Here's the message I gave to the Austrian pro-life movement

Last month I visited Austria at the invitation of Human Life International in Austria. I was extremely impressed with the resourcefulness and strength of the Austrian pro-lifers. During my visit I was interviewed by Gloria TV, an exciting Catholic media apostolate which is speaks out forthrightly in defence of the sanctity of human life. Below are two videos of that interview and the key messages from each.

From the video "The pro-life movement is strong and growing":

• Since I joined the pro-life movement in the 1970s there has been greater acceptance of abortion in the Church, among ordinary churchgoers, and even amongst the bishops.
• The pro-life movement is growing, with well-organised and well-informed people.
• Cardinal Burke said we can be full of hope, because the pro-life movement exists.
• The pro-life movement in Britain and Northern Ireland has stopped the extension of the Abortion Act to Northern Ireland.
• We have resisted repeated attempts to legalise euthanasia, although sadly there is the growing practice of euthanasia by neglect.
• We have had considerable success in the European institutions e.g. regarding conscientious objection in medicine, as a result of well-informed, well-organised lobbying.
• We have developed a pro-life community in Britain which has a lot of experience and a lot of committment to lobbying.
• I have hope – absolutely – that abortion will one day be illegal, because there are tens of thousands of men and women in Britain who are just and are committed to truth.
• I truly believe that we will completely destroy legal abortion.
• Poland is a good example of how a pro-abortion culture can be turned around.
• In the meantime, thousands upon thousands of unborn children are being saved by pro-life work.

From the video "The church and abortion"

• I say quite openly: the Catholic Bishops of England and Wales cooperate with the British government in providing access to abortion to children in schools. When they do this the bishops are acting not as pastors but as junior politicians.
• IPPF is trying to exercise influence throughout the world, including on the Vatican. I think there is a great battle between good and evil at the Vatican. At the moment evil has the upper hand throughout the world, including within our Church.
• Let’s say the government passed a law to allow the killing of one priest every year. Do you not think that, when you went to church, you would hear frequent calls to protest vigorously about this? Do you think it would be excused on the grounds that the government has good policies on overseas aid or other issues? There is no difference in God’s eyes between a Catholic priest and an unborn child.
• The Church is forgetting that the unborn children is Her neighbour, so it’s like the parable of the neighbour who walks by on the other side of the street. Yet it is the worst catastrophe in terms of mass killing in the history of the world. So how can it not be the greatest issue that the Church has to face?
• We must be strong, we must pray, we must continue the heroic work. We must complain to priests and bishops when they are silent. We need to be peaceful resistance leaders.

Comments on this blog? Email them to johnsmeaton@spuc.org.uk
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