Falling on Deaf Ears:
Last September, I commented upon the fact that the Belfast newspaper, The Irish News has lost its way in that, while it still offers the reader the comfort that it is pro nationalist and “catholic” in its outlook and news identification of “Pro fide et Patria”, it saw fit to accept advertising revenue from the Belfast Fertility Clinic under its caption: “We make Mums!” This identification with the evil that is IVF is a clear renunciation with anything that should or could be associated with Catholic teaching. I concluded my piece with a call to reason for the newspaper to be true to this timeless motto, which has been the glory of the Irish race from the time of St. Patrick. To date, this appeal has fallen on deaf ears.
However, the edition of the Irish News of 15th November 2019, carried an opinion piece by its security correspondent, Allison Morris – a stalwart detractor of Catholicism’s role, especially with regards to life matters – who called for an honest and open debate, in the light of the terrible murder of teenager Ana Kriegel, of what type of society we have become.
This would be meaningful, but for the fact that Allison, and by all accounts those who have become readily identifiable with “constitutional nationalism” have seen fit to have succeeded in somewhat undermining society with their promoting and achieving the destruction of what was known for millennia, as the nuclear family and the domestic church: husband, wife and children, with same sex “marriage”, abortion and no doubt, euthanasia in the not too distant future!
Morris’ Opinion is Offensive on a Number of Levels:
The Kriegel case has come down to represent what happens in the denial of a moral structure in society, especially that framed in the Judeo-Christian ethic and reaching its fullest expression in Catholic theological and social identity.
Indeed – as Viscount Monckton of Brenchley’s coverage of this tragic case has showed – is that a disturbing element of denying of God and occultism placed this into a framework that the sophisticated, Barista dwellers of Dublin, would find hard to entertain! The fact that Ana called upon the Holy Name was dismissed by her abusers and murderers with the rebuke that only Satan matters here, shows that the culture of death and its creator are clearly involved, despite what psychologists would proffer in a neurologic counter parry!
Morris’ opinion is offensive on a number of levels. That she made no secret of her desire to see the ending of equality of life for the mother and her unborn child, and yet she bleeds for the ending of violence towards women – here I totally concur. Nevertheless, she seems mystified that the rape and murder of a young innocent girl has occurred when we have effectively ended the dark monopoly of Catholic moralism on the island?
Allison, like many journalists and societal pundits from constitutional nationalism, have declared their liberty with the effective abandonment of their baptismal and confirmational promises, in order to become intoxicated with the false liberation of “ my body, my choice!” This promise comes from the ancient lie that we ourselves are divine (Gen 3:1-8) and like our first parents we all imbibe to its sensual promises of an easier life style, with the minimal of seriousness and cornucopia of pleasures.
Excluding Faith from any Discussion:
Morris continues to quite rightly struggle to comprehend the horror by which children kill children. But you see, dear Allison, that is the mystery of evil, by its nature. It shows that when one denies the hope contained in the Judeo- Christian understanding, then such philosophising will continue without obtaining an satisfying answer!
That Rudolf Hoess could oversee the daily murder of hundreds of innocents at Auschwitz and yet retire to the family he loved and relax like a good, normal person, is a mystery. His interrogator at Nuremberg, Whitney Harris saw him as normal like a grocery clerk; one who wouldn’t hurt a fly! What marked out the likes of Hoess and others, was an abandonment of the Christian ideal, epitomised by the twisted rants of his master, whose view on Catholicism that it was a weak support for even weaker personages – as shown in the attitude of the abusers and murderers of Ana Kriegel towards her invocation of the Holy Name. Allison Morris and her ilk, seek for a solution to these societal woes with little or more aptly ‘no’ reference to faith and this inevitably makes the question a complete revolution of unanswered reflections.
Another journalist who would share the views of Ms Morris, is Colm Keena of The Irish Times who on November 19th reported upon the move of the Irish Law Reform Commission to look into the possibility that certain incestuous acts be made legal. The NUI law lecturer, Tom O Malley clarifies this, that, wherein the couple were consenting adults and that there was no risk of pregnancy resulting from that encounter. It is clear for all to see that we can view this as another sleight of hand move, similar to emotion whipped up with the Halappanavar case!
