1967 Abortion Act a 'Pack of Lies' claims Scottish Cardinal
In a strongly worded sermon to be delivered this Thursday afternoon at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh, Cardinal Keith O'Brien will say that the claims and assurances made at the time of the passing of the 1967 Abortion Act were no more than a "pack of lies".
Posted: Wednesday, May 30, 2007, 9:23 (BST)
In a strongly worded sermon to be delivered this Thursday afternoon at St Mary's Cathedral in Edinburgh, Cardinal Keith O'Brien will say that the claims and assurances made at the time of the passing of the 1967 Abortion Act were no more than a "pack of lies".
He will add that the assurances amounted to "lies and misinformation masquerading as compassion and truth".
Cardinal O'Brien's words come as the 40th anniversary of the act approaches and are timed to coincide with the Catholic Church's "Day for Life" on 31 May, running this year under the theme "Blessed is the fruit of your womb".
The Scottish Day for Life falls on The Feast of the Visitation which marks the journey by Mary who went to visit her cousin Elizabeth at the same time she was expecting a child. At their meeting, John the Baptist, the child in Elizabeth's womb leapt for joy, and Elizabeth cried out: "Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb."
The day will be marked in Scotland's 500 Catholic parishes who have been sent 250,000 leaflets expanding on the theme and explaining the church's opposition to abortion and providing details of alternatives.
In a letter which accompanies the material sent to parishes, Archbishop Mario Conti urged every parish in Scotland to "take the opportunity to remind people that it is 40 years since the Abortion Act was passed into law". He added that people should be encouraged to "pray for legislation to protect the unborn child from the moment of conception".
In his sermon on Thursday, Cardinal O'Brien will also call on Catholic politicians to avoid "cooperating in the unspeakable crime of abortion", reminding them of "the barrier such cooperation erects to receiving Holy Communion".
Copyright © 2007 Christian Today. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Have your say on this article
The comments below are readers' personal opinions and are in no way intended to reflect the editorial opinion of Christian Today.
Added: Saturday, June 2, 2007, 0:02 (BST)
What is it about the Christian Church in the UK that it seems it's always the Roman Catholics who seem to only have the guts to speak out about moral issues?
This time about abortion.....ten years of Tony Blair's government, despite his claims to be a Christian, he and his government has done nothing to update and allow open debate on our outdated abortion laws. Despite the new scientific evidence of fully formed unborn babies from only 12 weeks gestation. The fact that only the UK in Europe allows abortion of the unborn healthy child up to 24 weeks of pregnancy: 95 % of which are inconvenience termination's, is aborant in a so called civilised country.
Yet today, the Independent newspaper (which is anything but these days) ridicules Cardinal Keith O'Brien for daring to speak out on this controversial issue. It's pretend concerned headline, 'THE MAN WHO WANTS TO LEAD A SENSIBLE DEBATE ON ABORTION' leads readers to two pages of mocking his views. Led by their feminist columnist Joan Smith who writes the predictable ' A minority is trying to impose its morality on the rest of us' Perhaps Ms Smith is lucky that her mother and father didn't see her as a mere inconvenience, and sucked her out of her mother's womb whilst still alive and throw he into a sluice bucket, to be later thrown into the hospital incinerator with the hospital rubbish.
Perhaps she belongs to the atheistic/secualar liberal trendies that have been so influential with 'NEW LABOUR' who impose their immorality on the unborn healthy child that has no way of defending his or her right to life!
Women's rights you cry! What about the healthy unborn child's right to life! It means nothing, in our immoral inconvenient throw away materialistic society!
You say don't impose your morality on the rest of us. I say don't impose your immorality on terminating the life of an unborn child, that could of been you. And has no say on his or her right to life!
Simon Icke, AYLSEBURY UK