{"id":11284,"date":"2015-08-11T06:03:00","date_gmt":"2015-08-11T06:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first-45449\/"},"modified":"2015-08-11T06:03:00","modified_gmt":"2015-08-11T06:03:00","slug":"for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/","title":{"rendered":"For Bishop Stika, Planned Parenthood videos show need to cherish humanity first"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Baby_Feet_Credit_Kalle_Gustafsson_via_Flickr_CC_BY_20_CNA_7_21_15.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Knoxville, Tenn., Aug 11, 2015 \/ 12:03 am (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The videos of Planned Parenthood officials' involvement in the harvesting of organs from recently aborted babies shows an unadorned evil, but it\u2019s also a call to love those involved in abortion, a bishop in Tennessee has said.<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cEvil without its makeup \u2014 that is the reality exposed in the unfolding series of videos revealing how the unborn life of a baby, deemed worthless by Planned Parenthood while in the womb, has value only in the sale of its dissected human parts,\u201d Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville said in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.knoxnews.com\/opinion\/columnists\/bishop-richard-stika-human-ecology-recognizes-value-of-life-from-conception-to-death_80915717\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">an Aug. 9 column<\/a> for the Knoxville News Sentinel.<\/p>\n<p>\tHe connected the revelations to Pope Francis\u2019 strong criticisms of the \u201cthrowaway\u201d mentality that harms both the natural environment and human ecology.<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cA true human ecology is one that recognizes the inestimable value of life from conception to natural death, be it the life of the unborn in the womb, the poor, the sick and elderly, and even those on death row who themselves may have brutally taken another life,\u201d the bishop continued.<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cThis human ecology calls us to especially reach out with love, mercy and healing toward those who may be contemplating, or have chosen to have, an abortion.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\tUndercover investigators with the California-based Center for Medical Progress have released several videos showing Planned Parenthood officials casually discussing prices for various body parts, and how abortion procedures may be altered to ensure intact organs from aborted babies. The videos, which the bishop challenged everyone to watch, have prompted strong scrutiny of the politically powerful organization, which is the largest abortion provider in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>\tBishop Stika said the investigation \u201cshined a light into the areas of darkness.\u201d He said the videos exposed a \u201ctroubling indifference\u201d and the \u201csuppression of truth\u201d about the most vulnerable, saying the current indifference is similar to the situation \u201cdecades ago\u201d when \u201cpeople on another continent shocked the world, saying, 'we did not know,' regarding the atrocities they chose to ignore.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\tHe suggested that Americans with environmental concerns make sure they include a concern for humanity.<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cCare for the environment and of all God's good creation is important, but have we forgotten a far greater ecology that calls for our attention?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n<p>\tHe cited Pope Francis\u2019 question in his 2015 encyclical <em>Laudato Si'<\/em>. There, the Pope asked how one can teach the importance of caring for other beings \u201cif we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\tHe encouraged anyone involved in a past abortion to contact Project Rachel, and anyone who needs help with pregnancy in East Tennessee to contact the local Catholic Charities affiliate.<\/p>\n<p>\tHe suggested the approximately $500 million of federal taxpayer funding that goes to Planned Parenthood could be directed to pregnancy centers that offer \u201cloving and compassionate options\u201d that affirm \u201cthe sanctity and the dignity of both mother and child.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?a=nUxFhdcTJtg:347qWptPkAA:yIl2AUoC8zA\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews\/~4\/nUxFhdcTJtg\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Baby_Feet_Credit_Kalle_Gustafsson_via_Flickr_CC_BY_20_CNA_7_21_15.