Human Life International's Cardinal von Galen Award, Summer 2006
Yesterday I talked about Human Life International's Millstone Award. Today I'd like to look at the winner of the other award HLI gives out. This award was named for Blessed Clemens August Graf Cardinal von Galen, Bishop of Munster, Germany from 1933-1946. He earned the nickname The Lion of Munster because of his outspoken criticism of Hitler's Euthenasia program. In 1934 he wrote pastoral letter that was a criticism of the "neopaganism of the national socialist ideology". In 1937 he was called to Rome along with the Bishop of Berlin to be consulted about the situation in Germany with Pope Pius XI as well as to discuss an upcoming encyclical. Shortly thereafter, on 14 March 1937 that encyclical, "Mit brennender Sorge" (To the Bishops of Germany: The place of the Catholic Church in the German Reich). Bishop von Galen ensured that it was widely distributed in his diocese. In the Summer of 1943 he gave 3 homilies that were highly critical of the Nazi seizing of Church prperty & the euthenasia program. His diocese's fidelity to the Catholic faith & esp its Bishop became a great embarrasment to Hitler. 10 October 1943 saw his residence bombed. Eventually he was forced to leave Munster. After the war, on 21 February 1946 Pius XII made him a cardinal. On 22 March 1946 after surgery, he died. He was beatified on 9 October 2005.
HLI gives out this award quarterly to the Catholic prelate who exemplifies the values of Cardinal von Galen. "HLI believes that good bishops who act like true shepherds in protecting the sheep from the modern age need our support & their example needs to be spread far & wide." He is one, like von Galen, who "has stood against the agressions of the culture of death & who shows the Church & the world that the moral conscience can never be silenced."
The latest to be honored with this award is His Eminence Alfonso Cardinal López Trujillo. He has been the head of the Pontifical Council for the Family since 8 Nov 1990. In addition he is amember of the following Congregations: of the Doctrine of the Faith, of the Cause of Saints, for Bishops, & for the Evangelisation of Peoples. He is also a member of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America. He has written many books & articles on ethics, marriage & the family, & social theology.
HLI cites several reasons for recognizing him with this award. They point out his continual reminding Catholic leaders & lawmakers of "their solemn duty to fight abortion & the culture of death." As the secretary general of CELAM he lead the movement to denounce the Marxist elements of Liberation Theology. As Cardinal Archbishop of Medellin, Columbia he refused to let constant death threats silence his condemnation of the activities of the drug cartels. Under his leadership the Pontifical Council for the Family has instituted bio-ethics courses for the episcopate. It has also published the Lexicon: Ambiguous & Debatable Terms Regarding Family Life & Ethical Questions. The English edition will be published this year. Over the years his outspoken criticism of the culture of death & promotion of the authentic teaching of the Church has earned him the criticism of anti-life groups & journalists. HLI is preparing a 72 page booklet, The Case Against Comdoms, which includes his 2003 document Family Values versus Safe Sex. Cardinal López Trujillo continues to reaffirm the Church's clear teaching against the use of condoms to fight AIDS.
On 7 Oct 2005 at the XI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops he gave an intervention on the duties of Catholic politicians, Eucharistic Coherence of Politicians and Legislators. In it he said: "Politicians and legislators must know that by proposing or defending projects for iniquitous laws, they have a serious responsibility and must find a remedy for the evil done and spread in order to be allowed access to communion with the Lord who is the way, truth and life". On 8 Aug 2003 he gave a reflection titled Cloning: the disappearance of direct parenthoodand denial of the family. In it he clearly warns of the dangers of cloning to society as well as the moral implications.
In a 29 Mar 2003 reflection on partial birth abortion he had the following to say about what was going on in the US Congress: "If partial-birth abortion is banned in the United States by the House of Representatives (as everything seems to indicate it will be), we will be witnessing a true step ahead, not only of the culture of life, but also of a legal discipline more in tune with it that is rooted in a deeper understanding of the prerequisites of human dignity and in a more refined perception of the deep harmony between the right to life and the dignity of the woman."
On the importance of family prayer he said: "As everyone knows, an important purpose of the prayer of the domestic church is to serve as the natural introduction for children to the liturgical prayer of the whole Church, both in the sense of preparing for it and of extending it into family and social life. Thus family prayer is not an escape from social commitment, but a strong incentive to the Christian family to assume fully all its responsibilities as the primary and basic cell of human society. Reinforces stability, solidity of family." (The Rosary as Family Prayer 4 Feb 2003)
Cardinal López Trujillo was recently the main celebrant at the Mass for EWTN's 25th Anniversary celebration in Birmingham, AL. In his homily he said: "The Church denounces inhuman conduct that according to the great theologian Romano Guardini, produces the infirmity of the spirit, resulting in a spirit without truth, freedom and hope. EWTN, reaching more than a hundred million homes on earth, gives a firm testimony that God lives, loves us, defends our dignity, redeems us at the price of His blood, and invites us not to sadden the Spirit. We have to imitate God, as his dearly beloved children, following the way of love, as the Letter to the Ephesians says: ¿How can we hate what God loves, or despise the human being, as if we were not concerned with him? We cannot follow the logic of love without following Christ’s example, in his supreme self-giving on the Cross to the Father. From a degradation that enslaves, only love can liberate us through the Gospel, the Good News of Christ who died and resurrected. With legitimate pride, continue your witness to the whole world. Only in this mystery of our faith can we preserve the world from ethical relativism and from the various forms of confusion that imprison the truth and generates the culture of death!"
Clearly, His Eminence takes his vocation as a priest seriously. He is faithful to his vows taken at his ordination as a bishop. HLI is right in calling him a true shepherd. He listens to the Good Shepherd & follows His example. May Jesus continue to bless his efforts & service to all of us. May his efforts bear much fruit for the King he is serving. & may all be open to the Gospel message he is proclaiming. He is an apostle for the culture of life!
Vatican biography of Blessed Cardinal von Galen:
Pontifical Council for the Family:
Labels: HLI Cardinal von Galen Award
posted by Al @ 1:59 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home