Crkva i obitelj u promicanju zaštite života

Tonči Matulić  - Pregledni rad
Ante Bekavac

The Church and Family in the Advocation of the Protection of Life

Sažetak
Autori u radu iznose analitičko-povijesni pregled zauzimanja Crkve i obitelji u promicanju i zaštiti života. Najprije navode Drugi vatikanski koncil kao izvor koji je dao snažne poticanje za promicanje dostojanstva braka i obitelji i za zaštitu ljudskoga života. U nastavku predstavljaju, a na tragu koncilskih smjernica, nauk postkoncilskih papa sve do naših dana koji su se snažno zauzimali za zaštitu ljudskoga života od začeća do prirodne smrti te za promicanje i očuvanje dostojanstva braka i obitelji, promičući istovremeno vrijednosti koje iz toga proistječu. Ljudski život nepovrediva je vrijednost budući da u kršćanskom razumijevanju čovjeka njegova svetost i dužnost zaštite proizlaze iz činjenice da je stvoren na Božju sliku i priliku (usp. Post 1, 27). Bog je čovjeka stvorio slobodna i pozvao ga je na suradnički odnos u svijetu. Taj odnos upravo je poziv na odgovornost prema ljudskom životu pojedincima i ustanovama koje su dužne štititi i promicati ljudski život.
Autori, stoga, u radu ističu važnost navještaja kršćanske vizije braka i obitelji povezane s prenošenjem i zaštitom ljudskog života u crkvenome pastoralnom djelovanju. Naglašavaju da Crkva kao brižna majka u svijest doziva temeljnu istinu o pozivu i poslanju obitelji kao svetištu života, upravo kao istinskome izvoru iz kojega se rađa život i kao školi potpunije čovječnosti. Poziv Crkve i obitelji u suvremenom svijetu jest promicanje kulture života, svetosti i nepovredivosti ljudskoga života u svim njegovim fazama razvoja. Iako je Crkva svjesna brojnih opasnosti koje danas prijete ljudskome životu, ona ipak ne prestaje buditi nadu i pozivati sve na odgovornost u promicanju i zaštiti ljudskog života.

Abstract
In this work the authors expound on the historical and analytical synapsis of the Church’s advocation of the protection of life. First and foremost, they present the Second Vatican Council as the source which encourages the promotion of the dignity of marriage and family as well as the protection of human life. Next they present, on the basis of Council guidelines, the teaching of postconciliar popes up until and including our times who have strongly advocated for the protection of life from conception until natural death as well as the promotion and protection of the dignity of marriage and family, while at the same time promoting the values which flow from those principles. Human life is an unalienable greatness due do the Christian understanding that mans’ sacredness and right to life proceed from the fact that he is created in God’s image (Gen 1, 27). God created man with a free will and calls him to cooperate with him in the world. That relationship carries with it a call to responsibility toward human life and the institutions set up in order to protect and promote human life. The authors, then, highlight the importance of the proclamation of the Christian view of marriage and family connected with the communication and protection of human life in the pastoral activities of the Church. The authors accent the fact that the Church, as a caring mother, recalls into the conscience the basic truth of the vocation and mission of the family as the shrine of life, as well as the true fount from which life if born, and the true school of fuller humanity. The vocation of the Church as well as the family in our time is the promotion of the culture of life, namely the sanctity and invulnerability of human life in all its phases. Although the Church is aware of the many dangers which threaten life in our modern times, she still does not stop arousing hope, and calling everyone to the promotion and protection of human life.