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Knoxville, Tenn., Aug 11, 2015 \/ 12:03 am (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\" target=\"_self\">CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- The videos of Planned Parenthood officials&#8217; involvement in the harvesting of organs from recently aborted babies shows an unadorned evil, but it&rsquo;s also a call to love those involved in abortion, a bishop in Tennessee has said.<\/p>\n<p>\t&ldquo;Evil without its makeup &mdash; that is the reality exposed in the unfolding series of videos revealing how the unborn life of a baby, deemed worthless by Planned Parenthood while in the womb, has value only in the sale of its dissected human parts,&rdquo; Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville said in <a href=\"http:\/\/www.knoxnews.com\/opinion\/columnists\/bishop-richard-stika-human-ecology-recognizes-value-of-life-from-conception-to-death_80915717\">an Aug. 9 column<\/a> for the Knoxville News Sentinel.<\/p>\n<p>\tHe connected the revelations to Pope Francis&rsquo; strong criticisms of the &ldquo;throwaway&rdquo; mentality that harms both the natural environment and human ecology.<\/p>\n<p>\t&ldquo;A true human ecology is one that recognizes the inestimable value of life from conception to natural death, be it the life of the unborn in the womb, the poor, the sick and elderly, and even those on death row who themselves may have brutally taken another life,&rdquo; the bishop continued.<\/p>\n<p>\t&ldquo;This human ecology calls us to especially reach out with love, mercy and healing toward those who may be contemplating, or have chosen to have, an abortion.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>\tUndercover investigators with the California-based Center for Medical Progress have released several videos showing Planned Parenthood officials casually discussing prices for various body parts, and how abortion procedures may be altered to ensure intact organs from aborted babies. The videos, which the bishop challenged everyone to watch, have prompted strong scrutiny of the politically powerful organization, which is the largest abortion provider in the U.S.<\/p>\n<p>\tBishop Stika said the investigation &ldquo;shined a light into the areas of darkness.&rdquo; He said the videos exposed a &ldquo;troubling indifference&rdquo; and the &ldquo;suppression of truth&rdquo; about the most vulnerable, saying the current indifference is similar to the situation &ldquo;decades ago&rdquo; when &ldquo;people on another continent shocked the world, saying, &#8216;we did not know,&#8217; regarding the atrocities they chose to ignore.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>\tHe suggested that Americans with environmental concerns make sure they include a concern for humanity.<\/p>\n<p>\t&ldquo;Care for the environment and of all God&#8217;s good creation is important, but have we forgotten a far greater ecology that calls for our attention?&rdquo; he asked.<\/p>\n<p>\tHe cited Pope Francis&rsquo; question in his 2015 encyclical <em>Laudato Si&#8217;<\/em>. There, the Pope asked how one can teach the importance of caring for other beings &ldquo;if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>\tHe encouraged anyone involved in a past abortion to contact Project Rachel, and anyone who needs help with pregnancy in East Tennessee to contact the local Catholic Charities affiliate.<\/p>\n<p>\tHe suggested the approximately $500 million of federal taxpayer funding that goes to Planned Parenthood could be directed to pregnancy centers that offer &ldquo;loving and compassionate options&rdquo; that affirm &ldquo;the sanctity and the dignity of both mother and child.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?a=nUxFhdcTJtg:347qWptPkAA:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews\/~4\/nUxFhdcTJtg\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>For Bishop Stika, Planned Parenthood videos show need to cherish humanity first<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Knoxville, Tenn., Aug 11, 2015 \/ 12:03 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- The videos of Planned Parenthood officials&#039; involvement in the harvesting of organs from recently aborted babies shows an unadorned evil, but it&rsquo;s also a call to love those involved in abortion, a bishop in Tennessee has said. &ldquo;Evil without its makeup &mdash; that is the reality exposed in the unfolding series of videos revealing how the unborn life of a baby, deemed worthless by Planned Parenthood while in the womb, has value only in the sale of its dissected human parts,&rdquo; Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville said in an Aug. 9 column for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He connected the revelations to Pope Francis&rsquo; strong criticisms of the &ldquo;throwaway&rdquo; mentality that harms both the natural environment and human ecology. &ldquo;A true human ecology is one that recognizes the inestimable value of life from conception to natural death, be it the life of the unborn in the womb, the poor, the sick and elderly, and even those on death row who themselves may have brutally taken another life,&rdquo; the bishop continued. &ldquo;This human ecology calls us to especially reach out with love, mercy and healing toward those who may be contemplating, or have chosen to have, an abortion.