The statement that Fr. Arriaga refused to sign is the most basic profession of faith in the sanctity of life. It can honestly be called a litmus test. If you don’t agree with those basics, then you definitely can’t claim to be pro-life. Notice that the statement didn’t require any heroic virtue, such as promising to publicly witness to the sanctity of life or defending the unborn against hostile lawmakers. It’s the barebones minimum of assent to Church teaching and a statement that his organization is not linked to pro-abort groups. By refusing to assent, he has inevitably chosen dissent.
Not only did he refuse to sign, but he called the declaration “a violation of basic human rights.” Imagine that: a priest who views Church teaching on the sanctity of life and the crime of abortion to be a violation of basic human rights. The implication, of course, is that he considers abortion to be a basic human right.
What more needs to be said? This nails it. There’s no ambiguity here, no possible excuses that he was just co-signing a statement with a coalition of diverse interest groups. It doesn’t get any clearer than this. Straight from his own mouth and relayed by a union that is trying to portray him the best possible light.
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For now, let it be settled once and for all that Fr. Arriaga was given the opportunity to assent to the sanctity of life and to distance his Centre from all the accusations about ties to pro-abortion groups, and yet he chose to reject the offer.
Development and Peace: here's some advice-- stop digging. You don't have a clue what this is all about. Really, take some time to understand. Leave aside your ideological blinkers and try to think outside the socialist box. Only then will you really understand the nature of the controversy. You think it's about some great big right-wing conspiracy to oppress the poor and the marginalized. Until you get out of that thinking, you won't get it. Really.
If you really want this to all stop, start taking into account the rights of unborn children. And if you can't, there's the problem.
