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JOHN PAUL II: THE FEMINIST

MICHAEL O’DRISCOLL ON THE THIRD ANNIVERSARY OF THE PONTIFF’S DEATH, P8

No. 6346

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March 28, 2008 £1 (Republic of Ireland €1.50)

Brown grants Labour MPs free vote on ‘monstrous’ embryo Bill

Prime Minister sees off threat of rebellion Church leaders call for ethical research

ALSO IN THIS WEEK’S ISSUE

BYSIMONCALDWELL

THEPRIMEMinister has agreed to allow Labour MPs a free vote on controversial fertility laws after Catholic Cabinet Ministers threatened to rebel. Gordon Brown had also faced fierce criticism from Britain’s senior Catholic leaders over the Easter weekend because of an earlier decision to deny his MPs a vote of conscience on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. They were led by Cardinal Keith O’Brien who used a homily on Easter Sunday to accuse Mr Brown of seeking to pass a law which represents a “monstrous attack on human rights, human dignity and human life”. He was joined south of the border by such high-profile clerics as Cardinal Cormac MurphyO’Connor, Archbishop Peter Smith of Cardiff, Archbishop Vincent Nichols of Birmingham and Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue of Lancaster, each of whom said it was wrong for Mr Brown to try to stop Labour MPs from voting with their consciences. Their interventions came after it emerged that Catholic Cabinet ministers had last week failed to persuade Mr Brown to lift the Government whip on proposals to create animal-human hybrid embryos for destructive experiments. Discussions between ministers opposed to the Bill and Geoff Hoon, the Chief Whip, had not only resulted in stalemate but had led to the souring of relations between Cabinet colleagues. The impasse drastically increased the likelihood of a rebellion against the Government bill by as many as twelve

Cardinal O’Brien, left, has accused Gordon Brown of trying to drive into law ‘hideous practices’. Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, right, welcomed a free vote

Ministers and more than 50 Labour backbenchers. Those most unhappy with the refusal of the Government to grant a conscience vote were the Wales Secretary Paul Murphy, Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly and Defence Secretary Des Browne, all of whom are Catholics. If any of them defied a three-line whip they would at the least be expected to resign from the Cabinet, or be sacked. But on Tuesday Mr Brown announced a U-turn and will allow free votes on hybrids, socalled saviour siblings and the abolition of the legal principle that

IVF doctors must have regard for a child’s need for a father. Speaking at the launch of Labour’s local election campaign, Mr Brown said: “I do believe that in stem-cell research we have the power in the future to treat and to cure some of the diseases that have afflicted mankind for centuries. I have always said that although I attach huge importance to this legislation –to save lives and helping to cure and treat diseases –we respect the consciences of every MP as they decide how to vote.” Mr Brown’s decision means,

however, that there will not be a free vote on the Bill’s second or third reading but only on amendments in the Report stages. The announcement was given a cautious welcome by Archbishop Nichols. “The Prime Minister has recognised the importance of conscience,” he said. “This matters greatly not only to Catholics but also to people of other faiths and those with ethical concerns.” Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor also welcomed the news, adding that “clearly the debate on these important issues will continue both within and outside

Parliament over the coming weeks and months”. But John Deighan, the Parliamentary Officer of the Catholic Church in Scotland, said the compromise “still leaves Labour MPs in a position where they may have to vote for something which they believe to be intrinsically wrong, since the free vote only applies to amendments to the Bill so at a later stage the Government will still compel them to back it”. Both he and Cardinal MurphyO’Connor urged scientists to pursue adult stem-cell research. This

does not kill embryos and has so far resulted in some 80 therapies whereas embryonic stem-cell research has failed to deliver a single one. In the Lords, the Government imposed a three-line whip on each vote, ensuring the failure of all six attempts to amend the Bill by Lords who had moral objections to its contents. Normally, threeline whips are used when the Government faces a vote of noconfidence or a vital loss of tax revenue if a Bill is overturned.

Editorial comment: Page 11

NEWS

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INTERVIEW

Sir Rocco Forte on his father’s inspiring legacy

INDEX

News2-5 Catholic Life6 Features7-9

Comment10 Books13 Charterhouse16

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Vatican seeks permission to open first church in Saudi Arabia

BYMARKGREAVES

THE VATICAN is negotiating with Saudi Arabia for permission to build the kingdom’s first ever church. Archbishop Paul-Mounged el-Hachem, one of the Pope’s most senior Middle East representatives, said discussions began a few weeks ago. It is believed that Benedict XVI raised the subject during his historic meeting with King Abdullah in November –the first ever meeting between a pontiff and a Saudi monarch. Archbishop Hachem, papal nuncio to Kuwait, Qatar, Yemen, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, said: “Discussions are underway to

allow the construction of churches in the kingdom.” He said that a church in Saudi Arabia would be an important sign of “reciprocity” between Muslims and Christians, but added that the Vatican could not predict the outcome of the discussions. He made his remarks after the opening of Qatar’s first church earlier this month. The church, built in the desert outside the country’s capital Doha, drew a congregation of 15,000 to an Easter Mass. There are about one million Christians in Saudi Arabia, many of whom are immigrants from countries such as India and the Philippines. They are forbidden from

building churches, worshipping in public or even wearing crucifixes or any other signs of faith. The last priest was expelled in 1985. The Saudi religious authorities enforce a strict interpretation of Islam known as Wahhabism and cite a tradition which dictates that only Muslims should be allowed to practise their faith in the Arabian Peninsula. Christians complain that the rules are not clear and that the authorities sometimes crack down on congregations which gather to worship in private. But if the Saudi government allows the construction of a church – and thereby grants Christians the right to

worship in public –it could lead the way towards formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican. The Holy See refuses to establish relations with countries that do not allow religious freedom. The Vatican spokesman Fr Federico Lombardi said it would be a “historic” achievement if the Saudi government granted permission for a church. Senior Catholic and Muslim scholars will gather for formal talks at the Vatican in November. The talks will focus on the theological and spiritual foundations of the two faiths as well as the subject of “human dignity and mutual respect”.

Austrian monks win majormusic recording contract

BYANNAARCO

THE CISTERCIANS at the 12th century Heiligenkreuz monastery in Austria have a reason to sing. Not only is their monastery a thriving place with young vocations which the Pope visited last

year, but their Gregorian chanting has caught the attention of a major record company. Universal Classics, a branch of the record company that produces the work of the controversial singer Amy Winehouse and the rapper Eminem, has signed up the Cistercians to sing Gregorian chants for a new CD which is due out next month. The record label received hundreds of CDs and DVDs of religious singing after it advertised in the religious press, hoping to capitalise on a trend sparked by the plain

chant in popular video games. But the Cistercians, who are led by Abbot Gregor Henkel, a personal friend of the Pope, wowed the talent-spotters at Universal with a video posted on the website YouTube. A comment on the Stift Heiligenkreuz website said that the Cistercians enthusiastically took to the reforms of Vatican II by keeping Liturgical Latin and nurturing Gregorian chanting. “I didn’t think they would choose us— it was just for fun that we wrote to them in an e-mail,” one of the monks said.

Learning the Catechism in cyberspace

Ex-pat in Turkey converts after receiving instruction solely by e-mail. Page 3

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