A letter from Bishop Soto regarding physician-assisted suicide...

My Dear Parishioners,

Below is a letter from Bishop Soto regarding the physician-assisted suicide law that I wanted to share with you:

DIOCESE OF SACRAMENTO

2110 Broadway · Sacramento, California 95818 · 916/733-0200

January 8, 2016    

Dear Co-workers in Christ:

Thank you for your recent efforts to overturn the physician-assisted suicide law (ABx2-15) passed by Legislature and signed by Governor Brown last fall.  I am proud of the generous labor of men and women in the Diocese of Sacramento as well as fellow Catholics throughout the State.  Unfortunately, it appears that the number of signatures needed for a referendum to repeal this law was not reached.  In the words of Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, it is not so much the outcome of our good work that God is concerned about as it is our faithfulness in trying to accomplish it. 

Though we will continue to combat the “travesty of compassion” behind the law, we must also sadly note that physician-assisted suicide is but one of several current public policy threats to human life and dignity that we must address. 

As Christians, we are committed to promoting a reverential solidarity for the human person at all stages of life.  St. Paul counsels us to “proclaim the word; be persistent whether it is convenient of inconvenient; convince, reprimand, encourage through all patience and teaching.” (1 Timothy 4:2) In the coming weeks and months, there will be other initiatives worthy of support. 

One effort currently underway is to place on the November ballot an initiative that would require California abortionists to provide notice to the parent of any girl under the age of 18 who is seeking an abortion.  This is a reasonable measure that anyone, regardless of moral or political position about abortion, should see as common sense.  We can all agree that a school nurse should get parental permission before giving a minor girl an aspirin.  Why then shouldn’t a doctor or nurse also need to give a parent notice—let alone get permission—before providing a medical procedure like abortion to a minor.

In the case of the use of the death penalty in California, rather than strive for healing of victims and praying for the repentance and redemption of the perpetrator, we are asked to sanction the killing of one more human being, perpetuating a cycle of violence and our “throw-away” culture.

I urge you to study these issues further with the heart and mind of Christ. As with the physician-assisted suicide referendum, please join in the Statewide efforts to put these initiatives on the ballot.

Further signature-gathering will not be done in the parishes.  I made a rare exception for the physician-assisted suicide signature gathering effort. As faithful citizens, let us go our from the parishes into our communities and neighborhoods to ask for support.  I encourage all Catholics to get engaged in these worthwhile civic endeavors.

If you wish to learn more about how you can get involved in one of these initiatives, contact John Watkins, 916-733-0254, jwatkins@scd.org.

We ask for the intercession of our Blessed Mary, Mother of Mercy so that the charity of her Son, Jesus, may guide all our efforts in defense of the unborn, the poor and the vulnerable.

Respectfully,

+Jaime Soto, Bishop of Sacramento