No Bishops to be Appointed in Scotland, Pending Investigation by Rome

Some of my overseas readers may not be aware that there are three hierarchies in the United Kingdom: one for England and Wales; one for Scotland; and one which embraces the whole of Ireland including Northern Ireland.

I certainly feel for the travails of our neighbouring hierarchies, as I do for the troubles of England and Wales.

An interesting article has appeared on the website of the Scottish newspaper The Herald. I first read it on the Scottish Catholic blog, Spirit of Teuchtar II, and it has also been picked up by GloriaTV. Do read it. There are difficult and stressful times ahead, but it’s good to see that Rome is really getting to grips with the situation.

Just to show that our bishops south of the border have more than a few things to attend to, here is a link to the talk given by Cardinal Ouellet to the Bishops of England and Wales during their Low Week visit to Rome. This will provide a good opportunity for brushing up one’s skills in reading between the lines.

I am beginning to feel rather optimistic.

"How Did the Victim Die?"

Just a thought or two about abortion. 

You can hear the following question in every television detective series:  "How did the victim die?"  Here is a selection of answers:

Completely unable to fend for himself, he was left to die of cold.
She died of starvation (or thirst).*
He was stabbed in the heart.
She was poisoned.
He was dismembered.
She was crushed to death.
He was decapitated.

In the normal course of events, every pregnancy will be terminated, inevitably, whether by childbirth or by miscarriage.  The essential difference with abortion is that its purpose is to bring about the death of the gestating child.  Calling this "termination of pregnancy" is a euphemism to deceive the mind or lull the conscience.  But of course, as we know from the Gosnell case, some minds are perfectly clear, and some consciences are ... well, what they are, God only knows.

All abortionists know that the gestating child is alive. The more honest of them are willing to say as much. Everything an abortionist does to a gestating child to abort him, would be called a method of killing him if it were done to a person after birth.  This is evident from the list above.

I don't think I have anything more to say about it.


*In case some readers wonder why I have included starvation or dehydration, I am thinking in particular of the effect of abortifacient drugs or devices which prevent the implantation or terminate the life of the early embryo.  This, from Wikipedia, sheds some light on the subject:

In molecular biology, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) is a hormone produced by the fertilized egg after conception. Later during pregnancy it is made by the developing placenta , and later by the placental component syncytiotrophoblast. [.........] Human chorionic gonadotropin interacts with the LHCG receptor and promotes the maintenance of the corpus luteum during the beginning of pregnancy. This allows the corpus luteum to secrete the hormone progesterone during the first trimester. Progesterone enriches the uterus with a thick lining of blood vessels and capillaries so that it can sustain the growing fetus.

Aid to the Church in Need: A Plea for Syria

Just before Easter the following email arrived from Aid to the Church in Need, asking for an extra effort of giving to help the poor suffering people of Syria:

“If thou canst do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” (Mark 9:22)

Dear Friends,

A disaster of biblical proportions is unfolding in the Middle East.

Reports say two million Syrians are destitute in their own country. Another one million have fled their homeland, sparking a refugee crisis that neighbouring Lebanon and Jordan are struggling to cope with.

Amid this awful suffering, bishops in the region have turned once again to you for help. They are ashamed to ask again when you have been so generous, but they are also acutely aware of the urgent need to help their people now.

Thanks to you, we can continue to provide essential food, medicine, shelter and trauma counselling both for people trapped in Syria and those seeking sanctuary in Jordan and Lebanon.

The people are so grateful to you for helping them to carry their cross – and for walking the path that Pope Francis has pledged to walk, the path of brotherhood, love and faith in service of our suffering brothers and sisters. We can but echo their gratitude.

Thank you for all that you do – with your prayers and compassion.

With every blessing for a holy Easter Triduum,

Neville Kyrke-Smith
UK Director