I only ask, because yesterday he had a thoroughly humane and sensible post up on his blog arguing that the Irish girl who wants to come here and abort her anencephalic baby should do so.
The Catholic Church will oppose the decision, but I just can’t summon up any outrage.
In fact, I feel relief that the girl will not have to go through the unspeakable trauma of bringing to full term a child missing a large part of its brain, which will die immediately after its birth.
Today the Times reports that the Pope has reiterated that any Catholic who supports abortion in any circumstances should be excommunicated.
The Pope observed that “canon law says the killing of an innocent child is incompatible with receiving Communion, which is receiving the body of Christ . . . It expresses our belief that human individuality, the human personality, is present from the first moment of life.”
So where does that leave the Editor-in-chief of the Catholic Herald?
Au contraire, Dr Thompson should be canonised.
I think Damian did the right thing. The question is not about morality it is the way it is applied legislatively and that’s not the girl’s problem, and Damian is humane enough to recognise that.
The problem with living in a place like the Vatican is that it can mess with your grip on life as lived. An Anglican poet asked karol Wojtyla whether he still wrote poetry and the elderly pope said, “no – no context”, if it is possible to view what Ratzinger said sympathetically then its through considering his surroundings.
I can never make my mind up about Damian.
I don’t doubt he did the right thing. My point, such as it is, is that the right thing is not compatible with clearly enunciated and unambiguous Catholic doctrine. Next thing, we’ll find he uses birth control.