What happened?
The Argentine Senate rejected a bill legalising abortion on demand for the first 14 weeks of pregnancy. Senators voted by 38 to 31 after a 15-hour debate as huge crowds of pro-life and pro-abortion activists gathered outside. The bill had been narrowly passed by the country’s congress in June. Massive rallies had been held by both sides during the three-month debate. In Latin America the only countries to have liberalised abortion laws are Uruguay, Cuba and Guyana.
What the secular media said
After the vote, abortion supporters rioted, lighting fires and throwing stones at police. Seven people were
arrested. Most secular outlets downplayed this, focusing instead on how the pro-abortion movement had been galvanised. “They lost Argentina’s abortion vote, but advocates started a movement”, read the headline in the New York Times. The Guardian quoted an 82-year-old senator, Pino Solanas, who declared: “No one can stop the wave of the new generation.”
Alan Soria Guadalupe, writing for the centrist La Nación, pointed out that Argentina’s government was still seeking to remove some criminal penalties for abortion, but that for activists this did not go far enough. He predicted that the debate would remain a high-profile issue throughout next year.
What the Catholic media said
Charlie Camosy, at Catholic News Service, compared Argentina’s debate with Ireland’s. “The difference,” he said, “was that a diversity of views on abortion in the media – especially the political class – made for an actual
debate among those who have power.”
At Crux, Inés San Martín picked out a major deception in the pro-abortion campaign: that illegal abortion was the most common cause of maternal death in Argentina. It was cited repeatedly by Adolfo Rubinstein, the health minister – even though his own ministry’s statistics showed that in 2016 almost seven times more women died in childbirth than as a result of abortion, legal or illegal.
LifeSiteNews said a “major sea change” had only narrowly been avoided. In Argentina, it said, “the right to life is far from secure”.
✣McAleese was ‘shocked’ by cardinal’s proposal
What happened?
Former Irish president Mary McAleese claimed that Cardinal Angelo Sodano, then Vatican secretary of state, asked her in 2003 if Ireland would strike a deal to keep Church documents closed from public inquiries. Dermot Ahern, ex-foreign minister, then said Sodano had asked him in 2005 if Ireland would indemnify the Vatican for abuse payouts.
Why was it under-reported
The claims, reported by the Irish Times, became a story for Irish media but not elsewhere. McAleese described it as “one of the most devastating moments” of her presidency. She and Ahern said they ignored the proposals.
Cardinal Sodano, now 90, served as Pope John Paul II’s secretary of state for 14 years. He is still highly influential: he is dean of the College of Cardinals, meaning he would preside over cardinals’ meetings in the run-up to a conclave. Critics claim he worked against Benedict XVI, undermining the pope who did not renew his tenure.
What will happen next?
Veteran analyst John Allen said Sodano’s presence as dean raises questions about how serious the Vatican is about “zero tolerance” on abuse. The cardinal is alleged to have protected Fr Marcial Maciel Degollado, the serial abuser who founded the Legionaries of Christ, and, according to Cardinal Christoph Schönborn, blocked an investigation into Cardinal Hans Groër’s alleged abuse. Allen suggests that, rather than covering up crimes, the most plausible explanation is that Sodano “just didn’t want to know”.
✣The week ahead
The world Meeting of Families will begin in Dublin on Tuesday. The Vatican has said that Catholics can receive a plenary indulgence if they take part in the event or if, while the event is on, “spiritually united with the faithful in Dublin, they recite as a family the Our Father, the creed and other devout prayers” for the good of families. About 22,000 are registered for the meeting.
Cardinal Ricardo Ezzati of Santiago (pictured) will give testimony to a state prosecutor on Tuesday. The cardinal has been summoned to the Chilean town of Rancagua amid allegations that he covered up clerical abuse.
Youth 2000 is holding its annual prayer festival at Walsingham in Norfolk. The five-day camping event, which begins next Thursday, is open to people aged 16 to 35. The schedule includes time for Confessions as well as daily Mass, Adoration and the praying of the rosary. More than 1,000 young Catholics are expected to attend.
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