News Roundup

Pope calls for ‘obedience’ on Mass restrictions

Pope Francis called for people to exercise prudence and obedience to Governmental restrictions on churches.

“In this time in which dispositions are beginning to be made for exiting from the quarantine, let’s pray to the Lord that he gives his people, all of us, the grace of prudence and obedience to those dispositions, so the pandemic does not return,” Francis said.

He spoke after Italian bishops had reacted testily to media reports that a ban on public masses would not be included in the first phase of easing lockdown restrictions.

The Conference of Italian Bishops (CEI) put out a note saying they “cannot accept seeing the exercise of freedom of worship compromised.”

One Italian bishop, Giovanni D’Ercole of Ascoli Piceno, issued a video message in which he declared, “This is a dictatorship, to impede access to worship, which is one of our fundamental freedoms.”

Some media in Italy interpreted the Pope’s remarks as a rebuke of the Italian bishops, while others felt that Francis was currying favour with the Prime Minister so as to achieve a more favourable return for the celebration of public mass.

This is the second time Francis has intervened in such a way. Previously he criticised the Rome diocese for closing churches beyond what was required by the Government. His own personal almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, flouted the rules by opening his own church. Within 24 hours the diocese reversed itself.

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Church State clashes across Europe due to church closures

The Italian bishops have reacted with dismay that the lifting of restrictions after the COVID-19 coronavirus will not include the celebration of public Masses.

The Bishops called Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte’s week-by-week plan for returning to normal life “arbitrary” and threatened to take matters into their own hands.

Their move follows the Catholic German bishops’ conference who voiced disappointment at Chancellor Angela Merkel’s announcement April 15, that the ban on public church services should remain until further notice, while thousands of shops were being allowed to reopen.

Bishop Georg Batzing, president of the German Catholic bishops’ conference, said he could not understand why the ban should remain in place while restrictions were being eased in other parts of public life, especially given a recent decision by the Federal Constitutional Court on the matter. The court had ruled that the ban constituted a serious encroachment on the fundamental right to religious freedom and should therefore be reviewed continuously.

Meanwhile, in Paris, Archbishop Michel Aupetit sharply criticized the police for conducting an armed raid on a church to shut down a celebration of mass after a tip-off erroneously claimed it was open to the public.

He said it is formally prohibited for armed policemen to enter into a church, unless there is a “threat to the public order.” In the case of Saint-André, the parish priest had been careful to close the door so that no public would enter.

“They [the Police] need to keep their heads and stop this nonsense,” the Bishop added. “Otherwise, we will speak out and, in case of confinement, bark very loudly.”

 

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Religious books sales increase during coronavirus crisis

Booksellers with an online presence are reporting an unexpected increase in sales of religious books.

Nielsen BookScan said the Bible and liturgical texts had climbed the charts in recent weeks.

The increase in sales of religious material was “an unusual pattern in comparison to the same period in recent years”, according to Nielsen, although it said the Bible was still some way off the top of the bestselling charts.

“One imagines this is a result of churches closing, but perhaps people are turning to scripture for comfort in these abnormal and melancholy times,” said Nielsen.

Tomás Kenny of Kennys bookshop in Galway, one of the largest independent bookshops in the country, said its current sales were “totally different to normal”.

“We have seen a big increase in religious and spirituality titles, particularly the Bible,” he said. “Fiction, education, baking books and the big literary classics people were always trying to get around to are selling totally out of proportion to normal.”

Last week An Siopa Leabhar, an Irish language bookshop on Harcourt Street in Dublin, tweeted that it had noticed an increase in sales of its Irish version of the Bible. The shop, closed because of the coronavirus, sells copies of An Bíobla Naofa for €19.

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Northern Ireland Secretary exceeded powers with abortion regulations, says Attorney General

The Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis exceeded his powers in introducing abortion regulations, Stormont’s chief legal adviser has said.

It is doubtful whether the legislation gives adequate European Convention on Human Rights-based protection to the rights of those opposed on religious or philosophical grounds, attorney general John Larkin QC added.

He gave written evidence to a House of Lords committee which published its report last week.

Mr Larkin was also critical of disability provisions in the regulations which allow for abortions for disabilities including cleft lip, club foot and Down’s syndrome right up to birth.

Former Police Ombudsman Baroness Nuala O’Loan also told the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee of peers the regulations contained “grave flaws”.

She wrote: “It is both deeply controversial in Northern Ireland because of its implications for people, doctors, nurses and midwives, and because it is my submission that the Secretary of State has acted beyond his competence and the regulations ‘imperfectly achieve the policy objective’.

“It was also preceded by a flawed consultation process.”

Baroness O’Loan added: “It is my further contention that regulation 12 discriminates against individuals on the grounds of their religious belief or political opinion.” Regulation 12 provides limited legal protection for medical practitioners who object to abortion.

The Committee’s Report also highlighted a number of concerns with the new regulations.

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Call for equal access to appropriate treatment options for all older people

All older people should receive equal access to appropriate treatment options guided by the HSE’a published ethical guidelines.

The Alliance of Age Sector NGOs made the call in a statement on Sat, April 18th.

“Age alone should never be a barrier to realising one’s right to health.  In its position adopted on 3rd April 2020, Alzheimer Europe considers it unacceptable to systematically restrict access to ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic to people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, or people living in nursing homes”, they wrote.

