Ireland-Abortion:Pastoral Letter on the Right to Life written by Bishop John Buckley of Cork

Here is the Pastoral Letter on the Right to Life written by Bishop John Buckley of Cork, Ireland (December 9,2012). 

My Dear People,

Human life is sacred and precious.  Every human being must be treated with the greatest respect.  This is true at every moment of life, from its first beginnings to its natural death.  In the womb we grow and develop as full human beings, not as potential human beings.  We read in the Old Testament:  “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I sanctified you” (Jeremiah 1:5).

The child in the womb must enjoy the same rights as all other people, among which is the unassailable right of an innocent person to life.  This includes our responsibility as a society to defend and promote the equal right to life of a pregnant mother and the innocent and defenceless child in her womb when the life of either of these persons is at risk.  They have an equal right to life.  The Catholic Church has never taught that the life of a child in the womb should be preferred to that of the mother.  In situations where a seriously ill pregnant woman needs medical treatment which may put the life of her baby at risk, such treatments are morally permissible, provided that every effort has been made to save the life of both the mother and her baby.

Abortion is the deliberate medical intervention to end the life of an unborn child and is gravely wrong in all circumstances.  This is different from medical treatments, such as those to save the mother, which do not directly and intentionally seek to end the life of the unborn baby.

Current law and medical guidelines in Ireland allow nurses and doctors in Irish hospitals to apply this vital distinction in practice.  International statistics confirm that Ireland, without abortion, remains one of the safest countries in the world in which to be pregnant and to give birth.

Contrary to what has been widely said, the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights does not oblige the Irish government to legislate for abortion.  The Lisbon Treaty was passed at the second attempt following assurances that Ireland had the right to determine its own policies on abortion.

The recent report of the government-appointed Expert Group has put forward four options.  Three of those options involve abortion i.e. the direct and intentional killing of the unborn child.  This can never be morally justified.  In no other situation in life do we suggest ending the life of a person as a solution to a problem.  The fourth option i.e. guidelines which can help ensure consistency in the delivery of medical treatment, could be a way forward provided the direct and intentional killing of either person continues to be excluded.  The Expert Group failed to consider the moral dimensions, even though it is was included in the terms of reference.

We must always extend our help to women who find themselves in crisis pregnancies, offering love and compassion.  The Church understands the anguish and distress of women in difficult situations who might wrongly feel that abortion is the only option open to them.  The Church has its agencies that are ready to assist those who find themselves in such a situation.  CURA Crisis Pregnancy Support Service offers support and counselling.  CURA itself, with its own confidential counselling service, can be contacted at its Cork centre (Tel: 021-4277544).

The pro-life commitment of the Church is also reflected in its compassion for those who often regret having an abortion.  Many women who had abortions would have been willing to carry their children to term if they had received support from the important people in their lives.  Addressing women who had abortions, Blessed Pope John Paul II wrote: “The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision and she does not doubt that in many cases, it was a painful decision.  Do not give in to discouragement.  Believe in the mercy of the Lord.  The Lord is close to the broken-hearted”.

Finally, respect for life is deeply embedded in Irish society.  Respect for the unborn is widely acknowledged also and, hopefully, we will continue with this commendable tradition.  I am appealing for prayers at this particular time.  Take time to pray, it is the greatest power on earth.  May the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to Jesus, protect all mothers, all unborn babies, all medical and nursing hands and all who make the laws of our land.

Praying God’s blessing on you at this time,

+John Buckley,

Bishop of Cork and Ross

Italian Politician Umberto Bossi goes to Medjugorje to find himself

Umberto Bossi was the founder of the Italian Northern League party. Religion was not very high on his agenda. If you look at the polls at the beginning of 2012 the party for the independence of the Po region of Northern Italy (The Northern League) was at 10% in the polls. Now however its support is less than 5%. A decline started between March and May, as the party became mired in scandal. That led to the resignation of the leader and founder Umberto Bossi on April 5.

