Evangelium Vitæ (Latin: "The Gospel of Life") is the name of the encyclical written by Pope John Paul II which expresses the official position of the Catholic Church regarding the value and inviolability of human life. It was promulgated on March 25, 1995. Latin is the language originally spoken in the region around Rome called Latium. ... In the ancient Church, an encyclical was a circular letter sent to all the churches of a particular area. ... The Servant of God Pope John Paul II (Latin: ), born Karol Józef WojtyÅ‚a [1] (May 18, 1920 – April 2, 2005), reigned as pope of the Roman Catholic Church and sovereign of Vatican City and of the Holy See for almost 27 years, from 16 October 1978 until his... This article considers Catholicism in the broadest ecclesiastical sense. ... March 25 is the 84th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (85th in leap years). ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Summary

"Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God."

Beginning with an overview of threats to human life both past and present the encyclical chiefly condemns Abortion which it quotes Tertullian as calling "anticipated murder to prevent someone from being born" and euthanasia which it calls "a disturbing perversion of mercy", the encyclical also reiterates the positions of the Catholic Church with regards to contraception and suicide. Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus, anglicized as Tertullian, (ca. ... Euthanasia (Greek, good death) is the practice of killing a person or animal, in a painless or minimally painful way, for merciful reasons, usually to end their suffering. ... This article considers Catholicism in the broadest ecclesiastical sense. ... Suicide (from Latin sui caedere, to kill oneself) is the act of wilfully ending ones own life; it is sometimes a noun for one who has committed or attempted the act. ...

Although the above prohibitions are the main area of interest to most inquirers, Pope John Paul II himself devotes most of his words to social and ecological factors stressing the importance of a society which is built around the family rather than a wish to improve efficiency.

Before writing this encyclical, the pope surveyed every bishop in the entire Roman Catholic Church on the subjects of murder, direct abortion, and euthanasia. Receiving a unanimous response from these bishops, the pope stated in Evangelium Vitae that the immorality of murder, directly-willed abortion, and euthanasia had been taught infallibly by the "ordinary and universal magisterium" (the bishops teaching in unison, dispersed throughout the world). Infallibility of the Church is a doctrine held by Catholics, Orthodox, and some Protestants, the belief that the Holy Spirit will not allow the church as a whole to fall into error. ...

See Also

• Culture of Life

The phrase culture of life is used principally in United States politics and Roman Catholic doctrine as shorthand for a concept that human life, at all stages from conception through to death, is sacred from birth until natural death. ...

External links

• Complete text from the Vatican