Cardinal Sean O'Malley to boycott Irish PM's visit over abortion law

[Eugene]

Source: The Observer

Cardinal Sean O'Malley to boycott Irish PM's visit over abortion law

Archbishop of Boston condemns Fine Gael-Labour coalition for
'actively' promoting legislation to allow terminations

Henry McDonald
The Observer, Sunday 12 May 2013

An American Catholic cardinal has said he will boycott a visit by Irish premier Enda Kenny to Boston College because his government in Dublin is "aggressively promoting abortion legislation".

Cardinal Sean O'Malley, archbishop of Boston, said: "The Catholic bishops of the United States have asked that Catholic institutions not honour government officials or politicians who promote abortion with their laws and policies

"I am sure that the invitation was made in good faith, long before it came to the attention of the leadership of Boston College that Mr Kenny is aggressively promoting abortion legislation.

[font size=1]-snip-[/font]

Read more: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/12/cardinal-sean-o-malley-abortion-boycott-irish-prime-minister

[gateley]

1. I was hoping this guy would be chosen Pope -- I think I've heard he'll be advising

Francis. I hope!

[virgogal]

2. I don't agree with him on his stance on abortion but I do not

mind him standing for his principles.

I hate hypocrisy.

[muriel_volestrangler]

8. His principles in this case are pro-death, though

He opposes a law that will not result in the ending of any more pregnancies than before, because the law will prevent the woman dying.

I mind very much him insisting on the death of women. Here's a bit of commentary:

Boston’s Cardinal O’Malley insults Irish in boycotting Irish leader Enda Kenny - Anger over cardinal’s move over abortion will win Kenny huge support in Ireland

Kenny’s crime is following the ruling of his country’s Supreme Court which ordered that abortion legislation be drawn up in very narrow circumstances such as when the life of the mother is in clear danger.

The tragic consequences of not legislating were laid out in Galway recently when a young Indian woman died after a doctor refused to terminate her non-viable fetus, fearing she would be prosecuted and Savita Halappannvar suffered an infection and death soon after.

Kenny took his courage in his hands after that and decided to finally enact the laws that the Irish Supreme Court had dictated had to be enacted all those years before in 1992 in the infamous X case when a young underage girl, raped and made pregant by a neighbor was refused permission to travel to Britain for an abortion.

The bill he drew up is as narrow a focus and interpretation as is possible in law, doing the bare minimum and severely constricting the right to an abortion except in desperate cases.

http://www.irishcentral.com/story/news/periscope/bostons-cardinal-omalley-insults-irish-in-boycotting-irish-leader-enda-kenny---anger-over-cardinals-move-unfairly-over-abortion-will-win-kenny-huge-support-back-in-ireland-207037021.html

O'Malley doesn't think that a woman saying she'll commit suicide rather than continue a pregnancy (a claim which has to be reviewed by 6 doctors before it's taken seriously) is a case of her life being in clear danger. As the columnists says, he hopes that someone will manage to get the suicidal woman to Britain or somewhere else to save her life, while allowing the Irish Roman Catholic church to pretend that it has persuaded the Irish that abortion is always a sin, even when it saves lives.

I see a man playing Russian Roulette with women's lives, all for his own pride, while ludicrously claiming to be 'pro-life'. I find him a despicably hypocritical cancer on human society.

[MichiganVote]

3. Yeah sure. Sorry Cardinal, the US Catholic Church lost the morality halo sometime ago.

[PDJane]

4. Sigh. If they come into the twentieth century, it will be because they were dragged there,

Kicking and screaming and threatening excommunication every damn step of the way.

[rug]

5. Hang on to your hats.

Boston College defends choosing Irish PM Enda Kenny after criticism from Catholic group

http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Boston-College-defends-choosing-Irish-PM-Enda-Kenny-after-criticism-from-Catholic-group--206977621.html

Donnybrook.

[No Vested Interest]

6. How can Cardinal O'Malley dialog

if he turns his back on the Irish PM?
He would do more good to meet privately and express his position and reasons in an agreeable fashion.
Christ would not turn his back on the Irish premier.

[muriel_volestrangler]

7. I'm sure Kenny will be heartbroken; he so rarely gets to hear from a cardinal at home

and he must have been thinking "an archbishop telling me how immoral a law to save women's lives is - that's just what I need to make my US visit go smoothly".

[rug]

9. He's more than capable of holding his own.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/06/enda-kenny-catholic-church-abortion_n_3225864.html

I give him credit. He doesn't just dismiss the attack; he answers it eloquently.