Umberto Bossi has decided to entrust his future and his redemption to Medjugorje. Bossi has decided to try to escape from the corrupt world of politics paying a visit to Our Lady. Similarly Italian actress and model Sara Tommasi has visited Medjugorje in a spiritual journey to escape the evils of film. Increasingly Medjugorje is therefore the destination of many Italian'VIPs'. Today, if you want to meet some famous Italian person you no longer have to go and find some chic restaurant in the capital but rather visit Medjugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Umberto Bossi and his wife Manuela Marrone are ready to go to climb the Hill of the Apparitions and Cross Mountain. A family friend has convinced Bossi to visit Medjugorje. The real "conversion" of the former leader of the Northern League, was already accomplished in June when Bresso Bossi took a seat in the front row to see Pope Benedict XVI. Meanwhile Sara Tommasi is ready to start out for Bosnia and Herzegovina this month of December on a second voyage in search of spirituality.

Huckabee Show on December 15:Savita Halappanavar death to be discussed with Lila Rose and Niamh Ui Bhriain of the Irish organization The Life Institute

Don't miss the Huckabee show  on Fox News Saturday December 15th at 8pm EST (1am Irish time)!

Note date change to December 15 not December 8(Error in original communication from Live Action)

Savita Halappanavar was a young woman from India living in Ireland, who faced serious complications during her pregnancy, miscarried her child, and later died of septicemia. Abortion campaigners across the world are exploiting this young woman's death, in an attempt to push for abortion legislation in Ireland.
Ireland is one of the only countries in the world that constitutionally protects all unborn children and their mother's from the violence of abortion. Ireland's constitution protects unborn children from the moment of conception, and it should be noted that Ireland has the lowest maternal mortality rate in the world.
Appearing on the Huckabee show is Niamh Ui Bhriain, who is the Director and spokeswoman of the Irish organization The Life Institute. Lila Rose of Live Action and Niamh will be given the opportunity to lay out the facts of Savita's case and discuss the current tumultuous situation in Ireland, as abortion advocates continue to campaign for abortion legislation in the pro-life country.

Immaculate Conception Novena and Definition

[Image from catholictradition.org]

The Immaculate Conception is a dogma of the Catholic Church maintaining that from the moment when she was conceived in the womb of her mother St. Anne the Blessed Virgin Mary was kept free of original sin and was filled with the sanctifying grace normally conferred during baptism. Her father was St. Joachim.

In 1854 that Pope Pius IX promulgated the papal bull Ineffabilis Deus (Latin for "Ineffable God"), which defined ex cathedra the dogma of the Immaculate Conception: We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of mankind, was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore should firmly and constantly be believed by all the faithful. —Pope Pius IX, Ineffabilis Deus, December 8, 1854. Details of Novena to the Immaculate Conception available HERE

Ireland-Budget 2013-RTE/FG/ Labour fail to explain economic background to austerity

RTE Budget Sensationalism Grievance Shopping out of Control

Scarcely if ever has a budget got as much publicity as budget 2013. RTE went into over drive in the lead up to the budget. Six One News on Monday and Tuesday nights lead with individuals attacking likely cuts. Was RTE attempting to stir up public opinion in advance of the budget? RTE has almost exclusively focused on the impact of cutbacks and tax rises. It seems to be the policy of the station to engage in grievance shopping. Six One News on Wednesday night and tonight(Thursday) provided evidence of this in abundance. It is inarguable that budget 2013 has imposed hardship on families and homeowners. How could it be any other way? The government introduced cuts/tax rises to the tune of €3.5 billion. Looking at and listening to RTE's superficial coverage one would be forgiven for thinking that a cold blooded government has declared war on its people. There was an absence of analysis of the economic realities.

