The bishops' busy day
The nation's Catholic bishops had a busy day Tuesday, approving a pastoral letter on marriage, a document on reproductive technologies and a revision to an existing document on healthcare for the dying and chronically ill.
The bishops are holding their fall general assembly at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront.
"Marriage: Love and Life in the Divine Plan" breaks no new ground, but bishops said it would provide a foundation for the church’s campaign to promote marriage as the union of one man and one woman going forward.
"Life-Giving Love in an Age of Technology" reiterates Catholic teaching against in vitro fertilization, egg, sperm and embryo donation, surrogates and cloning. For infertile couples, the church counsels hormonal treatment and other medications, surgery to repair reproductive organs, and other means.
The revision to “Ethical and Religious Directives for Catholic Health Care Services” underscores what the church says is the moral obligation to provide nutrition and hydration to patients in a persistent vegetative state.
The bishops also approved new English translations of the Roman Missal.
Comments
"Breaks no new ground..." "Reiterates Catholic teaching..." "Underscores what the church says..." Boy, these guys really no how to spend money, huh? They get together every year to talk about the same stuff over and over. Don't they have better things to do? What a waste of the church's money. Oh wait, that's what they do best - waste money.
Posted by: Anonymous | November 20, 2009 12:00 PM