“The principle of fairness ensures that equity and appropriate clinical responses are of the highest standards and will apply to people of all ages including our older citizens during this crisis (Ethical Framework for Decision-Making in a Pandemic (Department of Health 2020))”.

The Alliance went on to make four specific points to Government: that all necessary resources to be available to support nursing home staff during this crisis;  to uphold the  principles of advanced care and end of life planning which place the wishes and preferences of each resident at the centre of the care and treatment provided; that each person who does test positive and requires treatment should be assessed individually and appropriate treatment options provided, based on their wishes and in line with clinically appropriate medical interventions; and, to explore ways that families might be present with older people as they die in hospitals and nursing homes.

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Poll shows high level of religious worship during lockdown

There continues to be a high degree of religious practice in Ireland even while churches and houses of worship are closed to the public during the covid-19 lockdown.

That’s according to a new poll from Amarach Research, commissioned by The Iona Institute.

It found that 27pc of the public have watched or listened to at least one religious service during the current period, and 18pc are praying more than they usually would.

The survey also finds: 85pc believe we will value family more after the lockdown ends; 75pc think we will value the elderly more; and, 31pc believe we will be more spiritual.

A more detailed look highlights some unexpected findings. For example, 24pc of 18-24 year olds saying they are praying more than usual. This is the same as for over 55s, but far higher than the age groups in between. Some 37pc say they are praying about the same as usual; while just two percent say they are praying less than usual.

The poll (conducted in the first and second weeks of April) finds that 15pc of those aged 18-24 have watched at least one religious service in the current period. This rises to 44pc among the over 55s.

Commenting on the findings, Brendan Conroy of The Iona Institute said it is “encouraging that so many people are still taking part in religious services in whatever way they can during the current unprecedented situation.

He continued: “It is also good to see that almost one in five people are praying more. This is a natural religious reaction in a time of crisis.

“It is also obvious from the survey that people are using this time to take stock”, he said.

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Accord’s new helpline offers advice to couples during pandemic restrictions

The Catholic Bishops’ Marriage service is offering a free and confidential ‘Relationships Support Phone Line’ to help those experiencing extra pressure due to social restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 lockdown.

Calls to Accord counsellors are 45 to 60 minutes in duration and work on identifying key problems such as causes of conflict, ‘Pressure cooker’ environments, effects on children, and particular weaknesses in already-vulnerable relationships.

The counsellors will offer tips to people such as keeping lines of communication open; productive ways of raising issues with your partner; and speaking from ones own feelings and difficulties rather than blaming and being critical of your loved one.

Insofar as issues such as bereavement or serious illness impact the couple relationship, callers can discuss these issues with a counsellor on the Support Line.  If the issue is about a specific personal bereavement or health issue, then referral to a specialist may be required.

Accord also provides resources on its website and on social media based on feedback from counsellors who have dealt with relationship and family difficulties experienced during these confined times.

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Bishops call for tightening restrictions on the North’s abortion regime

The Catholic Bishops of Northern Ireland have written to politicians asking that regulations implementing abortion in the North be revised to strictly adhere to the minimum required by Westminster legislation.

In a letter to Members of the Legislative Assembly, the Bishops reiterated the moral claim of the unborn to life and said the direct and deliberate intention to end the life of an unborn baby was wrong.

While they recognise that the legislation passed into law by the Westminster Parliament stands now to be implemented, nonetheless they said, “we are morally obliged, wherever possible, to do all we can to save the lives of unborn children, which could be lost through abortion, and to protect mothers from the pressures they might experience at the time of an unplanned pregnancy”.

In particular, where the current regulations go beyond the requirements of the Northern Ireland Act 2019, they urged the formulation of revised Regulations to “reflect more fully the will of a significant majority of the people in this jurisdiction to protect the lives of  mothers and their unborn children”.

“Indeed, as the NIO has noted, this commitment to protect life was expressed by 79% of people, who responded to the consultation exercise conducted by the UK Government last December,” they add.

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UK to ban irreversible gender surgery on under 18s

Doctors may no longer conduct surgery to alter the biological sex of children, the equalities minister in the UK has announced.

Liz Truss will set out details of the plans later this summer that would ban under-18s with gender dysphoria from genital reconstructive surgery.

Giving evidence to the Women and Equalities Select Committee, she said “I believe strongly that adults should have the freedom to lead their lives as they see fit, but I think it’s very important that while people are still developing their decision-making capabilities that we protect them from making irreversible decisions”.

She also said she would ensure the “protection of single-sex spaces”.

Responding to the minister’s comments, a spokesperson for Mermaids, a lobby group for transgender rights for children, said: “It would be an extraordinary move for the Minister for Women and Equalities to support the introduction of a new form of inequality into British medical practice, by effectively treating transgender teenagers as less capable than their cisgender peers.”

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Euthanasia: Dutch court expands law on dementia cases

Doctors in the Netherlands can no longer be prosecuted for carrying out euthanasia on patients with dementia who had previously given written consent.

Prior to this, it was required by law for patients to confirm their request, but on Tuesday the Dutch Supreme Court ruled this was no longer necessary.

The decision comes after a doctor was taken to court for carrying out assisted suicide on a patient with Alzheimer’s, who had previously asked for the procedure in a statement.

Prosecutors said the doctor did not properly consult the unnamed 74-year-old. But the family supported the doctor’s decision, and she was acquitted of any wrongdoing last year.

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