New Australian archbishop has clear pro-life/pro-family messages

The Vatican announced today that Pope Francis has chosen Bishop Christopher Prowse to be the new Catholic archbishop of Canberra-Goulburn, Australia. Bishop Prowse is currently bishop of Sale, Victoria, and was previously an auxiliary bishop in Melbourne. He holds a doctorate in moral theology from the Lateran in Rome. Below are some clear pro-life/pro-family messages from Bishop Prowse in recent years:

Abortion

"The Victorian Abortion Reform Bill should be rejected by Parliament and the community as a breach of fundamental human rights. Good legislation is supposed to protect the weak, but this is a death sentence to many of the tiniest Victorians in the womb, right up to 40 weeks' gestation. ... The existence of each person, their capacity to enjoy life and all other rights, the viability of community and the common good depend profoundly on the right to life ... Catholic hospitals will not perform abortions and will not provide referrals for the purpose of abortion ... The Bill ignores the fact that there are two persons, not just one, affected by every choice about abortion."

"A mockery of human rights", Herald Sun, 9 September 2008

Euthanasia

"Those whose lives are diminished through suffering deserve special respect. The sick and those people with handicaps are deserving of special help. Euthanasia is never acceptable and is morally inadmissible. (CCC 2276-2277) It is an offence against the dignity of the human person and is an insult to the giver of all life, God."

Paper on death and dying, April 2010

Marriage

"Proposals to give same-sex relationships legal marital recognition is something the Catholic Church will never endorse. Such ideas are an attack on the institution of marriage that has served us so well for millennia – long before Christianity ... We believe that marriage is between a man and a woman who intend a permanent bond of love that is open to the possibility of the gift of children. In other words, it is both love sharing and life giving. This stance is based on reason – what we call the natural moral law. However, Christians see the institution of marriage in the light of faith. We see marriage in the light of God’s plan for man and woman. ... Children have human rights too. They are rarely mentioned in the current debate. Tragically, they are not mentioned much either in the abortion issue that stills troubles the social conscience. But children have rights to have a mother and father. Marriage and family life are already very fragile societal institutions. For the sake of peace and stability in the world, we must do all that we can to protect it."

"Marriage, family and the World Youth Day", Catholic Life, August 2011

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