‘Cafeteria Catholics’ defy doctrine on abortion

Editor,

We, as members of Catholic Apologetics Fellowship and Evangelization, would like to respond to an advertisement in the Tuesday, November 12 issue of the Daily Lobo. As a Catholic organization, it is our obligation to respond and portray Catholic Doctrine accurately and consistently. The advertisement in question talks about the November 19 election for the “Pain Capable” abortion ban and was paid for in part by the group Catholics for Choice.

To allow abortion to persist disregards the dignity of human life from its beginning at conception. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), the official teaching and doctrine of the Catholic Church, “Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the first moment of his [or her] existence, a human being must be recognized as having the rights of a person — among which is the inviolable right of every innocent being to life” (CCC 2270).

Although Catholics for Choice may claim to be Catholic, they are only so in name and their view regarding abortion is contrary to the Catholic Faith. This group is guilty of misrepresenting and misinterpreting Catholic teaching on abortion. The Church declares, “Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law” (CCC 2271).

Catholics for Choice are guilty of a phenomenon into which many Catholics fall: being what is referred to as a “Cafeteria Catholic.” This lifestyle is the view that one may call him or herself Catholic but choose to follow only what he or she agrees with. This cannot be the case.

While the Church does not prohibit individuals from having their own opinions, it does maintain that each person should not hold any beliefs contradicting its own teaching. “Ministries should be exercised in a spirit of fraternal service and dedication to the Church in the name of the Lord. At the same time, the conscience of each person should avoid confining itself to individualistic considerations in its moral judgments of the person’s own acts. As far as possible conscience should take account the good of all, as expressed in the moral law, natural and revealed, and consequently in the law of the Church and in the authoritative teaching of the Magisterium on moral question. Personal conscience and reason should not be set in opposition to the moral law or the Magisterium of the Church” (CCC 2039).

Taking into account the definitive teaching of the Catholic Church on the moral wrong of abortion for 20 centuries, found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and applying it to the obligation for every Catholic to uphold that teaching, Catholics for Choice hold to teachings in direct opposition to the Catholic Church and are leading many to follow in their error.

The Catholic Church now and always has declared that abortion is wrong and to believe otherwise is to separate oneself from the Catholic Church. This view does not, however, subject Catholics to judgment of victims and participants of abortion as many individuals, Catholics for Choice included, have so wrongly accused the Church of doing so.

Rather, Catholics are to love and support these women and children in their circumstances while not allowing them to commit this evil. One cannot both be Catholic and “pro-choice.”

With this we pray that our brothers and sisters associated with such a misguided organization will see the fault in this and come back to uphold all the teachings of the Catholic Church and that the evil that is at question will be abolished.

The members of CAFE