Way To Go!

Big thanks to the Curt Jester for this story. These are MY bishops' conference at work:

MANILA, Philippines, February 21, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The bishops of the Philippines have responded emphatically to growing pressure from anti-life activists, calling for accountability from Catholics on moral issues. The Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) have rallied Catholic leaders throughout the country to educate parishioners on the immorality of artificial birth control methods, in response to a concerted onslaught by population control advocates. .... In response, the bishops have called for greater accountability from parishioners on moral issues. Those Catholics who promote or utilize artificial birth control methods may not be able to receive communion or other sacraments. The bishops have instituted a course for parishioners on the fundamentals of Church teaching, called the Basic Ecclesiastical Communities seminar. Catholics are required to take the course, which runs for eight consecutive Sundays, before receiving sacraments for themselves or their children, and upon entering adulthood. The course includes teachings on the basics of the faith, Bible study, Christian leadership, family and life apostles, salvation history, and the changing Church. Sister Regina Arguelles of the Daughters of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, who works with the CBCP in offering the seminars, said the Catholic bishops have been alarmed by the “continuing moral decay” that was eating up the society. The bishops are firm on the necessity of participating in the seminars before being allowed to receive sacraments. “That’s the idea. That’s exactly the Church’s message. If you want to be a Catholic, act like one and follow the Church’s teachings,” Sister Arguelles said.

Harsh, you say? Too much weighing in of authority? That may seem to be the case, but these, our fathers in faith, are besieged by entities like the United Nations and corporate giants who sell contraceptives and abortificents, including RU-486. They're pushing it on a country where the life of the unborn is protected quite explicitly in the constitution! That's not stopping them, however, so drastic measures seem to be called for. When one's children start behaving heinously (yes, because abortion is, after all, an act of murder for Catholics), then drastic measures are called for.

Like any father, I can only wish that things did not have to come to this, but they have, and something has got to be done. Otherwise, we might find ourselves following in the path of the United States, with over 30 million legal abortions performed over a span of 33 years.