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September 2007 Issue
Bishop's column
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In
our fast paced, high-tech, global world, we are bombarded
with news and information. Some people may shake their
heads lamenting "information overload." But for many
including our young people…this is their reality. (I
must admit I am rarely separated from my Blackberry!)
We have benefited greatly from the technological
advancements made in communication, medicine and other
areas, but they often come with a price. |
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Prior to the internet and 24/7 broadcasting,
news and information arrived in a manageable timeframe allowing
people to process it fully. Communication was shaped by the
world around it. Now, the world is being shaped by communication.
The challenge is how to evaluate this infl ux of information
through the lens of our Catholic Christian morals and values
and to use that technology in the service of the Gospel. As
church, parents and teachers, we have a special responsibility
to meet this challenge. Television has played a signifi cant
role in changing the communication landscape. I grew up in
Canada, and television was not available until the mid 1950's.
I remember my family's fi rst television.
After years of listening to the radio, it seemed we had it
all - sight and sound. At that time television programming
aired for just a few hours a day, had one station and was
available only in black and white on an eight inch screen.
How different it is today. We can watch programs via a hand
held device or a 50+ inch plasma, highdefi nition, fl at-screen
monitor, 24 hours a day, and access hundreds of stations.
Information is communicated and downloaded from around the
world within seconds. The amount of information that we experience
can be overwhelming, helpful and confusing. We are faced with
the task of not only processing the validity of the source,
but also discerning its moral and ethical implications. We
must be informed on the many issues before us so we can provide
the guidance we owe to one another.
Medicine is another example. While offering
hope and healing, medical advances often present moral and
ethical dilemmas that were unimaginable decades ago. We hear
debates on abortion, physician-assisted suicide, cloning and
embryonic stem-cell research which advocates promote as a
"right." The stem-cell research debate is one of the issues
at the forefront. There is confusion and misinformation surrounding
the research and the church's position. It is imperative that
we educate ourselves on this issue in light of our church's
teaching, so we can provide our young people with the appropriate
counsel. The stem-cell debate involves both embryonic and
adult stem-cell research. Harvesting embryonic cells for research
is opposed by the church. It is morally wrong because it kills
a human living embryo.
The Catholic Church supports adult stem-cell
research which uses the cells obtained from adult tissue,
umbilical cord blood and other sources that pose no moral
problem. Adult stem cells are already being used to help people
with a variety of diseases such as Parkinson's disease, spinal
cord injury, sickle-cell anemia, heart damage, auto-immune
diseases, and other conditions. Adult stem-cell research offers
hope while protecting life. In recent years, the United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) and the Michigan Catholic
Conference (MCC) have compiled various educational materials
that address stem-cell research and the church's teaching
on life issues. There will be additional materials sent to
all our people this Fall.
To our young people: I want you to know how
important you are to the church. We want the church to be
important to you. In the midst of a complex and troubled society,
the church proclaims a message of hope and confi dence that
is rooted in the Lord Jesus. May Jesus, who loved you enough
to suffer and die for you, be your constant source of hope
and strength.
- Bishop Walter A. Hurley is the
11th bishop of the Diocese of Grand Rapids.
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