Word-Switching

John Paul II used the umbrella-term 'culture of life' to describe his anti-abortion, anti-stem cell research, homophobic theology. Ratzinger looks set to be using 'non-violence' to try and make these religious doctrines even more insidious.

Larvatus Prodeo provides links to what the Pope actually said at World Youth Day. From the Catholic Herald:

"But what of our social environment? Are we equally alert to the signs of turning our back on the moral structure with which God has endowed humanity (cf. 2007 World Day of Peace Message, 8)? Do we recognize that the innate dignity of every individual rests on his or her deepest identity - as image of the Creator - and therefore that human rights are universal, based on the natural law, and not something dependent upon negotiation or patronage, let alone compromise? And so we are led to reflect on what place the poor and the elderly, immigrants and the voiceless, have in our societies. How can it be that domestic violence torments so many mothers and children? How can it be that the most wondrous and sacred human space - the womb - has become a place of unutterable violence?

...
The concerns for non-violence, sustainable development, justice and peace, and care for our environment are of vital importance for humanity. "
[Emphasis mine]

So when he talks about violence in the social environment, he is really talking about enforcing pregnancy and restricting anything that involves the manipulation of embryos. To be fair, he mentioned domestic violence in that paragraph, but that was just a buildup to what really mattered - the sanctity of "the most wondrous and sacred human space" which requires the clerical policing and enforcement of its sanctity.

This looks like part of the strategy. Instead of separating these issues out into 'life issues', the church succeeds in confounding the ordinary person and cloaking the theological basis of these positions. For example, Father Bob Maguire who is so often revered as a nice, accessible cleric does this very well. He says, "And they [church bosses] must alert the general membership to the clear and present public danger generated by the moral viruses of affluence, abortion, lousy prison and illegal migrant detention systems, just to name a few." Abortion is neatly juxtaposed against affluence, tapping into the anti-corporate or anti-capitalist sentiments of many left-leaning or otherwise not-rich people. Prison and detention are also within the general domain of leftiness - after all it is 'the hippies' and 'bleeding hearts' who care about the mandatory detention of asylum seekers.

Another example of how Fr. Bob does this is in his post 'Things that never change" where he begins by discussing the execution of Saddam Hussein and then:

"The body of a woman believed to be in her 80's has been found, as we go to press, inside a wheelie bin. Her neighbours were shocked to find her outside a Sydney apartment.

The embryonic stem cell? Does it, him or her, warrant concerned discussion? Some say it, he/she has a place in the world not "per se" but depending on what use it, he/she can be put to - scientific or medical research, for example, to build a better world for some of us."

Apparently it isn't just the embryo that counts, but all of its stem cells too and this is in the same class as executing heads of state and murdered women.

It is religion here that is behaving like a virus as it evolves and adapts itself to become more insidious. Anyone who wants to do scientific research in the area of embryonic stem cells or wants to train to work in reproductive health has some big barriers in their way.