In the modern world, where the brutal murder like abortion is trying to become a human right, where the dignity of a woman is tarnished in so many ways, where a person is reduced to the rank of an object-pest of the planet, the teaching of St. John Paul II contained in the pages of the encyclical “Evangelium vitae” is an effective barrier defending life and human dignity. St. John Paul II would not be attacked if not for the fact that the truths he teaches are in contradiction with what the civilization of death has prepared for humanity. In this sense, the attacks on the Polish Pope have a strongly metaphysical meaning and should be interpreted in this way.
St. John Paul II recalling that “already the Second Vatican Council, in one of its statements, which has retained its dramatic timeliness to this day, firmly condemned numerous crimes and attacks against human life”, repeated and emphasized this message in the encyclical “Evangelium Vitae”. “Recalling after thirty years the words of the Council, I once again condemn these crimes in the name of the whole Church with the same firmness, convinced that in this way I express the genuine feelings of every right conscience: ‘Everything that attacks life itself, such as murders of any kind, genocide abortion, euthanasia and voluntary suicide; anything that violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torture of body and soul, attempts at psychological coercion; anything that offends human dignity, such as inhuman living conditions, arbitrary arrests, deportations, slavery, prostitution, trafficking in women and youth; and inhumane working conditions in which workers are treated as mere instruments of profit and not as free, responsible persons: all these and similar matters and practices are something shameful; by infecting human civilization, they dishonor more those who commit them than those who suffer harm, and they are absolutely contradictory with the reverence due to the Creator’.” – he wrote. At the same time, he lamented that “these disturbing phenomena are by no means disappearing, on the contrary, their scope is rather becoming wider: new perspectives opened up by the progress of science and technology give rise to new forms of attacks on the dignity of the human being, while at the same time a new cultural situation is being shaped and consolidated, in which crimes against life acquire a hitherto unknown and, one might say, even more wicked aspect, arousing deep concern; a large part of public opinion justifies crimes against life in the name of the right to individual freedom and, on this basis, demands not only their even state approval for them, to be able to do them with complete freedom, and even with the help of the free of charge health service”.
It is worth emphasizing here that the aforementioned encyclical was published a year after the UN conference in Cairo, which supplemented the previously adopted concept of sustainable development with the so-called sexual and reproductive rights, including abortion and contraception. While anti-natalist circles stormed the offices of decision-makers of individual countries, trying to create the widest possible support for their sick, murderous ideologies, the Holy Father John Paul II patiently drilled the rocks of human hearts with his teaching about the need to respect life from conception to natural death. Confirmation by St. John Paul II as the Successor of St. Piotr, the value of human life and its inviolability infuriated left-liberal circles opting for the civilization of death. The courage and uncompromising attitude with which he defended human life significantly slowed down the spread of anti-natalist views and gave strong support to all pro-lifers. The leftist circles never forgave him this. The more so that his teaching awakened dormant consciences and captivated young people.
“God said to Cain: ‘What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries aloud to me from the ground!’ (Gen 4:10). The blood shed by men does not cease to cry, from generation to generation, and this cry always takes on new sounds and accents. God’s question: “What have you done?”, from which Cain cannot escape, is also to modern man to become aware of the enormity and seriousness of the attacks on life, the mark of which still weighs on the history of humanity; to search for the various causes that underlie and multiply these attacks; to consider with the deepest seriousness the consequences of these attacks result for the existence of people and nations” – the Polish Pope taught, citing the story of the murder committed by Cain. “At this point, however, we would like to draw special attention to a different type of threats against unborn life or life that is coming to an end: we see in them new aspects, unknown in the past, and problems of extraordinary importance related to the fact that in the collective consciousness these attacks gradually lose the character of a ‘crime’ and paradoxically acquire the status of a ‘law’, to such an extent that they are demanded to be fully legalized by the state and then carried out free of charge by health professionals. These attacks strike at people’s lives when they are at their weakest and completely defenceless. Even more dangerous is the fact that to a large extent they occur within the family and thanks to the family, which by its very nature should be a ‘sanctuary of life'” – Saint John Paul II did not hide his bitterness, pointing to the crisis of culture and the departure from ethics. The Holy Father spoke directly about the “culture of death”. In an uncompromising way, he dealt with the contraceptive and abortion mentality as well as technical innovations threatening human dignity and life. He spoke directly about a “conspiracy against life” “in which international institutions are also involved” and condemned all manifestations of anti-natalist practices and policies. The role of the media did not escape his attention either. “Finally, it cannot be denied that the mass media are also often involved in this conspiracy, reinforcing in public opinion that culture which considers the use of contraception, sterilization, abortion and even euthanasia as a sign of progress and an achievement of freedom, and an attitude of unconditional defense of life they portrayed as hostile to freedom and progress” – he wrote.
