26.04.2024.
This week, with this reflection, I want to reach a conclusion that will surely seem risky to some, or even wrong, an opinion that I respect and will respect, and I will start from three things that have happened these days. Three years ago, in the year 2021, there was a news story in Canada that shocked that country and traveled around the world. In the vicinity of a former school run by religious, but owned by the Canadian government, using a georadar technique, a series of lumps hidden under the ground had been discovered in the vicinity of the school, and that without excavating and without making any other inquiry, were announced as graves of children who had been taken in, educated in those schools and who had died victims of torture and sexual abuse, more than 200 it was said, only in one school. The news was a shock, the Canadian bishops asked for forgiveness, the Pope himself asked for forgiveness, well, of course the media attacked the Church fiercely, the Canadian government, which had been the owner of those schools, also attacked the Church terribly, several temples were set on fire, The Church found herself defenseless in the face of all these attacks, humiliated and without the strength to defend the non-negotiable principles, especially in this case the increasingly permissive euthanasia laws that the Canadian government of Mr. Trudeau was implementing. Well, this week a report has been published that proves that everything was false, the surroundings of the famous school have been thoroughly excavated, not a single human remain has been found, it was all a lie, it was all a publicity stunt to attack the Church.
Also this week, now not in Canada but in Spain, the socio-communist government, socialist communist, of Mr. Sanchez has presented a bill by which they are going to compensate the victims of sexual abuse by ecclesiastics or personnel working in the Church. According to this socio-communist government there are 400,000 victims, and they also say that, as many of these cases, practically all of them, have not been proven because they have prescribed, they will be in charge of compensating those victims whose alleged cases have not been brought to court. The Spanish Episcopal Conference immediately and rightly protested. It has said first, this figure is false, second, if the cases have prescribed and have not been brought to court how can we know that the allegations are true, in the event that they have occurred, which they have not, and third, why does the government decide to compensate the victims of the Church that according to all studies are 0, 2% of all victims of sexual abuse of minors, and not to the rest of the victims, including those who have suffered the consequences of sexual abuse in their own institutes and schools under the protection of the government, and not in institutes or centers of the Church? Because there is a clear objective: to attack the Church, to make it appear before civil society as a monster. And why? Why is that? Well, because we are in an election campaign and because the government has to cover up the many corruption scandals that splash it, or scandals that are not corruption and are of a political nature, such as the amnesty law, etc.
Third case, in Italy, a positive news. The government of Mrs. Meloni, which is a coalition government between conservative forces, which her rivals identify and immediately call fascists, all those who are not socialists or communists are by definition, according to them who are the ones who decide, fascists. Well, the conservative government of Italy headed, presided by Mrs. Meloni, has managed to pass in the parliament a law by which representatives of pro-life associations should also be present in the counseling centers for women who are at risk of abortion and who come to these centers seeking advice, as established by Italian law, to explain the other alternative that these women have before having an abortion. This is something unprecedented in Europe and in the world, but this has been a scandal in Italy, and terrible accusations have been made against Mrs. Meloni, but of course, it is a very positive fact for the defense of life.
Three events of this week. I would like to make a reflection based on them, is it that the government, everything that Mrs. Meloni’s government does in Italy, everything it does is good from the moral point of view, I am not going into other aspects, is everything good? Decidedly no. Is everything that the government of Mr. Justin Trudeau in Canada or Mr. Pedro Sanchez in Spain does all bad, is it all absolutely all bad? No, however, speaking of the non-negotiable principles, it is clear that the government of some is not the same as the government of others. And what does that mean? It means that we have to try as Catholic voters, who follow what the Church has taught, especially in recent years, who follow the non-negotiable principles when it comes to discernment about their vote, we have to try to support with our vote those parties that, without being perfect, even being far away in some things from what a Catholic would wish, nevertheless represent a lesser evil.
