"A lot of us who are in civil unions have had services of blessings in Catholic churches afterwards, and here at these Masses [at Our Lady of the Assumption and St Gregory Catholic church, Soho] on every third Sunday, if we are asked by people, we pray for people who have entered civil partnerships or whose anniversaries happen at that time."
Mr Pendergast doesn't specify in which Catholic churches these services have been conducted, or give further details about the prayers at the Soho church. If, however, Mr Pendergast's claims are true - and they complement the publicly-available evidence of the general nature of the Soho Masses - what is Vincent Nichols, archbishop of Westminster, going to do about it? Bishops are ultimately responsible for the services and public prayers in Catholic churches and/or led by Catholic clergy of their dioceses. Will Archbishop Nichols finally oppose the homosexual agenda infiltrating the Catholic Church? Or will he once again give succour to that agenda - as Mr Pendergast has praised him for only this week:
"[S]ome good news from within communities of faith: ...a Catholic archbishop can publicly recognise the value of civil partnerships in building up the common good"*SPUC's national council, which is SPUC's policy-making body, elected by its grassroots volunteers, last month passed the following resolution to defend marriage:
"That the Council of SPUC, noting the various proposals currently being made by the present Government and others in regard to the status and standing of marriage and its consequent effect upon family life; and further noting the higher proportionate incidence of abortion in unmarried women compared to married women, resolves to do its utmost to fight for the retention of the traditional understanding of marriage in the history, culture and law of the United Kingdom, namely the exclusive union of one man with one woman for life; and accordingly instructs its officers and executive committee to conduct a major campaign to this end, to co-operate with other persons and societies in so doing and specifically to target the Government's consultation period starting in March, 2012, in regard to (so-called) same sex marriage."**Why is homosexuality (and sexual ethics generally) important specifically for the pro-life movement? The late Pope John Paul II, the great pro-life champion, taught in no. 97 of his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae that it is an illusion to think that we can build a true culture of human life if we do not offer adolescents and young adults an authentic education in sexuality, and in love, and the whole of life according to their true meaning and in their close interconnection.
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