Thursday April 1, 2010
Pope Benedict XVI Calls on Christians to Stand against Injustice of Abortion
By Thaddeus M. Baklinski
VATICAN, April 1, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – At this morning’s Chrism Mass, celebrated at Rome’s cathedral, the Basilica of St. John Lateran, Pope Benedict XVI called on Christians not to accept “injustices” which have been turned into law, first among these being abortion.
The pontiff said, “Christians, as good citizens, respect the law and do what is just and good. They also refuse to accept laws which guarantee what is not a right but an injustice.”
Christian martyrs, he observed, “refused to accept injustice, to participate in idolatry, to worship the emperor, to bow down before falsehood and adore individual people and their power. With their ‘no’ to falsehood and all its consequences, they upheld the power of right and truth. Thus they served true peace.”
“Today it is important for Christians to obey the law, which is the foundation of peace. But it is also important for Christians to not accept injustices which have been raised to the level of a law, for example when it allows the murder of innocent unborn children,” the pope said.
“In this way we serve peace, in this way we find ourselves following in the footsteps of Jesus Christ.”
Pope Benedict reminded the faithful that Christians, like Christ, do not “conquer” through the sword, but through the Cross.
“Anyone who loves is ready to suffer for the beloved and for the sake of his love, and in this way he experiences a deeper joy. The joy of the martyrs was stronger than the torments inflicted on them. This joy was ultimately victorious and opened the gates of history for Christ.”
“Let us pray that His gladness may pervade us ever more deeply and that we may be capable of bringing it anew to a world in such urgent need of the joy that has its source in truth,” the Holy Father concluded.
The full text of Pope Benedict’s Chrism Mass homily is available here.