Dismay at New Threat to Life I Pro-Life Campaigners Express Shock at Mps’ Decision to Allow Three-Parent Children by Ian Dunn
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Archbishop Proclaiming joy Leo Cushley to of the Gospel travel to Malawi during Catholic with SCIAF. Education Week. Page 3 SUPPORTING 50 YEARS OF SCIAF, 1965-2015 Pages 9-14 No 5606 VISIT YOUR NATIONAL CATHOLIC NEWSPAPER ONLINE AT WWW.SCONEWS.CO.UK Friday February 6 2015 | £1 Dismay at new threat to life I Pro-life campaigners express shock at MPs’ decision to allow three-parent children By Ian Dunn PRO-LIFE campaigners have said that they are horrified at MPs’ decision to make Britain the first country in the world to allow three -parent children. After a debate in the House of Commons on Tuesday, MPs voted in favour of amending the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act by 382 Archbishop Romero votes to 128. If approved by the House of Lords, it will mean was a martyr for the that IVF clinics will be able to replace an egg’s defective mitochondrial DNA with healthy DNA from a female Faith, Pope declares donor, which would result in babies having DNA from three people. POPE Francis has declared that Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Church opposition Romero was assassinated as a The Catholic Church has led the opposition to the martyr for the Catholic Faith and change and Bishop John Keenan of Paisley said: the Beatification of the prelate— “The proposed techniques fail on a number of ethical who was shot dead after radically grounds which should concern us all. calling on the Church to stand “They destroy human life, since in order to construct with the poor—is expected a disease free embryo, two healthy ones will have to within months. be destroyed. The technique is not a treatment, it does The archbishop’s Scottish admirers not cure anyone or anything, rather it seeks to remove have praised the move, with Bishop anyone affected by certain conditions from the human Emeritus John Mone of Paisley gene pool. Destroying those who have a particular telling the SCO he was ‘delighted’ at disease and presenting it as a cure or as progress is the ‘very good news.’ utterly disingenuous and completely unethical.” While the Vatican has not announced The bishop also said he was extremely concerned the date for the Beatification—the that no other country in the world has licensed these last step before sainthood for the procedures and that ‘the Human Fertilisation and Salvadoran archbishop—Archbishop Embryology Authority (HFEA) have suggested only Vincenzo Paglia, the Vatican official that the procedures are ‘not unsafe.’’ who is leading Romero’s sainthood “Mitochondrial Donation completely destroys and cause, was expected to announce it distorts the natural process of fertility,” Bishop after the SCO went to press. Keenan said. “It is surprising that a society—which The Pope’s declaration of martyrdom increasingly favours and supports natural and —announced in a separate note from environmentally friendly products and services— the Vatican on Tuesday—affirms earlier should countenance the genetic modification of reports last month that a commission human beings. How can we object when scientists of Vatican theologians had formally genetically modify plants but not when they do the declared Archbishop Romero (above) same with people?” a martyr, stating that the archbishop was killed in odium fidei, Latin for Dissenting voices ‘in hatred of the Faith.’ Dr Calum MacKellar of the Scottish Council on Bishop Mone—who travelled to El Human Bioethics (SCHB) said the whole discussion Salvador with SCIAF a few years of this issue has been unbalanced. after the assassination—told the SCO “There’s been a lot of misinformation,” he said. “I it was very appropriate that the think the people who have been promised this treatment declaration of martyrdom came now, will be disappointed, because I don’t believe it will under this Holy Father. work. Some of these forms of therapy haven’t been “Because Pope Francis is also proven to work on monkeys yet, so why are we trying from Latin America, he will know them on humans?” the struggles of conscience that He said he feared this legislation would be a ‘foot Archbishop Romero went through, as in the door’ to making the UK a hub for germ-line open the door to the cloning of humans. Health Minister Jane Ellison, who told the House of will many of the other bishops from gene therapy, which is a type of gene therapy that “The creation of cloning entails destroying some Commons that the techniques provided in the there,” he said. “So it is right that he affects not only the recipients but their descendants. embryos in an attempt to create others,” he said. “It regulations offered the only hope for some women recognises this remarkable man who “The legalisation