Dossier, Volume 13 #4

Gospel of Life: Three Perspectives

"Life Issues" Embrace All Life

There is a temptation to dismiss Pope John Paul II's new encyclical, Evangelium Vitae ("The Gospel of Life"), as one more reiteration of what has become "old hat." After all, a steady stream of documents of various kinds have issued from John Paul II's Vatican, and matters of life, notably abortion and euthanasia, have occupied a central position within Catholic commentary, becoming in some ways "Catholic issues." But while the encyclical restates Catholic teaching, it also makes several major contributions to Catholic thought, in its context, in its intended audience, and in the way in which it seeks to balance key elements within Catholic moral teaching.

The "novelty" of this encyclical does not lie in its prescriptions and proscriptions; with the exception of the developing teaching on capital punishment it contains little new teaching on life itself. Its emphasis[FN 1] is on the protection of human life from conception to death as an integral vision, alone capable of grounding civilized, democratic society. In the process, it calls for a new vision of the responsibility of Christians for their cultures and governments. No one can hide behind notions of toleration to allow a society to do what is clearly evil; legislators, for example, must do what they can both to express their disagreement with what is morally problematic and to effect any possible moral change for the good.

Evangelium Vitae continues a pattern that, with varying degrees of success, mixes two different kinds of ethics. One is the "ethics of faith," which places great stress on distinctively revelatory elements, emphasizing a Christian position and consequently the implications of being a disciple in our era. Yet, this presentation prepares for a consideration of "human ethics," what we would traditionally dub "natural law," which unlike the ethics of faith aims at appealing directly to non-Christians or nonbelievers.

The pope aims deliberately at forging a grand coalition, wagering that a vigorous presentation of Christian ethics will itself galvanize broader social and political forces. Always, however, the "ethics of faith" takes clear precedence, with "natural law" acquiring a distinctive shape in the context of the Gospel message.

Evangelium Vitae calls for a new vision of the responsibility of Christians for their cultures and governments. No one can hide behind notions of toleration to allow a society to do what is clearly evil.

The aspect of morality under consideration here is definitively social in nature. Picking up on a long concern, the pope sees himself as waging battle not for individual "souls" but rather for the "soul" of a culture that communicates values and shapes persons:

"To all members of the Church, the people of life and for life, I make this most urgent appeal, that together we may offer this world of ours new signs of hope, and work to ensure that justice and solidarity will increase and that a new culture of human life will be affirmed, for the building of an authentic civilization of truth and love" (n. 6).[FN 2]

The pope has a profound sense that today's moral debates result not from individuals making or avoiding particular choices, but rather from the fabric of culture, which shapes people's consciences. He speaks movingly about what he perceives as a tragic "culture of death." The roots of this sociocultural dilemma are basically theological and anthropological: "We have to go to the heart of the tragedy being experienced by modern man: the eclipse of the sense of God and of man...man is no longer capable of posing the question of the truest meaning of his own existence" (nn. 21-22). The bases for any ethical discussion, the sense of ultimate meaning and the consequent sense of our own dignity and purpose, disappear into a preoccupation with the material aspects of life.

In that light, a second major dimension of the encyclical emerges. If the tragedy cannot be reduced to personal choice, and if culture radically shapes the conscience of every person, then social teaching constitutes the unifying factor in the formation of conscience, and hence in all moral teaching. In a sense, this unitary perspective goes a long way towards reconciling earlier perceptions of a methodological dissonance between magisterial teaching on social matters and those on issues of "personal morality."[FN 3]

Significantly, the pope describes his letter as a continuation of the teaching tradition begun with the first social encyclical, Rerum Novarum: "Just as a century ago it was the working classes which were oppressed in their fundamental rights, and the Church very courageously came to their defence,...today there exists a great multitude of weak and defenseless human beings...whose fundamental right to life is being trampled upon" (n. 5).

Such a presentation is important for two reasons. First, it responds to the critique of "life issues" as a "Catholic thing," a dogmatic hangup. The pope's evocation of rights language within a clear affirmation of the value of the democratic system points to a broader and more systematic analysis of modern life. It invites people to look at the values and structures of modern life as a totality.

Second, the pope lays the groundwork for what could well emerge as a significant reformulation of Catholic teaching along more integral and integrating lines. For too long, what could be described as "personal ethics" (dealing with sexuality, for instance) existed as virtually a separate discipline from questions of a social or bioethical nature, which involved a far more relational model. John Paul's sense of human sexuality as truly personal and yet constitutive of society begins to move magisterial teaching in new directions, though the trajectory of such a movement remains to be seen.[FN 4]

The pope is waging battle not for individual "souls" but for the "soul" of a culture that communicates values and shapes persons.

It may well seem odd that we have come this far without mentioning "life ethics" directly. In a sense, though, the importance of this encyclical lies precisely in the way in which it places life issues in so much broader a perspective. Against those who perceive life issues as dealing with times preceding birth and in the shadow of death, the pope speaks to the ways in which they underlie all aspects of our common existence. He does so in a moving passage about the threats to human life:

"Some threats come from nature itself, but they are made worse by the culpable indifference and negligence of those who could in some cases remedy them. Others are the result of situations of violence, hatred and conflicting interests, which lead people to attack others through murder, war, slaughter and genocide.

