Bishop Leahy's End of Year Reflection - Choose a glorious possibility

As we draw to the end of 2018 and move forward into 2019, it’s only right that we reflect on the year that was.

There were many wonderful moments in 2018. From a Church perspective the visit of Pope Francis - only the second Pope to visit these shores - was the high point. It was a moment, too, that encouraged a full ventilation of the sins of the past but such was the honesty, serenity and joy that the visit of Pope Francis brought, that at the end of it all, as he departed, there was a real sense of hope and new beginnings

And this was needed because many in the Church were beginning to feel robbed of hope. For it was a year they themselves felt almost overwhelmed by what has been the most striking moment to date for our country in sweeping in what is perceived to be a liberal agenda. The moment I mean was, of course, the Referendum on the 8th amendment. Or, more precisely, the Referendum to remove the fundamental right to life of the unborn.

The very utterance of those words still shocks to the core. We have now as a nation decided to remove the right of babies in the womb to live their lives to the full. We are now about to begin the taking of those lives indiscriminately. The right to choose superseding the right to life.

I acknowledge a majority of the population voted in favour of repealing the 8thamendment to the Constitution. There were many reasons for doing so, not least the recognition of the hardship women have to endure in crisis pregnancies.

It is to be hoped, however, that no one, or at least very few, willingly voted primarily for the abolition of the life of the unborn child in the womb. So, regardless of what way anyone voted and the reasons people had for voting as they did, it now behoves us all to do our part to make sure that abortion is not the default response that characterises people in Ireland when crisis pregnancies arise.

Nobody can predict what the courts may decide in the new, and unique, legal landscape that now exists in the Republic regarding abortion. Pending future cases and judicial clarification, it does appear likely that there will be increasing judicial emphasis on the pregnant woman’s rights and that any restrictions on access to abortion will be more vulnerable to legal challenge.

It is in this context that as a society we need to recognise that while legislation now provides for abortion, it is not primarily what we want and our moral compass must steer us in an entirely different direction.

We must think of the possibilities of life and the love it can bring. We must think of the potential that the unbridled joy of birth can bring. How that moment, when the mother cradles the child for the first time can wipe away any sense of crisis, replacing it with that maternal instinct and life-long commitment to love and nurture. Even for those born with the starkest prognosis, knowing them, if only for a short while, surely has potential to be better than not knowing them at all.

Undoubtedly, the hard cases we often heard about during the Referendum should remind us of the complexity of the issues. Complexities will still arise regardless of the legislation introduced. There will always be difficult decisions to be made.

The question for us as a society is whether we still want to promote a culture of life that listens also to the child. I believe there is still a majority of people in Ireland who subscribe to a culture of the protection of the life of the unborn but many of those also subscribe to a culture of choice.  But we cannot let the child be swept away lightly when making these hard decisions.

A large percentage of those who voted for repealing the 8th would not, I suspect, identify with the celebration, the almost triumphant celebration, of the introduction of abortion legislation in the Oireachtas. They would not be at one with the indifference that this celebration may suggest there is in Ireland to the child in the womb. I would appeal, therefore, for a basic sense of decency in our rhetoric around the introduction of abortion into the State. Convinced though many may be that it is a positive step in terms of women’s rights, any sense that abortion is a progressive step for our country, for what we stand for as a nation, is misplaced.

On that note also, it was very disheartening that proposed amendments seeking to provide women with information and to prohibit abortion on the grounds of sex, race or disability were given short shrift in the Dáil.

The contributions and suggestions of those who promote the life of the unborn child need to be heard. They must be heard if we are a caring society. The conscience-bound objections on the part of healthcare staff need to be respected.

It is outrageous to think that it would even be contemplated that doctors could be forced to perform or contribute to an abortion against their will. Forcing them not to choose life would be a most inglorious watermark for this country. It goes against the deeper demands of our common humanity to force anyone to do so. It has long been established that above any state law, there exists an unwritten divine law, what is sometimes called natural law, that recognises we are endowed with rights such as the basic human right to life.  Peace in our conscience can surely only be achieved by obeying it.

I appeal to all public representatives, regardless of how they might have understood their sense of civic duty in supporting the abortion legislation, to keep their focus wide. They represent not only those in favour of abortion but also the many who find its introduction deeply distressing.

And above all, I urge those in crisis pregnancies to choose life. To choose a glorious possibility.

Most Irish people celebrate Christmas, and for many of us, that’s the celebration of the birth of Christ, God and man. The Church has always celebrated his conception on March 25th, when we believe the angel Gabriel announced God’s request to Mary to become the mother of his Son. For almost 2000 years, Christians have been convinced that the life of Jesus began at the moment Mary accepted that request from God. Long before modern biology confirmed this, in their liturgy, Christians have affirmed that the life of each human being, like the life of Jesus, begins at the moment of their conception.

On the eve of the introduction of abortion services into Ireland, let’s look one another in the eye, and regardless of how we voted, promise we’ll be promoters of a culture of life.