Kazimierz, Krakow, Poland. Poland’s Catholic bishops have called for a permanent ban on abortions in the country to mark the 1,050th anniversary of Poland’s conversion to Christianity in the year 966.
“Each person’s life is protected by the fifth commandment, do not kill. So the attitude of Catholics is clear and unchanging,” the bishops’ conference said.
“In this jubilee year of Poland’s baptism, we urge all people of goodwill, believers and nonbelievers, to take action to ensure full legal protection of unborn lives,” they said, asking members of parliament to take the legislative initiative.
The bishops said Poland’s 1993 law, which allows abortion in cases of rape, incest, severe foetal damage or threats to a woman’s life, was unsustainable and should be replaced by a total ban. They encouraged politicians to implement such a ban while supporting “programmes to ensure concrete help for parents of sick and handicapped children and those conceived through rape”.
French cardinal reiterates cooperation
A French cardinal has reiterated his promise to cooperate with law enforcement officials after his offices were raided in connection with charges of failing to discipline a priest now charged with abuse.
Police raided the offices of Lyon Cardinal Philippe Barbarin to search for information about the case of Fr Bernard Preynat, accused of sexual abuse between 1986 and 1991 at Lyon’s Saint-Luc parish, where he ran a large Catholic Scout group.
“The investigators conducted a search, and the Lyon archdiocese was made to hand over items sought by the justice authorities,” the cardinal’s office said in a statement, continuing, “The cardinal has many times expressed his willingness to cooperate in full transparency with the judicial process and confidently remains at its disposal, hoping the authorities will calmly reveal the truth and allay the suffering of victims.”