Bishop: ‘Politicians must have the courage to revisit the abortion law in Ireland’

Speaking to The Irish Catholic at the Rally for Life in Dublin, Bishop Phonsie Cullinan said politicians had opened the floodgates to abortion despite promising “repeatedly” that it would be “safe, legal and rare”.

“Well I would say two things about that. They are not safe for the baby and they are certainly not rare. Have courage to face reality and to revisit that decision”.

“It is over 10,000 now per year. This is a tragedy. This is so much pain and suffering that is being multiplied on women, on men, on families and the unborn themselves who are not getting the chance to live. That is an injustice. That is the first injustice to deprive somebody of their right to life.”

Challenged

He also challenged the media to publish the truth about abortion.

“The number of abortions has increased by 250% since the floodgates opened on the first of January 2019 and it’s in no media outlet apart from a tiny few like The Irish Catholic and Gript etc. The main media outlets are not taking up the story. This is a tragedy beyond limits. It is horrendous what is happening. And somebody has got to speak up for the unborn. People are just being kept in the dark.”

The Bishop of Elphin also accused politicians of failing in their role to promote the common good and shaking the foundations of society with abortion.

It is not always easy to see pregnancy as a gift, but could it be that our society is becoming conditioned to see pregnancy as a problem?”

Bishop Kevin Doran told Catholics at the Rally for Life Mass on Saturday that they had a role to play in changing attitudes and empowering politicians.

In his homily in St Saviour’s Priory, Bishop Kevin Doran said a more welcoming attitude was required towards new life – and questioned whether society was now conditioned to see a pregnancy as a burden rather than a blessing.

“Why is it that, in our society, we hesitate to rejoice in the gift of life.  Of course, it is not always easy to see pregnancy as a gift, but could it be that our society is becoming conditioned to see pregnancy as a problem?”

Reflecting on Luke’s Gospel, where Mary and Elizabeth rejoice in their pregnancies, the bishop said:

“Perhaps, as we listen to God’s Word, we need to ask ourselves how we might be able to contribute to the development of a more positive and welcoming attitude towards pregnancy and childbirth.

Violence

“No matter how it is dressed up, abortion is an act of violence against women. It kills unborn babies; thirty-eight thousand of them here in Ireland since the present legislation was enacted. These are not just statistics; they are innocent human beings, each with his or her own unique identity. How could it be possible that all of this violence and taking of life would not fundamentally alter the character of our society.

“When the law no longer upholds the principle that one person may not freely take the life of another, then the very foundations of our civilisation are shaken.”

The bishop spoke about the age old struggle between good and evil and said that the “political action” at the march was a “small but vital expression of our commitment to defend the common good of our whole society.

“This is what our politicians are elected to do, and they need the power of our witness.  Women and babies need us to stand with them, and so do men. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists need our support and encouragement to stand for the truth and to act with integrity.”

Our society is so focused on making abortion available that we have no formal process for even asking a woman why she feels she needs to make this choice”

He said that Catholics must bring “more than just ourselves” to this political action – but also solidarity with the Lord Jesus. “Mary carried Jesus in her womb as she walked. It is important that as we walk, we carry him in our hearts.”

He also spoke of the importance of offering support to pregnant women and finding out why they feel a woman feels she needs to “make this choice”.

“For some women, pregnancy is a lonely time and we often hear that abortion is a lonely choice. There are people around them, but there is nobody with them. Let’s face it, our society is so focused on making abortion available that we have no formal process for even asking a woman why she feels she needs to make this choice.

Intrusive

“Is there some way in which we could be with women and walk with them from early pregnancy, through the birth of their child and into infancy, in a way which would not be intrusive, but which would reassure them that they are not on their own.

“So what I am saying is this: we certainly need to change the law and change the practice and change prevailing attitudes in society.  But our prayer always has to begin with a desire for our own hearts.”

The primacy of personal autonomy and that fact that, once it is accepted in practice, it simply grows out of control”

He also challenged Catholics to make the connection between abortion and euthanasia: “Of course there are differences in the human experience, but the ideology is the same, the absolute right to choose, the primacy of personal autonomy and that fact that, once it is accepted in practice, it simply grows out of control.

“We in the Council for Life of the Bishops Conference have recently produced a thirty-minute video called Through the Valley to encourage people to reflect on how we care for people in critical and terminal illness. It is on our own social media and also on the iCatholic platform. I encourage you to look at it and to share it widely. Through the Valley!”