&rdquo; Undercover investigators with the California-based Center for Medical Progress have released several videos showing Planned Parenthood officials casually discussing prices for various body parts, and how abortion procedures may be altered to ensure intact organs from aborted babies. The videos, which the bishop challenged everyone to watch, have prompted strong scrutiny of the politically powerful organization, which is the largest abortion provider in the U.S. Bishop Stika said the investigation &ldquo;shined a light into the areas of darkness.&rdquo; He said the videos exposed a &ldquo;troubling indifference&rdquo; and the &ldquo;suppression of truth&rdquo; about the most vulnerable, saying the current indifference is similar to the situation &ldquo;decades ago&rdquo; when &ldquo;people on another continent shocked the world, saying, &#039;we did not know,&#039; regarding the atrocities they chose to ignore.&rdquo; He suggested that Americans with environmental concerns make sure they include a concern for humanity. &ldquo;Care for the environment and of all God&#039;s good creation is important, but have we forgotten a far greater ecology that calls for our attention?&rdquo; he asked. He cited Pope Francis&rsquo; question in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si&#039;. There, the Pope asked how one can teach the importance of caring for other beings &ldquo;if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties.&rdquo; He encouraged anyone involved in a past abortion to contact Project Rachel, and anyone who needs help with pregnancy in East Tennessee to contact the local Catholic Charities affiliate. He suggested the approximately $500 million of federal taxpayer funding that goes to Planned Parenthood could be directed to pregnancy centers that offer &ldquo;loving and compassionate options&rdquo; that affirm &ldquo;the sanctity and the dignity of both mother and child.&rdquo;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"For Bishop Stika, Planned Parenthood videos show need to cherish humanity first\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Knoxville, Tenn., Aug 11, 2015 \/ 12:03 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- The videos of Planned Parenthood officials&#039; involvement in the harvesting of organs from recently aborted babies shows an unadorned evil, but it&rsquo;s also a call to love those involved in abortion, a bishop in Tennessee has said. &ldquo;Evil without its makeup &mdash; that is the reality exposed in the unfolding series of videos revealing how the unborn life of a baby, deemed worthless by Planned Parenthood while in the womb, has value only in the sale of its dissected human parts,&rdquo; Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville said in an Aug. 9 column for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He connected the revelations to Pope Francis&rsquo; strong criticisms of the &ldquo;throwaway&rdquo; mentality that harms both the natural environment and human ecology. &ldquo;A true human ecology is one that recognizes the inestimable value of life from conception to natural death, be it the life of the unborn in the womb, the poor, the sick and elderly, and even those on death row who themselves may have brutally taken another life,&rdquo; the bishop continued. &ldquo;This human ecology calls us to especially reach out with love, mercy and healing toward those who may be contemplating, or have chosen to have, an abortion.&rdquo; Undercover investigators with the California-based Center for Medical Progress have released several videos showing Planned Parenthood officials casually discussing prices for various body parts, and how abortion procedures may be altered to ensure intact organs from aborted babies. The videos, which the bishop challenged everyone to watch, have prompted strong scrutiny of the politically powerful organization, which is the largest abortion provider in the U.S. Bishop Stika said the investigation &ldquo;shined a light into the areas of darkness.&rdquo; He said the videos exposed a &ldquo;troubling indifference&rdquo; and the &ldquo;suppression of truth&rdquo; about the most vulnerable, saying the current indifference is similar to the situation &ldquo;decades ago&rdquo; when &ldquo;people on another continent shocked the world, saying, &#039;we did not know,&#039; regarding the atrocities they chose to ignore.