New Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults

Some good news at last from the Irish Bishops' Conference.  The new Irish Catholic Catechism for Adults (ICCA) has been published by Veritas.

I only had a chance for a quick flick through it and may come back later declaring it to be a heterodox outrage.  But at first glance it seems like a worthwhile effort.

On the plus side, the format is much more readable as a book than the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), which has multiple paragraphs, each numbered and cross referenced.  The CCC is undoubtedly an essential resource, but for most people not a book that you sit down and read in sizeable chunks. 

Following the format of the United States Catechism for Adults, there are frequent insertions about people of faith from Ireland and these are welcome.  They point to the saints in a way that the Irish church sometimes fails to do.

The negatives? 

There is only one format which is the oversized paper-back.  I like a more compact version.

It is pricey - €24.99 or £19.99.  And the study guide, at €12.99 for 92 pages, is very pricey.  That said, it is A4 and lends itself to easy photocopying.

It was launched amidst the Tuam baby crisis/scandal.

It was launched by Sean Cardinal Brady - not really the image we want going forward as they say.

It undoubtedly fills a gap - but I'm not entirely convinced as to who the readership will be.  It is described as for adults but it strikes me as possibly most suited to older children in schools who continue to be fed a very poor diet of religious education.

Train folk

I travel on the train a lot.  Trains have their own little world, communities of fellow travellers (not often you get to use that term non-pejoratively).  There are fairly rigid structures on trains.  People stand in the same spot every day.  And it's always funny when you get on the train and there are intruders - two guys going up to Dublin for some reason, a mother and daughter on a shopping trip and occasionally someone on their way to court.  They have no idea the confusion they create by deciding to stand in the middle of the buffet car, right in the middle of someone's space.  There's shuffling, strategic placing of bags and a standing too close in hope they get the message.

Sometimes someone just disappears after years of seeing them every day.  Have they died? Retired or changed jobs?   Sitting at home with a broken leg?  Occasionally a new person becomes a regular.  Perhaps randomly, perhaps someone's sister who can't quite decide which is worse, standing with her brother and his very peculiar train mates, or taking her chances further down the train.

There are some odd people.  Or people whose behaviour can be odd.  I'll mention three: Top Girl, Hat Boy and Impatient Man.

Top Girl gets on the train wearing a top.  A fairly standard top, a plain coloured cottony top.  Halfway through the journey she goes into the toilets and changes her top.  It's not into a work top.  It's not a better quality blouse.  She doesn't cycle or run to the train.  It's just another plain coloured top, from teal to lilac, from black to red.  Intriguing.

Hat Boy is a hoverer, a lurker.  He stands awkwardly on the platform.  He stays near the end of carriages, not quite committing to one or the other.  He uses the reflections in the windows and the overhead luggage racks to watch people.

Impatient Man behaves as if the train will go faster and arrive sooner if he pants and runs up and down the carriage.  He must be first off the train, even if this means barging past people to get to the door.  On one notable occasion he stood on the back of someone's foot and got a dig for his troubles.  He has been known to lift people's cups of tea or coffee and just drop them on the floor.

Perhaps somewhere, there is a blogger writing about Catholicus Nua, the odd ball on the train.  Who knows?

Pope tells child about the new bishop of Derry

It's the right thing to do, because it's about the children

Dear God, who will rid us of this troublesome Taoiseach?

I was listening to the Great Unbearable on the radio this morning as he was asked to comment on the abduction of two innocent Roma children by Irish State authorities on the dubious premise that they had blonde hair.

"This is about children, it's about children."

Oh, so that's okay then.  This is one of those lines that politicians run to when all else fails, and when Enda is being interviewed in public you can rest assured that all else has already failed.  Other fall back lines are:  "It's the right thing to do" and "This is about protecting lives", usually before you're whacked with a Mickey Finn.

So it's about children. 

Presumably when children were taken off unwed mothers and put up for adoption in foreign countries it was about children.

Presumably when children were sent to industrial schools because their parents were poor or their mother had died it was about children.

Now of course we're told we must wait while An Garda Siochana and the HSE investigate themselves before we form any conclusions or comment.

It might have been helpful if the same Guards and HSE had waited, investigate and formed some conclusions before snatching the children in the first place.