of such procedures opens the door discriminates against those with undesired genetic who carried the disease to have ‘healthy, genetically- fought so hard for the poor. Of to a dangerous brave new future for humanity where traits. It sets a precedent for wider cloning of human related children’ who would not suffer from the course the people in El Salvador further genetic alterations of human beings become beings, not in a sinister dictatorship or science ‘devastating’ consequences of mitochondrial disease. have always considered him a martyr, inevitable. The UK is the only country doing this and fiction world, but here in the UK. We are the pioneers She said mitochondrial DNA made up 0.054 per cent and it is wonderful that that has now it is irresponsible to proceed without international of abuses of unborn children like legalised abortion, of a person’s overall DNAand none of the nuclear DNA been formally recognised.” agreement,” he said. “That may be because there is a IVF and genetic screening, and we are in danger of that determined personal characteristics and traits. desire to make the UK a centre for people who wish losing all feeling for the victims of such medicalised “This is world leading science within a highly to genetically improve their children. The danger with exploitation.” respected regulatory regime,” she said. “And for the this type of gene therapy is that it would then affect many families affected, this is light at the end of a all their descendants with unknowable consequences.” Support for law change very dark tunnel.” Paul Tully, general secretary of the Society for the Among those who supported the change in the law Protection of Unborn Children, said the vote could were Prime Minister David Cameron and Public I [email protected] SCO, 19 Waterloo Street, Glasgow G2 6BT I tel 0141 221 4956 I fax 0141 221 4546 I e-mail [email protected] 2 NEWS SCOTTISH CATHOLIC OBSERVER FRIDAY FEBRUARY 6 2015 Bishops celebrate the religious and the Year of Consecrated Life (Above) Archbishop Leo Cushley blesses the congregation THE Bishops of Scotland celebrated the at the Gillis Centre in Edinburgh at the Mass to celebrate religious and the Year of Consecrated Life the religious and Year of Consecrated Life. (Above right) last Sunday with a Mass held in Edinburgh’s Bishop Gilbert gives the homily. (Right) The Bishops of Gillis Centre. Scotland prepare to celebrate the Eucharist Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews and PICS: PAUL McSHERRY Edinburgh was principal celebrant at the Mass attended by religious from across Scotland. dedicated to the promotion of consecrated life, and Archbishop Cushley said it was moving to see is asking the Church’s religious sisters, brothers ‘hundreds of religious there as a ‘moving example and priests to ‘wake up the world’with their testimony of loving service of God and neighbour.’ of faith, holiness and hope. The archbishop was joined by Bishop Hugh Gilbert Archbishop Cushley said last year that the of Aberdeen, who gave the homily, and Bishops religious are ‘a shining witness to the love of Christ Joseph Toal, Stephen Robson and John Keenan. in our midst’ and that is was important to remind The Year of Consecrated Life officially began ‘ourselves of the call to Holiness and above all the on St Andrew’s Day, November 30, the first Sunday call made by our Holy Father, Pope Francis, to of Advent, and will finish on February 2, 2016, the make consecrated life attractive so as to attract World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. people to God and to the religious life through our Pope Francis has declared 2015 will be a year own behaviour, words and actions.’ Archbishop Brown to visit Paisley Diocese this Lent Looking for Paisley Diocesan Synod BISHOP John Keenan of Catholics. This six Sunday series Paisley has said he is will do just that and will a Lenten thrilled to have persuaded hopefully help launch a new penance? Bishops’ Lenten Catechesis Archbishop Charles Brown, era of articulate Catholics, Papal Nuncio of Ireland to confident to take their Faith Come to our talk at his diocese’s Lenten into the public square.” Catechesis St Mirin’s Cathedral 2.00 - 4.00pm Sunday Catechesis. Every Sunday talk will “It just adds to the excitement conclude with Evening Prayer All welcome Talk, Evening Prayer and Benediction of this first initiative of our and Benediction. diocesan Synod process,“ he “Catholics have not had many said. “Archbishop Brown is a experiences of Sunday Bene- big name in the Church and I diction in a full church for a 22 February Believing in God in a Secular Age am sure his talk on where long time and I think they will Right Reverend John Keenan, Bishop of Paisley humanity is headed in this third look forward to singing the old millennium will be a real tour Benediction hymns together de force.