The major arms of Irish print media are once again showing their hostility towards unborn life and their complete disdain for Catholicism. The Irish Times had a series of articles yesterday which underline this hostility evident not least in both Fintan O'Tooles article which declared that the "Campaign against abortion is a phony War" in which he completely misrepresents the pro-life position. This hostility is also evident in the Irish Times editorial of August 28th which sought to highlight differences of opinion between Cardinal Brady and Dublin's Archbishop Martin, which prompted the Archbishop to write to the Times rejecting the editorial comments which he describes as 'mischievous'
The text of Archbishop Martin's response is set out below;
Sir-
Your editorial (August 28th) suggesting a difference of opinion between Cardinal Seán Brady and myself, based on comments I made at the MacGill Summer School is, if I may say so, a piece of mischievous misrepresentation of what I said.My comments at MacGill – which were widely reported on in newspapers including your own – were aimed at directing attention away from a vision which looks on the church simply as “being against things” rather than being the fruit of a positive teaching.Indeed my main comment in the MacGill talk was very much in line with what Cardinal Brady said last Sunday and on the debate that has ensued: “We are all tempted to succumb to the widespread opinion that Christianity is really something private and personal for our own devotion and inspiration and not something that has its relevance in the public square. The church in Ireland has to find ways to make its voice heard clearly about important moral issues which are under discussion. It must do so with respect but with clarity. It must find a new language for ‘dialogue rather than decree’. But Irish secular society also has to go along the road of dialogue and not anathema and exclusion regarding the voice of religion . . . A mature secularist or even a mature atheist should be one who is open to deep dialogue with the culture of belief and of believers. The choice – on both sides – is between dialogue and intolerance.”The Catholic Church has a clear position on the dignity of every human life which it has every right to present, rationally defend and lobby for in the public square and will do so “with respect but with clarity”. – Yours, etc,Archbishop DIARMUID MARTIN,Drumcondra,Dublin 9.