And here I think we must clarify one thing, last week I said it, I repeat it again, and I understand that the lesser evil sounds very bad to some, and I think it is right, so I think it is much better, and I want to do it from now on, to talk about the possible good, the possible good, not the absolute good, not the perfection in the real world in which we live, which, on the other hand, we must try to reach, but the possible good. There is an expert, a philosopher, a doctor in philosophy, an expert in these issues of the possible good applied to politics, Dr. Rodrigo Guerra, who says the following: “To focus on ethical demands while neglecting the political feasibility of those ethical demands -the political feasibility of making it feasible- usually results in losing everything”. You are a purist, you want that the party you want to vote for to be perfect and that it identifies 100% with the catholic social doctrine, I think that is not a bad thing, I think it is very good to look for a party that is 100% identifiable with the catholic social doctrine, and especially the three non-negotiable principles. But what does the Church teach us, what did St. John Paul II teach? When St. John Paul II establishes that politicians who with their vote are approving an abortion law are automatically excommunicated, he also says that a Catholic politician is allowed to vote for an abortion law as long as in this way the approval of an abortion law much more or much more permissive than the one being voted for is stopped, is prevented. That is to say, St. John Paul II establishes the criterion, let us leave aside the lesser evil, the criterion of the possible good. We must aspire, we must strive to achieve the greatest possible good until we reach perfection, but in the meantime, while we are here and now, in these situations in which we find ourselves, we will have to find a solution and an alternative. Of course it is valid for all countries, I am thinking in a special way in those that are now in an electoral process like the United States or Mexico, but I think it is valid for all of them, of course also for Spain, for all countries. The first thing we must try to do is to have unity, and to put aside as far as possible the differences between those who are against the greater evil, I am speaking from the point of view of the non-negotiable principles, that is what has been achieved in Italy. Among the three parties that form the government coalition there are huge differences and in fact, typically Italian, they are constantly fighting, but they have been able to bring out in Parliament a law in favor of life, they know how to put aside their differences to achieve something positive. Why can’t this be done everywhere? First you have to try unity among those who at least have many things in common and who are against that greater evil, if this is not achieved, and I consider it is serious if it is not achieved, and that is the responsibility of those who are the representatives or leaders of those parties, and I consider it because it is used by their rivals to divide, and ‘divide and rule’ has been said since Roman times, but if that is not achieved, because personalisms, or it is considered that the differences are so absolute and gigantic that an agreement cannot be reached, the Catholic voter has to make some decisions, and if your vote represents seeking the greater good, the absolute good, perfection, but with that you are getting that the one who represents the possible good is very far from that greater good that you want to achieve, but that the one who represents the possible good cannot achieve it, what does the Catholic voter have to do? Does he have to choose between the possible good or does he have to choose to lose everything? Of course, everyone has to act in conscience, but we are in a very serious situation in all aspects. I want to refer to the three non-negotiable principles, there are other aspects such as the unity of the country, I want to focus on this that as Catholics we have to keep in mind, we have to look for the maximum possible good, we have to look for it, but in many occasions we have to accept and support the possible good.
A doctor, a surgeon, has to try that the one who is on the operating table comes out healthy and whole, but perhaps if he has gangrene in a leg he has no choice but to cut off his leg, of course this is a medical example that some will say cannot be compared with a moral example, in practice, unfortunately perhaps, but in reality the best is sometimes the enemy of the good. We have to opt for the possible good and we have to encourage the parties that have things in common, even if they are not all, in the fight against the greater evil. We must encourage the parties to unite, and if not, at least with our vote to choose the possible good, because otherwise we risk losing everything.
Until next week, God willing.
The possible good or losing everything
26.04.2024.
This week, with this reflection, I want to reach a conclusion that will surely seem risky to some, or even wrong, an opinion that I respect and will respect, and I will start from three things that have happened these days. Three years ago, in the year 2021, there was a news story in Canada that shocked that country and traveled around the world. In the vicinity of a former school run by religious, but owned by the Canadian government, using a georadar technique, a series of lumps hidden under the ground had been discovered in the vicinity of the school, and that without excavating and without making any other inquiry, were announced as graves of children who had been taken in, educated in those schools and who had died victims of torture and sexual abuse, more than 200 it was said, only in one school. The news was a shock, the Canadian bishops asked for forgiveness, the Pope himself asked for forgiveness, well, of course the media attacked the Church fiercely, the Canadian government, which had been the owner of those schools, also attacked the Church terribly, several temples were set on fire, The Church found herself defenseless in the face of all these attacks, humiliated and without the strength to defend the non-negotiable principles, especially in this case the increasingly permissive euthanasia laws that the Canadian government of Mr. Trudeau was implementing. Well, this week a report has been published that proves that everything was false, the surroundings of the famous school have been thoroughly excavated, not a single human remain has been found, it was all a lie, it was all a publicity stunt to attack the Church.
Also this week, now not in Canada but in Spain, the socio-communist government, socialist communist, of Mr. Sanchez has presented a bill by which they are going to compensate the victims of sexual abuse by ecclesiastics or personnel working in the Church. According to this socio-communist government there are 400,000 victims, and they also say that, as many of these cases, practically all of them, have not been proven because they have prescribed, they will be in charge of compensating those victims whose alleged cases have not been brought to court. The Spanish Episcopal Conference immediately and rightly protested. It has said first, this figure is false, second, if the cases have prescribed and have not been brought to court how can we know that the allegations are true, in the event that they have occurred, which they have not, and third, why does the government decide to compensate the victims of the Church that according to all studies are 0, 2% of all victims of sexual abuse of minors, and not to the rest of the victims, including those who have suffered the consequences of sexual abuse in their own institutes and schools under the protection of the government, and not in institutes or centers of the Church? Because there is a clear objective: to attack the Church, to make it appear before civil society as a monster. And why? Why is that? Well, because we are in an election campaign and because the government has to cover up the many corruption scandals that splash it, or scandals that are not corruption and are of a political nature, such as the amnesty law, etc.
