Here’s a profile in courage: Henry I, the Duke of Luxembourg, received the Van Thuan Prize in Rome earlier this month for his fight against euthanasia. Last December, he refused to agree with a bill passed by parliament to legalize the killing of people who are sick. Unfortunately, the victory for life was short lived as the parliament then changed the country’s constitution to limit his power. Unrestrained, it then passed the bill into law making Luxembourg the third country in the European Union to allow euthanasia (see Catholic News Agency).
The Van Thuan Prize is named for the Cardinal Francois-Xavier Van Thuan, a Vietnamese cardinal who was for imprisoned for 13 years because of his faith. A cause for his beatification was opened in 2007.
