Statement by the Archbishop of Dublin on abortion; Death of Canon Brian Mayne; Joint Christmas Message from the Bishops of Cork; Weather no deterrent for Belfast’s Black Santa; Media review – more on abortion issue
Statement by the Archbishop of Dublin on abortion
The Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson:
“The Church of Ireland welcomes the fact that the Government of the Republic of Ireland has taken the decision to bring clarity to bear on the issue of abortion under certain circumstances. This is a matter of almost indescribable complexity – both human and medical. We fully recognize that any decision which, in respect of a woman’s health, results in a termination is a terribly weighty one. Our hope would also be that appropriate clarity will facilitate those who are practitioners in the field, namely nurses, doctors and others, as well as parents.
“The Church of Ireland has recently re–stated in public that it stands with the notion of ‘real and substantial risk’ to the life of the mother in making decisions on terminations of pregnancies. Our statement flows from the Report of the Lambeth Conference 1958 which uses the similar phrase: ‘strict and undeniable medical necessity,’ as follows: ‘In the strongest terms, Christians reject the practice of induced abortion or infanticide, which involves the killing of a life already conceived (as well as a violation of the personality of the mother) save at the dictate of strict and undeniable medical necessity.’ “In our opinion the measure of the legislation will be in how the assessment of ‘real and substantial risk’ is handled, not least in the context of suicide. We look forward to contributing our perspective during the period of consultation. We further feel that authoritative guidance on this subject is urgently needed.”
Death of Canon Brian Mayne
Canon Brian Mayne died on 19 December after a long battle with cancer.
Brian was Rector of the Lecale Group, which includes Down Cathedral, from 1984 –2001 and, among many other things, was the Editor of the Book of Common Prayer 2004.
The funeral will be in Down Cathedral at 2.15 pm on Sunday 23 December.
The service will be conducted by The Bishop of Connor, The Right Revd Alan Abernethy and the Bishop of Down and Dromore, The Right Revd Harold Miller, will give the address.
A service of thanksgiving for Canon Brian’s life and ministry will be held in the New Year. Date and venue to be announced.
Joint Christmas Message from the two Bishops of Cork
The Church of Ireland Bishop of Cork, the Right Reverend Paul Colton, and the Roman Catholic Bishop of Cork, the Most Reverend John Buckley, have issued their joint Christmas message for 2012. This is the thirteenth year in which the Bishops have issued a joint Christmas message. The practice started in the year of Christ’s Millennium; 2000.
The Bishops’ message for Christmas 2012:
This remains a time of extraordinary need in our country and in our local communities. Economic uncertainty, commercial vulnerability and people strained to their financial limit continue to be a major concern to us all. Christmas, with the message that ‘God is with us’ brings hope where there may be hopelessness, and light in darkness.
The meaning of Christmas, which is both comforting and challenging, can all too easily be lost in a seasonal world of pantomime, party, decorations and festivity. All of those do, of course, have their traditional place at this time of year. Within the Churches, Christians too, over the centuries, have dressed Christmas up in all sorts of ways, such as manger scenes far removed from reality, Victorian carols, and much else that risk concealing the life-changing and radical good news – the Gospel – that, in Jesus, God came among us and shared our human experience.
The birth of the baby at Christmas – the Incarnation of the Word of God – altered the course of human history and has been a force for change in society, as well as in the lives of people, in every age and place.
In our message this year, as again we personally witness as local bishops to our shared journey of Christian faith, we invite all people of faith to mark out this Christmas as a time of personal faithfulness and witness to the heart of the Christmas message.
We can do this by reaching out with friendship and practical support to our neighbours of all religious outlooks; by taking time to reflect again on the Gospel account of the birth of Jesus Christ; by putting worship at the centre of our Christmas celebrations; through acts of generosity and kindness; in the hospitality and service we offer to those in need, whether ourselves or through organisations and charities that we support.
In the words of one traditional seasonal blessing, therefore, we wish you and yours the joy of the angels, the eagerness of the shepherds, the perseverance of the wise men, the obedience of Mary and Joseph, and most especially, the peace of the Christ-child for this Christmas 2012 and for the New Year, 2013.
Weather no deterrent for Belfast’s Black Santa
Rain and a sharp wind are no deterrent to Belfast’s Black Santa the Very Rev John Mann as he and his team continue the annual charity sitout on the steps of St Anne’s Cathedral.
The Dean of Belfast, who is still suffering from a nasty parasitic tummy bug he picked up during a fact finding visit to India with Christian Aid, has been encouraged by the support he is receiving so far. A £3,000 anonymous cash donation dropped into the Cathedral last Friday got the 36th annual sitout, which began at 8.30am on Saturday December 15, off to a great start, and by the end of Tuesday evening the total raised was around £77,000
MEDIA REVIEW
Irish Times on Kenny and abortion
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/1220/1224328043996.html
Kenny to meet RC bishops on abortion issue
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/kenny-to-meet-bishops-to-discuss-abortion-217544.html