Aside from the items mentioned in the previous posts about the World Congress of Families IV, I'll add here a quick checklist of a few more highlights from Day One’s schedule. I could almost replicate in total my 12 pages of notes for these updates (not to mention Claire’s) but I’ll try and pick just a few...* Marek Jurek, the former Speaker of Poland’s Parliament was calm and confident as he spoke of his nation’s brave defense of the culture of life against the ceaseless (and often senseless) attacks from the left. But, this is a fight not just for Poland’s future but for Europe…indeed for faith and family life everywhere. He described the E.U.’s attempts to wrench the rights of self-government from the Polish people, even going so far as trying to force Polish doctors to do abortions. But Poland’s primary medical organization has held firm against such intimidation as has Poland's government. Said Jurek, “The Hippocratic Oath still means a lot in Poland."
* Alan Carlson, the general secretary of World Congress of Families, followed up on Jurek’s brief speech to stress that pro-family advocates must certainly be patient and compassionate with those who disagree with us, but we cannot surrender our basic convictions. After all, our convictions do not arise from whims, but rather from nature, from scientific fact, from pragmatic realities, and, not the least important, from divine revelation. The virtues inherent in the natural family are a “fixed reality, universal to mankind,” explained Carlson, thus reminding the assembly that their efforts to protect family life are of crucial importance to everyone...even those who oppose them.
* Carlson (shown at left) also underscored how the basic points of the pro-family “platform” show that we cannot be adequately defined merely by what we stand against but by what we stand intelligently, confidently and joyfully for. These things include family life that serves as the foundation for cultural excellence, private property, democracy, healthy sexuality, art, stewardship of the environment, the sanctity of life, the pursuit of purposeful happiness, education, compassion, and positive social interaction from the family to the neighborhoods to international relations.
* Though the culture of life is under severe fire all over the world, Enrique Gomez Serrano (Director of Red Familia, Mexico) warned the gathering not to fall into pessimism. This would be fatal -- and that not merely in a figurative sense. We must depend on our faith that sees beyond today’s battles in order to stay sharp, faithful and effective.
* “Europe is struggling for survival,” said Catherine Vierling of France and, after a dramatic pause she gave the simple reason why; “Because Europe is not having babies!” This depopulation crisis was a common theme for many of today’s speakers and no wonder – Europe is in desperate trouble with all E.U. countries experiencing a negative birth rate. Europe is fast becoming a "continent of the elderly" with all of the resulting economic and social crises that will inevitably bring. The politicians (a few of them) are beginning to see how overwhelming these difficulties will be, but not enough yet to enact significant change. Indeed, the powers-that-be are not only pursuing the same stupid policies that got them into this mess, they’re willing to take extreme measures to even block the enlightened reforms that come from such E.U. countries as Poland and Malta.
* Ellen Sauerbrey, Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (United States), gave a very moving talk about what the United States is trying to do to fight coercive abortion overseas, human trafficking, sexual exploitation of women and children, and other horrible human rights abuses. She quoted President Bush several times (how nice to hear him applauded!) as she explained the depth of his concerns about these tragedies as well as the real effectiveness U.S. programs have achieved. “Strengthening the family,” Sauerbrey maintained, “is the first line of defense” against a whole host of corrosive evils and she is proud to be a part of an administration that understands this critical concept.
* Sauerbrey also explained one of the key goals in eliminating such problems as the ones she deals with is the education of women, a woefully unjust catastrophe experienced in much of the world. “When you educate a man, you educate a man," she quoted. "But when you educate a woman, you educate a family!”
* Finally, let me close today’s updates on the World Congress of Families IV with a brief mention of the pro-family awards given to James Tooley (pictured at right) and Shamrock Foods’ founder Norman McClelland. Though only a brief part of the program, the descriptions of the services performed by these men were very inspirational and so I wanted to draw your attention to them. You can find out more about them by clicking the connection underlying their names above.
