to Thailand
>> Grateful Children Project
be expedited 2006
>> Statistics of the HIV/AIDS Patients in Thailand
PROLIFE
by Fr. Siranont Sanpetch
Life Promotion or simply called Prolife is one of the Universal Church's movements aimed at protection, promotion, care and at the service of life. For the Church in Thailand life promotion is a constant policy and has been carried out through several activities, being worthy of the Church of Jesus Christ who had been at the service of life, though there has not yet been an official set-up such a movement per se. The Catholic Bishops' Conference of Thailand, being aware of the importance of this matter, began to initiate the said movement by assigning the Catholic Commission for Pastoral Health Care to establish the Prolife Movement. Hence, the work was begun and a committee has been set up to establish the structure and plan to concretely carry out activities of the pastoral care for the elderly.

How to start?
Today there is much talk on "human rights" and everybody fully agrees that it is a valuable topic and that every human being should have this legitimate right. The most basic of all the rights is the "right to life", notwithstanding that this right is being threatened and trashed violently, especially with regards to the "birth" and the "death".
If asked: "how to start then?". The answer will be easy: i.e. "we have to start from a strong determination that we will not kill a human person, will not kill oneself or cooperate with others to hurt/kill innocent people regardless of their situations: heart broken, physically impaired or despaired in life.
Thus, every human attempt to destroy life is not only contrary to the will of God, but it also destroys human dignity. "Abortion" is homicide before a person is born. It is the same criminal act as killing an infant or an embryo. Whether helping others to commit suicide, mercy killing and hurting innocent people in the wars or civil unrest events are all to be condemned.
      Although we first mention about violence arisen from the policy and acts detrimental toward death such as 'abortion', yet we should not overlook the omission which does not respect human beings in other aspects. So, in our planning we should deeply consider the correlation between this problem in conjunction with other related issues, because all things related to life are correlated. Example: any society permitting abortion under the law must be unavoidably considered to do away with the human rights in other aspects as well. Therefore, life protection of the unborn by way of law and practice will be beneficial to all, not only to the unborn.
       This is the reason why we are interested in the harm threatening human life, such as abortion which tends to be legalized in several countries. The legalization may further extend to the 'euthanesia' as well.
In the "Pastoral Planning for life promotion: Prolife Campaign" being drafted by the current committee an attempt has been made to renew the Christian vocation and at the same time trying to create the network with other institutions both the State and Church in advocating for respect and protection of the human rights as willed by God as stated in the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (n. 7) "We are a people of life and a people for life". It is our hope and future expectation that a special attention in the respect and protection of human rights will be safeguarded, especially with regard to the innocent unborn, the disabled, the sick or the dying persons. We will try our level best to see to it that these people will receive respect and rights at the highest level.

Recommended Activities
Pastoral Planning for Life Promotion : Prolife Campaign should incorporate all resources of the Church be it personnel, services and institutions in order to mobilize new moves in 5 strategies:
1. Provide Information and Special education to the Public to really realize the sacredness and rights of all human beings especially right of the innocent unborn. Doing otherwise would be both immoral and criminal. It is done with intention, no matter whether it is carried out before the baby is born or a person is on the threshold of death. The mission of the Church is to be witness of love of the Father and to provide pastoral care for humanity.
2. Provide Pastoral Care to women having the problem with pregnancy, those who used to be involved in the abortion performance, the disabled, the dependent weaklings, the terminal patients, their families and carers, the bereaved relatives and the prisoners with death penalty.
3. Policy for the Common Good to lobby for the enactment of law protecting human rights especially of the unborn and the despaired people wishing to end their life with suicide. There should be an elective which is consonant with morality and not the abortion or suicide.
4. Prayers and Liturgy to persuade the faithful to actively participate in the sacramental celebrations of the Church especially in the community prayers or in personal meditations with faith that human life does not end in this world but will last eternally with the real love in the next world.
        This planning is the result of the meeting at the national level of the country leaders, priests, deacons, religious workers, catechists and laity in trying to find ways of cooperation of all the institutions of the Catholic Church.
This dialogue with leaders of other faiths has been carried out regularly including consultation with the moralists.
        We recommend the promotion of interior life of the family, within the parish, the communities as well all the institutions. We also request knowledgeable Catholics working in the academic field and research to help providing pastoral care, to watch out and to protect all and every life.
        It is of vital importance to seek support in the form of networking from the concerned individuals and organizations at every level: national, regional, state, parochial, diocesan, etc., to represent their groups in helping the life of our fellow human beings, because we are all laborers for God with the mandate of promoting and respecting the dignity of "humanity".
      The main key for the success of this pastoral plan is participation of the laity. Pope John Paul II in his address to the Church in America says: "The fact that the Church and her mission still existing is because of the varied gifts and different movements of the laity" (cf. Synod for America, proposition No. 55). Further more, the endeavors of the laity within the community should be looked after and supported by the Bishop, priests, deacons, religious and all who call themselves the evangelizers.
To make the life more respected and better felt, the protest against abortion and mercy killing better appreciated, it is necessary to provide technical information to 2 groups of people: i.e. the Catholic community itself and the general public.

© CHC
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Update March 2011
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