Madrid, Spain, Apr 8, 2008 / 12:58 pm
The Apostolic Nuncio to Spain, Archbishop Manuel Monteiro de Castro, compared euthanasia with Hitler’s racial purging and said both situations are “the consequence of a society without God.”
“When values have their foundation in man, they are very fragile. It’s enough to look at the 20th century,” the Portuguese prelate said in a recent interview.
He noted that in some countries, “euthanasia for children with defects” is being considered. They are doing so “because, they say, they are not useful for society,” the Nuncio said. A society based “solely on man with no regard for God is very fragile,” he stressed.
Regarding the role that religion plays in society, the Nuncio referred to the two encyclicals by Benedict XVI, “Deus Caritas est” and “Spe Salvi”, in order to point out the importance of charity and hope. “Hope means that our lives have a goal that is transcendental. Otherwise we just get lost,” he said.
He also pointed to the important role religion plays in fostering understanding, noting that in the wake of important events, “we have seen how leaders come to visit the Pope and nobody told them to,” such as the recent visit of the king of Saudi Arabia to the Vatican. “I am convinced that his visit was the result of the famous speech at Regensburg,” Archbishop Monteiro said.
Regarding the situation of Christians in Muslim countries, he acknowledged that “there are difficulties,” but “the Holy See is active and we are doing everything we can to improve the situation,” he said.