A member of the Pontifical Academy for Life's board of directors
recently explained that Pope John Paul II will be remembered as “a great
lover of life and defender” of the unborn.
Patricio Ventura-Junca, who is also director of the Center for
Bioethics at the Catholic University of Chile, spoke with CNA on Jan. 17
about his reaction to John Paul II's upcoming beatification.
The Vatican announced that the late Pope will be beatified May 1.
Ventura-Junca expressed joy at the announcement and noted that the
late Pope embraced advances in biology as well as the idea that “nobody
has the right to eliminate an innocent person.”
He was “a great visionary because he realized that the future of the
world depends on the family, because it is precisely in the family where
values and faith are passed on,” Ventura-Junca added.
He also said by beatifying John Paul II, the Church is providing a
model for all Christians and non-Christians.
“The number of people who
came together at his death showed it. I believe he was a man who went
way beyond the borders of the Vatican, traversed the world and also
brought Christian thought beyond Christians,” he said.
“John Paul II the Great was a man ahead of his time because he
trusted in the laity” to participate as members of the Church in
disciplines such as science, philosophy and bioethics.
SIC: CNA/INT'L