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These reflections particularly concern issues related to the value of human life. Last week, Cardinal Blase Cupich delivered another address at Fordham University in New York, marking the 40th anniversary of Cardinal Bernardin’s original speech. Cardinal Bernardin, deeply concerned about how abortion and other social justice issues had come to divide certain sectors within the Church, offered an important response rooted firmly in Church doctrine. From this teaching, he proposed looking outward, towards society, within a framework he called a “consistent ethic of life.” Cardinal Bernardin continued developing this idea up until his death.
“Bernardin’s vision suggested understanding the Church’s moral teachings as responding holistically to the many challenges affecting human life, as if they were threads woven into a single garment. This perspective outlines a path for the Church, one which remains relevant today. For instance, a Catholic cannot truly claim to be ‘pro-life’ by maintaining a stance against abortion while simultaneously advocating in favor of the death penalty. Such a position would lack coherence with Catholic social teaching. Our thinking and teaching must manifest coherence, consistently defending the value of human life from its beginning to its natural end.” (bold mine.)