Third case, in Italy, a positive news. The government of Mrs. Meloni, which is a coalition government between conservative forces, which her rivals identify and immediately call fascists, all those who are not socialists or communists are by definition, according to them who are the ones who decide, fascists. Well, the conservative government of Italy headed, presided by Mrs. Meloni, has managed to pass in the parliament a law by which representatives of pro-life associations should also be present in the counseling centers for women who are at risk of abortion and who come to these centers seeking advice, as established by Italian law, to explain the other alternative that these women have before having an abortion. This is something unprecedented in Europe and in the world, but this has been a scandal in Italy, and terrible accusations have been made against Mrs. Meloni, but of course, it is a very positive fact for the defense of life.
Three events of this week. I would like to make a reflection based on them, is it that the government, everything that Mrs. Meloni’s government does in Italy, everything it does is good from the moral point of view, I am not going into other aspects, is everything good? Decidedly no. Is everything that the government of Mr. Justin Trudeau in Canada or Mr. Pedro Sanchez in Spain does all bad, is it all absolutely all bad? No, however, speaking of the non-negotiable principles, it is clear that the government of some is not the same as the government of others. And what does that mean? It means that we have to try as Catholic voters, who follow what the Church has taught, especially in recent years, who follow the non-negotiable principles when it comes to discernment about their vote, we have to try to support with our vote those parties that, without being perfect, even being far away in some things from what a Catholic would wish, nevertheless represent a lesser evil.
And here I think we must clarify one thing, last week I said it, I repeat it again, and I understand that the lesser evil sounds very bad to some, and I think it is right, so I think it is much better, and I want to do it from now on, to talk about the possible good, the possible good, not the absolute good, not the perfection in the real world in which we live, which, on the other hand, we must try to reach, but the possible good. There is an expert, a philosopher, a doctor in philosophy, an expert in these issues of the possible good applied to politics, Dr. Rodrigo Guerra, who says the following: “To focus on ethical demands while neglecting the political feasibility of those ethical demands -the political feasibility of making it feasible- usually results in losing everything”. You are a purist, you want that the party you want to vote for to be perfect and that it identifies 100% with the catholic social doctrine, I think that is not a bad thing, I think it is very good to look for a party that is 100% identifiable with the catholic social doctrine, and especially the three non-negotiable principles. But what does the Church teach us, what did St. John Paul II teach? When St. John Paul II establishes that politicians who with their vote are approving an abortion law are automatically excommunicated, he also says that a Catholic politician is allowed to vote for an abortion law as long as in this way the approval of an abortion law much more or much more permissive than the one being voted for is stopped, is prevented. That is to say, St. John Paul II establishes the criterion, let us leave aside the lesser evil, the criterion of the possible good. We must aspire, we must strive to achieve the greatest possible good until we reach perfection, but in the meantime, while we are here and now, in these situations in which we find ourselves, we will have to find a solution and an alternative. Of course it is valid for all countries, I am thinking in a special way in those that are now in an electoral process like the United States or Mexico, but I think it is valid for all of them, of course also for Spain, for all countries. The first thing we must try to do is to have unity, and to put aside as far as possible the differences between those who are against the greater evil, I am speaking from the point of view of the non-negotiable principles, that is what has been achieved in Italy. Among the three parties that form the government coalition there are huge differences and in fact, typically Italian, they are constantly fighting, but they have been able to bring out in Parliament a law in favor of life, they know how to put aside their differences to achieve something positive. Why can’t this be done everywhere? First you have to try unity among those who at least have many things in common and who are against that greater evil, if this is not achieved, and I consider it is serious if it is not achieved, and that is the responsibility of those who are the representatives or leaders of those parties, and I consider it because it is used by their rivals to divide, and ‘divide and rule’ has been said since Roman times, but if that is not achieved, because personalisms, or it is considered that the differences are so absolute and gigantic that an agreement cannot be reached, the Catholic voter has to make some decisions, and if your vote represents seeking the greater good, the absolute good, perfection, but with that you are getting that the one who represents the possible good is very far from that greater good that you want to achieve, but that the one who represents the possible good cannot achieve it, what does the Catholic voter have to do? Does he have to choose between the possible good or does he have to choose to lose everything? Of course, everyone has to act in conscience, but we are in a very serious situation in all aspects. I want to refer to the three non-negotiable principles, there are other aspects such as the unity of the country, I want to focus on this that as Catholics we have to keep in mind, we have to look for the maximum possible good, we have to look for it, but in many occasions we have to accept and support the possible good.
A doctor, a surgeon, has to try that the one who is on the operating table comes out healthy and whole, but perhaps if he has gangrene in a leg he has no choice but to cut off his leg, of course this is a medical example that some will say cannot be compared with a moral example, in practice, unfortunately perhaps, but in reality the best is sometimes the enemy of the good. We have to opt for the possible good and we have to encourage the parties that have things in common, even if they are not all, in the fight against the greater evil. We must encourage the parties to unite, and if not, at least with our vote to choose the possible good, because otherwise we risk losing everything.
Until next week, God willing.