&rdquo; He suggested that Americans with environmental concerns make sure they include a concern for humanity. &ldquo;Care for the environment and of all God&#039;s good creation is important, but have we forgotten a far greater ecology that calls for our attention?&rdquo; he asked. He cited Pope Francis&rsquo; question in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si&#039;. There, the Pope asked how one can teach the importance of caring for other beings &ldquo;if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties.&rdquo; He encouraged anyone involved in a past abortion to contact Project Rachel, and anyone who needs help with pregnancy in East Tennessee to contact the local Catholic Charities affiliate. He suggested the approximately $500 million of federal taxpayer funding that goes to Planned Parenthood could be directed to pregnancy centers that offer &ldquo;loving and compassionate options&rdquo; that affirm &ldquo;the sanctity and the dignity of both mother and child.&rdquo;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-08-11T06:03:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Baby_Feet_Credit_Kalle_Gustafsson_via_Flickr_CC_BY_20_CNA_7_21_15.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/\",\"name\":\"For Bishop Stika, Planned Parenthood videos show need to cherish humanity first\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-08-11T06:03:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-08-11T06:03:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Knoxville, Tenn., Aug 11, 2015 \/ 12:03 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- The videos of Planned Parenthood officials' involvement in the harvesting of organs from recently aborted babies shows an unadorned evil, but it&rsquo;s also a call to love those involved in abortion, a bishop in Tennessee has said. &ldquo;Evil without its makeup &mdash; that is the reality exposed in the unfolding series of videos revealing how the unborn life of a baby, deemed worthless by Planned Parenthood while in the womb, has value only in the sale of its dissected human parts,&rdquo; Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville said in an Aug. 9 column for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He connected the revelations to Pope Francis&rsquo; strong criticisms of the &ldquo;throwaway&rdquo; mentality that harms both the natural environment and human ecology. &ldquo;A true human ecology is one that recognizes the inestimable value of life from conception to natural death, be it the life of the unborn in the womb, the poor, the sick and elderly, and even those on death row who themselves may have brutally taken another life,&rdquo; the bishop continued. &ldquo;This human ecology calls us to especially reach out with love, mercy and healing toward those who may be contemplating, or have chosen to have, an abortion.&rdquo; Undercover investigators with the California-based Center for Medical Progress have released several videos showing Planned Parenthood officials casually discussing prices for various body parts, and how abortion procedures may be altered to ensure intact organs from aborted babies. The videos, which the bishop challenged everyone to watch, have prompted strong scrutiny of the politically powerful organization, which is the largest abortion provider in the U.S. Bishop Stika said the investigation &ldquo;shined a light into the areas of darkness.&rdquo; He said the videos exposed a &ldquo;troubling indifference&rdquo; and the &ldquo;suppression of truth&rdquo; about the most vulnerable, saying the current indifference is similar to the situation &ldquo;decades ago&rdquo; when &ldquo;people on another continent shocked the world, saying, 'we did not know,' regarding the atrocities they chose to ignore.&rdquo; He suggested that Americans with environmental concerns make sure they include a concern for humanity. &ldquo;Care for the environment and of all God's good creation is important, but have we forgotten a far greater ecology that calls for our attention?&rdquo; he asked. He cited Pope Francis&rsquo; question in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si'. There, the Pope asked how one can teach the importance of caring for other beings &ldquo;if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties.&rdquo; He encouraged anyone involved in a past abortion to contact Project Rachel, and anyone who needs help with pregnancy in East Tennessee to contact the local Catholic Charities affiliate. 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He connected the revelations to Pope Francis&rsquo; strong criticisms of the &ldquo;throwaway&rdquo; mentality that harms both the natural environment and human ecology. &ldquo;A true human ecology is one that recognizes the inestimable value of life from conception to natural death, be it the life of the unborn in the womb, the poor, the sick and elderly, and even those on death row who themselves may have brutally taken another life,&rdquo; the bishop continued. &ldquo;This human ecology calls us to especially reach out with love, mercy and healing toward those who may be contemplating, or have chosen to have, an abortion.