The Archbishop of Westminster has called on Catholics to do everything they can "to ensure that the deliberate taking of an unborn human life is not an option that anyone would choose'.
Cardinal Nichols, president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, said in response to the vote for the repeal of the Eighth Amendment in the abortion referendum in Ireland: “Today I offer my prayerful support to the Archbishops of Armagh and Dublin, Eamon Martin and Diarmuid Martin, and their statements following the referendum in Ireland on changes to its constitution.
“Our commitment to mothers and their unborn children remains unchanged. We must do all we can to ensure that the deliberate taking of an unborn human life is not an option that anyone would choose. The denial of life to another human being, a brother or sister, is an wrong that harms our fragile humanity. We work and pray for the day when this truth is widely accepted and laws permitting abortion are seen for what they are.
“Our pro-life convictions have to be consistently expressed in action, in support of women who are trapped in difficult and painful circumstances and in support of the children they are carrying.
“May God bless Ireland and its generous hearted people. May that love, in every family, be a protection for the unborn, whatever the law may now permit.”
The decision by the Irish electorate to repeal the Eighth Amendment, which was inserted into the Constitution in 1983, has “elevated the right to personal choice above the fundamental right to life itself,” Archbishop Eamon Martin, the Primate of All Ireland said in Knock on Sunday.
The referendum saw 66.4 of electorate support the removal of the Eighth Amendment, which gives equal right to life to the mother and the unborn.
Archbishop Eamon Martin said he was “deeply saddened”.
He said: “We appear to have obliterated the right to life of all unborn children from our constitution” and Ireland is now on the brink of legislating for a liberal abortion regime.
The level of support for repeal, which exceeded the expectations of Yes campaigners, confirmed that “we are living in a new time and a changed culture,” he acknowledged.
Campaigners are pressing the Government to introduce legislation quickly to give effect to the referendum vote and overturn Ireland’s strict ban on abortion.
Turnout for the referendum was 64.13 per cent or 2,153,613 people of which 1,429,981 (66.4 per cent) backed repeal while 723,632 (33.6 per cent) voted against the proposal. Donegal was the only constituency to reject repeal.
The referendum result has turned the spotlight on Northern Ireland’s abortion laws, with calls from Sinn Féin and from within the Conservative Party for a liberalisation of abortion there. Currently abortion is only permitted in Northern Ireland if the life or mental health of the mother is at risk.
Sinn Féin president and vice president, Mary Lou McDonald and Michelle O’Neill held a banner aloft in Dublin Castle on Saturday as the referendum result was announced stating: “The North is next."
However, women representing a number of pro-life groups within Northern Ireland have written an open letter to Prime Minister Theresa May warning Westminster not to impose abortion legislation on Northern Ireland.
The letter stresses that abortion is a devolved issue and that it is for the people of Northern Ireland and their elected representatives to decide what the law on abortion should be.
Meanwhile, a number of bishops in Ireland have acknowledged that the referendum outcome highlights the declining influence of the Catholic Church.
In his homily on Sunday at the national seminary in Maynooth as he ordained four new deacons, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin said many will see the results of Friday’s referendum as an indication that the Catholic Church in Ireland is regarded by many today with indifference and has having a marginal role in the formation of Irish culture.
Referring to an exit poll finding which showed that just 12 per cent of voters cited religion as a factor in their voting decision, he commented to the Irish independent: “One has to ask what is the place of religion in Irish society and what is the place of the Church in Irish society? We have to be ruthless in looking at the reality.”
“These deacons will go out into a world where a lot of people think that the message of the Gospel is irrelevant or where people interpret the Gospel for themselves. The question is how do we reach out into society. We have to be very careful that we don’t end up talking to ourselves.”
He also expressed disappointment over the scenes of jubilation at Dublin Castle when the result was announced. “This isn’t something that you rejoice over – abortion is always a tragic thing for everybody,” he said.
Archbishop Eamon Martin told RTE Radio’s This Week programme: “It is a new time and a change of culture, but it is not something that is out of the blue. Over many years, we have seen a drift away from practices of our faith in our congregations and parishes and a lower degree of involvement from people. This abortion referendum now confirms we are in a new space.”
He defended the level of the Church’s involvement in the abortion referendum campaign saying the bishops were “very actively involved” by explaining to their congregations the church’s teachings on the right to life.
“In January, we called on Catholics to be missionaries for life in their own communities.”
On the wider implications for the Church of the referendum outcome, he said, “We are well aware week to week by looking at our congregation [what is happening in Ireland].”
“There are three groups; the committed minority, the remnants of people who are deeply committed to the teachings; a large group of people we see from the Census who are nominally and culturally Catholic and self-identify as Catholic and retain an affiliation with the Church is some ways but have drifted away from regularly practising their faith. And then we have a third group who have quite consciously rejected the church and are hostile to the teachings of the church.”
He said the referendum confirmed that Ireland is now conforming to a western liberal democracy, especially on issues like abortion, same sex, civil partnership, marriage and divorce.
“People are self-identifying as Catholic. And I hear people saying they’re Catholic but they don't accept the church’s teachings. The reality is people are taking an a la carte approach.”
Nevertheless, the Archbishop of Armagh also expressed the hope that “our congregations will remain a creative minority and not an irrelevant minority” and he said he didn’t think the referendum result would shock Pope Francis, who is due to visit Ireland in August.
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