Irish Bishops reaffirm the right to life of the unborn Author: Admin

The Irish Catholic Bishops have restated their opposition to any attempt to weaken the protection for unborn life during their Spring General Meeting.

Gathered in Maynooth for the first time since the General Election heard numerous promises to repeal the Constitutional protection for the unborn, the country’s prelates discussed how Irish society should seek to promote a culture of life and reaffirmed the Church’s teaching on the right to life of the unborn.

In a statement, the Bishops “acknowledged that respect for the sacredness of every human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death is critical to the right of all citizens to be treated equally and with dignity”.

Referencing the political attacks on the protective article 40.3.3 of the Irish Constitution, the Bishops said they “strongly oppose any weakening of the affirmation of the right to life of the unborn and emphasised that human life, at all stages, deserves the utmost protection, compassion and care.”

Meanwhile, on another topic of discussion for the meeting, namely the proposed ‘Education about Religions and Beliefs and Ethics’ course for primary schools, the Bishops noted the input of Diocesan Advisors and Diocesan Education Secretaries to the process but said they “encourage others involved in the life of Catholic schools such as principals, teachers and parents to also engage with the [consultation] process by 31 March”.

A discussion on ‘Education about Religions and Beliefs and Ethics’, to include Bishop Brendan Leahy, will be live-streamed on www.iCatholic.ie on 14 March at 8pm.