Let's have a look at Section 12 of the Child Care Act, 1991, the legal provision used by the Guards.

12.—(1) Where a member of the Garda Síochána has reasonable grounds for believing that—
(a) there is an immediate and serious risk to the health or welfare of a child, and
(b) it would not be sufficient for the protection of the child from such immediate and serious risk to await the making of an application for an emergency care order by a health board under section 13,
the member, accompanied by such other persons as may be necessary, may, without warrant, enter (if need be by force) any house or other place (including any building or part of a building, tent, caravan or other temporary or moveable structure, vehicle, vessel, aircraft or hovercraft) and remove the child to safety.

An "immediate and serious risk".  Being blonde carries some risks - but I'm not sure sufficient to warrant [Ed: they don't need a warrant] police action.

Remember during the referendum on children the No side warned about State overreach and intrusion into the family. 

And you're not even safe in a hover craft.  Perhaps a hot air balloon. 

Resistence is useless

I gave some money to a beggar today.  He was a class act.  I'd been getting my hair cut - first time ever cut by an African - so I'm coming out, and this guy approaches me, really friendly but respectful. 

"Hello mate, you wouldn't - actually before I start can I just say your hair is lovely - that's a great cut you got there - would you have thirty cent?"

I gave him 50c and he went on to someone else. 

His pitch was perfect, down to the amount requested - who could resist?

Loyalist irony

First female bishop in the Church of Ireland

Congratulations to Pat Storey who is to be the Church of Ireland (Anglican) Bishop of Meath and Kildare, the first female Anglican bishop in "these islands".

She's a native of Belfast.

I listened to her being interviewed on RTE and I thought she was refreshingly open and honest (Pope Francis effect). 

More details here.

The most fun you can have as a peeler

This is surely destined to become an iconic press photograph, up there with Buddhist monks setting themselves on fire, and well I can't think of any other examples as it's almost 2am.  Let's have a caption competition in the comment box.

(It's by David Fitzgerald and was in the Belfast Telegraph)

The Glorious Twelfth

• It was on the Twelfth,
• When Nigel Dodds wet himself,
• In the middle of the Woodvale Road.
• He was hit by a brick,
• Wasn't thrown by a Mick,
• And yet it still wasn't caused by the loyalist protesters, bandsmen, drunken louts or the Orange Order but apparently was the fault of Parades Commission.

Enda Kenny, Schrödinger's Catholic

So now we know the true inspiration for the beloved leader; Enda Kenny is modelling himself on Schrödinger's cat.  He is simultaneously a Catholic and a non-Catholic, in fact the first non-Catholic Taoiseach.  Presumably since he's not a "male Taoiseach", but a Taoiseach who happens to be a male he's also the first non-male Taoiseach. I wonder what toilets he uses in Leinster House.

Terence O'Neill, the last proper Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, once said, "Our faith is meant to enrich our lives - too often our lives impoverish our faith".

St Paul said, in the Mass readings on Saturday:  "We are ambassadors for Christ".

C.S. Lewis said:  "Where the tide flows towards increasing State control, Christianity, with its claims in one way personal and in the other way ecumenical and both ways antithetical to omnicompetent government, must always in fact ( though not for a long time yet in words) be treated as an enemy. Like learning, like the family, like any ancient and liberal profession, like the common law, it gives the individual a standing ground against the State.”

Epistle to Diognetus (2nd/3rd Century): "the Christian is to the world what the soul is to the body".

Lumen Gentium (Ch. 4):  "Because of the very economy of salvation the faithful should learn how to distinguish carefully between those rights and duties which are theirs as members of the Church, and those which they have as members of human society. Let them strive to reconcile the two, remembering that in every temporal affair they must be guided by a Christian conscience, since even in secular business there is no human activity which can be withdrawn from God's dominion....Each individual layman must stand before the world as a witness to the resurrection and life of the Lord Jesus and a symbol of the living God."

Enda Kenny:  "I'm a Catholic when it's convenient and non-Catholic when it counts".

More on Crown the Clown

A few weeks ago I described my outrage at a sordid article by John Crown in the Sunday Independent encouraging hatred against Catholics for daring to have views different from his own.

