Friday, March 16
There is nothing new under the sun
Including Catholic pro-life efforts. I caught this fascinating story (click "Listen" for the full version) on my way home from work the other day:
The idea of a safe receptacle for an unwanted infant is not new. In 1198, Pope Innocent III was dismayed by the number of newborns caught in the nets of fishermen on the Tiber River.
He ordered the first Medieval "foundling wheel" — a rotating platform located in the wall of a church that allowed women to anonymously leave their newborns.
Today's version, located at a hospital in one of Rome's poorest districts, resembles a large ATM.
It features a heated crib behind a glass hatch. Electronic sensors alert doctors when a baby is dropped off.
The juxtaposition of such similar stories over 800 years apart forms an interesting study, simultaneously, of some of the better and worse aspects of human nature.
Plus ça change, plus c'est la meme chose.
![[SMMMHDH]](http://www.mgilleland.com/music/smmmhdh.png){kind=small}
