Washington D.C., Sep 10, 2008 / 12:18 pm
Archbishop of Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali and Bishop of Bridgeport, Connecticut William E. Lori, writing in a Tuesday statement, have responded to Democratic vice-presidential nominee Sen. Joseph Biden’s comments that the point at which human life begins is a “religiously based view,” by saying that his remarks “do not reflect the truth on the matter.”
Criticizing the senator’s claim that views on abortion should not be imposed on others, the bishops emphasized that basic justice, not just private religious belief, shows that every human being has a right not to be killed.
Sen. Biden had made his remarks in a Sunday interview with Tom Brokaw on NBC’s Meet the Press, where he said that the beginning of human life is a “personal and private” matter of religious faith and cannot be “imposed” on others.
Cardinal Rigali, who chairs the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop Lori, who chairs the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, said Biden’s remarks “do not reflect the truth on the matter.”