I made a formal complaint to the Sunday Independent on 20th May and received no response whatsoever.  So today I have made a formal complaint to the Press Ombudsman.

I am not hopeful of a resolution but better to use one cliché than curse the darkness.

If you haven't read Crown's article it's here.  And if you haven't complained to the Sunday Independent please, please make the small effort involved and do so.  The only real way to measure public outrage is by numbers.

Archbishop Eamon Martin on RTE

Listening to Archbishop Eamon Martin on RTE.  Did fairly well before hostile questioning. 

When he tried to mention the thousands at the Pro-Life Rally in Dublin on Saturday the interviewer cut across him - "yes, that was well reported".  Really?

He started asking the bishop about previous referendums which rejected the removal of suicide as basis for abortion.  But as soon as the bishop began to answer he was interupted with "I supposed you're going to start explaining about the other reasons".  Eamon Martin didn't get a half a sentence out.

The bishop refused to let himself be pinned down on two issues - what Catholic hospitals will actually do, and whether Catholic politicians can be Catholics in good standing if they vote for this.  His answers were decent enough but personally I'd prefer a bit more clarity at this stage. 

So, a fairly decent spokesman to put out.

Irish Bishops' abortion statement

A time to uphold the right to life: Statement by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland

On the second day of the June General Meeting of the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference in Maynooth, the following statement has been issued:
A time to reflect

On Saturday last, tens of thousands of women, men and children gathered in Dublin to express their support for the equal right to life of mothers and their unborn children.
We are at a defining moment for our country.
The Gospel of life is at the heart of the message of Jesus. He came that we may have life and have it to the full (Jn 10:10). The Gospel challenges us to work for a world in which the dignity and beauty of every human life are respected.
A time to uphold the right to life

The right to life is the most fundamental of all rights; it is the foundation of all other rights. No individual has the right to destroy life and no State has the right to undermine the right to life.
Yet the Irish Government is proposing abortion legislation that will fundamentally change the culture of medical practice in Ireland. For the first time legislation will be enacted permitting the deliberate and intentional killing of an unborn child. This represents a radical change. Every citizen, not just people of faith, should be deeply concerned.
We value the skill and efforts of our doctors, nurses and other care professionals who have helped to earn Ireland’s place as one of the safest countries in the world for mothers and their babies during pregnancy.
Catholic Church teaching is clear: where a seriously ill pregnant woman needs medical treatment which may put the life of her baby at risk, such treatments are ethically permissible provided every effort is made to save both the mother and her baby.
This is different from abortion, which is the direct and intentional taking of the innocent life of the unborn. No matter what legislation is passed in any country, abortion is, and always will be, gravely wrong.
A time for clarity and truth

The Government is under no obligation to legislate for the X case. People are being misled. We challenge repeated statements that this legislation is about saving lives and involves no change to the law or practice on abortion. Legalising the direct and intentional destruction of the life of an unborn baby can never be described as ‘life-saving’ or ‘pro-life’.
Contrary to clear psychiatric evidence, this legislation proposes abortion as an appropriate response to women with suicidal feelings during pregnancy. It is even possible to envisage as a result of this legislation the deliberate destruction of a child, who could otherwise be saved, right up to and including the moment of birth.
Furthermore, we challenge assurances that the proposed legislation will provide limited access to abortion. As published to date, the legislation will allow for a very wide margin of subjective professional assessment by which the deliberate destruction of an unborn baby can be legally justified. As we have learned from other countries, such legislation opens the door to ever wider availability of abortion.
We remain convinced that enhanced medical guidelines, which do not envisage the direct and intentional killing of the unborn, could provide the necessary clarity as well as a morally, legally and medically acceptable way forward. While good health can normally be restored, life, once taken, can never, never be restored.
A time for freedom of conscience

Freedom of conscience is a fundamental human right. A State that truly cherishes freedom will respect the conscience of its citizens, including its public representatives, on such an important human value as the right to life.
It is ethically unacceptable to expect doctors, nurses and others who have conscientious objections to nominate others to take their place. Neither should any institution with a pro-life ethos be forced to provide abortion services.

