Archbishop refocuses our attention on heart of Christianity
■ The result of the recent referendum on the Eighth Amendment is a sign of national progress rather than a threat to civilisation, as some suggest.
The Archbishop of Dublin’s measured response echoes these sentiments in one of the most thoughtful and honest reactions to what has been a wake-up call for Church and State.
Though reiterating the Catholic Church’s teaching on abortion, Dr Diarmuid Martin directs our attention to what the Church must learn from the outpouring of opinion that challenged all of us.
Following the foundation of the Republic of Ireland, the majority of the people did not achieve freedom.
The notions of respect for life and freedom were narrowly construed, clouding over the crying need for a serious focus on the lives being lived out in grinding poverty and through the inequitable distribution of the country’s wealth.
The cry of the poor fell on deaf ears as the rich got richer, particularly in part of the political establishment.
Dr Martin seeks to refocus us on the heart of Christianity, with its emphasis on concern for the poor and marginalised, when he suggests: “Pro-life means radically rediscovering in all our lives a special concern for the poor that is the mark of the followers of Christ.”
The abortion debate has radically confronted the relationship between Church and State.
We are now more aware that the legal and political order of our social lives have a moral foundation but have no mandate to assert morality.
Above all else, however, the referendum released the intelligence and imagination of the people, particularly women.
In this case, the long-caged songbird knew its freedom – when the cage was opened it flew away.
Philip O’Neill Edith Road, Oxford, England