“[…] the original and inalienable right to life becomes the subject of discussion or is even denied by the vote of parliament or by the will of a part of society, even if it is numerically superior. This is the fatal result of the unlimited reign of relativism: the ‘right’ ceases to be a right because it is no longer based on the firm foundation of the inviolable dignity of the person, but is subjected to the will of the stronger. In this way, democracy, betraying its own principles, degenerates in fact into a totalitarian system. The state is no longer a “common home” where all can live in harmony with the fundamental principles of equality, but it turns into a tyrannical state that usurps the the right to dispose of life of the weaker and defenseless, of unborn children, in the name of the social good, which in reality means only the interest of a certain group” – Pope sentized.
St. John Paul II called things by their names, calling abortion a homicide, not a “procedure”. He spoke forcefully, clearly and unambiguously. “[…] no word can change reality: abortion is, however it is carried out, the conscious and direct killing of a human being in the early stages of his life, which covers the period between conception and birth” – he wrote. . “[…] when civil law permits abortion and euthanasia, by that very fact it ceases to be a true law, morally binding” – he emphasized, adding that “abortion and euthanasia are therefore crimes that no human law can recognize as acceptable”.
The above words are still a thorn in the side of the supporters of the civilization of death. It is worth repeating them every time the good name of the Polish Pope is tarnished, because his memory is currently scourged, among others by for his uncompromising attitude to the fifth commandment. Affirmation of life in the light of Christ’s Gospel turned out to be the best tool for eliminating the impact of abortion and euthanasia. This is why in Poland, despite the great effort of international social engineers, it has not been possible to reformat the thinking of the vast majority of Polish citizens. This is why the sexual revolution in Poland is not as plentiful as in the West, where it consumed entire generations. Just as Poland once defended Europe against the Turkish and then Bolshevik onslaught, now it defends it against the flood of hordes of new left-wing ideologues reaching even small children. We were and are the bulwark of Christianity, and St. John Paul II is a symbol of this struggle as well as its most meritorious soldier. Representatives of the new left know perfectly well that if they do not destroy St. John Paul II and will not ridicule his teachings, all efforts to introduce a system of anti-values in Poland as a valid legal canon are doomed to failure.
St. John Paul II stood up for every human being and his rights, putting reality in proper order, in which God was in the first place, and he called on Poles to a national renewal of life and conscience. “To sum up, we can say that the renewal of culture postulated here demands from everyone the courage to adopt a new lifestyle, which is expressed by basing concrete decisions – at the personal, family, social and international level – on the right scale of values: on the primacy of “to be” over “to have” This renewed way of life also calls for a change of attitude, from indifference to interest and rejection of the other person to acceptance: other people are not competitors to be defended against, but brothers and sisters who deserve solidarity and love; they enrich us with their mere presence” – wrote the Pope in “Evangelium Vitae”. This teaching was an irreplaceable weapon in the fight against all kinds of ideologies and made Polish society immune to the way of life coming from the West.
St. John Paul II also made people sensitive to the vocation of women and their uniqueness. “In the work of shaping a new culture conducive to life, women have a unique and perhaps decisive role to play in the sphere of thought and action: they are to become promoters of a “new feminism” that is not tempted to imitate models of “masculinism”, but knows how to recognize and to express the authentic female genius in all manifestations of social life, working to overcome all forms of discrimination, violence and exploitation” – the Polish Pope wrote. Contrary to left-wing movements, he gave the woman space to realize herself without putting on masks.
Contemporary currents of left-wing ideology are very disturbed by John Paul II’s teachings about life and the role of women. It is a barrier to the destructive trends of selfish modernity that reduce man to the role of an object. The Polish Pope tirelessly fought for the rights of the most defenseless – unborn children, so it’s no wonder that he is still being attacked. Left-wing circles want to turn brutal murder, which is abortion, into a human right, but as long as the teachings of St. John Paul II is alive, they will not succeed. In this sense, the attacks on St. John Paul II have above all a metaphysical dimension and should be considered in these categories.
Anna Wiejak