"And how can we fail to consider the violence against life done to millions of human beings, especially children, who are forced into poverty, malnutrition and hunger because of an unjust distribution of resources...? And what of the violence inherent not only in wars as such but in the scandalous arms trade...? What of the spreading of death caused by reckless tampering with the world's ecological balance, by the criminal spread of drugs, or by the promotion of certain kinds of sexual activity which, besides being morally unacceptable, also involve grave risks to life?" (n. 10)

The question of morally unacceptable sexual activity is, of course, the subject of much debate, but it is not the main point here, and it should not be allowed to obscure the encyclical's broader treatment of life issues. For defence of life concerns not simply some discrete moments but rather the whole of life. In fact, a sense of "justice," right relationship with others, which disposes us towards care for one another, is central to human moral life itself. This brings us back to a central element of the pope's teaching, a powerful affirmation of the need for "solidarity" with one another, and especially with the vulnerable:

"The God of the Covenant has entrusted the life of every individual to his or her fellow human beings, brothers and sisters, according to the law of reciprocity in giving and receiving, of self-giving and of the acceptance of others....It is therefore a service of love which we are all committed to ensure to our neighbour, that his or her life may be always defended and promoted, especially when it is weak or threatened" (nn. 76-77).

That sense of reciprocity or solidarity finds its roots in our cocreativity with God in building the world in anticipation of the fulfilment to come. Rooted in our common humanity, this sense finds special strength and hope in the life, death and resurrection of the Lord. It would therefore touch all people, but with a special call to all people of Christian faith. In particular, it calls for a strong sense of compassion, entering into suffering which finds value not in itself, but in the suffering person and in the Christ present in and through the person.

Against the powerful cult of the sovereign individual, the pope issues a plea to Christians, and to all people of good will, to engage in a struggle for a viable and authentic democracy.

This solidarity contradicts what the pope calls "a certain Promethean attitude which leads people to think that they can control life and death" (n. 15). In his perspective, this attitude underlies much of the threat to life today. It surfaces in the ways in which expectations of our ability to control or end suffering lead us, when control fails, to seek to end the suffering regardless of the means involved. It surfaces in our pretended ability to evaluate "quality of life issues," judging what constitutes "meaningful life."

The individualism that grounds so much of contemporary political thought is also opposed to that fundamental solidarity: "At the basis of all these tendencies lies the ethical relativism which characterizes much of present-day culture. There are those who consider such relativism an essential condition of democracy, inasmuch as it alone is held to guarantee tolerance, mutual respect between people, and acceptance of the decisions of the majority, whereas moral norms considered to be objective and binding are held to lead to authoritarianism and intolerance....Democracy cannot be idolized...Fundamentally, democracy is a `system' and as such is a means and not an end" (n. 70).

Against such a powerful cult of the sovereign individual, the pope issues a plea to Christians, and to all people of good will, to engage in a struggle for a viable and authentic democracy. He makes the point most tellingly in speaking about the duties of families. Similarly, he notes that rejection of the good destroys the moral foundations of democratic life itself, undermining the fundamental respect for human beings that makes common life possible:

"Solidarity also needs to be practised through participation in social and political life. Serving the Gospel of life thus means that the family, particularly through its membership of family associations, works to ensure that the laws and institutions of the State in no way violate the right to life...but rather protect and promote it" (n. 93).

The pope moves from this powerful appeal to the notion of the good as a foundation for authentic democracy to a ringing reaffirmation of by now traditional principles in Catholic teaching. This is done with deliberate emphasis on the authority of the teaching in question, one which would normally allow no exception. Three times, he invokes what is known as the "ordinary infallible magisterium." In some ways, this is the encyclical's most distinctive element:

"Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral. This doctrine, based upon that unwritten law which man, in the light of reason, finds in his own heart (Cf. Rom 2:14-15), is reaffirmed by Sacred Scripture, transmitted by the Tradition of the Church and taught by the ordinary and universal Magisterium" (n. 57). Similar appeals to authority arise concerning abortion (n. 62) and euthanasia (n. 65).

Far from being a private affair, Christian morality now becomes radically immersed in social concerns, creating communities hospitable to human life.

Earlier drafts of the encylical, including one released just days before the final text, spoke of teachings "to be definitively held," which would have raised the question of solemn definition. In this context, the final language, while stressing the consistent teaching of the church, would also seem to leave open the possibility of change. As the use of "ordinary infallible language" is a relative novelty, the meaning of these passages will no doubt be the subject of great debate.

The point being made goes to the heart of a renewed vision of the role of the Christian community in contemporary society. The pope cites what he perceives to be an undivided consistency in Catholic teaching on life (in the process sometimes glossing over important debates).[FN 5] His point here seems less the invocation of authority than the desire to marshal the forces of the community to deepen this singular and pointed witness to a broader society that has lost its bearings and in many cases no longer hears the "law written on the heart."[FN 6] Given the demands at hand in defending life, a division in the voice of the Christian community would have untold repercussions on the work that needs to be done.