Re-emergence of: No Practicing Papist Need Apply!:
The stratagem employed by the enemies of faith and reason, will try and use this attempted “clarifying” by the Law reform body as was used by the vox populism in the run up to the repeal of the eighth amendment and no doubt, Justice McGuinness will be resurrected again to give her view that this is probably yet another good move for modernity and the final nail in the coffin lid of Catholic misogyny which will be shut for good! Indeed, the new order that has taken place states that there is no place for those who offer any defence of the pre-born or who question those who love letters (eg LGBT etc. etc.), in the secular realm. The recent decision of the new Lib Dem leader, Jo Swinson to deselect Rob Flello shows how the reality sits, that the example of a faithful Catholic who strives to represent all – including his unborn constitutes, shows that there will soon be a re-emergence of the 1670’s Test Act: No practicing Papist need apply! Swinson, Corbyn,and the rest who declared the unborn of the North of Ireland as unworthy of life, shows just how contemptible their values are.
The picture of Stella Creasy kissing her new born baby sent shivers down my spine; that one who at the time she was carrying her child declared anathema on those children in a similar position. And yet through this all the figure of atheistic secularism continually shows itself and the reality with which denial of the Natural Law entails: the debasement of love and respect, where the human person is reduced to nothing more than – as in the case of poor Ana Kriegel – a sex object for the feral lusts of two children! Allison Morris and the other ‘luvvies’ of the Fourth Estate can continually wring their hands crying and lament, when at the same time they refuse to acknowledge their part in being the sounding board that called for liberation from morality!
Abandonment of God:
Yet the despair and its identification which continues apace with the revelation that cervical smear campaigner, Vicky Phelan has stated that the state needs to look at the introduction of euthanasia. Her candid interview with the Mail on Sunday of December 1st 2019, was decidedly dystopian in outlook and in content. She harangued God and was quite vocal in denying his existence saying that there basically is no salvation.
For Phelan, her bad luck has been reduced to enragement against divinity and the world. While she and others in her position have been lamentably treated by the State, her advocacy for state killing in medicine, shows clearly that abortion is not the only solution; that the other end of the life spectrum must have its exit point as well – all directed by the all holy decision of choice! Of course, the editorial praised her brave and vocal stance; while in reality it is nothing but another example of where the Catholic faith has had no impact and it is only this world that matters.
In the Cauldron of Suffering we Gain Wisdom:
Phelan seems to forget that it is only in the cauldron of suffering that we gain the wisdom to come to terms with the fact that we are called to sanctity. Two recent examples show this: the Venerable Carlo Acutis ( died 2006) and Blessed Chiara Luce Badano (died 1990). These two stars, who died at fifteen and twenty two years respectively, offered their cancer as atonements for the evil of the world and theirs is a lesson that redemptive suffering is needed as an effective antidote to the toxic nihilism advocated sadly by Vicky Phelan and others.
Ven. Carlo stated that God creates only originals while this world is fully of ineffectual photocopies and Blessed Chiara offered her suffering with God’s will. One also should contemplate the example set in the final suffering of St Pope John Paul II, a concrete example of opposition to euthanasia and walking in solidarity with those who suffer. I would wish that Vicky Phelan would consider these saintly examples before it is too late for her soul and for her eternal happiness. It is interesting to note that a miracle attributed to Ven. Carlo has passed the medical stage and is now at the theological examination stage. May their example of doing God’s will to the fullest in the short time of fifteen and twenty two years respectively shake us out of our spiritual stupor and join them in the goal of gaining holiness and eternal life!
“If we have died with him, then we shall live with him. If we hold firm, then we shall reign with him. If we disown him, then he will disown us. We may be unfaithful, but he is always faithful, for he cannot disown his own self…” II Tim. 2:10-13.
