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Statements
Issued In 2001
Crash of Flight 587
Nov. 3, 2001
While we continue to grieve
over the loss of innocent victims of the
World Trade Center horror and for their
families, we turn now in sadness to the
families affected in so devastating a way
by the crash of American Airlines flight
587.
Our hearts ache for the loved ones left
behind of those travelers who boarded the
flight headed for Santo Domingo and for
the families of the residents of Belle Harbor
who died so suddenly.
Belle Harbor suffered greatly from the attacks
of Sept. 11 and it suffers greatly again.
At the center of the spiritual response
to the grieving have been the consoling
clergy and staff of St. Francis de Sales
parish.
This disaster has bound the Belle Harbor
community with the Dominican community of
our City, many of whom make their homes
in our Diocese. They share an intense grief
as they lament the excruciatingly painful
reality of the loss of loved ones.
We pray that God's grace will help the families
cope with their pain in this most difficult
time in their lives. And we in the Diocese
of Brooklyn share this loss and offer prayers
of consolation.
May the immortal souls of the faithful departed
rest in eternal peace.
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America Prayer Service
Yankee Stadium
Sept. 23, 2001
Dear Friends,
For every American, particularly for every
New Yorker and for citizens of the world,
life has changed. This change is aptly symbolized
by the absence of the World Trade Center
from the New York skyline. We have witnessed
unspeakable horror and loss of life. We
have seen untold devastation. Yet we have
also witnessed great acts of kindness, mercy
and courage, particularly evidenced by our
firefighters and police officers, countless
volunteers, medical personnel, government
officials and countless others. In the midst
of death, we have seen hope.
Hope is a divine gift. For Christians, our
hope is founded in the Resurrection of Jesus,
in whom death and evil are overcome. Hope
moves us to survive. Without forgetting
the pain in our hearts, hope energizes us.
Without forgetting those who died, hope
moves us to affirm life in the face of death.
Hope moves us to see light when we are tempted
only to see darkness. Hope transforms fear
into courage. Hope forges heroes and heroines
in difficult times.
Yes, hope moves us out of ourselves for
the sake of others. We have witnessed great
acts of hope in the generosity of many,
especially the firefighters, police officers,
rescue workers, blood donors, government
officials and volunteers beyond counting.
The way to conquer the enemies of life is
to survive and celebrate life with a renewed
sense of purpose. Our greatest enemy is
fear. Let us take the Lord at His word:
"Be not afraid... I am with you always."
Let us pray:
Lord God, Father of all nations, we praise
you for your presence with us. Our hope
is founded in your word. We ask you to continue
to send us your Holy Spirit. In the days
ahead, help us to walk by faith, to live
in hope and act in love. Amen.
Mary, Queen of Peace, pray for us.
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On Stem Cell Research
Aug. 31, 2001
President Bush's decision to
support research on embryonic stem cells,
limited as he may wish it to be, is a major
disappointment. Human life at any stage of
development must be protected.
While I
respect the seriousness and sincere deliberations the
President gave to this fundamental life
issue, I share the concerns of those who see
in his conclusions the potential
for a "slippery slope," that is, what
is permitted now could expand later.
One wonders if, in the present debate,
enough attention is being given to the value
of highly ethical adult stem cell research,
which is viewed as having potential
for success in clinical studies. I believe this, to
a degree, has been set
aside in the discussion of federal funding
and research on embryonic stem cells.
To oppose embryonic
stem-cell research is not to be opposed to
research or to be insensitive to the understandable
hopes and desires of persons afflicted with
certain medical difficulties. The many years
of research that lie ahead must focus on finding
health-restoring medical solutions that do
not violate ethical and moral standards, measures
that do not destroy human life.
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On Embryonic Stem Cell Research: BSA-1
Jan. 12, 2001
We as a society continue to travel on the slippery
slope leading away from the protection of all human life following the decision
of the National Institutes of Health, supported by the President, to endorse
federal funding of research on human stem cells that are in embryo.
In a word, this
will give researchers carte blanche to destroy live human embryos. Not only is
this first and foremost immoral, it also violates federal law that has been in
place for almost 35 years.
On the other hand,
adult stem-cell research offers no ethical challenges. This procedure should
satisfy science’s worthy goal of expanding its knowledge of how to enhance life
by finding new ways to treat disease.
I know I am not alone
in opposing research on human embryonic stem
cells. But our collective voices are not being
heard. We cannot be silent in the face of
a growing "culture of death."
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On RU-486 BSA-2
Jan. 2001
The Food and Drug Administration’s decision
to approve the
use of
RU-486 as a means of
causing abortion in the first weeks of a
woman’s pregnancy has to be understood
in basic terms, that is, that another method has
been found to kill a human being.
Is this scientific progress or a quieter form of barbarism?
It is an outrage
that some will canonize chemical
abortion as a valuable health procedure, though it
is clear that it will destroy
a child in the first seven weeks of pregnancy
and in some instances cause physical harm
to the mother. What a distortion of our value system.
I urge all people
who value the sanctity of human life, from
conception to natural demise, to continue
to speak out firmly on the harm of chemical
abortion—to a preborn child in the womb,
to a mother, and to the soul of our culture.
Statements of Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio
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