Cardinal: ‘I will not be silenced on abortion’

BY DEBORAH GYAPONG
CARDINAL Marc Ouellet, the Archbishop of Quebec, has vowed not to be silenced on abortion after a media outcry over his assertion that abortion was always a “moral crime” even in cases of rape.
In an interview and a news conference Cardinal Ouellet expressed surprise at the harsh political and media reaction to his comments. He was vilified in the media, and one popular columnist called him an ayatollah and extremist and said the cardinal should die from a slow, painful illness.
Cardinal Ouellet said: “I will not leave things the way they are. There is a legitimate debate about promoting human life, about respect for the unborn.” At a joint news conference in Quebec with Archbishop Terrence Prendergast of Ottawa the cardinal called for the federal government to provide funding for pro-life organisations that counsel women against abortion.
“Governments are funding clinics for abortion,” Cardinal Ouellet said. “I would like equity for organisations that are defending life. If we had equity in funding, I think we would make lots of progress in Canada.
“I am calling for a campaign of awareness and for programmes to help women in distress. There is a lack of information, accompaniment and financial aid for pregnant women in crisis situations to make an enlightened choice,” he added.
Cardinal Ouelett’s earlier comments drew condemnation from politicians, culminating in a unanimous vote on a resolution in the National Assembly of Quebec affirming a woman’s right to free abortion.
Cardinal Ouellet said he was taken aback by the uproar but would not be intimidated.
“The abortion debate is on and we must not be afraid of it,” he said. “We must have it, even if there is a motion in Quebec and an affirmation by the prime minister in Ottawa that go in the opposite direction and refuse to re-open legislation on abortion.” The cardinal also expressed dismay at the visceral public reaction. “I have no power,” he said. “The Church in Quebec has no power any more. Why such a big reaction? I am just reminding people of the teaching of the Church.” The cardinal defended the right of Church leaders to speak publicly about abortion and “to care for the formation of conscience”.
Quebec has about 30,000 abortions annually, and there are around 100,000 abortions each year in all of Canada.
Cardinal Ouellet said: “I did not condemn any woman who has had recourse to an abortion,” he added. “God alone is the judge of everybody’s conscience because he alone can measure all the elements in each and every case.
“My objective was to remind [people] of the enormous moral objective with the preoccupation of saving a child’s innocent life and saving the mother from the serious consequences of a deliberately provoked abortion,” he said.