&rdquo; Undercover investigators with the California-based Center for Medical Progress have released several videos showing Planned Parenthood officials casually discussing prices for various body parts, and how abortion procedures may be altered to ensure intact organs from aborted babies. The videos, which the bishop challenged everyone to watch, have prompted strong scrutiny of the politically powerful organization, which is the largest abortion provider in the U.S. Bishop Stika said the investigation &ldquo;shined a light into the areas of darkness.&rdquo; He said the videos exposed a &ldquo;troubling indifference&rdquo; and the &ldquo;suppression of truth&rdquo; about the most vulnerable, saying the current indifference is similar to the situation &ldquo;decades ago&rdquo; when &ldquo;people on another continent shocked the world, saying, 'we did not know,' regarding the atrocities they chose to ignore.&rdquo; He suggested that Americans with environmental concerns make sure they include a concern for humanity. &ldquo;Care for the environment and of all God's good creation is important, but have we forgotten a far greater ecology that calls for our attention?&rdquo; he asked. He cited Pope Francis&rsquo; question in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si'. There, the Pope asked how one can teach the importance of caring for other beings &ldquo;if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties.&rdquo; He encouraged anyone involved in a past abortion to contact Project Rachel, and anyone who needs help with pregnancy in East Tennessee to contact the local Catholic Charities affiliate. He suggested the approximately $500 million of federal taxpayer funding that goes to Planned Parenthood could be directed to pregnancy centers that offer &ldquo;loving and compassionate options&rdquo; that affirm &ldquo;the sanctity and the dignity of both mother and child.&rdquo;","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"For Bishop Stika, Planned Parenthood videos show need to cherish humanity first","og_description":"Knoxville, Tenn., Aug 11, 2015 \/ 12:03 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- The videos of Planned Parenthood officials' involvement in the harvesting of organs from recently aborted babies shows an unadorned evil, but it&rsquo;s also a call to love those involved in abortion, a bishop in Tennessee has said. &ldquo;Evil without its makeup &mdash; that is the reality exposed in the unfolding series of videos revealing how the unborn life of a baby, deemed worthless by Planned Parenthood while in the womb, has value only in the sale of its dissected human parts,&rdquo; Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville said in an Aug. 9 column for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He connected the revelations to Pope Francis&rsquo; strong criticisms of the &ldquo;throwaway&rdquo; mentality that harms both the natural environment and human ecology. &ldquo;A true human ecology is one that recognizes the inestimable value of life from conception to natural death, be it the life of the unborn in the womb, the poor, the sick and elderly, and even those on death row who themselves may have brutally taken another life,&rdquo; the bishop continued. &ldquo;This human ecology calls us to especially reach out with love, mercy and healing toward those who may be contemplating, or have chosen to have, an abortion.&rdquo; Undercover investigators with the California-based Center for Medical Progress have released several videos showing Planned Parenthood officials casually discussing prices for various body parts, and how abortion procedures may be altered to ensure intact organs from aborted babies. The videos, which the bishop challenged everyone to watch, have prompted strong scrutiny of the politically powerful organization, which is the largest abortion provider in the U.S. Bishop Stika said the investigation &ldquo;shined a light into the areas of darkness.&rdquo; He said the videos exposed a &ldquo;troubling indifference&rdquo; and the &ldquo;suppression of truth&rdquo; about the most vulnerable, saying the current indifference is similar to the situation &ldquo;decades ago&rdquo; when &ldquo;people on another continent shocked the world, saying, 'we did not know,' regarding the atrocities they chose to ignore.&rdquo; He suggested that Americans with environmental concerns make sure they include a concern for humanity. &ldquo;Care for the environment and of all God's good creation is important, but have we forgotten a far greater ecology that calls for our attention?