A time to decide: a time to act; a time to pray

We call on citizens to exercise their right to make their views known respectfully to our public representatives and to leave them in no doubt about where they stand on this issue.
We ask our public representatives to uphold the equal and inviolable right to life of all human beings, even if this means standing above other pressures and party loyalties.
We also invite our priests and people to continue to pray the Choose Life prayer at Mass and in the home that the dignity and value of all human life will continue to be upheld in this country.
Some mothers today are facing difficult or crisis pregnancies. Other people who have had, or who have assisted with abortions, may be re-living what happened in the past. They deserve to receive all the love, support and professional care that they need.
As Bishops we will join this weekend in prayerful solidarity with millions of Catholics all over the world in the Year of Faith celebration of Blessed John Paul II’s Encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life).
Every human life is precious, every human life is beautiful, every human life is sacred. Choose life!

The Kenny-Martin catechetical failure

Mssrs Kenny and Martin, Taoiseach and Leader of the Opposition are fine examples of what is wrong with the faith in Ireland and with religious formation over the last number of years.

I don't want to repeat their banalities, nor to trouble myself with finding their specific comments in response to statements made by Irish bishops or a Monsignor from the Vatican.  But there are three key things they appear not to undertand:

1.  Ecclesiology.  They declare themselves to be Catholics but give no indication that they understand what that means.  When they refer to "The Church" it is always in reference to something else, something external to them.  It is an NGO, a lobby, a pressure group.  We are constantly being told by liberal Catholics about the bad old days before Vatican II when ordinary Catholics thought the Church meant "the bishops".  Well, I don't buy that.  If you read remarks from politicians of old it is obvious they had a far clearer notion of their place within the Church than people do today.

2. Conscience.  This means only doing what you want.  Unless The Party decides otherwise.  The generation of Catholics who took their lead from Professor Paddy Hannon and the Irish Episcopal Conference.  When asked to discuss the real issue they fall back on platitudes of "complex" and "sensitive", "divisive" and "divergent".  And yet still try to impose your own view without a free vote.

3.  Morality.  If something is wrong in itself then it can't be made right by legislation, or by doctors or psychiatrists or the ECHR.  And if it is wrong in respect of even one child, then it is irrelevant if it opens the floodgates or not.  If a bad law allows the direct, intentional, killing of only one child in a century, it remains a bad law.  In this past week we have seen the heroic efforts to rescue a new born baby from a sewage pipe, in the same country that would have had no problem killing her before birth.  Wales saw the biggest search in its history last year to find one lost child, April Jones.  We value every child, whether conceived in rape or incest, whether a genius or a genetic failure. 

Overheard in Dublin - James and Rhona

James Reilly, Minister for Health:  "Rhona, please support our abortion legislation, sorry Protection of Life Bill".

Rhona Mahony, Master of National Maternity Hospital:  "I'm not sure, Jim.  It's a bit dodgy.  We don't really need it and all that suicide stuff is nonsense medically.  I don't really want to be killing babies."

James:  "We need your support because them auld fellas are all pro-life and we want a fresh, young and female face to make us look good".

Rhona:  "You're such a charmer, Reilly.  How grateful would you be?"

James:  "Well what do you want?  I'd offer a seat in the Seanad but we're abolishing it and that windbag Crown is already there.  What about a new MRI scanner?"

Rhona:  "What about a new hospital?"

James:  "What?!"

Rhona:  "Here's the plans.  €150 million or thereabouts.  That's my price.  Call me when you're ready."

James:  "Well, you'll have to give us full support on abortion and something else as well".

Rhona:  "We're moving to St Vincent's.  That way we can take out the Sisters of Charity as well;  they won't know what's hit them."

James:  "Anything else?"

Rhona:  "Where can I get my roots done round here?"

