Discovering the many “yes”

“Cannot you read the signs of the time?”: this is the title, taken from a verse of Matthew’s Gospel (16: 3), that was chosen by the bishops of Belgium for the booklet published on the eve of Easter, with the objective – its introduction explains – “not of spreading resounding declarations, but of pointing out that, contrary to the opinion of some, the Church is not a nagging scold who spends her time rebuking her members”. “Too often – declared the Archbishop of Brussels, Cardinal GODFRIED DANNEELS , on presenting the document at a recent press conference in the Saint-Jean hospital of the Belgian capital, where he had gone to visit the patients – the Church has been identified with ‘no’ and with prohibition. But behind every ‘no’ – explained the cardinal – a positive value is hidden”. POSITIVE MESSAGE. To those who ask: “When she speaks, does not the Church too often say ‘no’ to what is happening in the world? Does she really love the world?”, the bishops reply by stressing “the positive values proposed by the Church and, only afterwards, the negative aspects. Her task – they explain – is to establish the road to be followed, rather than plant pickets to right and left”. According to the bishops, “every no conceals a yes” and “Christians have many resources at their disposal to make man happier and society more liveable”: to this end, “the gospel values are indispensable”. In eleven chapters the document proposes the Church’s point of view on various aspects of contemporary life, emphasizing that “the message of the Church is, above all, a positive one”. Recalling, for example, the encyclical of Benedict XVI Deus caritas est, the bishops call it “a breath of fresh air, for believers and for everyone else. In it the Pope speaks in a positive manner of erotic love, though it has to be purified and ennobled”. “That does not mean – says the document – that everything is permitted, but nor should we forget that what is prohibited is but the negative aspect of a positive value”. NO TO DEATH; YES TO LIFE. “The Church – the bishops continue – defends life in all its forms; when she says no, it is to death she refers”. But the Church also pronounces her “gratitude and admiration” for the Creation and reminds man of his responsibilities towards it. She “is always filled with an attitude of forgiveness and compassion” for “the weakness, the failings and recovery of man”. “Christian faith – say the bishops – professes a profound and unshakeable optimism” in the potential of the human being, in his intelligence, science and culture”. As for politics, “the Church cannot fail to take an interest in it – explain the bishops -, for it is the Church’s task, while not intervening directly in the constitutional order of the State, in its legislation or executive and judicial powers”, to remind the State that “before the de facto ethics that it prescribes for its citizens there exists a pre-political ethos” founded on the values “of the dignity of the human person”, and that “it is not the parliamentary majority that establishes the truth”. IN POLITICS. “Catholic politicians – warn the bishops – cannot leave their conscience at home, locked away in a cupboard”. “When laws that conflict with Christian principles are voted on – explains the document -, the conscience of Catholic politicians may be faced by a dilemma”. While premising that “the well-formed Christian conscience does not permit anyone” to support “the approval of political programmes or laws” in conflict with the principles of the faith, the teaching of the Church, explain the bishops, does admit that “an MP, whose personal opposition to a proposal is manifest to everyone, may offer his own support to proposals aimed at limiting the damage caused by such political programmes or bills and diminishing their negative impact on culture and public morality”. The document also examines the concept of “open secularism”. In contrast to “closed secularism that is often taken to the point of combating religion” and supports a neutrality that seems “rather to be a monopoly” aimed “at placing religion under the control of ideology”, open secularism supports “the human being and contributes to the humanization of social life” by putting into practice “the principle of the separation between Church and State”. IN THE MEDIA. “The Church cannot fail to form part of the media society” because the media “are a powerful instrument for the diffusion of her message”, says the document. The bishops therefore appeal to Catholics to “participate in forums and public debates without claiming a privileged space for themselves”. The Church, continue the bishops, “must provide reliable and open information” and “devote attention and resources to the training” of communication experts. “Internet” – conclude the bishops – is a channel that we still use too timidly and in which we need to invest more”.