The abortion question
Sir, – Seeing as the Irish media believes religious organisations’ opinions on abortion are newsworthy (Front page, December 19th), I can only assume we will be reading news of the opinions of the leaders of the Islamic church, the Jewish faith, Protestant churches, Jehovah’s Witness, etc, over the next few days? – Yours, etc,
Sir, – As a church-going Irish Catholic, I am filled with “awe and wonder”. Not the “awe and wonder” that is usually associated with this time of year, but the awe and wonder of hearing bishops, croziers flaying, laying down the moral law of protecting the life of the unborn child. The silence has been broken, no, not with Silent Night, Holy Night. No more mental reservations; the bishops are back on terra firma, proclaiming the “good news” that they have found something they can be the vanguards of again. And are they making their voices heard? The troops are been riled and rallied . . . and I shudder as a child of God and as a woman. – Yours, etc,
Sir, – At this time of debate on the issue of abortion and the implied suggestion that the bishops are dictating to politicians and voters how they should vote, it is important to understand that the bishops in their statements on this matter are not dictating to anyone.
The bishops, with priests as co-workers, have as their first task “to preach the Gospel of God to all men” in keeping with the Lord’s command.(Catechism of the Catholic. par 888). It is part of the church’s mission “to pass moral judgments even in matters related to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it (Catechism of the Catholic Church: par 2246). – Yours, etc,
Sir, – I found my jaw dropping upon reading the letters section (December 20th). Among the (overwhelmingly male) voices was that of a priest based in the Philippines, who presumed to lecture us on Ireland’s maternal mortality rate.
I find this the height of irony given the recent defeat of attempts by the Catholic Church in the Philippines to block the provision of birth control to women in poverty. Not abortion, just birth control and just to women in poverty. All this despite a maternal mortality rate of 11 deaths a day. – Yours, etc,