Lest we forget - the dawn of a new, well, everything

Ah, it's easy to forget the bright hope that shone upon our land just two years ago before it all sank under the lies and broken promises, that first Dáil speech:

"It is said that the tomorrow imprinted on our ancestral retina is our today. So, when our children look into our eyes, I want them to see a future where kindness, goodness, dreams and imaginings, strength and belief passed silently and unobtrusively from mother to daughter and father to son over the millennia, merge to create a life of authenticity, honesty, dignity, compassion, brilliance, creativity, purpose, confidence, generosity, affection, laughter and heart, a life where they can plan, hope, dream and live their dreams in their own country.  [Unless their mother says she's suicidal, in which case, pity about you]

That our lives and futures are predicated on one thing is true. That is why today I enter into a covenant with the Irish people. In these times of crisis, full of many unknowns, honesty is not alone our best policy but our only policy. The new Government will tell the people the truth regardless of how unwelcome or difficult that might be. We will tell it constantly and unreservedly. It is the only way because the people always have a right to know. I use the word “covenant” over “pledge” and “promise” because I believe the old ways of politics damaged us not alone financially, but emotionally, psychologically and spiritually. The word “covenant” restores a sense of heart, soul and spirit to leadership and our shared national life.  [If you don't count the broken promises made before the election, the commitment not to legislate for abortion, and the lies told about the Holy Father and ignoring his response when it came]

"This is our country. This is our journey. Yes, we are in times without precedent but I believe that for Ireland this current crisis is the darkest hour before the dawn, that we have a generational lightness of soul, that in the long Hibernian nights on the western edge of Europe we remembered the light that went before, imagined the light to come. We are a people looking always and ever to the possibilities of a new day. That new day is here, a bright new day where there is no gap, where the people and its Government are one again, [Now where have I heard that before,  Volksgemeinschaft? a day when our people are united in cause. Seamus Heaney said: “You have to try to make sense of what comes, remember everything and keep your head.” We will. Together and for our country let us believe in our future. For Ireland and each other, let us lift up our heads, turn our faces to the sun [Really, Cara al Sol?  The anthem of the Falange] and, as has been already said, hang out our brightest colours [and a bit of Michael Collins for good luck]. This is the first day of a journey to a better future. That future will be achievable when Ireland can again take charge of its own destiny, when by the centenary of the 1916 Rising we can prove to be the best small country in the world in which to do business [bit of a collapse of rhetoric], to raise a family and to grow old with dignity and respect."

Enda Kenny, March 9, 2011.

Star of EWTN condemns draft Irish abortion legislation

Fr John of Jesus, OCDS, popular presenter on EWTN, preached on Sunday on the draft abortion legislation.  Read the whole thing here or most of it below:

During the week the draft legislation for the introduction of abortion was published and despite assurances from the government, in reality this legislation is the first step in the introduction of abortion on demand – as inadvertently revealed by two TDs.   I would urge you all to read the legislation.  But in summary there are many difficulties with this bill not only for unborn children and women in crisis, but also for religious freedom.   First of all we need to bear in mind that many legal figures have told us that there is no need for this legislation – clarification of procedures will help protect women in difficult medical situations.  Despite what pro-abortion groups claim, abortion is never medically necessary to save a woman’s life.  Just a few weeks ago our nation’s doctors confirmed this, and rejected the idea of legislation.  Even more recently one third of our psychiatrists issued a joint statement rejecting the idea that abortion was a solution to a pregnant woman contemplating suicide – objective research and experience show that abortion actually increases the risk of suicide.  Yet the government, for some reason, has chosen to ignore the advice of the experts in this area.  This legislation is not necessary and is not based on legal, medical or psychiatric grounds – it seems to be a purely ideological exercise.

There are other issues.  Under this law abortion will be permitted up to birth. All hospitals which deal with obstetrics will have to perform abortion regardless of ethos – in other words this law will force Catholic hospitals and institutions to carry out abortions.  Doctors, nurses and midwives may avail of a conscience clause but only if they themselves arrange for others to replace them – that amounts to cooperation in abortion.  However administrative and ancillary staff are not covered by the conscience clause, and so they will be forced to cooperate materially with abortion.  These are just a few concerns.

This act, it is obvious by reading it, is the first step to more liberal provisions for abortion, as we see happened in Britain and other places.  It is obvious too that a Catholic cannot support this legislation and remain in good standing in the Church – to vote for this bill constitutes a grave sin and if not repented may well lead to canonical penalties.   In their statement the Bishops have described this bill as “morally unacceptable” and it is.  

