CATHOLICHERALD.CO.UK

ACCESS OUR E-PAPER AND ARCHIVES FOR JUST £38 A YEAR

THE GREAT CATHOLIC QUIZ

DISCOVER HOW WELL YOU REALLY KNOW THE FAITH PAGE 9

CATHOLICS WISH THE CARDINAL WELL ON HIS 75TH BIRTHDAY PAGE 5

No. 6316

www.catholicherald.co.uk

August 24, 2007 £1 (Republic of Ireland €1.50)

Bishop leads ‘exodus’ after Amnesty backs abortion rights

BYSIMONCALDWELL

ASENIORbishop is threatening to lead an exodus of Christians from Amnesty International after the human rights group adopted a policy of fighting for the decriminalisation of abortion around the world. Bishop Michael Evans of East Anglia announced at the weekend that “very regretfully” he was quitting Amnesty after 31 years of active membership in protest at the abortion policy agreed at a meeting of Amnesty leaders in Mexico last week. The organisation’s International Council rubber-stamped the proposals as part of its Stop Violence Against Women campaign. It voted to “support the decriminalisation of abortion, to ensure women have access to health care when complications arise from abortion and to defend women’s access to abortion, within reasonable gestational limits, when their health or human rights are in danger”. But Bishop Evans said that the policy made it very difficult for Catholics to remain members of Amnesty or to give it any financial support. “This regrettable decision will almost certainly divide Amnesty’s membership and thereby undermine its vital work,” he said. “Among all human rights, the right to life is fundamental.” Bishop Evans added: “Very regretfully, I will be ending my 31-year membership of Amnesty International... I remain deeply committed to Amnesty’s original mandate: to work for freedom for prisoners of conscience, an end to torture and the death penalty, and fair trials for all.”

The bishop added that the Catholic Church shared Amnesty’s strong commitment to opposing violence against women but said that “appalling violence must not be answered by violence against the most vulnerable and defenceless form of human life in a woman’s womb”. He said: “Catholics would want to show practical compassion for such women, and ensure for them all the medical and spiritual care and support they need. But there is no human right to access to abortion, and Amnesty should not involve itself even in such extreme cases.” Amnesty International was set up in 1961 by Oxford lawyer Peter Benenson, a convert to Catholicism, to fight for the release of prisoners of conscience, for fair trials for political prisoners and for an end to torture, ill-treatment, political killings, disappearances and the death penalty. Bishop Evans, 56, joined the group in 1976, a year after he was ordained a priest, and immediately began encouraging Church-based justice and peace groups to affiliate to the organisation. He soon became a member of Amnesty’s British Section Council and the chairman of the British Section Religious Bodies Liaison Panel. He was consecrated a bishop in 2003 and about two years later the prayer he was asked to compose for Amnesty’s highprofile “Protect the Human” campaign, which had the aim of recruiting a million new British members, was published on thousands of posters and cards. Amnesty International declined to express any regret

over the decision by Bishop Evans to leave the group. A spokeswoman said: “Amnesty International supports freedom of expression of every person. As such, Amnesty respects Bishop Michael Evans’s decision to resign his membership from the movement. Equally, however, there are several Catholics who’ve chosen not to do so but continue to support the work of Amnesty.” However, it is clear that the bishop may be among many thousands of Catholics who no longer feel they can work for human rights through Amnesty International. Two months ago the Vatican urged Catholics to withdraw their support for the organisation. Cardinal Renato Martino, president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, said Amnesty International had “betrayed its mission” by abandoning its traditional neutral policy on abortion. On Sunday the Vatican reiterated its opposition to Amnesty’s new policy. Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, one of Benedict XVI’s closest aides, told Vatican Radio that “men and women of the Church throughout the world have already made their stark opposition to this decision clear”. He said: “Violence cannot be answered by further violence, murder with murder, for even if the child is unborn it is still a human person. It has a right to dignity as a human being.” Michael Hill, a Catholic and a former Amnesty activist from Rotherham, south Yorkshire, said that many Catholics in Britain were already leaving

the group but that others were determined to stay. “They should leave, but I think there are a lot of people out there who will wrongly rationalise the new policy against the good work that Amnesty International does,” he said. “We should continue human rights work but with other groups.” Abortion is legal in most European countries, with the notable exceptions of the largely Catholic countries of Malta, Poland and the Republic of Ireland. In most African and Latin American countries it is permitted only in cases of rape or when the mother’s life is in danger. The Islamic world is even more restrictive, with the exception of Tunisia, which allows abortion during the first three months. As the largest and most influential human rights group in the world, Amnesty is now likely to put its legal expertise and lobbying power into helping to shape international treaties and agreements that favour legal abortion. Amnesty has previously criticised the Vatican for its stance against abortion and in 2005 described the refusal by America to pay for abortions overseas as “an attempt to stifle the evolution of the human rights framework”. Kate Gilmore, the Londonbased executive deputy secretary general of Amnesty International, said the group simply supported “women’s human rights to be free of fear, threat and coercion as they manage all consequences of rape and other grave human rights violations”.

