PAPAL LETTER TO GERMAN BISHOPS ON CATHOLIC FAMILY CONSULTORS

VATICAN CITY, JUN 22, 1999 (VIS) - Made public today was a Letter by Pope John Paul to the bishops of Germany concerning several matters relative to the Catholic family consultors, centers which provide counselling services and certificates to pregnant women in difficulty. The Letter was written in German and dated June 3, solemnity of Corpus Domini. A translation in Italian was also provided. Following are excerpts:

"In a Letter of January 11, 1998, I presented to you, in my capacity as Supreme Pastor of the Church, several orientations for the future journey in the difficult question of the correct insertion of Catholic consultors into the counselling envisioned by the State according to the August 21, 1995 law on pregnancy and the family. ... I invited you to continue without hesitation ... the consultation and assistance to pregnant women in difficulty. At the same time, for the clarity of our witness to the intangibility of every human life, I invited you not to release, in counselling offices (which are) ecclesiastical or depend on the Church, those certificates which, according to the law, constitute the necessary presupposition for the decriminalization of abortion. Bishop Karl Lehmann, president of your episcopal conference, ... communicated to me ... that it is your firm intention to conform to my insistent invitation."

"For a better harmony between the two aspects of my invitation, you instituted a study group, ... Bishop Lehmann ... communicated to me the results of this work group and informed me about the conclusions of the plenary assembly. I willingly express my recognition for this great commitment. ... I thank you for the many times that you have clearly referred to the importance of unity between yourselves and with the Holy See."

"The proposed solution preferred by the majority of your episcopal conference unites an ample 'plan of counselling and assistance' with a new formulation of the certificate of counselling, for which the work group proposed three variations from which to choose. The plan offers a series of elements, which are clearly aimed at the well-being of the pregnant women and the defense of unborn children. ... The multiple offers of counselling and assistance must make an ever greater number of women in difficulty turn to ecclesiastical or Church consultors, and that the Church be present in an efficacious manner in counselling pregnant women.

"However, serious questions are raised by inserting the 'plan of counselling and assistance' into the counselling for conflicting cases envisioned by the law. The certificate ... documents the orientation to life of ecclesial counselling and constitutes a guarantee for the assignment of assistance promised. What is decisive in evaluating the proposal is the question of whether the concluding part of the text still allows (one) to use the certificate as an access to abortion. If this is the case, this would be in contrast with my above-mentioned Letter."

"Variation 1 of the proposal is closest of all to your and my will for 'another certificate'. Until the juridical and moral quality of this document loses all ambiguity, I ask you to clarify in the text itself that the certificate ... cannot be used for decriminalizing abortion by norm 218a of the penal code. The consequence of this must be that, in the written certificate, ... there be added: 'This certificate can never be used for the decriminalization of abortion'.

"With this necessary addition the Catholic consultors and the Church, at whose command the counselling offices operate, are freed from a situation which is in conflict with their fundamental vision on the question of the defense of life and with the aim of their counselling. The unconditioned commitment for every unborn life, to which the Church has always held, does not allow for any ambiguity or compromise."

"Dear Brothers! I know that all of you for years have defended the life of unborn children. ... I trust that you will continue to present in public and without fear the values which are the basis for the Church's behavior. At the same time, I beg you, for the dignity of life, and the clarity of ecclesial witness, to accept unanimously my decision on the problem, and to translate it into practice by the end of this year."

"I wish on this occasion to thank the many people in your beloved country who ... contribute to giving value to the right to life, anchored in your constitution. ... To the consultors ... and to all who publicly or in a hidden way are at the service of life, I express my sincere thanks."

JPII-LETTER;CONSULTORS;...;GERMANY; LEHMANN;VIS;19990622;Word: 760;