A Positive Response to a ‘Tsunami of Secularism’
Keynote Address of Vincent Kemme during the 25th FIAMC Congress Zagreb, 2018
June 1st, 2018
Vincent Kemme
Dear ladies and gentlemen,
It is an honor for me to be able to address you during this 25th Congress of the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, here in Zagreb, the beautiful capital of Croatia.
Allow me to introduce myself to you, before engaging in my reflections on a positive response to the ‘tsunami of secularism’.
Pope Francis: science provides the ‘charity of knowledge’
On Monday, 12 November 2018, Pope Francis addressed himself to the participants of the Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, asking the scientific community a positive service that we can call with Saint Paul VI the “charity of knowledge”. The pope sees himself as “the advocate of the peoples that receive only rarely and from afar the benefits of vast human knowledge and its achievements, especially in the areas of nutrition, health, education, connectivity, well-being and peace.”. Here the full text of his address.
Euthanasia in the Low Countries of Europe
Biofides is an apostolate that tries to shed light on the relationship between science (life sciences in particular) and faith (the catholic-christian faith in particular). Besides that, Biofides provides clarity on bio-ethics: how do we handle life, human life in all aspects of its existence, in every stage of life and in relationship to his natural environment: the earth with all its biological and other riches. We work closely together with physicians, in the Dutch speaking world (The Netherlands, Flanders in Belgium) on a European level and even on a global level. Recently, we were asked to deliver a speech in Rome, at a very short distance of the Vatican, about euthanasia and medically assisted suicide in the Low Countries (of Europe). It was at the occasion of a international medical congress of MaterCare, an ONG of the World Federation of Catholic Medical Associations, (Fédération Internationale des Association Médicales Catholiques, FIAMC). The question asked was ‘how to create a resistance movement against euthanasia and medically assisted suicide’. Well, Biofides is not exactly a resistance movement: we just share our views on life and therefore also on active termination of human life, without judging anyone and respect for everybody. Our answers are based on medical and biological insights, as well as faith, as you can expect from us.
wij geven gewoon onze visie op het leven ne dus ook op actieve levensbeëindiging bij de mens, maar veroordelen niemand en laten iedereen ui zijn waarde. Ons antwoord is ook gebaseerd op medisch-biologische inzichten, zowel als geloof, zoals u van ons mag verwachten. Moreover, we demand from our selves that our answers are reasonable, in every aspect. Here, your can find the text and slides of what we had to say to the participants.
Four Cardinal Virtues according to Thomas Aquinas
The Four ‘Cardinal Virtues’: why would a catholic biologist mention them on his website? Well, for a very simple reason/ Humans beings are both biological as moral beings. Unlike even higher animals, we can reflect on our conduct in life, accept responsibility for what we do (or not), make decisions about our behaviour more or less freely, develop attitudes and habits, for which we are accountable (who else?) and that have an impact on our physical, psychological, spiritual life as well as the lives of others. So talking about virtues, our behaviour habits, so to speak, is very meaningful as far as human beings is concerned. And a catholic biologist can’t ignore humans, their beliefs and their behaviour, in his reflections ons the relationship between biology and faith. So here, we will give the digital floor to Dr. Taylor Marshall who explains the Catholic teaching on virtue, virtue ethics, and introduces prudence, justice, fortitude and temperance. A 5 part podcast series on how understanding the classical teaching on virtue, brought to you by the New Saint Thomas Institute.
The Culture of Life in Your Vocation
Dr. Derek Doroski, Associate Professor of Biology at Franciscan University of Steubenville, delivers his talk entitled “The Culture of Life in Your Vocation.” Dr. Doroski’s talk was sponsored by the Students for Life Club at Franciscan University of Steubenville.
Franciscan University of Steubenville
Dec. 8th 2016
The Reality of the Moral Law by C.S. Lewis
This talk became Chapter 3 of Lewis’ book ‘Mere Christianity’ and was called ‘The Reality of the [universal] Moral Law’.
The Law of Human Nature: ‘Right en Wrong’ (by C.S. Lewis & Doodle)
A recreation of the original broadcast talk made by C.S. Lewis made during World War II. This broadcast formed the basis of chapter one of the book ‘Mere Christianity’. You can read the book here: http://www.amazon.com/Mere-Christiani…
Morality is not a Biological Issue
Modern biology makes us believe that we descended from the animal world and that we are nothing more than glorified animals. However, even if we did descend from the animal world, that doesn’t mean all our characteristics were transferred to us through genes and umbilical cords. For example, our anatomy and physiology did come from there, but what about our rationality and morality? In this article, I will focus on morality alone and argue that what sets us apart from the animal world is exactly the fact that we are rational and moral beings who can make rational and moral decisions. Take rationality or morality away from us, and we are indistinguishable from animals.
God and Morality
Another part of a video series from Wordonfire.org. Father Barron will be commenting on subjects from modern day culture. For more visit http://www.wordonfire.org
Persistent Vegetative State explained
Neurologists define the Persistent Vegetative State (PVS) usually as a lack of awareness of self and of the environment. Nevertheless, more resent discoveries show that some patient are in fact conscious about their environment and of themselves as well. This has created controversy over the accurate diagnosis of PVS. Edward J. Furton MA, PhD of the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia (USA) explains in a 3 minute video that we are happy to share with you.

