I have been following the IVF saga after the publication of the bishops’ pastoral letter. My initial reaction was that my Church in Malta should be thankful that it has priests who are pastorally sensitive and are not reluctant to register dissent. I suspect that delation to Rome may well be on the cards! All the more reason to applaud them.
The mere fact that it was published on the eve of the promulgation of the Bill smacks of Machiavellianism- Amabile V. Galea, Balzan
Having said that, the famous aphorism of the Archbishop of Chicago, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin of revered memory, “We are treated as altar boys” immediately sprang to mind. Readers of the English Catholic authoritative weekly The Tablet will surely recollect his remark.
Did the joint pastoral letter boast of a ghost writer? Or are we not entitled to know?
When last Sunday after Mass, I remarked to a priest friend of mine that the pastoral letter speaks about “embryos”, and not “unfertilised ova”, his reply was that the letter is simply putting across the Magisterium’s teaching on IVF and, as such, has not any direct bearing on the proposed IVF Bill.
Rather simplistic, I thought. The mere fact that it was published on the eve of the promulgation of the Bill smacks of Machiavellianism. I have no intention of commenting on the pastoral letter; others more knowledgeable than I can take care of that aspect. For all I know, it is the form rather than the substance which is at issue.
Neither is it my intention to comment on the Bill, even though I harbour a slight reservation concerning its timing. But I do resent what the Bishop of Gozo said, namely that the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) was “informally” consulted. What does this mean and why “informally”? Don’t we in Malta have some very top flight theologians or are we less Catholic than the CDF? When are we starting to demonstrate some self-respect? Cardinal Bernardin must be turning in his grave.
It is generally conceded that the CDF sometimes is rather too rigid, not to say inquisitorial, in its approach.
Perhaps we might do well, and that, of course, includes the Bishop of Gozo, to ponder on the Lord’s stricture in Mt 9:13, quoting Hosea 6:6, “I desire mercy not sacrifice”. It would be tragic if we don’t.