Editorial Comment: Page 11

Bishop Evans: ‘This regrettable decision will almost certainly divide Amnesty’s membership’

INTERVIEW Nancy Murray

The sister of Bill on acting and religious life p7

BOOKS

Harry Mount hails the return of one of Britainʼs greatest historians p13

COMMENT

Aidan Bellenger on an unexpected outbreak of Pugin-mania p10

NEWS

1-5

FEATURES 7-9 COMMENT 10-11 ARTS 12 CHARTERHOUSE 16

Kidman denies Pullman film is anti-Catholic

Papal airline for pilgrims launched

Zimbabwe: Crying out for hope

BYANABELINGE

THE HOLLYWOOD actress Nicole Kidman has denied that her forthcoming film, based on a novel from Philip Pullman’s controversial trilogy His Dark Materials, is anti-Catholic. Kidman told an American magazine that she would not have considered accepting a role in The Golden Compass, based on the Pullman novel known in Britain as Northern Lights, if she had thought that the film would be at odds with the faith. She told Entertainment Weekly that the film has been “watered down a little”. “I was raised Catholic, the Catholic Church is part of my essence,” she explained. “I wouldn’t be able to do this film if I thought it were at all anti-Catholic.” Pullman’s bestselling Northern Lights portrays Church-controlled scientists who snatch children in order to conduct gruesome experiments on them. The scientists are investigating a strange elementary particle that the Church believes to be evidence of Original Sin. But no overt references to

Nicole Kidman

Catholicism appear in the film, though the organisation behind the kidnappings is described as “the Magisterium”. When Chris Weitz was hired as director he suggested, to the disappointment of fans of the novels, that the film would omit direct references to religion or God – two key themes in the books. He said that the film distributors were conscious of the effect that “perceived anti-religiosity” would have on the film’s success in America. Kidman grew up in Australia and was taught by the Sisters of Mercy. She flirted with Scientology for years during her marriage to actor Tom Cruise, a renowned Scientologist, whom she married in 1990,

Philip Pullman

but finally admitted: “Catholicism guides me. I certainly have a strong belief. I try to go to church regularly, and I try to go to Confession.” The Oscarwinning actress is currently filming Australia, an “outback epic”, with director Baz Luhrmann. Kidman is to play the sinister Mrs Coulter in The Golden Compass, and she and co-star Daniel Craig have signed on for two more sequels. The fantasy film, which was co-written by Tom Stoppard, is due for release on December 7. Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materialstrilogy was adapted for a hugely successful National Theatre production and the third volume, The Amber Spyglass, was the first children’s book to win the Whitbread prize.

BYROBERTVANEGGHEN

POPE BENEDICT XVI has followed in the steps of Stelios Haji-Ioannou and Richard Branson and launched his own short-haul airline. The Vatican-based Mistral Air embarks on its first flight later this month from Rome to Lourdes. That flight is already fully booked. Mistral Air should soon be ferrying holidaymakers to other sites of religious importance around the globe, such as the shrine of Fatima in Portugal and the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Once on board passengers will be able to enjoy comfy headrests adorned with the airline’s maxim: “I’m searching for your face, Lord.” The airline aims to offer “urgency and efficiency on all the in-flight operations”. It is uncertain how the news will sit with enviromentalists who oppose short-haul flights, many of whom have applauded the Pope in recent months for his promotion of the green cause. They have been impressed by Pope Benedict’s use of an electric-powered popemobile and the Vatican’s plans to run on solar power. For more information on the new airline, visit www.mistralair.it.

Letters: Page 11

“Please pray for the voiceless people of Zimbabwe.” This is the plea of a Catholic priest ministering to a faithful devastated by economic meltdown

and oppression. ACN is providing aid for the

homeless and enabling the Gospel to be

preached to a despairing people. A gift of £30 - or whatever you can afford - will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Z07A/CH

Aid to the Church in Need 12-14 Benhill Avenue, Sutton, Surrey SM1 4DA. Tel: 020 8642 8668 acn@acnuk.org www.acnuk.org Registered with the Charity Commission No. 1097984 Rev/Sr/Mr/Mrs/Miss...................................................... Address:.......................................................................... ....................................................Postcode...................... I enclose £.............. £100 £50 £30 Other to help the suffering faithful in Zimbabwe. I enclose a cheque to Aid to the Church in Need OR please debit my Visa/MasterCard/Amex/Maestro: __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ __ Signature strip code (last block of digits): __ __ __ (__) Valid From Date: ...... /...... Expiry Date: ...... /...... Issue No ...... (Maestro) Signature: ............................... I do not wish to receive information about Aid to the Church in Need.