&rdquo; he asked. He cited Pope Francis&rsquo; question in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si'. There, the Pope asked how one can teach the importance of caring for other beings &ldquo;if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties.&rdquo; He encouraged anyone involved in a past abortion to contact Project Rachel, and anyone who needs help with pregnancy in East Tennessee to contact the local Catholic Charities affiliate. He suggested the approximately $500 million of federal taxpayer funding that goes to Planned Parenthood could be directed to pregnancy centers that offer &ldquo;loving and compassionate options&rdquo; that affirm &ldquo;the sanctity and the dignity of both mother and child.&rdquo;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2015-08-11T06:03:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Baby_Feet_Credit_Kalle_Gustafsson_via_Flickr_CC_BY_20_CNA_7_21_15.jpg"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/","name":"For Bishop Stika, Planned Parenthood videos show need to cherish humanity first","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-08-11T06:03:00+00:00","dateModified":"2015-08-11T06:03:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Knoxville, Tenn., Aug 11, 2015 \/ 12:03 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- The videos of Planned Parenthood officials' involvement in the harvesting of organs from recently aborted babies shows an unadorned evil, but it&rsquo;s also a call to love those involved in abortion, a bishop in Tennessee has said. &ldquo;Evil without its makeup &mdash; that is the reality exposed in the unfolding series of videos revealing how the unborn life of a baby, deemed worthless by Planned Parenthood while in the womb, has value only in the sale of its dissected human parts,&rdquo; Bishop Richard Stika of Knoxville said in an Aug. 9 column for the Knoxville News Sentinel. He connected the revelations to Pope Francis&rsquo; strong criticisms of the &ldquo;throwaway&rdquo; mentality that harms both the natural environment and human ecology. &ldquo;A true human ecology is one that recognizes the inestimable value of life from conception to natural death, be it the life of the unborn in the womb, the poor, the sick and elderly, and even those on death row who themselves may have brutally taken another life,&rdquo; the bishop continued. &ldquo;This human ecology calls us to especially reach out with love, mercy and healing toward those who may be contemplating, or have chosen to have, an abortion.&rdquo; Undercover investigators with the California-based Center for Medical Progress have released several videos showing Planned Parenthood officials casually discussing prices for various body parts, and how abortion procedures may be altered to ensure intact organs from aborted babies. The videos, which the bishop challenged everyone to watch, have prompted strong scrutiny of the politically powerful organization, which is the largest abortion provider in the U.S. Bishop Stika said the investigation &ldquo;shined a light into the areas of darkness.&rdquo; He said the videos exposed a &ldquo;troubling indifference&rdquo; and the &ldquo;suppression of truth&rdquo; about the most vulnerable, saying the current indifference is similar to the situation &ldquo;decades ago&rdquo; when &ldquo;people on another continent shocked the world, saying, 'we did not know,' regarding the atrocities they chose to ignore.&rdquo; He suggested that Americans with environmental concerns make sure they include a concern for humanity. &ldquo;Care for the environment and of all God's good creation is important, but have we forgotten a far greater ecology that calls for our attention?&rdquo; he asked. He cited Pope Francis&rsquo; question in his 2015 encyclical Laudato Si'. There, the Pope asked how one can teach the importance of caring for other beings &ldquo;if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties.&rdquo; He encouraged anyone involved in a past abortion to contact Project Rachel, and anyone who needs help with pregnancy in East Tennessee to contact the local Catholic Charities affiliate. He suggested the approximately $500 million of federal taxpayer funding that goes to Planned Parenthood could be directed to pregnancy centers that offer &ldquo;loving and compassionate options&rdquo; that affirm &ldquo;the sanctity and the dignity of both mother and child.&rdquo;","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/08\/for-bishop-stika-planned-parenthood-vidoes-show-need-to-cherish-humanity-first\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"For Bishop Stika, Planned Parenthood videos show need to cherish humanity first"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11284\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}