Amnesty faces ban in Northern Ireland's Catholic schools

Amnesty faces ban in Northern Ireland's Catholic schools
Henry McDonald - Tuesday September 18, 2007

Guardian
The Catholic church in Northern Ireland has started to instruct schools to
disband Amnesty International support groups because of the human rights
organisation's pro-abortion stance.

A spokesman for the church in Ireland confirmed that one of its grammar schools
in Greater Belfast had been advised to wind up its Amnesty group. He also
revealed that the Irish bishops will meet next month to discuss the presence of
Amnesty in all Catholic schools.

Amnesty's policy that rape and incest victims should be entitled to abortions
has led to calls from senior members of the Catholic church in Britain and Rome
for a withdrawal of support from the organisation.

In relation to the banning of school Amnesty groups, a church spokesman told the
Guardian: "An inquiry did come from a school principal, on behalf of the teacher
who is in charge of the school Amnesty group, asking for guidance on the future
of the Amnesty group in the school. The advice to the school is that it would be
inappropriate for the school branch to continue in existence in the context of
Amnesty International's new position regarding abortion."

Asked if the policy in Down and Connor, which includes all of Greater Belfast,
would be extended, the spokesman said: "The sacredness and protection of all
human life will be discussed at the next general meeting of the Irish Bishops'
Conference."

Patrick Corrigan, Amnesty's Northern Ireland programme director, said he was
still "hopeful" that the Amnesty school groups would not be affected by the row
with the church hierarchy. "Amnesty International and the Catholic church have
more in common than that which divides us, namely the issue of sexual and
reproductive rights."

Across the Catholic world, relations between the human rights organisation and
the church hierarchy have been severely strained over Amnesty's new pro-choice
policy. One English cleric, the Catholic Bishop of East Anglia, Michael Evans,
resigned from Amnesty after it took up a pro-abortion position. Bishop Evans,
who was a founding member of Amnesty, said he regretted leaving it but had no
choice as a Catholic.

Other Catholic bishops in Britain were more forthright in their condemnation of
Amnesty's decision. The Scottish Catholic archbishop, Keith O'Brien, whose
diocese is Edinburgh and St Andrews, said that in the light of the decision no
Catholic should remain a member of Amnesty International.

Amnesty has said the issue of abortion arose over the mass rape of women in war
zones such as Darfur and Congo.

The Vatican denounced the pro-choice policy, claiming Amnesty "has betrayed its
mission". Globally, the Catholic church has withdrawn funding for Amnesty.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/print/0,,330760885-103588,00.html

I want this ideal to be spread to all Irish and even international schools...
Time to stop supporting baby butchers!  Every time a baby dies, humanity dies a
bit as well!  

What say you?

Ray

-- 
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When anyone asks me about the Irish character, I say look at the trees.
Maimed, stark and misshapen, but ferociously tenacious - Edna O'Brien
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Email  : rayh(removeSPAM)@iol.ie : Website: http://www.eirefirst.com
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date: Tue, 18 Sep 2007 13:06:30 -0400 author: WhiteWolf rayhspam@iol.ie