What happened?
Tens of thousands of pro-lifers have marched in the streets of Dublin as Ireland prepares for a referendum in May which could sweep away laws protecting the unborn child. The organisers of the Rally for Life claim that 100,000 people joined the demonstration. One speaker, GP Judy Ceannt, told the marchers: “We are not meant to intentionally kill or harm any patient, least of all the most helpless, the unborn baby. The government has no right to impose this on us.”
What pro-lifers said
In his speech, campaigner Declan Ganley characterised the current debate as “a battle between the people and the powerful – with the political elites and the taxpayer-funded lobby groups on one side, and the ordinary people on the other”. Ganley said there had been a “relentless drumbeat for abortion from the media and people in cushy taxpayer-funded lobby groups”.
In a pastoral letter, Archbishop Michael Neary of Tuam said that “Abortion is a deliberate taking of a human life” and that many pro-abortion arguments tried to “confuse” the question. If Ireland’s constitutional protections were undone, he said, even if only for “hard” cases, Ireland would go down the road of England and Wales “where one in five pregnancies ends in abortion every year”.
What the media said
in the Irish Times, Louise Roseingrave observed that the turnout had “exceeded organisers’ expectations”, and that the pro-life movement had been galvanised by a recent Supreme Court judgment. The court said last week that, apart from the Eighth Amendment which could be repealed in the referendum, the unborn child had no constitutional protection.
The BBC noted: “Campaigners focused on the rights of people with disabilities, claiming that 90 per cent of pregnancies diagnosed with Down’s syndrome in Great Britain end in abortion.” The University Times observed: “Many of those attending carried rosary beads and other religious iconography.” However, it added, “these were pockets of the crowd, and by no means dominated proceedings”.
✣Cardinal blames bishop for papal visit controversy
What happened?
The fallout from Pope Francis’s trip to Chile in January has continued, after the retired Archbishop of Santiago blamed another bishop for bad publicity. Cardinal Javier Errázuriz, who is on the Pope’s Council of Cardinals, wrote to Latin American bishops saying that Bishop Juan Barros had drawn attention to himself by giving interviews.
Why was it under-reported
Although it attracted attention earlier this year, the Chile story has not yet become a big theme in mainstream news sources. This is despite it having many remarkable ingredients. Bishop Juan Barros was accused of having turned a blind eye to abuse by his mentor, Fr Fernando Karadima. Victims of Fr Karadima voiced their concerns to Pope Francis, who dismissed the accusations against Bishop Barros as “calumny”. Cardinal Errázuriz said Bishop Barros “did not perceive the magnitude of the problem” and “diverted attention” from the Pope’s visit.
What will happen next?
It looks increasingly likely that Bishop Barros will have to resign. An investigator, Archbishop Charles Scicluna, has interviewed Fr Karadima’s accusers and is preparing a report. After all the fuss, to keep Bishop Barros in place would imply that the accusers were not credible. But Cardinal Errázuriz also faces accusations of not having taken abuse survivors seriously enough. He was Archbishop of Santiago when the Karadima allegations surfaced. So he, too, may have questions to answer when Archbishop Scicluna reports.
✣The week ahead
Pope Francis will visit the birthplace of St Pio of Pietrelcina tomorrow. His trip comes 100 years after the saint received the stigmata and on the 50th anniversary of his death. The Pope will stop off at Padre Pio’s shrine in Pietrelcina and celebrate Mass in the town of San Giovanni Rotondo. Francis has called him a “servant of mercy” because of his dedication in hearing Confessions.
On Monday 300 young people will gather in Rome for a “pre-synod” meeting ahead of October’s synod on youth. Participants were chosen by bishops’ conferences and include seminarians and Religious.
Catholics are invited to begin 40 days of spiritual preparation on Monday ahead of the Rosary on the Coast initiative. The 40 days run until Friday April 27. The Rosary on the Coast falls on the following Sunday. (Saturday is for Confession). Nearly 100 locations have been confirmed for the prayer event. For more information visit rosaryonthecoast.co.uk.
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