As a pastor of souls speaking to my brothers and sisters in the Christian faith I want to remind you that as citizens of this republic you have the right to make your views known to your elected representatives.  As men and women who believe in the cause of life, for mothers and babies, and learning from medical science that one life need not be destroyed to save another, we acknowledge that there is another way.  I would urge you to do what you can for the cause of life so this legislation does not become the law of the land.  Let us listen to the Lord’s word on the sanctity of human life, on the little children.  Like the Hebrews in the desert, Ireland now faces a choice: life or death.  Let us choose life.

In which Catholicus Nua tries to restrain his annoyance at Cardinal Sean Brady and how the ghost of Paddy Hannon haunts the episcopal conference

Shortly after the bishops issue a strongly worded statement attacking the draft abortion legislation (expect to hear RTE, Irish Times and government parties insisting on "Protection of Maternal Life" legislation) Cardinal Brady is asked by a journalist:

"Have the bishops discussed whether politicians who advocate support for the legislation should be barred from communion, as has happened in some US dioceses?"

What answer should he have given?

Well there's short and truthful - "No, we didn't discuss that"

There's longer and useful - "No, we didn't discuss that.  The legislation is in a draft form and we want to ensure that people are aware of the full moral implications of what is involved before they consider voting.  We want people to realise that this represents a distinct movement from necessary medical practice to the deliberate killing of an innocent unborn child....."  And so on.

Instead what did Cardinal Brady say:

"There would be a great reluctance to politicise the Eucharist....I say that they (politicians) have an obligation to oppose the laws that are attacking something so fundamental as the right to life and they would have to follow their own conscience."

Here endeth the Church's contribution to the debate.  Follow your own conscience (understood as do what you like), there will be no repurcussions for you as a Catholic politician and we will ignore Canon Law as we did on child abuse for many years.

Canon 915 makes crystal clear that a Catholic politician who votes for abortion must be refused communion and the onus is on the person distributing communion to refuse.  It's got noting to do with politics - it's everything to do with integrity of the sacraments.

Contrast the statement by Cardinal Burke courtesy of EWTN:
Cardinal Raymond Burke says that local Catholic politicians who support the procedure should be refused Holy Communion in hopes of inspiring their conversion.
“There can be no question that the practice of abortion is among the gravest of manifest sins,”Cardinal Burke told the Irish newspaper Catholic Voice in an interview published Feb. 1.

Once “a Catholic politician has been admonished that he should not come forward to receive Holy Communion,” the cardinal added, “as long as he continues to support legislation which fosters abortion or other intrinsic evils, then he should be refused Holy Communion.”

The American cardinal heads the Apostolic Signatura, the Vatican’s highest legal tribunal that rules on canon law.

Cardinal Burke said that the local bishop and parish priests must ensure that Holy Communion is properly received to avoid “the grave sin of sacrilege” from those like Catholic politicians who receive Communion in spite of “grave moral evil.” The bishops and clergy must also prevent the “scandal” caused by this kind of reception because it “gives the impression that the Church’s teaching on the intrinsic evil of abortion is not firm."
  He also addressed the issue in academic detail back in 2007 - worth a careful read here.

Preliminary response by the Catholic Bishops of Ireland to Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013

The Catholic bishops of Ireland stress once again the importance of continuing to provide a health care service in Ireland which ensures complete respect for the sacredness of the life both of the mother and her unborn baby. The bishops express their appreciation of the work carried out day by day in this ethos by doctors, nurses, midwives and other health personnel. Through Cura, the Church’s crisis pregnancy agency, help is available to any woman facing a crisis pregnancy.

The Heads of the Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill 2013 published by the Government on Wednesday would, if approved, make the direct and intentional killing of unborn children lawful in Ireland. The Bill as outlined represents a dramatic and morally unacceptable change to Irish law and is unnecessary to ensure that women receive the life-saving treatment they need during pregnancy.

The Gospel of Life is at the heart of the message of Jesus; the deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of life is always morally wrong. We uphold the right to life as the foundation of every other human right. We encourage a deeper understanding of the inviolability of the right to life of both a mother and her unborn child, in all circumstances. Accordingly, at this crucial time, it is essential that all who share these beliefs make them clear to their legislators.