Six One News failed spectacularly to outline the economic background to the budget. The government is spending c51 billion euro and borrowing 13 billion euro of that. This budget deficit of 13 billion euro is funded by the IMF/EU. The national debt is in the range of 160-170 billion euro. Six one News failed to dissect the harsh economic realities underpinning this severe budget. In so doing it has done a disservice to the Irish people many of whom are unaware of the real state of government finances. Similarly the anti house tax campaign when only in its infancy received huge publicity from RTE. The amount of coverage accorded to Joe Higgins in the course of that campaign was truly amazing. Budget 2013 contained many imaginative measures which will help drive the SME sector in the years to come. This got no mention tonight. But then that is a positive story. It does not suit the grievance shopping mania pervading RTE. Interestingly Six One News failed to carry a report on the George Osborne's Autumn statement. According to this the UK faces austerity budgets to 2018. Savage benefit cuts have been announced for 250,000 people in Northern Ireland. This merited no mention on RTE either. The reality is that the government had Hobson's choice in framing this budget. Incidentally government Ministers in many cases have failed to explain the implications of the debt and budget deficit figures to the voters. It is imperative that the message is driven home that failure to eradicate the budget deficit could place many social payments at risk in their entirety. Over to you Messrs Kenny, Gilmore and other government ministers!!! Please spell out the harsh economic realities in terms which voters can understand. This is sine qua non if you wish to secure acceptance of the budget. It means spelling out the figures on the debt and deficit in CONCRETE TERMS.

Today Joe Duffy's Liveline majored on sensationalism. Callers afflicted by the cuts gave vent to their rage. Nothing wrong with that!! Undoubtedly people will suffer. However Joe Dufy consistently stirred things up. He on several occasions set fire to their indignation. When callers raised the new house tax Joe consistently spoke about a 10 euro weekly charge. Now this is pure and utter nonsense in many cases. Damn well Duffy knows it. He is not thick. The Revenue Commissioners were injected into the discussions by the host with regularity. He consistently failed to outline the economic backgound which necessitated the harsh budget. No mention from him of the 160-170 billion euro National debt or the budget deficit of 13 billion euro!! This is a pre-requisite for any informed discussion on tax rises/cut backs. Joe Duffy is believed to earn c400,000 euro per annum. Joe loves populist claptrap. Is it too much to expect a little analysis from a man earning c400,000 euro per annum. Duffy failed to link the slow growth in Ireland to the current international economic uncertainty. As far as Ireland is concerned it's a case of running hard to stand still until the international economy picks up.

A little less populism and more realism from RTE would benefit the country. Certainly coverage of budget 2013 leaves much to be desired from a station which is funded by the viewers. The omens are not good. The station appears to be surfing a populist wave in its quest for viewers and listeners.

Ireland:Dublin- Video of Pro Life Vigil on 4th Dec 2012

10,000 people attended a prolife vigil in Dublin to day. This is all the more amazing considering that the vigil commenced at 4.30 pm- not exactly convenient for many people. This outnumbered by five to one the corresponding pro abortion vigil. The Irish people do not want the legalisation of abortion. Period.

In a powerful speech, Niamh Uí Bhrian, spokeswoman for the Life Institute, spelled out the reality:

“We are not for turning and we will not yield,” she said.“We are proud to be a pro-life nation, we are here to tell the politicians in Dáil Eireann that they may have destroyed our economy but we will never let them kill our children.” She said “The lives of our children are worth fighting for and the mothers who are driven to abortion in fear are worth fighting for and the pro life ethos in this country is worth fighting for.”

Caroline Simons, legal consultant with the Pro Life Campaign stated that there was no obligation on the State to legislate for abortion because of the European Court of Human Rights ABC case”

“All we are supposed to do is clarify our own position in relation to abortion here...We have one of the best maternal mortality rates in the world so abortion is never the answer. It is not going to save mothers lives and we don’t want to see it on our shores.”

Medjugorje: Apparition of Virgin Mary to Mirjana on December 2, 2012

"Dear children, with motherly love and motherly patience anew I call you to live according to my Son -- to spread his peace and his love -- so that as my apostles you may accept God's truth with all your heart and pray for the Holy Spirit to guide you. Then you will be able to faithfully serve my Son and show his love to others with your life. According to the love of my Son and my love, as a mother, I strive to bring all of my stray children into my motherly embrace and to show them the way of faith. My children, help me in my motherly battle and pray with me that sinners may become aware of their sins and repent sincerely. Pray also for those whom my Son has chosen and consecrated in his name. Thank you. "