2/12/2022: Nota Pastorali mill-Isqfijiet Maltin u għawdXIN
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Il-festa tal-Immakulata Kunċizzjoni li niċċelebraw nhar il-Ħamis li ġej, 8 ta’ Diċembru, hi festa għażiża ħafna għalina l-Maltin. Hi festa li għandha messaġġ importanti wkoll fl-istess kelma li tant għandha tifsira – “kunċizzjoni” – għax tfakkarna li aħna niċċelebraw lil Marija mill-ewwel mument tat-tnissil tagħha. Hi bla tebgħa mill-ewwel mument tat-tnissil tagħha. Fl-istess festa hemm din id-dikjarazzjoni ċara li l-ħajja umana hi għażiża mill-ewwel mument tat-tnissil tagħha.
Meta aħna nitkellmu fuq l-għożża tal-ħajja mill-ewwel mument tat-tnissil, u r-rispett lejn id-dinjità ta’ din il-ħajja li bdiet, ma ngħidux hekk għax hija l-fidi li tgħidilna li hemm il-ħajja umana mill-konċepiment, jew għax il-Knisja tgħidilna hekk. Hi x-xjenza li tgħidhielna din. Anke scan tat-tarbija fil-ġuf turik l-iżvilupp gradwali tal-ħajja umana meta tarbija għadha ma twelditx. Fil-ġuf hemm xi ħadd, mhux xi ħaġa. Li tgħidilna l-fidi hi biex ngħożżu din il-ħajja li bdiet għax kull ħajja hija don ta’ Alla.
Fid-dawl ta’ dan, irridu nuru t-tħassib kbir tagħna rigward l-emenda li qed tiġi diskussa bħalissa fil-Parlament u li, jekk tiġi approvata, iddaħħal l-abort f’Malta.
L-emenda proposta ddaħħal xi ħaġa ġdida. Titkellem ukoll fuq sitwazzjonijiet fejn mhux il-ħajja tal-omm fil-periklu iżda s-saħħa tagħha, u tipproponi li tista’ tħares is-saħħa billi toqtol ħajja umana ġdida. Dan ifisser abort
L-emenda proposta ma titkellimx biss fuq is-sitwazzjoni ta’ omm li tkun f’periklu li tmut minħabba t-tqala tagħha. Nafu li meta jkun hemm periklu ta’ dat-tip, it-tobba dejjem jippruvaw isalvaw lill-omm u lit-tarbija, u meta ma jirnexxilhomx isalvawhom it-tnejn, isalvaw lill-omm. Kull meta sar hekk tul is-snin, qatt ma nħolqu problemi legali għall-ommijiet jew għat-tobba. Ma kienx hemm bżonn ta’ tibdil fil-liġi biex l-omm tkun salvata jekk tkun fil-periklu tal-mewt.
Imma l-emenda proposta ddaħħal xi ħaġa ġdida. Titkellem ukoll fuq sitwazzjonijiet fejn mhux il-ħajja tal-omm fil-periklu iżda s-saħħa tagħha, u tipproponi li tista’ tħares is-saħħa billi toqtol ħajja umana ġdida. Dan ifisser abort. L-istorja ta’ għadd ta’ pajjiżi turina li l-abort daħal proprju bl-użu ta’ din il-kelma “saħħa”, kif qed jiġi propost fl-emenda. Din hi ħaġa serja ħafna. Aħna nafu li fejn is-saħħa teħtieġ kura, għandha tingħata kull kura meħtieġa, u fejn l-omm għandha bżonn l-għajnuna, għandha tingħata kull appoġġ li teħtieġ. Imma m’għandekx toqtol ħajja umana biex tħares is-saħħa ta’ xi ħadd. Meta wieħed jinnega d-dinjità tat-tarbija fil-ġuf, il-pedament tar-rispett lejn id-dinjità ta’ kull bniedem – inkluż tal-mara u tal-professjonist – jitfarrak.
Nixtiequ nagħmlu appell ħerqan biex insemmgħu leħinna b’mod ċar favur il-protezzjoni tal-ħajja f’kull waqt tagħha – mill-ewwel mument tat-tnissil tagħha sat-tmiem naturali tagħha, u f’kull waqt tagħha. Nagħmlu wkoll appell speċjali lil dawk li jġorru fuq spallejhom ir-responsabbiltà kbira biex jiddeċiedu rigward l-emenda, biex l-għażla tagħhom tkun favur il-ħajja u mhux favur il-mewt.
Nitolbu ħafna lil Ommna Marija, Immakulata Kunċizzjoni, li dejjem tfakkarna fil-ħajja li tibda mat-tnissil, biex tidħol għalina u tgħinna ħalli dejjem nipproteġu kull ħajja umana b’għożża kbira.
✠ Charles Jude Scicluna
Arċisqof ta’ Malta
✠ Anton Teuma
Isqof ta’ Għawdex
✠ Joseph Galea-Curmi
Isqof Awżiljarju
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Let us protect every human life with great care
2/12/2022: Pastoral Note by the Bishops of Malta and Gozo
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception which we shall celebrate next Thursday, 8th December, is a very dear feast to us Maltese. It is a feast that gives an important message even by its very name which has such great meaning – “conception” – as it reminds us that we celebrate Mary from the moment of her conception. She is without stain from the first moment of her conception. This same feast is a clear declaration that human life is precious from the first moment of its conception.
When we speak of caring for life from the first moment of conception, and of the respect towards the dignity of this life that has started, we do not speak in this way because our faith tells us that there is human life from conception, or because the Church tells us so. It is science that tells us this. Even a scan of the baby in the womb shows the gradual development of the human life when the baby has not yet been born. In the womb there is someone, not something. What faith tell us is to cherish this life that has started because every life is a gift of God.
The proposed amendment introduces something new. It also speaks of situations in which it is not the mother’s life that is in danger, but her health, and proposes that health can be safeguarded by killing a new human life. This means abortion.
In the light of this, we wish to express our great preoccupation with respect to the amendment that is currently being discussed in parliament and which, if approved, will introduce abortion to Malta.
The proposed amendment does not only speak of a situation in which a mother is in danger of dying because of her pregnancy. We know that when there is this sort of danger, doctors always try to save the mother and the baby, and when they are not successful in saving both of them, they save the mother. Whenever this has happened over the years, legal problems were never created for the mothers or the doctors. There was no need for the law to be changed for the mother to be saved were she in danger of dying.
However, the proposed amendment introduces something new. It also speaks of situations in which it is not the mother’s life that is in danger, but her health, and proposes that health can be safeguarded by killing a new human life. This means abortion. The experience of a number of countries shows that abortion was introduced precisily because of the use of this word ‘health’, as is being proposed in the amendment. This is a very serious matter. We know that when health requires treatment, every type of treatment necessary should be given, and when the mother needs help, she should be given all the support that she needs. However, a human life should not be killed to safeguard somebody’s health. When respect for the dignity of the baby in the womb is denied, the foundation of respect for the dignity of each human being – including that of the woman and the professional – is destroyed.
We wish to express our wholehearted appeal for our voice to be heard clearly in favour of the protection of life at each of its moments – from the first moment of conception to its natural end, and at each of its moments. We also make a special appeal to those who bear the great responsibility of taking a decision regarding the amendment, so that their choice will be in favour of life and not in favour of death.
We beseech our Mother Mary, Immaculate Conception, who always reminds us of life that starts from conception, to intercede for us and to help us always protect each human life with great care.
✠ Charles Jude Scicluna
Archbishop of Malta
✠ Anton Teuma
Bishop of Gozo
✠ Joseph Galea-Curmi
Auxiliary Bishop