The Bill also appears to impose a duty on Catholic hospitals to provide abortions. This would be totally unacceptable and has serious implications for the existing legal and Constitutional arrangements that respect the legitimate autonomy and religious ethos of faith-based institutions. It would also pose serious difficulties for the conscientious beliefs of many citizens.

Abortion, in the sense of directly killing the unborn child, is never a remedy for suicidal ideation and therefore should never be cited as a justification for the direct killing of an innocent human being. It is a tragic moment for Irish society when we regard the deliberate destruction of a completely innocent person as an acceptable response to the threat of the preventable death of another person.

We invite all who cherish human life to support the Vigil for Life which is taking place in Knock tomorrow - see below. We encourage everyone who can attend the Vigil to do so or to join in prayer with us. Cherish both mother and baby! Choose life!

Special national Vigil of Prayer for Mothers and their Unborn Babies to take place in Knock

Mass in the Basilica will be live streamed on www.knock-shrine.ie

Tomorrow Saturday 4 May will see a national Vigil of Prayer for Mothers and their Unborn Babies taking place at Our Lady’s Shrine in Knock, Co Mayo. The theme of this Vigil will be ’Choose Life: We Cherish Them Both’ and it is supported by the Irish Catholic Bishops’ Conference.

This special liturgical event will begin at 1:00pm with a Rosary Procession and will conclude with Mass in the Basilica at 3.00pm. The main celebrant for the Mass will be Cardinal Seán Brady, Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, and the homilist will be Bishop Brendan Leahy, Bishop of Limerick. A blessing for expectant mothers who are present will be given during the Mass.

Parishioners from around the country have been invited to attend the Rosary and Mass. For further details on the ‘Choose Life: We Cherish Them Both’ national Vigil of prayer, pilgrims can view the pro-life website www.chooselife2013.ie which contains personal video testimonies and special prayers dedicated to protecting the unborn.

Why do Fianna Fáil even need to consider this abortion legislation? They gave a clear pre-election commitment to oppose abortion legislation.

Official Statement from Fianna Fáil to the Pro Life Campaign


Dr Joseph McCarroll
Chairperson
Pro Life Campaign
104 Lower Baggot Street
Dublin 2

17th February 2011
Dear Dr McCarroll,

Thank you for your letter dated 11th February 2011. I note that you are reviewing the views of the different political parties on abortion and the protection of embryos on Tuesday next.

I set out my response our position as below:

Fianna Fáil’s position on abortion remains unchanged and will maintain Ireland’s ban on abortion. [Couldn't be clearer?]

Fianna Fáil will uphold the right of the Irish people, and the Irish people alone, to decide on Ireland’s abortion laws. [i.e. not the ECHR] We will oppose moves to legalise abortion in Ireland. Our track record in this regard is clear.

Fianna Fáil Taoisigh negotiated legally binding guarantees, which were attached to the Treaties of Maastrict and Lisbon, ensuring that nothing in those reaties, or in the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, affects the operation in Ireland of Article 40.3.3 of the Constitution.

The Government mounted a robust defence of Ireland’s abortion laws before the European Court of Human Rights in A, B and C vs. Ireland. The Court found that the Irish Constitution is not incompatible with the ECHR, and that States enjoy a margin of appreciation regarding protecting the right to life of the unborn, thereby affirming the Government’s view that it is the Irish people who have the right to decide on abortion.

Fianna Fáil will ensure that any new regime put in place in respect for assisted human reproduction fully respects the right to life of the unborn. [So presumably the definition of "unborn" must include embryos outside the womb which is excluded in this legislation.] In this context, Fianna Fáil in Government has insisted that all EU research funding programmes respect Ireland’s national position in relation to embryo research through the ethical subsidiarity clause.

We have ensured that no embryo research in Ireland has been or can be funded by the EU. In the negotiations on the 7th EU Framework Research Programme, Ireland played an influential part in crafting a compromise whereby the Commission undertook not to submit proposals for research activities that destroy human embryos.

I can also confirm that we are opposed to research on embryos and will not support moves to legalise this in Ireland. [Again, presumes the definition of "unborn" covers these embryos.]

Yours sincerely,

Micheál Martin TD
Leader Fianna Fáil