VATICAN CITY, March 4, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Vatican has released the text of a communique by a joint commission of Catholic and Jewish leaders. High ranking officials of the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel signed the document dated February 26. Following are selections on the topics of the sanctity of human life and family values from the statement: “The Sanctity of Human Life. Human life is of unique and highest value in our world. Any attempt to destroy human life must be rejected, and every common effort should be made, in order to promote human rights, solidarity among all human beings, respect for freedom of conscience.”“Our common religious motivation for this central affirmation is based on the biblical statement that the human being is created in the image of the living God, in His likeness. God is the Holy One and the Creator of human life, and the human being is blessed and obliged by His holiness. Therefore every human life is holy, sacrosanct and inviolable.”“To protect human life is an evident ethical consequence of this conviction. Every believer, particularly religious leaders, should cooperate in protecting human life. Any attack against the life of a human being runs contrary to the will of God, is a desecration of God’s Name, directly opposed to the teaching of the prophets. Taking any human life, including one’s own, even in the name of God, is sacrilegious.”“All educators should strengthen their efforts in devising programmes to educate the young in respect for the highest value of human life. Against the present trend of violence and death in our societies, we should foster our cooperation with believers of all religions and all people of good will in promoting a ‘culture of life’.”“Family Life. The institution of the family stems from the will of the Almighty who created human being in the image of God; ‘male and female He created them’. Marriage in a religious perspective has a great value because God blessed this union and sanctified it.”“Family and home unity provides a warm and protecting surrounding that nurtures children and ensures their proper education, in keeping with tradition and beliefs. The family unit is the basis for a wholesome society.”“Doubtless the electronic and media revolution has brought about positive changes in society. However, at the same time too often, a negative influence on behavior of society has developed. Adults and the young alike are exposed to distorted and perverted aspects of life, such as violence and pornography. As religious leaders we are challenged by these destructive developments.” See the full statement and a list of signers at Zenit News at: https://zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=32190
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CATHOLIC-JEWISH STATEMENT ON HUMAN LIFE, FAMILY VALUES
VATICAN CITY, March 4, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Vatican has released the text of a communique by a joint commission of Catholic and Jewish leaders. High ranking officials of the Holy See’s Commission for Religious Relations with the Jews and of the Chief Rabbinate of Israel signed the document dated February 26. Following are selections on the topics of the sanctity of human life and family values from the statement: “The Sanctity of Human Life. Human life is of unique and highest value in our world. Any attempt to destroy human life must be rejected, and every common effort should […]
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